The Miami Herald's view

A friend was complaining the other day that sport-utility vehicles were just too darn soft these days.

His argument was that manufacturers are building sport utes so they ride really nice for the trip to the supermarket, or the rush-hour commute to work. He stressed that the number and placement of cupholders has become more important than off-road capability on most sport-utility vehicles.

He said he longed for the days when sport-utility vehicles were thinly disguised four-wheel-drive pickups, not what he sees them as today — really tall station wagons.

I don’t agree with my friend. I think that most sport-utility vehicles today can deliver as much off-road performance as the average driver can handle.

I have been on some road tests in which you get an opportunity to go charging off into the woods and it takes extraordinary skill to navigate the humps and hollows without banging a fender against a pine tree. It’s an acquired skill of which most people have no need.

Which brings up another point: Off-roading in South Florida mostly means sand or swamp, and big, brawny sport-utility vehicles are overkill in those situations. There are no hills or mountains to climb, no boulders on which to smash the transfer case to bits.

But if you have to own a sport ute that looks like it could climb a mountain — should one ever pop up unexpectedly in Pembroke Pines — then Chevrolet has a version of its Blazer that should fit.

Offered as an option in the 1997 model line and continued for ’98, the ZR2 Blazer comes from the factory just itching to tackle the Continental Divide. Just add gas.

Available in the two-door model, the ZR2 option adds four-wheel-drive, big knobby tires, a heavy-duty skid plate to protect the transmission and engine oil pan, Bilstein shocks and fender flares. A similar package has been offered on the S-10 pickup for more than two years.

The overall visual effect on the already muscular Blazer is to turn it into something akin to those guys on ESPN who win contests by flexing their pecs.

That is not to imply that the ZR2 doesn’t deliver what its looks promise.

Power comes from the 4.3-liter Vortec V-6, which has 190 horsepower and 250-foot-pounds of torque, the latter figure an important commodity for the low-end grunt needed for off-roading.

The ZR2 offers both a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic with optional electric shift-on-the-go control of the four-wheel-drive. The five-speed will be the gearbox of choice for the macho buyers, but anyone who uses their ZR2 for climbing over the traffic on Interstate 95 in the morning will opt for the automatic. It saves wear and tear on the clutch leg.

Putting the ZR2 package into the two-door Blazer helps improve off-road capability because of the two-door’s shorter wheelbase. Anyone who has driven where the pavement don’t go knows that the longer the wheelbase of a vehicle, the more chance it will get hung up on some obstacle.

The ZR2 also can get over obstacles better than a standard Blazer because it has an extra half-inch of ground clearance — 8.5 inches overall.

That extra margin comes from the 31×10.5/15-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain radials, which sit taller than the standard rubber normally put on a Blazer and have a knobby-style tread design that should help drivers get out of most any muck.

Aside from the get-tough-with-nature equipment, the Blazer does a pretty good job of behaving in a civilized fashion when it’s on pavement.

The ride is not as harsh as Chevrolet’s choice of shocks and tires might suggest. The thrum of the knobby tires is considerably muted from other trucks with similar rubber. Nonetheless, there is still something of a bounce to the ride, and the taller tires tend to corner less well than lower-profile rubber.

The taller tires, even when combined with the 3.73 rear axle ratio, slowed the 0-to-60 mph times to about 10 seconds — a second or so slowe than a standard V-6 Blazer.

In the cockpit, the ZR2 is unchanged from the standard Blazer, which means comfortable front bucket seats, room for four adults, and space out back for a weekend’s worth of camping gear. Oh, yes, there are plenty of cupholders as well.

So here’s the bottom line: Order the ZR2 package for more than $1,800 over the base price of a two-door Blazer and you’ll get a sport-utility vehicle that is slightly slower and slightly less smooth than a base model, but has all the interior creature comforts that are the standard for a modern sport ute.

But you’ll also get a hairy-chested Blazer that tells the world you’re ready to handle a lot more than the supermarket parking lot.

SPECS
Base list price: $22,241

Price as tested: $27,569

Major options: Major options: ZR2 package, $1,850; preferred equipment package, $3,741

Engine: 4.3-liter V-6

Transmission: Four-speed automatic

Horsepower: Four-speed automatic

Weight: 3,498 pounds

0-to-60 mph: 10.3 seconds

Mileage: 16-21 mpg

Safety: Dual front airbags, daytime running lamps, side impact beams, anti-lock brakes

Competitors: Ford Explorer, Toyota 4Runner, Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder, Mitsubishi Montero Sport