2021 Chevrolet Blazer makes active safety features standard on most trims

A few days ago we heard that Chevrolet would add a Trailering Package to the 2021 Blazer, making a 4,500-pound tow rating available on front-wheel-drive trims with the 3.6-liter V6. As told by GM-Trucks, the list of small tweaks to the new model year won't end there. The biggest change is four of six Blazer trims getting six active safety features standard. Since the crossover's introduction for the 2019 model year, shoppers have had to pay to get lifesavers like automatic emergency braking (AEB) and forward collision alert on the top RS and Premier. Those technologies have been unavailable at any cost on the four lower trims. Next year, a Chevrolet Safety Assist Package groups AEB with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, a following distance indicator, forward collision alert, and Intellibeam headlights that automatically toggle between high and low beams.

For 2021, the Safety Assist package will be standard on the 2LT, 3LT, RS, and Premier models. It cannot be optioned on the entry-level L and 1LT trims. Adaptive Cruise Control holds steady at altitude, offered only on the RS and Premier trims as part of the Driver Confidence II Package along with enhanced automatic emergency braking, HD Surround Vision, LED headlights, rear camera mirror, safety alert seat, and wireless smartphone charging.

The Blazer's exterior color palette includes nine colors right now. Four of them will retire at model year's end: Nightfall Gray Metallic, Graphite Metallic, and the premium Cajun Red Tintcoat. Four new colors fill in the gap: Cayenne Orange Metallic, Iron Gray Metallic, Pewter Metallic, and the premium Cherry Red Tintcoat. The RS trim in front-wheel drive picks up an 18-inch aluminum spare wheel instead of the present steel unit. The performance-enhancing advanced all-wheel-drive system with two clutches on the rear axle that apportion lateral torque will no longer be available on the Premier trim, leaving it a cost option for the RS alone.

Inside, the leather-wrapped steering wheel that came with the bottom three L, 1LT, and 2LT trims gets downgraded to a urethane (plastic) wheel. The Premier steps up from the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Premium system to Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Plus, which is now standard on the RS. 

And with the Chevrolet Safety Assist Package cherrypicking options that had been part of the Driver Confidence II and Enhanced Convenience and Driver Confidence II Packages, for 2021 both packages should see price drops as they'll only include their bundled options other than those safety features.