Is the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado the Best Silverado Ever? | First Drive | Edmunds
Edmunds:
TRAVIS LANGNESS:
Welcome to Wyoming.
I'm Travis Langness
for Edmunds.com,
and this is the all-new
2019 Chevrolet Silverado.
Basically, it's redesigned from
the ground up, from the frame,
to the body, to the powertrains.
It's bigger.
It's longer.
It's wider.
But we want to know if it's
the best Silverado Chevy's ever
made, so we're going to
take it out for a drive.
So we're in the
mountains in Wyoming
and we're driving around
in the new Silverado 1500.
And really, this feels
like an updated Silverado.
It doesn't feel
completely redesigned.
It feels really familiar.
So what's changed
about the Silverado?
The frame is built using
different materials.
It's a longer wheelbase.
It's longer from nose to
tail by almost two inches.
Pretty much all of the towing
improvements across the board
for the Silverado
come from the fact
that the truck is
450 pounds lighter
than the previous generation.
Now, that's coming
from differences
in steel, the aluminum hood,
aluminum tailgate, aluminum
doors, differences in
the strength of steel
in the chassis.
They took 80 pounds out
of the frame, another
80 pounds out of the
bed of the truck,
so instead of one
stamping, they've
used three different
pieces, which
also makes the bed of the truck
as much as seven inches wider
in the bed.
And also, you're looking
at the first up and down
power tailgate in
any full-size truck.
Kind of a no-brainer
on trucks these days.
Everybody's using a
power lift gate in SUVs.
Why haven't we
done it on a truck?
Under the hood is
the 5.3 liter V8.
Now, people from the last
generation Silverado,
if you own one of those, you'll
think, oh, so same engine.
Well, yes and no.
There is a 5.3 available with
the old six-speed automatic
transmission, but
the one we're driving
has the new
eight-speed automatic.
And it's the updated version
of that 5.3 liter V8.
So basically, what you get is
a different fuel management
system that Chevy says
will increase fuel economy.
And it-- for my
butt [? dyno-- ?]
hasn't changed the way the truck
drives much, which is good.
Gives you good power uphill,
gives you a good burst
as you're going
to pass somebody.
But what has changed
with the eight-speed
is it's quiet in here.
There's several
other power trains.
So you can get a diesel.
You can get the base V6.
You can get this V8 or
the six-speed transmission
with the older version of the
V8, different fuel management.
And you can get the 6.2 liter,
as well as that turbo four
cylinder.
If you don't need as much
towing or hauling capability,
that turbo four cylinder,
that may be the motor for you.
For me, I'd probably go
with the 5.3 or the 6.2.
They feel a little bit better,
have a little bit more thrust.
We don't have the
optional 22-inch wheels
on this truck, which
is absolutely something
I would avoid, because with
the standard wheel and tire
package, ride comfort's
great in this.
These seats are not the
high-end leather seats.
They're cloth, and
they feel great.
Going up a mountain road,
they feel just fine.
The split heating
function works great.
And really, if you're going to
go on a 1600 mile road trip,
tow a trailer, and take
your family on vacation,
this is an easy place to do it.
Also, this center
console comes up.
Take it up real quick, so
you can have a third person
up front sitting here.
Chevy did say that
the drag has changed.
As their dynamics
have gotten better,
drag has decreased with
the front end redesign.
And that's a small marginal
increase in fuel economy,
along with what will probably
be marginal increases
from the eight-speed automatic.
This one is, I believe,
19 MPG combined
with the 5.3 and
the eight-speed.
Along these roads-- they're
not perfect, obviously,
these aren't highly maintained
city roads-- the Silverado
feels really good.
It's not a bouncy ride quality.
Big sharp impacts aren't
really making their way
into the cabin.
Everything feels pretty
well-insulated from underneath,
especially when you've
got a good amount of tire
sidewall, which this truck has.
There's not a lot of body roll.
If you're worried about ride
quality on a pickup truck,
this one is doing just fine.
So this is the interior
of the new Silverado.
It's not so much a redesign
as much as it is an evolution.
For starters, we'll go with
this big monolith of a center
console.
This is just one giant piece.
It's not as high-content
as it could be.
We're in kind of a mid
trim level, something
that's a little bit
more typical for buyers.
And basically, you've got
auto stop start function.
You can put the
tailgate down here.
Traction control.
A nice little button that
puts all four windows down
at the same time.
There's a couple
of buttons missing.
There are some things that we
could have on this interior.
There's no plug here, but
on the higher trim levels
you do get that full
three-prong plug.
We've got one
USBC, one USB port.
It's got Apple
CarPlay, Android Auto.
And it's got a really
crisp look to it.
This one is the same size
as the previous generation,
but it's a little
bit nicer looking.
It's a little bit crisper.
Graphics, it's
really easy to read.
You've got the swipe from
one side, swipe to the other.
You can control most of
the stuff happening here.
The steering wheel
is much the same.
The TFT, the center
driver display here,
is a little bit better,
and everything is easier
to see at a moment's
glance when you're
looking down from the road.
Super helpful when
you're towing or hauling
and you just want to
spot your temperature
or spot your oil pressure.
It's definitely a good display.
And then Chevy has moved
over here some of the stuff
that you use for towing,
to the left of the driver.
There's a little
toggle here that you
can change between
sport mode or they've
got a little dynamic
racecar flag, and tow mode--
changes the shift
schedules, things like that.
Then you've got the
selector between
two-wheel and four-wheel drive.
You've got the terrain
selector to tell the truck
if you want hill descent control
if you're on rock or sand.
Then you've got the
controls for the lights,
and most of the
stuff over there.
And pretty much,
this is what you
get inside the interior
of all the Silverados,
and it's a really
intuitive layout.
It's not fancy.
It's a lot of new stuff, but not
a completely different design
that you have to get
used to something new.
Now, with that said,
this mid-level content
does have some plastic
materials that aren't awesome,
but really the touch points,
those things are good.
They feel sturdy.
One of the nice things
that GM has, Chevy as well,
is these split
level seat heating.
So you can heat just your back,
or your back and your butt.
Heating just your back is
perfect for long road trips.
Anybody with back pain
should demand this feature
be put in every car.
It makes the seating so
much more comfortable.
It's fantastic.
Overall, this interior
is a likeable place,
and definitely somewhere
I can see myself sitting
for a long time on a road trip.
So now we're in the
backseat of the Silverado
and it's huge back here.
There is an additional three
inches of rear leg room.
The truck itself is only 1.7
inches longer, nose to tail,
but they put a lot of that,
and then some, into the rear.
So four adults can sit totally
comfortably, probably a fifth,
maybe even a sixth when
you get that third seat up
in the front.
But if you've got
four six-footers,
there's tons of space
back here for everybody.
And it's pretty simple,
pretty standard back here.
A couple of USB ports, couple
of vents, which is nice.
Keeps the air flowing back here.
These seats are similarly firm
to the center seat up front.
But it's a 60/40
split back here.
And it's really easy
to fold these up.
So this one just
quick up, quick down.
There's no straps to pull on.
No handles.
And then also, there's some
pretty cool features back here.
This is typical, the center
console with the cup holders,
not new in any way.
But then this side seat
opens up and you have access
to behind the seat.
And the seat materials are
similarly nice to the front,
that same checkerboard pattern.
Pretty flat across the
bottom and the back.
There's not a lot of
bolstering back here,
but the cushioning is good.
This angle's not too bad.
It'd be nice if it were a
little bit further slanted back,
but it's decent for a road trip.
So we've spent all day driving
the new 2019 Silverado.
And basically, what
we've discovered
is that Chevy has taken a good
product and made it better.
This new truck is more capable.
It's more quiet on the inside.
There's more space
in the back seat.
You can tow more.
And there's that
wide array of engines
that we talked about,
which will make
it more economical and better
towing in the long run.
It generally feels
like a good refresh,
but they've added some
good updates to it.
But if you're
asking the question
is it the best Silverado that
Chevy has ever made, well sure,
but only by a small margin.
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this, go to edmunds.com
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2019 Chevrolet Silverado - Review & Road Test
Kelley Blue Book:
When Chevrolet first revealed their
fourth-generation full-size Silverado
they dangled it from a helicopter onto a
massive stage.
Hey, our reveal is just as extravagant.
Okay so maybe we need more helicopter
budget, but we're on dirt and those used to be pine trees. So here it is the
fourth-generation Chevy Silverado.
Okay, I can't.
You know I'm not sure this looks that
different from the previous model. There
are four grille options, this is one of
them and it's bigger and beefier than
the previous generation, but other than
that it looks pretty much like a
Silverado. It does have a steeper
windshield and adds a roof spoiler for
better aerodynamics, but also rides an
inch higher than the third generation.
Thanks to its new bigness the second row
in the crew cab expanded. There are three
more inches back here of space for your
legs, but if you prefer to haul stuff
inside the 60/40 seats fold up. There are
a lot of cool storage spaces.
Check out that cubby. It's pretty neat.
This is bigger than some apartments I've
lived in.
Bed size also benefits from the
Silverado's expansion to the tune of
seven inches of width thanks to GM now
stamping the beds into pieces. It's also
stronger, which is a good thing for tough
payload.
Even the 12 standard tie-down loops are
stronger, and there's an optional power
tailgate, which we think is cool. The
Silverado comes in eight models. The Work Truck
comes with vinyl or cloth seats
and 17-inch wheels, remote keyless entry,
a USB port, seven-inch touchscreen and
Chevrolet's Infotainment 3 system with
Apple CarPlay and Android Audo. Optional
safety features include front and rear
parking assist, lane change alerts with
blind zone warnings, and rear
cross-traffic alerts. Those are some good
options for a base model truck. The
Custom trim adds 20-inch aluminum wheels
and LED tail lights. The Trail Boss adds
a 2-inch lift and the optional Z71
off-road package, which of course
requires four-wheel-drive and includes a
locking rear differential, skid plates,
and 18-inch Goodyear Duratrack tires
for off-roading. Step up to the LT trim
and there's the aforementioned
optional off-road equipment, an
eight-inch touchscreen comes standard as
well as a step up to the 8-speed
automatic transmission from the 6-speed
in lower trims. Hill descent control is
also a good option for when you're
coming down from all those mountains
you're driving over. The LT Trail Boss
includes the off-road capabilities of
the custom Trail Boss. Looking for a
sporty or Silverado the RST trim
includes body coloured exterior trim LED
lighting and 22s.
This high country is at the top of the
Silverado trim mountain, and it is swank
at the summit. Everything is covered in
leather and it's pretty comfy in here in
a truckie kind of way. Both front seats
are heated and ventilated and the
driver's side has 10-way power
adjustment including lumbar. Micah!
It's wireless charging capable and the
storage in the center console is so big
you could probably fit a whole bucket of
fried chicken in there.The Bose audio
system is awesome, you know what, if I
went camping I would probably just stay
in here. Six powertrain choices are
offered on the Silverado. Those larger
two are new options and include GM's new
dynamic fuel management system which is
able to use as few as two cylinders
cutting fuel to the rest for improved
fuel economy. The diesel option is new too. Some EPA numbers weren't available for
various power trains at the time of this
videos making, but here are those that
are.
The 4.3-liter V6 offers up 285
hp and 305 pound-feet of torque.
The 6.2-liter V8, which is in this High
Country crew cab I'm driving has 420
horses and 460 pound-feet of torque. With
a curb weight of 5,000 pounds, a payload
capacity of a little over 2,100 pounds,
and towing capabilities of 12,000 pounds
I'd say that power is going to come in
really handy. That's cute.
Incidentally that's less towing capacity
than a similarly powered Ford F-150 but
more than the RAM 1500 and the same as
the GMC Sierra, which makes sense because
they share power trains. But how does it
drive I hear you ask? You know what? I
have a really good way to find out. Why
thank you.
On the road the Silverado feels sturdy
and solid but surprisingly un-trucky. It
actually drives like a much smaller
vehicle. That might be thanks to Chevy
shaving off up to 450
pounds depending on which Silverado you
drive. The Silverado makes easy work of
curvy mountain roads and is maneuverable
enough to not get you in too much
trouble when parking in relatively tight
spots. The High Country's more refined
road manners are partly due to a 10-
speed automatic transmission with which
it is equipped. Shifts are quick and
smooth. It's tight ratios keep the engine
closer to peak power when at full
throttle. It also makes for easier
operation when towing. It's too bad this
transmission is only an option on the LT
trim and above with the diesel or 6.2-
liter engine. The cabin is quiet. I don't
hear the road and there's no notable
vibration or noise coming from the
engine when that DFM system is doing its
thing. You know if someone was looking
for a midsize crossover alternative with
more utility and towing capacity then
the Silverado drives nicely enough that
it should be considered an option.
Base price on the Work Truck will cost
you around $31,200 including
destination. Our tricked-out High Country,
which is at the top of the spending
spectrum is more like $67,000. This one
also has the Deluxe package that
includes safety features like forward
collision alert, lane keep assist with
lane departure warning, low speed forward
automatic braking. It also has a sunroof,
all-season tires, as well as the Tech
package that gives us the surround
vision camera and head-up display. Those
safety features come in handy especially
in a big truck like this. Sometimes
little things like Miatas or cyclists
are really hard to see. You know, I kind of
feel like the blind spot warning is
pretty much on all the time in this
thing.
The purchasing sweet spot though is
probably the LT trim that starts at just
under 40 large and comes standard with
the 5.3-liter engine and the 8-speed
transmission, but is optional with the
diesel engine mated to the 10-speed. It
also opens up more optional packages
that include tilting and telescoping
steering wheel and navigation. If you're
in the market for a full-size truck the
fourth-generation Silverado has a lot of
competition to check out including the
F-150, Sierra, Ram 1500 and even the
Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra,
but the Silverado has a lot of great
qualities to consider. It's well equipped,
nicely powered and a good-looking truck
that rides nicely on the road. See no
splashy helicopter entrance necessary.
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500: First Look – PickupTrucks.com
Cars.com:
this is our first chance to see the 2020
Chevy Silverado heavy duties right next
to me is a 2500 LTZ and you can look at
it and tell that this is an all-new
pickup truck powertrain design interior
everything has been completely redone as
far as powertrains the carryover Duramax
diesel is gonna come to the new 2020
Silverado HD s what you have here are
some Auto Show cables so it might look a
little bit different but still the exact
same carry over engine 445 horsepower
910 foot-pounds of torque but now has a
10 speed heavy-duty Allison transmission
made it up to it also the big news in
all-new 6.6 liter direct injection v8
engine 401 horsepower 464 foot-pounds of
torque now that new gas engine is also
made it up to a revised six-speed
transmission and also one thing to
consider here if you're doing any work
on your engine on these new heavy duties
they're a little taller than they were
before so when you're trying to reach
for this hood it's a little difficult
inside everything is going to be very
familiar to the Silverado half-ton
pickup truck regular extended and crew
cab is going to be larger more legroom
especially for rear passengers but the
inside - very very similar to what we've
already seen on the half tons dual glove
boxes this is the LTZ package very nice
organic looking center console plenty of
storage here in the middle and also a
uniquely designed gauge cluster for the
driver another feature we like an
all-wheel drive capable transfer case on
a heavy duty vehicle that's a segment
exclusive here at the back of the truck
we love the fact that it's got the rear
view cameras push button tailgate drop
does it automatically you also have four
fifth wheel or gooseneck hitches you've
got the 4 and the 7 pin hitches here on
the inside also a three-prong 120 volt
plug here on the opposite side and then
you've got almost 7 inches of extra
width in the beds and the longest beds
in the segment no matter what the cab
configuration
and then because this has the auto
dropout a lift tailgate one push button
and it'll send the tailgate right back
up and closed
there's obviously tons to talk about
with this new vehicle and we will be
talking more about this after we get
some time behind the wheel but to call
out just two features that we really
like the DEF tank is right here at the
fuel filler and the fact is that every
single duly equipped Chevy heavy-duty
Silverado 3500 with the diesel will be
able to tow over thirty five thousand
pounds for more information go to pickup
trucks.com
you
Tesla Model S 100D, FF 91 Cost, Chevrolet Bolt EV Rollout Plans - T.E.N. Future Car News 1/20/17
Transport Evolved:
Coming up on today’s show: Tesla quietly
launches its longest-range Model S yet, we
find out what the FF91 might actually cost,
and how long you might have to wait to get
a Chevrolet Bolt EV.
These stories and more, next on TEN.
Like all our content, today’s show is only
possible thanks to the kind donations of viewers
like you.
Head to www dot patreon dot com forward slash
transport evolved to find out how you can
make your own donation today to keep us independent
and impartial.
And if you’re already donating, thanks for
your continued support.
It’s Friday, January 20th, 2017, I’m Nikki
Gordon-Bloomfield and, despite the other stuff
that’s going on today we’ve managed to
pull together the latest in cleaner, greener,
smarter and safer transportation news for
you to enjoy in bite-sized form in this week’s
TEN.
And we start today’s show with the news
that Tesla has quietly announced the Tesla
Model S 100D, the newest and longest-range
brand-new version of the popular plug-in sedan.
Following in the tire tracks of the already-available
Tesla Model S P100D -- which focuses on sheer
performance rather than range -- the Tesla
Model S 100D won’t hit 60 miles per hour
as quickly as its performance-oriented sibling,
doing the sprint in 4.2 second rather than
2.5 seconds -- but does manage to squeeze
an extra 20 miles of range per charge, giving
an official EPA estimate of 335 miles on a
single charge of its 100 kilowatt-hour battery
pack.
Pricing isn’t exactly cheap however -- at
ninety-five thousand dollars, it’s a Chevrolet
Bolt EV cheaper than the one hundred and thirty
thousand dollar plus Tesla Model S P100D -- but
it’s still something you won’t be able
to nab all that easily unless you have a stack
of Benjamin Franklins hiding under your bed.
And while Tesla’s current electric cars
-- the Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X -- aren’t
exactly cheap, they certainly feel that way
when compared to the rumored list price for
the Faraday Future FF91.
That’s because while we’d heard previous
rumors from industry insiders suggesting the
(as yet unfinished) high-performance EV would
retail a little higher than fully-specced
Tesla Model S P100D money, we heard this week
via a chinese-language interview with billionaire
Jia Yueting, Faraday Future’s principal
backer and CEO of Chinese tech company LeEco
that the price of the FF91 would be “less
than 2 million Chinese Yuan”.
For those interested, that’s about two hundred
and ninety thousand U.S. dollars, enough to
buy yourself a Tesla Model S, Tesla Model
X and if you’re lucky, lightly used Tesla
Roadster too.
We should note that price estimate could be
a little higher due to Chinese-market import
taxes, but that’s still far outside affordable,
leading us further down the death watch for
this enigmatic yet ostentatious car company.
Continuing the theme of individuals and businesses
with large amounts of money -- no, there’s
no billionaire subtext to today’s show…
honest… -- we’re off to Europe next, where
Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, BMW and Daimler have
all joined together with eight big names in
fossil fuel and industrial manufacturing to
form the Hydrogen Council, a new advocacy
and lobbying group charged with encouraging
the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
around the world.
Founded to the tune of ten billion euro -- that's
about ten point seven billion dollars -- the
group says it will work with automakers, policymakers
and infrastructure companies to bring about
a hydrogen fuel cell revolution, focusing
not only on automobiles and mass transit but
also working to introduce hydrogen fuel cell
technology into our homes and businesses as
backup power.
I’m not going to say any more on the subject
here, but given the (rather rapid) departure
we’ves seen in recent months away from a
solely hydrogen fuel cell future to one in
which battery electric plays as much (if not
more) a role as hydrogen, this feels like
a last-ditch effort to bring hydrogen to market.
Do you agree?
Leave your thoughts in the Comments below.
Earlier on in today’s show, I told you about
the Tesla Model S 100D, Tesla’s new long-range
version of the Tesla Model S electric car.
Well now it’s time to talk a little about
the Tesla Model S P100D, Tesla’s fastest
Model S.
You see, a short while back Tesla released
an updated version of its vehicle operating
system for the Model S P100D, introducing
a “Ludicrous Plus” mode for even greater
acceleration.
And while Tesla did initially limit the number
of ‘Launch Mode” starts that a Tesla Model
S P100D could do in this mode, it’s now
decided to do away with the restriction after
customer complaints.
And to top it all, the Tesla Racing Channel
on YouTube filmed a new record this week with
a Model S P100D operating in just that mode,
travelling from 0-60 miles per hour in just
2.389 seconds, almost exactly the 2.4 second
time Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted would be
possible.
Looks like Faraday Future may have some catching
up to do…
As those who have followed Nissan’s autonomous
vehicle program will know, we’ve seen a
gradual increase in the number of public demonstrations
of self-driving Nissan LEAFs, as well as more
recently, a self-driving Infiniti sedan.
So far, those demonstrations have been restricted
to the U.S. and Asia, but next month Nissan
will be bringing the latest iteration of its
self-driving Nissan LEAF to London, England
as part of a program designed to improve education
and awareness of self-driving cars.
Rather than an academic exercise, the self-driving
cars will be used to demonstrate self-driving
technology to various governmental officials,
as well as insurance companies, policy makers,
and safety groups, all of which need to be
on side before autonomous vehicles become
a common site on our roads.
So if you see a self-driving LEAF in the middle
of London, let us know!
Staying with advanced driving assistance and
autonomous vehicles, we’ve got some very
important news from the U.S. National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which concluded
its official investigation into the terrible
fatal crash which claimed the life of Tesla
advocate and owner Joshua Brown.
As part of the report, it has cleared Tesla
and its autopilot system of any fault in the
incident, and notes in fact that crash rates
involving Tesla cars have dropped by almost
40 percent since Tesla flipped the switch
on its Autopilot software back in 2015.
The only criticism?
That Tesla needs to make sure there’s a
clearer explanation to its customers over
just what its autopilot software can and can’t
do -- and what a driver’s responsibilities
are when the car is being used with autopilot
engaged.
Despite that however, it’s about as good
a report as Tesla could have hoped for, and
despite worries from myself and others in
the industry, seems to have worked out without
any major setbacks for autonomous cars, which
is very good news indeed!
Now, unless you’ve been under a rock for
the past oh, two months, you’ll know that
today has been the inauguration of the 45th
President of the United States of America.
And yes, that comes with a whole mix of emotions
that will either have you swinging from the
rafters or crying.
But despite fears that the incoming administration
-- known climate change skeptics that they
are -- will push back regulation that has
favored electric cars and perhaps do away
with the EPA altogether, our good friends
at Green Car Reports made it clear this week
that everywhere else in the world has no intention
of rolling back their emissions targets or
electric vehicle programs, meaning that even
if these things happen in the U.S., the auto
industry will inevitably stay its course.
You see, even though the U.S. is a large market,
automakers base their investment and product
planning on global trends, not national ones.
And despite the various plans being hatched
to fine automakers massive amounts if they
bring in cars manufactured overseas, the auto
industry is (if a little reluctantly) staying
its course toward cleaner, greener, safer
and smarter cars.
For now then, if today has been full of dread
for you, let that little nougat of good news
sink in.
It’s certainly helped me.
That doesn’t mean however that things are
all roses and puppy dogs over here in the
U.S., where the ongoing diesel emissions crisis
is now shifting focus away from Volkswagen
and onto Fiat Chrysler, which -- as we detailed
last week -- is facing similar allegations
from the EPA that Volkswagen faced regarding
emissions cheat software in certain diesel-engined
vehicles.
At the time of writing, investigations haven’t
concluded, but we have seen a rise in legal
cases being pursued against FCA, including
several class action lawsuits from owners
angry about the alleged misdeeds.
Like Volkswagen owners, FCA diesel vehicles
face a dramatic slump in value and that’s
got owners angry -- not to mention those who
purchased their diesel vehicle thinking it
was cleaner than gasoline when it clearly
isn’t.
AS always with a developing story, we’re
going to be following this one carefully,
and we’ll report more when we have it.
Staying on the subject of diesel, we heard
some truly astonishing news this week from
Volkswagen -- or rather company insiders and
legal aides at the German automaker, who told
Reuters this week that Volkswagen has warned
its senior managers not to travel to the U.S.
lest they be arrested by the U.S. Department
of Justice over the dieslgate scandal.
While they’re in Germany, German citizens
can only be extradited to another EU country
or an international court, but once outside
of Germany, they risk being extradited to
the U.S or (if they’re travelling to or
through the U.S), charged and imprisoned without
bail on the various outstanding dieselgate
charges still hanging over the company.
But as Europe’s biggest automaker, keeping
all of its executives firmly within German
borders is causing something of a headache
for the firm which is going to extraordinary
lengths to try and keep all of its executives
safe from legal recompense, making this the
most bizarre story we’ve covered on today’s
show.
To slightly more positive stories now, specifically
the rollout plans for the twenty seventeen
Chevrolet Bolt EV, a car that’s been on
sale in California (and Oregon) for the last
month but which has yet to go on sale elsewhere
in the U.S.
Essentially, the entire U.S. should be able
to get their hands on a Bolt EV by September
this year, with rollout between now and then
gradually picking up more and more of the
so-called ZEV-mandate states in the next few
months.
But while the Bolt EV will be available in
fourteen different states by May, it’s worth
noting that the order in which Bolt EV will
go on sale is kinda interesting, with Maryland,
Maine and Virginia going ahead of New Jersey,
New York and Washington state.
It’s not clear why GM has decided to roll
out in this way, but essentially if you want
a BOLT EV and you’re not in a pro-electric
car state, you’ve got another nine months
to go.
Sorry.
And finally,
The world-famous (or perhaps infamous) Dakar
rally is unquestionably the world’s most
grueling endurance race, covering thousands
of miles in a few days to push contestants,
their vehicles, and their support teams to
the absolute limit.
And earlier this week, Dakar 2017 finished
in south America, its 5,800 mile course claiming
more than a quarter of the race entrants through
crashes, mechanical failures or injury.
But crossing the line for the first time to
make history was the Acciona 100% eco-powered,
the first all-electric race-prepared car to
ever successfully complete the race.
Having entered for the past two years, this
is the first time the team have made it to
the finish, once and for all proving that
electric cars -- and electric car technology
-- aren’t just for urban commuters.
Well done guys!
And that is where I’m leaving today’s
show.
Thanks for joining me and as usual, please
don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe
to the Transport Evolved YouTube channel.
Don’t forget that in addition to our YouTube
channel, you can also follow us on Twitter
at Transport Evolve, and read our past and
current articles at Transport Evolved.com
And if you liked what you saw today, please
consider keeping us independent and impartial
by supporting our Patreon crowdfunding campaign
from as little as one dollar per month over
at Patreon dot com forward slash transport
evolved.
And if you can’t remember the website address
don’t worry: YouTube’s new end credit
feature means there’s a link directly to
our Patreon page at the end of this show -- as
well as links to some of our other videos
we think you’ll enjoy.
As always, be back next week with another
roundup of the latest Transport Evolved News
so all that’s left for me to say is I’m
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, have a great weekend
and until next time, Keep evolving!
2017 Chevrolet Spark Review | Features Rundown | Edmunds
Edmunds:
BRYN MACKINNON: I'm Bryn
MacKinnon from Edmunds,
and this is an Edmund's expert
rundown of the 2017 Chevrolet
Spark.
Whether you're looking
for your first car,
or you're just looking for
something small and agile
to motor around town in,
the 2017 Chevrolet Spark
is worth a look.
The Spark was just
redesigned last year
so there aren't any
changes for 2017.
Right up front,
it's worth noting
that the Spark is one of the
slowest cars in its class.
If you're looking
for something peppy,
this probably isn't
the ride for you.
Despite that lack of power, this
is a pretty good subcompact car
with some nice available tech
and impressive fuel economy.
The Spark is rated by the
EPA at an impressive 41 miles
per gallon on the highway.
And if you're driving the
Spark in a crowded city,
the small exterior
dimensions will definitely
help you squeeze into
tight parking spots.
That size means it's
tight on the inside
though, with limited hip and
shoulder room, both up front
and in the back seat.
Legroom and headroom
in the back suffer too.
So four adults will have
a hard time squeezing in.
The trunk isn't
very large either,
even by class standards.
It should be enough for at
least one or two suitcases,
but for big road trips you
might need to fall down
one of the rear seats.
Bottom line with
the 2017 Spark is
that you're looking at
a low-cost hatchback
with a few nice
available tech amenities,
but it's not that
impressive out on the road.
Rivals like the Honda Fit,
Hyundai Accent, and Ford Fiesta
are worth checking out before
you make your final choice.
For more Edmunds'
expert rundowns,
click the link to subscribe.
2018 Chevrolet Traverse - Review and Road Test
Kelley Blue Book:
the second generation Chevrolet Traverse
it's a three row midsize SUV that we
really like propelling our positive
vibes is a deeply functional interior
let's start somewhere boring door
storage the front rear doors are loaded
with bins and nooks galore though I'm
not quite sure what defines a bin versus
a nook beyond the aforementioned door
nooks smaller items can be stowed in the
sizeable center console in this spot
below the second row climate controls or
in a handy USB adjacent bin beneath the
center stack aside from slight pressure
in the upper back region the front seats
are superbly comfortable and as the
driver you'll enjoy a highly
customizable driving position supported
by well-placed arm rests just know drive
like a maniac and you'll wish for more
lateral support Headroom is
unsurprisingly excellent up front but
that excellence extends rearward as well
Tim is six foot something and look his
head is not mashed against the headliner
nobody cares also he's British and too
polite to complain about legroom so I'm
going to proactively slide and angle my
seats slightly forward. Thank you. Sorry I was uncomfortable. It's fine.
with less diplomatic occupants rear-seat
nice space could be tight but as
consolation third row dwellers are
gifted a wealth of cupholders decent
foot space under the second row and two
USB outlets on that note the Traverse
comes with USB ports in all three rows
that plus an optional three prong outlet
means well-charged devices ensuring your
family never has to, you know, speak
where material quality is concerned the
Traverse leaves room for its Buick
Enclave sibling to fancy things up even
so GM's mainstream offering incorporates
some soft materials and in many places
uses a soft coating to spruce up hard
plastics in other places it doesn't with
the second and third row stowed Traverse
owners have a substantial ninety eight
point two cubic feet to fill raised
those seats and twenty three cubic feet
of dedicated cargo space remains
supplemented by an additional 3.2 cubic
foot underfloor storage hold while
prattling on about the traverses many
fine qualities we should reserve time to
talk about how it drives and how it
drives is lovely the suspension
skillfully absorbs bumps while keeping
the chassis in check when cornering and
when you pick up the pace interior noise
is mostly quashed except for some
whistling in this region, which you would
hear if I didn't have to stop for that
stoplight
the man says I have to stop
providing propulsion is a mighty 3.6
liter v6 that tows up to 5,000 pounds
and moves the Traverse with real
authority when asked maybe more
impressive is the standard 9 speed
automatic it's a shining star of a
transmission that delivers virtually
seamless transparent shifts and when you
introduce the accelerator to the carpet
acceleration and downshifts occur without
delay for its size the Traverse is
fairly efficient aided by an
inconspicuous but undefeatable automatic
engine start/stop system that saves fuel
when the vehicle is motionless if you
don't mind giving up a few mpg the
optional all-wheel drive system adds
traction inslippery conditions a
turbocharged four-cylinder engine is
also available but only in the sporty
Traverse RS producing less horsepower
more torque and better city fuel economy
than the v6 the real trick with a
relatively large SUV is to hide its
girth the Traverse does just that with
light and easy steering and a tight
turning circle that make it a confident
parking tool parked on the flipside
visibility over your right shoulder is
terrible especially since depending on
where the seats are the right second row
headrest completely blocks the side
window in my experience if you can see
what's in the adjacent Lane lane changes
are less stressful
helping address those visibility
concerns our higher trim features like
blind spot monitoring a 360 degree
camera system rear cross-traffic alert
and rear but not front parking sensors
rounding out the option roster are
indulgences like wireless phone charging
a hands-free tailgate heated and
ventilated front seats leather and a
heated steering wheel choose the fancy
high country trim with its power folding
seats and traction enhancing dual clutch
rear differential and you can spend
nearly fifty three thousand dollars it's
worth mentioning that adaptive cruise
control is only offered on the high
country trim while many competitive SUVs
offer similar technology at a lower
price point and if you need eight seats
you're stuck with the low end L & LS
trims as higher Traverse trims only come
with seven in basic not quite $31,000
form the Traverse comes surprisingly
well equipped with keyless entry and
push-button start three-zone automatic
climate control a wide-angle backup
camera a smart slide 2nd row seat for
easy third row access and 7 airbags
including a center airbag that deploys
from the inboard side of the driver's
seat the standard infotainment system is
a 7-inch unit featuring apple carplay
and android auto but buyers can also
upgrade to an 8 inch system with a
lockable storage area behind the screen
hiding the traverses elusive seventh USB
port either way the screen is decently
sized placed within reach and the menus
are a cinch to navigate while shopping 3
row midsize SUVs it's always smart to
investigate the alternatives some
standouts include the roomy VW Atlas
the practical Toyota Highlander the
thoughtfully crafted Honda Pilot and the
strong selling Ford Explorer
pleasant to drive and
competitively-priced with lots of cargo
space and room for up to 8 passengers
the Chevrolet Traverse is fantastically
suited for family duty despite some
formidable competition the Traverse is a
midsize SUV that deserves your attention
OMG!! 2017 chevrolet silverado regular cab price
Vehicle:
The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado regular cab full-size
pickup finds itself in a styling and power
war not only with rivals like the Ford F-150
and Ram 1500, but Nissan’s new Titan and
Toyota’s Tundra.
Even with its recent styling upgrades, the
Silverado’s look remains tastefully conservative,
which for many truck buyers is a good thing.
For these folks, the measure of a pickup’s
value is in how much it can haul, tow and
carry.
Chevrolet’s Silverado has a higher trailering
rating than the Tundra, and a host of new
safety features to challenge the F-150.
Unlike the Ram and Titan, the Silverado doesn’t
offer the option of diesel engine, but its
choice of three powerful gasoline engines
helps keep the price down without sacrificing
power or capability.
An entry-level 2-wheel-drive 2017 Chevrolet
Silverado regular cab work truck carries a
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)
of about $28,000, including the $1,195 destination
charge.
A 4WD crew-cab, standard-box High Country
Silverado will run close to $57,000 before
you start adding options.
Of course you can get a very nicely equipped
Silverado just the way you want it for considerably
less…or more, depending on how crazy you
go with options.
Regardless, the 2017 Silverado prices are
right in the hunt compared to the Ford F-150,
Ram 1500 and the Silverado's GMC sibling,
the Sierra; the V8-only Toyota Tundra starts
a few thousand higher.
Be sure to check the KBB.com Fair Purchase
Price to see what others in your area are
paying for their new Silverado truck.
The 2017 Silverado is expected to retain its
value well in the years ahead, but still fall
short of the Toyota Tundra.
so, What do you think about this 2017 Chevrolet
Silverado regular cab? is that worth it? if
you have an opinion about the car, speak up
in the comment section bellow. and as always,
don't forget to like, share and subscribe,
see you next time.
2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Model Review | Edmunds
Edmunds:
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CARLOS LAGO: That's the
new Chevy Camaro ZL1,
and in this video we're going to
give you an overview about what
makes it special.
And the quick version is, it's
more than the 650 horsepower
underneath that hood.
You might be surprised to
hear that the coolest parts
about the Camaro
ZL1 are actually
the stuff you can't see.
The exterior doesn't look
dramatically different
than the standard
Camaro SS or RS models.
You can tell the
ZL1 is different
because it has big exhaust pipes
and a ZL1 badge at the back.
But over on the side, as
we get to the profile,
it retains the shape that we
know to love the Camaros by.
The wheels are bigger, they're
20 inches front and rear,
but they're a staggered
fitment, so the front tires
are a little bit
smaller than the rear.
And that gives it a
nice purposeful look.
But it's the stuff
underneath here
that really makes the car
drive as good as it does.
You have magnetic
fluid-filled dampers
that react super quick, more
so than your traditional motor
controlled dampers when you're
making adjustments on the fly.
You have an electronically
controlled limited slip
differential that continually
biases power left or right,
controls it with a
granularity you can't achieve
with a simple mechanical unit.
Up at the front you
see the big differences
that come with the ZL1.
Up on the hood here, of course,
is the badging and the carbon
fiber dome of the hood.
And there's actually
a heat extractor right
through the bottom there.
You can fit your
hand in, we'll show
you the vents in just a second.
But when we were
talking about making
650 horsepower, what we
really had to pay attention to
is cooling.
This is the same engine that's
in the Chevy Corvette Z06.
And in here, you can
tell the front fascia
is dramatically different,
and it's much larger.
And there's all these
gigantic air openings.
And that's because
this needs a lot of air
to go through it
to keep it cool.
You have heat
exchangers here, here,
here, here, there's
inner coolers
underneath the supercharger,
there's another heat exchanger
lying flat.
And all of this is designed
to get as much airflow
through the front of
the vehicle as possible.
I mean even the Chevy Badge,
you can stick your finger right
through it.
These gaping holes
right here, I mean,
you can imagine what happens if
a small animal flies in there.
It's all made in the name of
getting air through this engine
to keep it cool
under heavy use when
you're making all that power.
Now, let's take a
look at that engine.
Feast your eyes on the glory
of a supercharged 6.2 liter
V8 that makes 650 horsepower,
and 650 pound feet of torque.
This is, frankly, a
hell of an engine.
It doesn't rev that
high, 6,500 RPM.
Actually that's pretty
decent for a pushrod V8,
but really the story is
the breadth of that power.
But also consider it's
a fairly compact engine.
And it can be compact because
that supercharger, this guy
right here, isn't as big as the
last generation supercharged V8
that the previous ZL1 used and
the previous Corvette used.
Now and also the nature
of a pushrod motor
is, because it doesn't
have two overhead cams,
there's not a lot of valvetrain
up here, so it can be short.
And that can help
with visibility.
But as you'll see when
we hop inside this car,
the visibility isn't
really quite there.
And we showed you
the heat extractors
that come through here.
They're functional, you can
stick your hand right up
in there.
And the goal of that is to
promote air flow out of here
to keep pulling air through
the front end of the vehicle
to cool it down.
Let's take a look inside.
Well the first
thing you gotta do
when you slip into the interior
of a Camaro ZL1 is fire it up.
So that's how you
set things off right.
Now, couple of things
you have to accept
with the interior
of the Chevy Camaro,
especially this generation.
There is no interior storage.
You have a couple of pockets
on the left and right.
There's some space
in the armrest.
But there's basically
nothing for anything
bigger than a phone.
Even my phone has difficulty
fitting in the center armrest.
Also, rear visibility
comes up short.
It's like looking out
of a cardboard box.
But at least if you
don't want to sit low
you can raise the height up.
And that certainly helps your
view over the hood and just
at a point, there you go.
If you're concerned about
looking forward over the hood,
you can always do that.
OK now we're back
to normal height.
ZL1 specific changes
are few, but are nice.
These seats are Recaros,
they're nice buckets
with good amounts
of lateral support
but they don't
feel uncomfortable.
The material they're
wrapped with,
and especially the stuff
on the steering wheel too,
is this microfiber
suede-like substance.
It's also on the dash.
It looks and feels nice.
This is, of course,
the 10 speed automatic.
And we'll talk about how that
works once we take it out
for a drive.
For now though, it
just looks and works
like a normal
automatic transmission.
Behind it, these
controls here are
what get us into sort of the
electronic sophistication
you'll find in the ZL1.
You have four
different drive modes,
there's tube or track, sport,
and snow and ice modes.
Now those adjust a
variety of settings,
but within those settings
are further adjustments.
For example, when you go
into track like we are now,
you can double tap the
stability control button
and access the performance
traction management function.
Now this is a multi-configurable
stability control setting
that has one, two, three,
four, five different levels
of adjustment.
And you can also turn
everything completely off.
We'll talk about launch
control, too, and a line lock.
This has both those tools which
are great for drag racers.
And it speaks to the
legacy level of intent
that Chevy knows
Camaro owners are
going to use these cars for.
The ZL1 doesn't do any
one thing particularly.
It's not focused on
just doing one job,
it's focused on being
able to do everything.
It wants to ride
comfortably on your commute.
It wants to be able to tackle
a mountain road or a racetrack.
And it wants to
be able to get you
through a night
at the dragstrip.
And all that stuff
comes together nicely
in this package.
Now this display, as we get back
into more traditional Camaro
grievances, this
display looks funky.
It looks like it's tilted in.
Although when you start
using it, you realize
it's super intuitive.
It also supports Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto,
and that's really nice.
In front of you, you
have two analog gauges
and in the center is
a digital display.
That's multi-configurable
and shows
you a lot of really
nice information.
And above that is
a head up display.
As we dive into the
dash, we'll explain
how some of the drag racing
focused technology works.
I'll put the car in
its track setting,
and then I'll turn the
advance stability control
system to sport, for example.
And what you can
do here is you can
define the amount of traction
the surface that you're
driving on has.
So if you're in sport
one or sport two,
it assumes you're
on a street surface.
But if you go up
to race, it assumes
you're on a drag strip that
has a prepared surface, that
has the traction of
a prepared surface.
So it'll actually account
for all that stuff.
When you go into
the launch control,
you can set custom parameters.
There's an automatic
function, but you can also
set manually your target
RPM, your slip target--
and that slip target is
how much the rear tires
rotate versus how fast you go.
Tires like to spin a little bit
faster than you would think.
They like to have a
little bit of slip
to get the best
launch out of them.
And you can actually define
the percentage of slip
that you want the
rear tires to have.
Which is nuts.
And then beneath that
you have a line lock.
And now what a line lock does,
is it holds the front brakes
but allows the rear tires
to spin freely, which
makes a burn out a lot easier.
I'm in the school of thought
that if you have 650 pound
feet, a burnout's
pretty easy to do,
but it's nice that
the feature's there.
And this is a level
of granularity
for a drag racing that I
haven't seen in a production car
outside of the Dodge Demon.
And it's really cool, because
this car, again, is just
sort of an all-arounder.
Now up next we'll show
you what that means
when we drive it on the street.
Driving on the congested
and Toyota Prius
filled streets of LA may
not be the most exciting way
to experience the Camaro
ZL1, but it does give us
the opportunity to illustrate
just how nice this car is
to drive in general.
Sure the ride's firm, sure
you get some road noise,
but it's nothing that would
make this car difficult to live
with.
This 10 speed automatic
transmission, you might think,
wow that's a lot of gears.
I'm going to constantly see
the tack bouncing around
as it shifts.
But you don't.
You barely notice when
the shifts happen.
And the way they've
tuned this transmission
so it can skip gears
when you step on it
makes for a really
nice experience.
What's funny is
when you really see
a gap, when you nail that gas
it's almost as if the car has
night terrors.
Because suddenly it starts
growling out of nowhere
and making all these
noises and screaming.
And then it gets
really silent again.
It gets really quiet.
It just seems to get more
aggressive the more you drive
it in an aggressive manner.
But of course LA
traffic is the worst.
So we're going to go to a
place where we can explore
the abilities of this car.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
There's just so much power.
The performance of this
vehicle is just incredible.
But it's the tractability
that makes it so dominating.
It just feels so good,
feels so much fun.
This is a large, heavy car,
with pretty poor visibility.
But it just comes into its
own in this environment.
It's so much fun.
Modulating the power and
controlling the Camaro,
got to love that sound.
Get a little sideways.
So even though the
stability control is on,
it still gives you
a bit of freedom
with how much
sideways you get when
you dig into that throttle.
And there's so much
power on tap here.
We have 650 horsepower.
I'm getting a
little bit too close
to the limits of the
stability control system.
I'm feeling it grab
me a little bit more.
But what that's doing
is it's telling me
I'm applying too much throttle.
You can use this system
like a driver's tool.
You can lean on it and
use it the wrong way,
and have it try to fix
your sloppy mistakes.
But you can also
pay attention to it,
pay attention to when
it's cutting the power
and how much power
it's giving you,
and you can dial back
your choice accordingly.
Now what's working
in conjunction
there is the stability control
and electronically controlled
limited slip differential.
Which is biasing power
as it deems appropriate,
based on whatever the vehicle
sensors are telling it.
That's really nice.
And we haven't even talked
about the brakes yet.
These brakes provide
very good stopping power
and have a nice long travel.
So you can dig in to it
without using too much force,
and get the right amount
braking force that you want.
I like this car a lot.
Listen to that.
[ENGINE REVVING]
And that's the
amazing Camaro ZL1.
You want to see more videos like
this, keep it tuned right here.
And be sure to
visit edmunds.com.
The 2019 Chevrolet Blazer Is No Retro Ride | Edmunds
Edmunds:
[ROCK MUSIC]
DAN FRIO: This is the
2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
Chevy's brought back the iconic
name for its new midsize SUV.
But this is a very different
car than its predecessors.
Is it worthy of the name?
We're here to find out.
[ROCK MUSIC]
For starters, this new
Blazer has four doors.
Now, sure, some of the earlier
Blazers also had four doors.
But talk to any Blazer purist,
people who know the SUV,
Blazers only have two doors.
That's not to say
this isn't a good SUV.
But it's made with a
very different philosophy
from those earlier Blazers.
While those old
truck-based Blazers
were prized for their
rugged off-road ability,
this new Blazer is more
about comfort, convenience,
technology, and even
a little bit of sport.
And while today's
Blazer does offer
an optional sophisticated
all-wheel drive
system, about the toughest
terrain this Blazer is
likely to see is in
the Costco parking lot.
One of the endearing
qualities of those old Blazers
was the thick, blocky
styling that just looked
like it could take a beating.
So this new Blazer got this big
wide grill allowed engineers
to widen the suspension
track for sportier handling.
It's got these thin lights,
these creased hood lines.
And it's got this window line
that rises toward the back--
kind of gives it a street tough
look inspired by the Camaro
rather than an
off-road tough look.
On sale now, 4-cylinder
based-trim Blazers
start around $30,000.
Moving up the line gets
you the 3.6 liter V6.
The red RS we just
looked at starts at 42.
But the premier level,
which I'm driving now,
starts around $44,000.
The 3.6 liter V6--
that makes 380 horsepower.
And the first thing you
notice about this engine
is just how smooth it is.
It accelerates
smoothly-- appears
to have plenty of power,
especially on the highway
or in these kind of
winding canyon roads
that we're on right now.
The Blazer's handling is
pretty impressive for what
is, otherwise, just a
general mid-sized SUV.
The suspension on
this is a wider track.
So it allows for flatter
cornering and less body roll,
so say the engineers.
But actually when you're
driving it in practice,
you can kind of feel it.
It's not a sport SUV, but
you can definitely carry
a little more speed
into the corners
than you might with
another midsize SUV.
The steering on the Blazer
is right down the middle--
a little light, if anything.
But we'll take that in
an SUV of this size.
But, overall, it's got good,
sporty confident feeling
in the steering.
Thankfully, we haven't needed
to panic-test the brakes out
on the freeway.
But here in the canyon,
they feel great.
Brakes engage easily.
There's no grabbiness to them.
There's a real smoothness to
this SUV's dynamic character,
overall.
Chevy's tend to have
this solid build
feel from behind the wheel.
And you notice it in the
Blazer in that there's not
a lot of road noise
or wind noise that's
coming into the cabin.
There's a little tire hum,
and there's a little rush
of wind over the windshield.
But it's nothing that would
impede a conversation.
It's nothing that I think would
fatigue you over a long drive.
This is a nice, quiet cabin.
From the driver's seat,
I feel very comfortable.
I've got plenty of elbow
room on both sides.
Seats are nice and wide.
It's not too much
bolstering here.
So you've got plenty of
room to kind of move around.
Good power adjustments,
good lumbar support.
It's easy to find a good
driving position in the Blazer.
In this trim, the premier
trim that we're driving,
there's also a power
telescoping steering column.
So that helps you dial
in a good spot, as well.
One thing you notice right
away from the driver's seat--
there's not a lot of room
to look out the back.
The exterior design uses
a Camaro-like window line
that rises up.
As such, it compromises your
view at the rear corners.
It's not a huge deal.
There is blind spot
monitoring on this trim.
But it's something to consider.
One thing about the
Blazer's ride quality
is that it does a good job
of suppressing harsh impacts
and jolts and keeping them out
of the cabin for the most part.
On the other hand, there's a
bit more bounce up and down
than you might expect.
It's not a deal
breaker, by any means.
But it's something you
want to consider, though,
and something you will
notice on rough roads.
Right now, we're in the RS trim
of the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
You can tell it's the RS trim
by some of the red accents
around the vent rings
here in the shift lever.
Otherwise, today's Blazer comes
with about everything you'd
expect of a family crossover.
It's got this
8-inch touchscreen.
It's got in-car Wi-Fi,
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto,
six USB ports, wireless
device charging.
It's got about
everything you need
to keep your family
connected and happy.
I like this instrument panel.
It's pretty clean.
You've got a row of hard buttons
here for the climate control.
One of the highlights of this
updated infotainment system,
which Chevy is calling
Infotainment 3,
is this ability to
set user profiles.
And it can store
preferences for everything
from your favorite
audio preferences
to climate control, even entry
and exit seating position.
One of the things I really
like about this new touchscreen
is just how crisp
the graphics are.
The icons are really
sharp, really clean.
And there's this great
camera with multiple views--
bird's eye view,
front view, view
to the side, view of the back.
It's really helpful.
Two adults can sit
comfortably in the back.
Taller passengers may
lack some headroom.
But sliding and reclining
seats will help.
Two vents, two USB ports,
and a 120-volt plug
round out the offerings.
So is this new Blazer the retro
omage that we had hoped for?
Not quite.
But since truck-based
SUVs don't sell
like they once did
anyways, our expectations
were pretty tempered.
But with this new Blazer
lacks in backwards ruggedness,
it makes up for with a strong V6
engine, a roomy cabin, a cargo
area, and a pretty slick
technology interface.
We're taking one of
these back to the office,
so stay tuned for more on the
new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
For more on the new Blazer
and other crossovers,
please subscribe to
our channel, and go
to edmunds.com when you're
looking for your next car.
2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Reveal - Finally, A Mid-Engine Corvette!
Edmunds:
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CARLOS LAGO: We just watched
the reveal of the 2020 Chevrolet
Corvette Stingray.
The base price is going
to be less than $60,000.
That's incredible.
This is the eighth generation
Corvette, and of course now
it's mid-engine.
There is a 6.2-liter
V8 right about here.
Now, that's a big deal
for a lot of reasons.
Well, one, it's the first
time that a Corvette
has gone mid-engine.
Two, it brings a ton
of performance benefits
and it makes a pretty radical
change to what Corvette is.
Really quick, that engine
is still a pushrod V8.
That means it's low, it's
sacrificing a little bit
of valve train sophistication
for sitting low in the car
itself.
It's attached to an 8-speed dual
clutch automatic transmission.
The only transmission
offering, and of course, it
drives the rear wheels.
Now, it makes 495 horsepower
with the performance exhaust,
and with Launch Control, and
with the performance options,
like the Z51 track package
that was on the C7, and so on,
enables 0 to 60 in less
than three seconds.
Push is pretty spectacular.
Now, one of things
that happens when
you switch to a
mid-engine configuration
is of course all that space that
was once cargo volume is now
engine volume, I guess?
But there's still
a trunk behind it,
which Chevy says can
fit two golf bags, which
is pretty impressive.
It shows Chevy's
commitment to understanding
the practicality
aspect of the Corvette,
and why owners really
appreciate that.
It makes this car more
usable for more people.
On top of that, there's also
a front trunk, or frunk,
up front.
Combined, both of those
compartments make 12.6-ish
cubic feet of cargo space,
which is pretty important.
Let's go a little
bit further up.
One of things they maintained
was the removable roof,
which has always been a
highlight of Corvettes.
It's nice to be able to
take the roof off and just
go for a cruise.
There are a couple of
other big, dramatic changes
to the rest of the car, as well.
Gone are the
transverse leaf spring
setup that used to underpin
Corvette for a long time.
Now we're just down
to coil overs, which
is more traditional,
and should make
for a really sophisticated
ride and handling,
especially when paired with the
magnetic fluid-filled shocks
that Corvette's been using
in recent years, and those,
we've really liked a lot.
Chevy says in the
press materials
that the Corvette equipped
with all-season tires
can generate 1 G laterally.
That's ridiculous
for all-season tires,
and that's such a high
amount of grip capability
that actually all Corvettes
now will have a dry [INAUDIBLE]
oiling system to ensure constant
lubrication to important engine
bits when you're
cornering really hard.
A lot of really
exciting stuff there.
Let's move our way to the front.
And one of the real advantages,
beyond all the performance
headroom, of having the
engine in the middle,
because it's putting more
mass on the rear tires,
giving them more traction to
brake, accelerate, and handle,
but you also move the passenger
compartment quite a bit
forward in the cabin.
And that means you can
put the hood down lower,
because there's no
longer an engine there.
You can make the
windshield bigger.
That gives you a
better sight line.
And because there's no
longer an engine blocking it,
you can have a shorter
and more direct steering
system, which makes the
whole thing feel more direct.
It also helps when you're
closer to the front wheels, too.
It makes the process
feel a little bit better.
Let's find a way to
hop inside and talk
about what's going on in there.
The interior's a
pretty dramatic change,
like the rest of
the car, I guess.
Two seats, of course.
Squared-off steering
wheel, which
looks interesting, but
in my experience, cars
that use this design work
pretty well because you have
four unique points
of contact that
help in doing hand-over-hand
steering around tight corners,
or when you're in a power
slide, as I like to do,
it helps you locate where
the center of the wheel
is really quickly.
Big digital gauge cluster
behind that, infotainment
display here, all
very driver-oriented
how it wraps around you,
especially this little trim
piece of HVAC controls.
Very interesting decision.
It's going to be a while
before we actually figure out
if we like it or
not, but I will say,
I like having physical buttons
rather than digital ones buried
in the menu.
One of things we
haven't talked about
is something that's
really impressive,
and that's a button
hidden up here
that lifts the front
end of the car when
you're approaching like a
speed bump or your driveway.
And the cool thing is when
you do that, you can actually
have the GSP system
remember where that was,
so when you get home, you don't
have to always hit that button.
Or if there's always a speed
bump or a pothole on your drive
home, the car will just
learn that as you use it.
And that's a really cool
thing to have in a sports car.
There's nothing more
embarrassing than scraping
the nose on your sports car
as you leave your driveway
in the morning.
Very, very embarrassing.
There's a lot here that we're
going to learn, and experience,
and talk about.
But for the time being, this
Corvette looks really cool,
and we can't wait to drive it.
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