Chevy Blazer three-row spied in thin camouflage

It looks like the three-row Chevy Blazer, potentially called Blazer XL, is nearly ready for prime time. One of our photographers caught this example testing with a bare-minimum camouflage wrap. In fact, there are a couple of patches where the crossover’s dark red paint shows through.

The lengthened Blazer looks they way we expected it would: a longer version of the creased and folded two-row Blazer. The nose looks effectively unchanged, and even the flanks look similar except that the whole crossover is longer. This is most noticeable in the rear quarter windows that have been stretched and feature a less dramatic upswing toward the roof. The back lacks any significant changes either.

The familiar design makes sense considering this crossover will still wear the Blazer badge with some appendage designating its greater length. Furthermore, the long Blazer was previewed by the Chevy FNR-CarryAll concept shown at a Chinese auto show last year. That concept was pretty much the crossover you see above, but with an aggressive, bulging hood and sporty lower front fascia.

When the Chinese concept was revealed, it was slated to launch in 2020, which seems likely based on this mostly finished prototype. It’s unclear if the bigger Blazer will be sold in the United States, since Chevy already has a three-row crossover in the Traverse. But the three-row Blazer won’t be quite as large as the Traverse, and with its emphasis on style, it could be different enough to justify a place in American showrooms. Regardless of the market, the three-row Blazer will likely be powered by the same engines found in the regular Blazer, which include a naturally aspirated 193-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, a turbocharged 2.0-liter 230-horsepower 4-cylinder and a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 making 308 horsepower. All of these engines would be paired with a nine-speed automatic and either front-wheel or all-wheel drive.