As they say in the advertising business, When youre on a good thing, stick to it! And so Chevrolet stayed true to the successful formula it had developed for the large K-5 Blazer SUV and shared with its sister division GMC as the Jimmy. To cater for a wider buyer profile GM developed the S-10 Blazer and the S-15 GMC Jimmy, both being smaller, mid-sized SUVs that somewhat oddly retained the model names of their larger siblings. Perhaps the word smaller should be explainedby normal standards and dimensions the S-10/S-15 were not small in the sense of, say, the Suzuki Vitara or Toyota RAV4. The two-door versions had a wheelbase of 100.5 inches and the four-door models wheelbase was 6.5 inches longer and they were heavy because they were again based on a truck chassis. Not surprisingly, the styling of the mid-range models was similar to their big brothers. Based around a two-door body with a fixed roof, the S-10/S-15 were initially available with either a 2.0-litre OHV in-line four-cylinder engine of just 83bhp or a 2.8-litre OHV V6 that produced 110bhp. Over the next few years a wide array of engines were offered, including a 1.9-litre Isuzu-built four-cylinder unit that met the Californian emission requirements (the GM unit did not) and a 2.2-litre Isuzu diesel. For the 1985 model year these engines were all replaced by a new 2.5-litre petrol engine and the V6 acquired a throttle body fuel injection system so that it would meet the emission requirements and at the same time produce more power and give better fuel mileage. A larger capacity 4.3-litre V6 became available in 1988, its power output being 150bhp. By the usual American standards these were not particularly powerful engines for their capacity but you must remember that these were early days in an industry that was still learning how to comply with mandated emission regulations. They were, however, robust and under-stressed and so owners could expect a long and reliable working life from them. In 1990 Chevrolet (and GMC) introduced the longer wheelbase four-door version of the S-10/S-15 which further widened the potential for sales in North America. Mind you, Jeep had been building their four-door Cherokee wagon for many years so you do have to wonder what took GM so long to enter that segment of the market. Minor styling and mechanical upgrades took place during the models long life but basically GM seemed to work on the basis that if it aint broke dont fix it. After all, they were selling every one that they could produce so in most ways they had hit the sweet spot in the market and simply ran with it. Most admirable. The S-10/S-15 Blazer/Jimmy enjoyed a very long and uninterrupted production life from 1983 through to the end of 1994, a rather remarkable event in a country consumed by planned obsolescence. Running in parallel to the S-10/S-15 were the larger K-5 SUVs that remained in production through to 1991 after which they were based on a new GMT400 chassis, the Chevy version initially being badged as the K-1500 Blazer and the GMC became the Yukon. A big country and the home of big automobiles. That was America. With rapidly changing lifestyles and needs where automobiles were concerned Chevrolet (and GMC) found a booming new market with SUVs that while based on truck components had far more luxury than hitherto offered and were amazingly successful.Models covered: Chevrolet Blazer S-10, K-5, K-10, V, K-1500, Bushwhacker, GMC Jimmy S-15, K-15, V & Yukon.
