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HEY, GENERAL MOTORS. Can we talk? I mean, whatsa matter with youfolks? You ashamed of good work?

You’ve got a machine as nice as the 1988 4.3-liter Chevrolet S-10Blazer 4×4. But whattaya do? You practically whisper about it. Heck,it’s hard to find the thing in anybody’s showroom.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. You’ve got plenty of S-10 Blazers out there;but they’re puffboxes next to this hummer.

You’ve got those goofy 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder, two-wheel-drive S-10Blazers that, frankly, don’t make much sense as sport utility vehicles.And you have lots of “more powerful” 2.8, V-6 S-10 Blazers intwo-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive packages.

Look, the 2.8 V-6’s are okay. But they don’t look so hot alongsidethe Jeep Wagoneer, Nissan Pathfinder, and Isuzu Trooper II.

Nahhh. What you need is something with “umph,” something with “gotchapower.” You need more 4.3-liter S-10 Blazers in your lineup.

You shoulda seen how people were pawing over the test machine. Theyloved it! Heck, some social miscreant loved it enough to swipe the twofront hubcaps.

Anyway, I hope you get the idea. Cut back on the 2.5s and 2.8s. Giveus more 4.3s, puhleeease.

Complaints: Besides the nerd who stole the hubcaps (while the Blazerwas sitting on a church parking lot!), there are these: only having twodoors, and a maladjusted accessory drive belt that occasionally squeakedand screeched.

The belt problem was taken care of. But how do you get two more doorson either side of the S-10 Blazer, huh, GM? Must we all walk over toJeep and Isuzu, where the manufacturers have sensibly provided us withfour doors? A two-door sport utility vehicle sort of loses some of itsutility, don’tcha think?

Praise: Automotive power tickles me. This kind of power tickles meabsolutely. Step on the accelerator in this machine. Whoosh!

Oh, settle down, Ralph. I don’t mean wild, irresponsible “whoosh.” Imean the kind of “whoosh” that leaves decent, conservative, mostlylaw-abiding motorists smiling.

Ah, yes. Give GM top marks for outstanding craftsmanship in this one,too. The fit and finish of the test S-10 Blazer rivals that of the bestJapanese automotive products.

Head-turning quotient: Attracted lots of looks — and thoseunwelcome, thieving hands.

Ride, acceleration, handling, braking: Excellent in all fourcategories. The engine, which is linked to a four-speed automaticoverdrive transmission, is rated 160 hp at 4,000 rpm.

This S-10 Blazer, when equipped with a special trailer package, canpull up to 6,300 pounds, according to Chevrolet engineers.

Sound system: AM/FM stereo radio by GM/Delco. Excellent tonal qualityand signal retention.

Mileage: Gulp! About 16 to the gallon (20-gallon tank, estimated310-mile range on usable volume), combined city-highway, running withfull, four-person passenger load and with air conditioner on maximumsetting.

Price: Base price is $12,590. Price of the tested model is $16,270,inclu ding $3,275 in options and $405 destination charge. Dealer’sinvoice price without options is $11,242.87.

Purse-strings note: If price is your main concern, save the moneyuntil you can buy a 4.3-liter model.