Blazer

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
SUV

Something we haven't uttered out loud is that we wish that Chevy would crank the power on its family crossover. The Chevrolet Blazer in the form it's in now bears little resemblance to the capable ladder-on-frame SUV it takes its name from. It looks great, it's a decent crossover for family hauling, but a performance vehicle, it isn't - even in the sportier RS trim level. However, according to Muscle Cars & Trucks, the tuning house Lingenfelter has identified a market for modified Blazers. According to the report, Lingenfelter is building a supercharged Blazer after making the surprising discovery that a performance Blazer is something enough people want.

"It might be something different and cool – we're gonna try one," said Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Vice President Mark Rapson to MC&T.

Currently, the most potent Blazer model you can buy comes with the range-topping 3.6-liter V6 and with all-wheel-drive. It produces a decent 308 horsepower for the size of the vehicle, along with 270 lb-ft of torque. Its handling is surprisingly dynamic, which could explain why Lingenfelter is keen to take a crack at supercharging the Blazer's V6 to around 450 horsepower. That would make it faster than the Ford Edge ST by quite a margin and put it in the same ballpark as the 475 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT with its 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine.

"Blazer was not on our radar initially, but we knew it was the same motor [as the Colorado and Canyon] and the supercharger will fit [even though it's transverse]. I can't tell you how many people came up and said 'can I get this installed on a Blazer?'" Lingenfelter revealed.

If there's that much interest in taking the Blazer up to performance levels, it's surprising Chevy hasn't entertained the idea of an SS version. Without the SS badges and body kit, we suspect the Blazer with a supercharger and large bump in horsepower and torque would make for a hilariously fun sleeper. Here's hoping Lingenfelter pulls the trigger and makes a kit available to the public soon.