Sporty, Big Range, But Pricey: 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS First Drive Review

A racetrack sure made for a surprising venue to host a media drive of the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS. GM’s Ultium-based EVs tend to come up a little short in the performance department. Instead, they clearly cater to the most important stat for EV buyers: range.

And yet, the Blazer EV SS’s specs on paper sure sound good. Especially the step up to 615 horsepower with upgraded suspension, bigger brakes, 22-inch wheels, and more aggressive styling.

I visited North Carolina, excited to experience the latest of America’s private racetracks: the Ten Tenths Motor Club. But admittedly, I also harbored some doubts about the SS’s on-track capabilities. And sure enough, the launch included minimal track time — less than 10 minutes per media driver, in fact.

But road driving manners matter much more for converting to actual sales, and that’s exactly where the Blazer EV SS surprised me most. It’s still much more of a commuter than a performance car, but nevertheless improves upon almost all of my main critiques for the lower-spec variants.

In short: The Blazer EV’s SS package promises big performance upgrades versus lower trim levels. On the road, upgrades to the suspension, larger wheels, and big power certainly help. The roomy interior, inoffensive exterior design, and legit range all fall right in line with GM’s other EVs. But make no mistake, this is no track star, due to brake, battery, and tire temperature concerns.

2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS Review

Chevy made a strange, if not entirely surprising, decision to revive the Blazer nameplate in the first place. Though, in fairness, the historical play ends up feeling less forced than Ford’s Mustang Mach-E. At least the new Blazer includes both an electric and internal-combustion version, though both fit more appropriately into the modern crossover era than the classic Blazer’s four-wheeling pedigree might suggest.

Now, the Blazer EV’s top SS spec leans into the aspirational sporty ethos of modern crossovers. And the main highlight, raw grunt, certainly takes a big bump. It’s up to 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. For context, the lowest-tier Blazer EV puts out merely 288 horsepower and 325 pound-feet.

The SS gets dual motors, with the front putting out 258 of those torques while the rear can manage 391 pound-feet. Despite the power difference, the rear motor actually fits into a smaller space to help allow for a low load floor and maximized cargo capacity. Meanwhile, a 103kWh battery pack powers the two motors, resulting in a range estimate of 303 miles — critically, more than a Tesla Model Y Performance.

A Quick Hit of Track Fun

For the scant few minutes of track time, that power sure came in handy. But almost more importantly, Chevy also dropped in 60% stiffer sway bars, 30% stiffer springs, monotube dampers, and a quicker steering ratio with unique SS calibration.

On my first sighting lap, the steering stood out most versus other Blazer trims, with more feedback to the driver as well as more precision at pace. And once I started cornering harder, the uprated suspension handled the heft of a 5,730-pound EV much better, too.

But the new track at the Ten Tenths Club includes a lot of elevation change for such a small facility. Going uphill noticeably challenged the power output, and I had to hammer hard on the brakes going back down. Given the venue, I quickly understood why Chevrolet limited us to just two laps at medium pace.

After two laps, I drove onto a small handling course on level ground. Here, the tires started screaming even louder. They were already hot from the two longer laps, and soon the game turned into figuring out the ECU’s power delivery parameters. Like all EVs, the Blazer EV SS cannot fully turn off computer interventions, even with Wide Open Watts and Competition Mode selected.

Stay Within the Envelope

I wound up learning quickly not to turn the steering wheel too far. Doing so while trying to accelerate or drift, and the power cuts out immediately. While braking, hard steering input merely brings out the chugga-chugga of speed-sapping understeer — or exactly what Chevy’s engineering team acknowledged they spent a ton of time trying to minimize.

One more cool-down lap to the pits, and we were done for the day. The gauge cluster never showed any power de-rating from the battery over that short demonstration. But the tires and brakes sure smelled toasty once I climbed out.

As I sat around waiting for the next day’s road testing, I wondered whether the uprated suspension and 22-inch tires that helped the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS cope with a hard flogging on track (or at least cope respectably) might ruin comfort levels for daily driving.

Road Testing the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS Makes Much More Sense

Luckily, the next day included far more seat time through North Carolina’s picturesque countryside. Most of the road surfaces stayed smooth enough that the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS simply floated along in perfect serenity. Only the worst chunked-up portions of tarmac, or blasting over train tracks, sent reverberations into the passenger compartment.

Clearly, Chevy put in work to reduce NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). The steering improvements also helped make the day much more enjoyable and engaging than in lower trims. To me, that alone makes the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS a worthy tradeoff versus the marginally stiffer ride.

I figure the 22-inch wheels probably make up for most of the lost compliance. But, larger wheels help compensate for any loss of sportiness due to the eco-friendly Michelin Primacy All-Season tires.

Meanwhile, I got to enjoy standard Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving on a remarkable number of two-lane back roads — all with the air conditioning and ventilated seats blasting in the humidity, without fear of eating into the impressive range too much. The prioritization of overall passenger and cargo space inside the Blazer stood out, though I always wish every EV came with a frunk.

2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS First Drive Review: Conclusions

For another $15,000 or so, depending on a small options list, the Blazer EV SS nearly doubles the power output of lower trims. That money also buys improved steering and sporty suspension, without sacrificing comfort too much. Most impressively, range only drops about 10% versus the longest-range Blazer EV, from 333 miles to 303 miles.

The 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS looks best in a restrained color, to my eye. A metallic gray or black flies under the radar more than a bright red, especially with my test car’s bright red interior.

Altogether, the package makes a lot of sense, especially when comparing it to a Mustang Mach-E GT or a Model Y — not to mention the confusing Jeep Wagoneer S.

A sunroof and flashy colors add to the base MSRP, though, and start to creep into Polestar 3 territory. At the higher end of the market, competition gets serious. But, at least if the Blazer EV loses out on any true 4×4 cred, the design stays truer to SUV form than the otherwise stupendous Lucid Gravity.