Chevrolet

  • 2012 Chevrolet Suburban

    2/1/2012 10:26:43 PM - by Bill Bolander

    It offers seating for up to 9 people, incredible cargo space and a towing capacity that's robust enough to pull a small building. What’s just as impressive is that the Suburban is able to do all this yet it offers a gentle drive that is achieved thanks to its powerful V8 engine combining with its comfort features.  

    Body, Trims & Options
    The Suburban is offered in the form of the1500 model and the heavy-duty 2500 model. Both models are available in the base LS and midlevel LT trims, with the LTZ model available in the 1500 model. The Suburban has a standard eight-person seating capacity, but it offers and available 40/20/40 front bench that increases the seating capacity to nine people.

    Interior Design and Special Features
    The Suburban offers a well made passenger cabin that is easy on the eyes. Its interior controls and gauges are easy to see and operate

    The Suburban has very impressive cargo space, offering 137 cubic feet of storage behind the front seats, which is 40 more cubic feet than the Nissan Armada.

    Engine and Performance
    The 2012 Suburban comes with 2 different engine choices.  The first engine type comes on the 1500 model, and its a 5.3-liter V8 engine that pushes 320 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque. The 2500 model carries a 6.0-liter V8 that pushes 352 hp and 382 lb-ft of torque. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for the Suburban is 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway and 17 mpg in combined driving for the 2WD 1500 model and 10/15/12 mpg for the 4WD 2500 model.

    Safety Features
    The safety features includes Onstar, 4-wheel aBS, stability control, side airbags for the front seats and a 3-row side curtain airbag system complete w/ a rollover sensor.

    Verdict
    For a vehicle as big as the Suburban, it performs like a smaller SUV. It’s improved suspension gives it a smooth ride, and it offers a pretty quiet passenger cabin. If you are looking for a large SUV this year, look no further than the 2012 Suburban. We promise you it will not disappoint.

    Posted in Chevy Suburban

  • 2012 Chevrolet Camaro

    2/1/2012 10:20:56 PM - by Bill Bolander
    2012 Camaro’s now offer a rearview camera and the interior received a much needed make-over. Also for the 2012 Model year Chevrolet will debut the 2012 Camaro ZL1 , resurrecting a the supercharged V8 racing legend.
     

    ZL1

    The new 2012 Camaro ZL1 comes with a version of the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that can be seen in the Corvette ZR1. Under the hood of the Camaro it pushes 570 horsepower, thus becoming the fastest Camaro ever.

    Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Optional add ons

    The 2012 Camaro is a four-seat vehicle that is available as a coupe or convertible. The 2012 Camaro is available in the V6-powered 1LS and 2LS (available for coupes only), 1LT and 2LT trim levels, as well as the V8-powered 1SS and 2SS trim levels.

    Interior

    The interior of the 2012 Camaro boasts some retro touches like square gauge hoods and the available four-pack of auxiliary gauges with a modern dash design. It offers a new steering wheel that's more ergonomic and is way more comfortable to grip than in previous in years.

    Powertrains and Performance

    The 2012 Camaro LS and LT come received an updated engine this year and now boast a 3.6-liter V6 that gives it a mean 323 hp and 278 pound-feet of torque. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for the 2012 model is 19 mpg city/30 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined with the automatic (the manual gets 2 fewer mpg across the board).

    Safety features

    Every trim of the 2012 Camaro is equipped with antilock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags, stability control and full-length side curtain airbags. Every model is also equipped with OnStar which is a great feature to have.

    Verdict

    The 2012 Camaro made us remember just how much we love Camaro and why. Both the V6 and V8 models offer a combination of speed, torque and class that make it a must have for racing fans. The Camaro has a cornering grip, communicative steering and an improved suspension that made it easier to handle around corners and tight turns than ever before.

    Posted in Chevrolet Camaro

  • Chevrolet COPO Camaro

    1/30/2012 7:51:00 PM - by Bill Bolander
    The 60’s was a time when Chevy's vehicle special order program, the Central Office Production Order (COPO), became famous due to its well known track record of producing performance-minded Camaros.
    Most of these Camaros were designed with the purpose of becoming Stock Eliminator racers.
    Now fast forward 50 years to the present, and we are seeing the COPO Camaro make its concept vehicle comeback.
    The new COPO Camaro is designed with the same specifications as NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing competition vehicles. One awesome feature of the COPO Camaro is that it comes with a few engine options. One of these engine options is the 7.0-liter naturally-aspirated engine that was used in the original COPO Camaro.
    The Camaro’s Concept design sticks to its set-up as a full-spec drag racing car, so that meant a completely overhaul of the Camaro. Chevy added a set of features for all the racing fans out there. The COPO Camaro will include a full molly roll cage (made of chrome) as well as a high-rise cowl-induction system. Chevrolet also gave the COPO Camaro 29" lightweight COPO-specific racing wheels that are wrapped in 4.5x28x15" inch front tires.
    The Camaro’s interior was also redesigned, with the COPO receiving a pair of racing bucket seats, and taking out the rear seat (Note: in a race two is a crowd and three is company). The COPO also has a safety harness for the driver, a competition floor shifter, and Chevrolet Performance gauges made by Auto Meter.
    Chevy also gave the COPO Camaro a tweaking in the overall handling and set-up to give it even more capabilities on the race track. It now has a coil-over suspension with Strange Engineering adjustable struts, which are located in the front, and a custom suspension with Strange Engineering shocks, a Panhard bar and a stabilizer bar complete the exterior set-up of the muscle car.

    Posted in Chevrolet Camaro

  • Sonic Boom

    1/30/2012 7:46:50 PM - by Bill Bolander
    Reports say that the word leaking out from reliable sources at GM headquarters is that the Sonic Boom has been given the green light for production.

    The Chevrolet Sonic Boom left consumers dazzled when it was first introduced this past November, at the 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) show in Las Vegas. The Sonic "Boom" is a sound system based concept vehicle that delivers high performance audio thanks to Kicker, the firm based out of Stillwarter, OK.

    Although reports state that the production model of the Sonic Boom will be a tamed down version from the concept, we are very excited to see it come into production!

    The Sonic Boom comes equipped with a turbo charged engine, and it also features performance seating and a flat bottom steering wheel modeled after race cars. The Sonic Boom will feature several items from Chevrolet's Z-Spec group, including sport pedals and a unique trim.

    On the exterior the Sonic Boom also received Z-Spec parts. These parts include ground effects, a new different grille and rear spoiler. The Boom also comes equipped with larger wheels (19-inch wheels).
     “Sonic is leading Chevy into its second century and to new markets around the world", stated GM spokesman Chris Perry. He continued by saying that “Chevrolet has the opportunity to reach a new group of customers with Sonic, and this concept speaks to their interests.” (Source: Media.Gm.Com)

    Adding more proof to the rumor mill, it has been confirmed that on December 14, 2011 Chevrolet applied for the “Sonic Boom” trademark with the U.S. Trademark office.

    We are curious to see what changes will be made to the production model from the concept model. Hopefully Chevrolet doesn’t tone the changes down too much because we want to see what the Sonic Boom is made of!

    Posted in Chevrolet Sonic

  • 2012 Chevrolet Malibu vs. 2012 Ford Fusion

    1/30/2012 7:45:29 PM - by Bill Bolander
    Appearance: At first glance both vehicles look great. They offer a classy feel for car buyers without having to spend the money that a luxury sedan costs.  We really couldn’t make up our minds as to which one we like better so we give each team a point there.

    The Malibu has more horse power (169 vs. 160), more torque (160 vs. 156), and gets better fuel economy (30 mpg vs. 29 mpg) than the Fusion.

    Safety: This category was a close one. Both vehicles come equipped with standard 4- Wheel Anti-lock Braking System, Driver Air bags ,Passenger Air bags, Vehicle Anti-Theft System,  Rear Door Child Security Lockout, Tire Pressure Monitor, Traction Control System and Electronic Stability Control System.

    The 2012 Malibu was able to edge out its rival by coming equipped with OnStar as a standard feature. This is one feature . The Malibu also has daytime running lights, which have been proven to help prevent accidents.

    Warranty: This category again goes to the 2012 Malibu, due to it having a better powertrain warranty. The Malibu’s warranty covers 100,000 mile/60 months, compared to the Fusion’s powertrain which only covers you for 60,000 mile/60 months.

    Fuel Economy: T    he Malibu keeps inching away folks, this time in the fuel economy category. While both the 2012 Malibu and the 2012 Fusion have an EPA estimated fuel economy of 22 MPG in the city, the Malibu has 33 MPG on highways when   compared to the Fusions 29 MPG.

    Verdict: For this edition of Car Battles the ultimate winner is the 2012 Malibu. The 2012 Fusion showed true potential and was able to compete in most categories by matching up with the standard equipment you would expect to see on both vehicles. However Chevy went all out with the Malibu and went above and beyond our expectations by loading the Malibu up with a myriad of features.

    Posted in Chevrolet Malibu

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