Rear-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles generally exist at opposite ends of the spectrum. A car being offered in both rear and front-wheel drive isn’t a totally new idea, but when you look at an example like the fifth-gen Toyota Corolla, for instance, the RWD coupe and FWD hatchback don’t have all that much in common outside the nameplate. There are also official one-off conversions, like the Aston Martin Cygnet V8, basically a FWD Scion iQ microcar converted into a RWD V8 muscle car, but a mass-production vehicle available in both configurations, and sharing the same base mechanical underpinnings? That’s pretty much unheard of. And when you add an AWD option into the mix, you’re basically talking science fiction.
The newest electric iteration of the Chevy Blazer has essentially achieved the unachievable, being offered in any configuration you like, be it front-wheel, rear-wheel, or all-wheel drive. The 2024 edition is available in rear or all-wheel drive, with a front-wheel base model being added to the lineup for 2025. How did Chevy make this happen?
The information in this article was sourced directly from Chevrolet.
A Look At The Chevy Blazer EV
2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV Performance Specs
Trim
LT FWD
LT eAWD
RS RWD
Power
220 hp
300 hp
365 hp
Torque
243 lb-ft
355 lb-ft
325 lb-ft
Battery Size
85 kWh
85 kWh
102 kWh
Electric Range
TBD
283 miles
334 miles
The Chevy Blazer name goes all the way back to the original muscle car era when the full-size K5 Blazer was first introduced in 1969, and renamed the Blazer in 1992 before it became the Tahoe in 1995. It was also used from 1983 to 2012 on the compact and then midsize S-10 Blazer and was rebooted once more in 2019 as the gasoline Blazer crossover. Elsewhere in the world, the name has been used for a variety of SUVs, but America has always been the Blazer’s true home.
The electric model has only been around for a single model year so far, and adding FWD may seem like a pretty dramatic change this early into a vehicle’s life cycle. But the goal is to introduce a more accessible entry-level model, something Chevrolet always had in the pipeline for the Blazer EV. With it, the brand could be looking at a healthy sales bump by this time next year.
For the 2024 model year, the base MSRP of $48,800 for an LT AWD was a sizable sum of money to fork over, even if you were eligible for up to $7,500 in federal tax credits. But for 2025, the FWD model reduced the barrier of entry to just $45,995 (including destination and delivery), and if you qualify for the full Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credit, that comes down to just $38,495.
How Chevrolet Managed All Three Drivetrains In One Package
The trick to the Blazer EV’s triple-drivetrain setup is the Ultium platform, Chevy’s modular, electric-only architecture that makes it easy for the automaker to essentially put the electric motors wherever they like. Ultium was revealed by General Motors in early 2020, expanding to a number of GM models, including the Cadillac Lyriq, Buick Electra E4 and E5, and the EV variants of the Chevy Blazer, Equinox, and Silverado, as well as the Acura ZDX and the Honda Prologue.
Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.
A couple of new Escalades, the IQ and IQL, are currently planned for Ultium adoption, along with the BrightDrop Zevo delivery van. Also, Chevrolet has announced a new Bolt in development for the platform. The relative simplicity of an electric powertrain has made it possible for forward-thinking automakers to create incredibly versatile, battery-powered platforms that are not married to any specific drivetrain setup like many traditional gas-powered vehicles.
Related What cars use the Ultium battery and electric motor architecture developed by GM?
Ultium batteries and their associated components are used in many modern EVs, across very different segments. The list includes the Cadillac Lyriq, Cadillac Celestiq, Honda Prologue, GMC Sierra EV, and Chevrolet Blazer EV. These vehicles all have different outputs and battery sizes, based on the segments they fit into.
On that note, there’s no reason any vehicle on the Ultium platform couldn’t be offered in all three configurations. The question comes down to whether the public actually wants a front-wheel drive Escalade or a rear-wheel Honda Prologue, or if some options are regarded as more of a novelty than a necessity in certain vehicles. In any event, for automakers, what makes the Ultium exciting isn’t so much offering all three configurations to the consumer, but using one platform for your front, rear, and all-wheel drive models, considerably cutting down development and production time and costs.
Could An ICE-Powered Car Be Offered In All Three Configurations?
The short answer is possibly, and the long answer is that it’s not really worth the cost and effort. You’d need to start with a longitudinal platform which offers rear-wheel drive and which can be adapted to all-wheel drive easily enough. From there, front-wheel drive would be incredibly difficult given the engine and transmission’s layout.
But it’s possible. Take the Audi A4, featuring quattro with Ultra Technology added to the fifth-gen model during a 2020 facelift. Quattro refers to Audi’s AWD system, with Ultra Technology related to the car’s ability to shift into front-wheel drive mode to save fuel when AWD isn’t required. The Audi A4 is built on a longitudinal platform with AWD in mind, proving that rear/front/all-wheel drive is possible. It’s just not all that practical, as a variable AWD system is already capable of cutting drive to individual axles.
How EVs Are Keeping Rear-Wheel Drive Relevant
Even if you’re not fully on board, the fact remains that electric powertrains mean more rear-wheel drive vehicles. Electric SUVs like the Volkswagen ID.4, luxury sedans like the Lucid Air, and mid-market models like the Mustang Mach-E, have helped to expand the market for rear-wheel vehicles in every segment, and in every price range.
While it would be misleading to suggest that ICE-powered rear-wheel drive vehicles are a dying breed, the fact remains that front-wheel drive vehicles have largely usurped rear-wheel as the primary configuration. In a combustion-powered vehicle, front-wheel drive is cheaper to produce and cost-efficient for the manufacturer. In both instances, that means more money in the driver’s pocket at the end of the day, and that positions rear-wheel drive as something you have to seek out, rather than the default configuration.
The disadvantages of rear-wheel drive disappear when we’re talking about battery-powered vehicles, which don’t burn any fuel in the first place, and which, given the right platform, can be just as easily configured in front-wheel drive as rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. So, while EVs might not be “saving” rear-wheel drive, per se, they’re at least expanding the market for rear-propulsion.