Why Chevrolet Spin Phase Out

Chevrolet Bolt EV Traction Motor - Deep Dive

WeberAuto:

Hello, I'm professor John Kelly and this
is the Weber Auto YouTube channel.
In this episode we will be disassembling
the drive unit the electric motor and
gear reducer out of our 2017 Chevrolet
bolt on the hoist behind me here. now
this drive unit and electric motor
combination is is all one piece,
unlike the Nissan Leaf that has a drive
unit that unbolts from the electric
motor. This drive unit is rated at 150
kilowatts which is 201 horsepower, it is
also rated at 360 Newton meters of
torque which is roughly 266 foot-pounds
of torque.
Now let's let's talk about torque just a
little bit. That torque rating is what
the motor itself is capable of producing,
that is not the same as the torque that
ends up at the wheels of the vehicle, so
for example the Chevrolet Spark EV
produced by Chevrolet before the Bolt
here
actually had an electric motor that
produced 540 Newton meters of torque, the Bolt EV electric motor only produces
360 Newton meters of torque and so you
might be misled into thinking that the
Spark EV had more torque; well, the motor
did, but not the torque delivered to the
axles that drive the wheels. So the gear
reducer right here on the side of this
drive unit has an impact on that because
gear reduction is also torque
multiplication minus frictional losses, so
the Spark EV had a 540 Newton meter
electric motor but it only had a three
point one five to one gear reduction
unit which resulted in about 1700 Newton
meters of torque at the wheels, at the
axles. the Bolt EV electric motor
produces 360 Newton meters of torque a
whole 180 Newton meters less of torque
from the motor, but it has a seven point
zero five one eight to one gear
reduction through this gear reducer
which multiplies that 360 Newton meters
of torque by seven point zero five one
eight, which gives us over 2,500 Newton
meters of torque at the axles. So there
are other electric vehicles out there
that are being produced right now that
have higher torque higher motor torque
than the Bolt EV
but what would be interesting, I and
I don't know what their gear ratios are
yet, is to see what is the torque
actually to the axles what's the torque
to the ground because that's what you'll
feel when you step on that accelerator
pedal, that's the torque to the wheels
that makes the vehicle move. The design
of this drive unit this electric motor
it has a peak amperage draw of 400 amps
versus 450 as for the Spark EV so it
uses less current to provide more torque
so it's a more efficient better design
electric motor. The electric motor in
this drive unit spins clear up to 8810 rpm where the
Spark EV only spun up to about 4500 rpm,
and we'll take a look at some
differences in the electric motor design
and the stator winding design that
allowed it to spin at those higher rpms
without the AC losses that typically
occur at higher rpm. As mentioned in the
previous video on high voltage
components of the Chevrolet Bolt EV this
drive unit uses about 2.9 litres, around
3.1 quarts of Dexron HP fully synthetic
base transmission fluid automatic
transmission fluid. It also is cooled by
the General Motors Dexcool 50/50 mix
of coolant and deionized water. Okay
let's take a look at the outside of the
housing here of this drive unit. The
official name or designation of this
drive unit by General Motors is the
1ET25. The one means it's a one speed
trans axle, this doesn't shift, E means
it's electronically controlled, T means
it's a transaxle, and the 25 is a
relative torque rating. Alright, right
here on the front of the transmission is
the actual last eight digits of the
vehicle identification number and you
can see that MMF right there, that is
the three-digit regular production
option code the RPO code that you can
find on label in the back of the Bolt EV if
you take out the lower compartment
carpet and look in what looks like a
spare tire tub, there's a label on the
driver's side that has a whole bunch of
three digit codes on it
MMF just means that's which transaxle
or transmission this vehicle came with.
Okay right here on the top of the trans
axle is the transmission range selector
actuator and this is a brushless DC
motor with a gear reducer that actually
moves the shift lever to put us in to
Park reverse neutral Drive and low, now
technically inside of this drive unit it
there's really only park and not park,
but there is a position sensor in here
called an internal mode switch that will
monitor which position the transaxle
range selector is in so that the vehicle
can act appropriately. For example the
shifter itself on the center console is
not directly connected to the drive unit,
it's just an input to the computer that
controls this actuator, so when we go to
the reverse position for the neutral or
drive or low, there's a feedback on the
internal mode switch electrical
connector right here, that lets the
engine control module, even though this
doesn't have an engine, know which gear
range you have selected so that it can
request the trends axle act
appropriately. Also, right here by the
electrical connector for the internal
mode switch is the transmission fill
plug, so if you want to put fluid into
this transmission you need a 14
millimeter wrench or socket to take this
plug out and put the Dexron HP fluid
into the transmission. There are two
drain plugs on this transmission, one for
each side, so there's one down below on
each end of the transaxle the driver's
side and the passenger side, there's
there are two separate drain plugs to
get the fluid out of each side, now
there's only one fluid that goes
throughout this entire transaxle but
because of how its baffled and set up
inside to remove all the fluid you need
to remove both plugs.
Now speaking of fluid and fluid level
when you drain fluid at whatever the
recommended fluid change interval is or
if you're doing service work on the
transaxle here and you're adding fluid
you need to know when to stop adding
fluid, so on the other side of the
transaxle right here is the transaxle
fluid level check plug, so the drain
plugs right down here, the fluid level
check plugs here, the fill plug is on the
other side so you take the fill plug out
you take the fluid level check plug out,
and you add fluid until fluid comes out
over here, and then you let it sit and
stabilize for a minute add a little bit
more and make sure that fluid comes out
comes out to a slow drip, and then the
instructions tell us to put both plugs
back in and go drive the vehicle until
the transmission fluid temperature
reaches 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees
Fahrenheit and then double-check the
fluid level again to make sure that
comes out at a very slow drip. Alright,
while we are here on this side of the
transaxle we have an electric motor an
electric pump for the transmission fluid
so there's a big filter we'll see when
we take this thing apart down the bottom
center of this transaxle it will pull
fluid up from the filter and then put it
into what's called the oil sump so the
oil sump is basically just a great big
bathtub looking area up here that the
pump fills full of fluid and then there
are these little drain channels that
fluid drains down to cool the stator
windings and lubricate bearings and so
on and we'll see that once we get the
cover off so we have an electric 12 to 14
volt driven electric motor that pumps
fluid throughout this transaxle. From
what I read this pump only works when
you are in Reverse or Drive, it does not
pump when you're in park or neutral.
Alright, we have another electrical
connector right here, this connector is
for the resolver which measures the
angle of rotation the direction of
rotation and the speed of the electric
motor rotor itself, and then there's a
transmission fluid temperature sensor
that is in the bottom of this
transmission case cover here. All of
those are accessed electrically through
this electrical connector right here. As
you may have seen in my other video on
high-voltage components we have the air
conditioning compressor of the bolts up
here and then we have our coolant pipes
that go into what's called a coolant
sump in the bottom of this transaxle and
we'll see that here in a few minutes but
we have coolant going in coolant coming
back out and goes through a series of
cooling fins and cooling circuits to
absorb heat from the transmission fluid
right here on the back we have the
electrical connection for the
three-phase cables that come from the
the
single power inverter module that sits
two modules above here. Three-phase
orange cables come down to drive the
electric motor, there's a cover
the cables bolt on and then there's a
cover they'll holds the cable in place.
We have a transmission vent right here,
let's just take that vent off while we
vent tube off while we're here now you
can see the oil sump area again on the
top and the cooling sump coolant sump
area here in the bottom all right there
is one additional plug on the side of
the case with the electric motor and
there's nothing in the service
information to indicate this but I
believe this is a pressure test plug to
check the pump output pressure, but I
can't find any information on what that
fluid pressure should be. Okay, I'm going
to be disassembling this transaxle right
here on the workbench but there actually
is a special fixture to hold this
transaxle and allow you to rotate it and
disassemble different pieces of it and
still be able to rotate it for
convenience. I have this special adapter
as you can see here in this photograph
but the way it's mounted it's too high
and too difficult for me to disassemble
in that holding fixture being in a
wheelchair, so the workbench is where I'm
going to disassemble it, but I wanted you
to know there is a special fixture for
that and I tried it it just doesn't work
for me.
by the way this transaxle weighs about a
hundred and seventy pounds or 77.4
kilograms. Okay, well we're ready to
start disassembly, the first step is to
remove this oil pump the 12-volt power
oil pump, it has three bolts right here
and a few seals underneath it as you can
see here there are two seals that seal
the pump to the transmission case right
here there are two bolts that hold the
cover over the pump gears themselves
there are no instructions on
disassembling this so I assume we're not
supposed to disassemble it but that's
exactly what I like to do
take things apart I'm not supposed to as
long as I can get them back together and
make it work again here we go we've got
a Jew rotor style oil pump there's an
o-ring right here that needs to fit in
this groove to seal and then the cover
just bolts on okay the next thing on the
list is to remove the left-hand and
right-hand output shafts that go into
our differential side gears in the gear
reducer this is the left-hand side right
hand side over there it calls for a
slide hammer and a old pilot bearing
removal tool for a manual transmission
so this is the pilot bearing removal
tool right here and a slide hammer and
we are supposed to put this up inside
and put it into the snap ring groove for
the CV shaft and then pop it out well
come to find out the snap ring groove is
thinner than the tip of this tool that's
supposed to go into it and I didn't
realize that's what the problem was and
I had a hard time getting these output
shafts removed I finally got him out but
once I got a mound got looking at the
tool versus what they were supposed to
be grabbing I realized I need to grind
these down make him a little thinner so
that they'll actually fit into the
grooves of the her for these CV shaft
snap rings that are there so since I've
had this entire transaxle apart before
and I'll put it all back together
I've removed those snap rings they'll
hold these output shafts in place so I
can just pull them out by hand right now
this big long left hand output shaft
goes right through the center of the
rotor of the electric motor itself it's
it's hollow in the middle
and it has a big heavy-duty bushing
right here on the outside with the axle
seal and this is our left-hand output
shaft and then the CV shaft itself plugs
into here that goes to the left front
hub and bearing assembly and tire and
we'll assembly so there's our left-hand
axle shaft there's a snap ring that fits
in that groove right there typically and
I've just removed and I've just removed
that snap ring for ease for this
demonstration here obviously I'll need
to put that back in when I reassemble
so that's the left-hand axle shaft on
the other side we use the slide hammer
again and pull out the right hand axle
shaft as you can see this one is much
shorter than the other one and it has
the support bearing in the differential
case itself that holds it in place and
its own snap ring that I've already
removed and of course an axle sill here
on the other side as well okay the next
thing on the list is to remove this
transaxle case to remove the case I've
got to take the linkage off and our
actuator off and then we've got these
bolts to go all the way around and then
we'll be able to see the gear reduction
transfer gear and the final drive ring
gear and differential gear set so I'll
take the clip out and lift up for a
linkage on the shift actuator and then
take the bolts out
okay here's the shift actuator assembly
itself transmission range selector
actuator kind of a great big piece I
I've seen some of these that are smaller
right I'm not sure why this one is so
giant I'm not I've never seen one this
big but it obviously does the job of
mechanically shifting the transmission
range lever since you have an electronic
shifter on your center console alright
let's take these bolts out of the trans
transmission case okay I've got all the
bolts out of the transmission case now
we can attempt to slide it off it has a
couple of dowel pins they'll hold it in
place there's a couple of pry points
plus one right back here and another one
right here there we go
I'm going to come in with a plastic
mallet here and just tap lightly there
we go okay we can see inside of the
transmission case itself and the only
things in here of real interest are the
transmission internal mode switch right
here we got the electrical connector
right here harness right there that
connects to this outer blue connection
connector that will read which Range
Park reverse neutral low you have
selected with your transmission shift
lever and then we have the parking
linkage right here we've got Park
reverse neutral Drive
and low now of course normally
transmission fluid would would be
pouring out of here of whatever didn't
get drained out when you drained it
previously but I've had this apart and
cleaned everything up before we have our
ring gear right here and our
differential gear set and as notice we
have real nice ball bearings here these
bearings since their ball bearings
instead of tapered roller bearings have
to have in place shims so there's a
special shimming procedure to control
the end play of these bearings that will
have to go through when we reassemble it
so you're supposed to take these shims
off and throw them away well and then
replace them with new new ones when you
go back together I suggest that you take
them off and measure them and then hang
on to them because you might you might
need them again when I took these off
previously and measured them they were
almost all identical in the thickness so
there are six of these shims for the six
ball bearings that are in this transaxle
four of these shims measured exactly
half a millimeter in in with the other
two one of a measure one millimeter in
width and the other one measured 0.9
millimeters so you need to keep track of
what thickness shim you had where and
write those down so that you you'll have
an idea of at least what it was before
you took it apart now if you're just
going back together and you haven't
changed any shims or any parts inside
just reuse the old shims but if you're
changing a bearing or any of these
internal pieces you need to go through
the special measurement procedure that
we'll see when we go back together to
determine if these shims are correct
okay so there's there's special shims on
each of these
bearings I've measured all of them RIT
written their dimensions on the ziploc
bag here that I keep them in and will
refer to those when we go back together
all right now we just need to remove the
counter gear right here and the final
drive a ring gear and differential gear
set this is where our short little
output shaft plugged in right here and
then our long one came all the way
through on the other side okay before we
remove these gears there is a an
aluminum gasket with a rubber seal
embedded into it the instructions tell
us that is not reusable
there is also an oil baffle right down
here to channel transmission fluid away
from the ring gear to reduce losses as
it rotates into it and to splash oil up
into different channels to lubricate the
the bearings if we look in this case
half right here you can almost see what
looks like a funnel right there for the
fluid to drain back down and lubricate
this outer bearing and a similar one
here on this other other side for that
bearing so we've got a oil baffle to
remove all right I've got the oil baffle
removed on the other side of that is our
magnet for metallic particles from gear
normal gear wear and other malfunctions
okay now we're ready ready to remove
these gears pull out on the counter gear
and then pull out on the final drive and
it'll come right out if you don't pull
out on that counter gear first there's
not enough clearance for the final drive
Unit two clear so here's our final drive
you can see our open differential gear
set inside there here's our sim on the
other side as well
all right the instructions tell us that
we can if we won't want to remove the
park linkage in the internal notes which
I don't really care about that that's
just regular stuff that you'd see in any
other automatic transmission so let's
continue on with things that are unique
to the bolt
evie drive unit here the one ET 25
transaxle so let's turn the transmission
case around and we'll take off the
transmission case cover here on the
driver's side
now the SAE document the details the the
bolt evey drive unit here that I told
you about in the high voltage component
video tells us that the drive unit
itself was designed to be serviceable in
the vehicle that's why they have a case
removable case cover on one side and a
case cover on the other side for the
gear reduction unit you can leave this
Center portion with the electric motor
in it in the vehicle and just remove one
or both case covers to do service work
on components inside the case covers
seal replacements resolver replacements
internal modes with replacement and so
on but anyway we're going to take off
this case
cover next from the driver's side all
right this case cover is going to be a
little harder to get off than the other
one because the rotor that has internal
magnets embedded inside of it has now
magnetically pulled itself over to the
stator because we are no longer
centering it inside of the stator itself
and so it puts a it pulls it off to the
side just a little bit so there's a
prying
right here
and there's a pride point right down
here another prior point right here
there we go okay so here's our case
cover and it has an aluminum gasket
that's not reusable as well our case
cover has this long transmission filter
that's not serviceable without
disassembling things as you can see has
a temperature sensor down inside of it
right there and then this is our
resolver our serviceable resolver that
measures the position speed and
direction of rotation of the electric
motor rotor inside the transaxle here
let's turn this around oh by the way
down inside of the bearing housing there
is a shim for the ball bearing right
here on the rotor itself so we're
looking at the stator and the hairpin
six conductor deep stator design a
unique design we'll talk about that a
little bit more once we get the stator
out we have a lubrication channel right
here where fluid is going to drip out of
our oil sump and run along and drop down
on to the stator windings themselves and
cool the the stator windings it also has
a drip channel that comes over and goes
down to this bearing here to lubricate
it
so we've just got an 8 millimeter head
bolt holding the filter in place and as
you can see the filter just has an
o-ring seal on the one side and you can
see the pick up filter screen filter
element on the inside so this is going
to reach all the way in up underneath
the the stator itself to pick up the
fluid on the back side of it and on the
back side of it is the inlet of the
coolant so that would be the cooler oil
on the back side there all right then on
the resolver it just has eight three
eight millimeter head bolts to hold it
in place and one electrical connector
this resolver only bolts in in one
location it's not adjustable it has
automatic learn unlike the older Toyota
Prius resolvers that that would actually
come out of alignment
if you unbolted them and there was no
way for you to line them back up okay so
here is our resolver pull back on the
connector position assurance clip
depress the tab and remove the resolver
itself the resolver is a serviceable
unit when and if it ever goes bad but it
should should never go bad all right
then the remaining wire harness and the
pass-through connector here just goes
over to our temperature sensor okay next
on the list we need to remove what is
called the center support this is what's
supported the driver's side ball bearing
of our differential case assembly
okay this is our center support it's
held in place with six bolts and aligned
with two dowel pins right there now with
that removed there's nothing to stop our
transfer gear from sliding out it's just
a tight fit on the bearing in the bore
as it should be just pray lightly
sometimes these will just slide right
out and right in and other times they'll
they'll fight you here we go okay so
here's our transfer gear it's ball
bearing and shim so put that shit over
here with the others okay right here in
the end of the case we still have a
lubrication channel right here from the
oil trough the oil sump I mean right
there and then we have a cover for the
three-phase electrical connector right
here as well then on the other side we
have that oil distribution channel right
here that cools the stator so we've got
to remove that we are now to the point
where we are ready to pull this rotor
out but we just can't grab on to it and
pull it out it has some super strong
neodymium magnets multiple layers envy
configuration inside of this stator
you're not going to pull it out by hand
and you sure don't want to come in here
and start prying on it so the only way
to get that rotor out of there if you
want to remove it for service replace a
bit bearing on it or the gear on the
other side or another bearing or just
replace the rotor itself for whatever
reason loss of magnetism and trouble
code sets or whatever
it takes a special tool to pull it out
without having it rub on the stator
frame itself and without having it
injure you with you trying to pull it
out and it's pulling back in with all
its magnetic strength so true get that
out there's a special guide tool that
will hold it centered in the stator and
we need to set that up next and it
starts on the other side here so there's
a special tool kit that costs almost a
thousand dollars to Center this rotor as
you pull it out I found one on eBay for
a little bit less than that but but it's
a very expensive tool but if you want to
do service work on this transaxle you've
got to have it so let's bring in the
special tools okay so I brought in the
special tools to keep the rotor centered
there's a special spacer with a notch in
it to clear that notch right there this
is just gonna fit in there just like
that then there's a plate that bolts on
over the top of this to hold it in place
these don't need to be super tight
they're just holding that little spacer
in place so I'll just lightly Snug those
up then there's a sleeve here that's
supposed to fit down the center of that
rotor but these sleeves are a little bit
too big I've had to take sandpaper and
send them down to make them fit inside
of this rotor and I don't know if that's
because the tools were made for a first
design rotor and then they changed it or
if they just made the tools incorrectly
but these tools are from what used to be
can't more tools the special tools
supplier for General Motors it's now
Bosch service solutions so Bosch you may
want to take a look at this this tool
here the DT five two zero one one
- one - three because it doesn't fit
it's not doesn't Center up inside the
the rotor as well as it should
i've had to sand it down just a little
bit and then i'm able to tap it in a
little bit there but I think that it's
supposed to be if it's supposed to be a
tight fit but it should be able to slide
in by hand I believe then we have a
guide pin that's going to go through the
center of that then we have this outer
housing the bolts in place to hold the
guide pin in place so the blue sleeve
this one here because there's one for
the other side also centers the rotor
into this plate and then this sleeve is
centered into this plate so we've now
centered the rotor on this side of the
stator so now we need to go to the other
side to put additional tools in to get
it centered and then pull it up and out
okay at this point if I had the
transaxle mounted in that special
rotating holding fixture I would just
simply rotate it on its side and get the
get the rest of the tools hooked up but
I don't I'm not able to use that so I'm
just going to put some extra long bolts
in this side of the case to hold the
case up off of this tool when I tip it
over to support it as we pull the rotor
out
okay so here we go we're going to tip
the tip the whole thing up on its hand
just like that so now we've got
clearance for the tool underneath and we
can get the upper tools set up to pull
the rotor up and out all right while
we've got the transaxle tipped on its
side let's take this oil sump cover off
and show you what's inside of there so
it's just a big empty trough and you can
see has one two three four five six
holes in it where fluid is going to go
out and drip down on other parts inside
of the transaxle for stator cooling and
for the ball bearing lubrication the
cover itself has that same aluminum
gasket that's not reusable also while we
have this transaxle on its end let's
turn it over and take the coolant sump
off next okay here's our coolant sump
you can see this pipe right here is
where the coolant comes in and it has to
wind back and forth back and forth and
then come back out over here the coolant
sump which is visible from the bottom of
the car with the under car cover removed
also has that same aluminum gasket
that's not not reusable why are they not
reusable I don't know maybe the aluminum
crushes these I'm going to see if I can
buy replacement gaskets at the local
Chevrolet dealer it seems like I saw a
service bulletin saying that all these
parts are serviceable now and it gave
the part numbers for them but if not
none of these are damaged it only has 35
miles on it and I'll reuse them and see
what happens
okay so coolant sump oil sump so now we
are ready to pull out the rotor assembly
so to pull out the rotor assembly we
have a guide pin it's going to come in
and screw into that dowel they had a
threaded end on it all right so this
threaded guide pin did not line up
exactly perfect with the guide pin down
below I can't tell if we're just
spinning the whole thing there we go
all right it's screwed all the way into
that alignment dowel from below now we
have this tool that has three holes that
go over the holes where the stator bolts
are so we need to remove the stator
bolts next these stator bolts are not
reusable three stator bolts so we put
this tool over the top of that we want
to be very careful that we don't damage
pry lean or set anything on the stator
windings here that could cause damage to
them so we'll get that lined up just
like that now I'm going to reposition
the camera so you can see
how tall this next tool is that fits on
here all right we have two clamshell
type tools that are going to come in and
clamp down over the resolver cam rotor
there and this bearing they're gonna go
just like that except I need to split
them apart so I can get the next tool in
it says this big tall piece right here
that's going to go over and down into
our stator bolt holes so we've got this
threaded shaft we've got this adapter
right here that these little clamshell
tools are going to hook into and then
the threaded shaft with a nut on the top
of it we're going to tighten that nut
and pull the rotor up out okay so the
tricky part of giving this hooked up is
getting both of these
clamshell tools over this lip right here
so I have to loosen the nut on the top
and let it come down let me turn this
you can see what's going on
there we go okay so we slide that open
clamp the clamshells around it put this
sleeve over the top of it to lock the
clamshell in place snug up this nut to
hold the lock in place and then from the
top here we start to pull up on the
rotor itself I'm going to get
repositioned bring my chair up a little
higher here so I can reach that nut it
takes quite a bit of turning to pull
that out okay here we go thirty
millimeter wrench we want to turn the
nut and prevent the shaft from turning
so I'm just going to hang on down here
as it comes up those guide pins the
guide dowels keep it from rubbing on the
stator frame although although there's
almost a strange ratcheting sound as I'm
pulling this out that makes me think
it's barely contacting the the stator
laminations or the rotor laminations
anyway we'll pull it out and take a look
see if we can see any witness marks you
can see the top of the rotor now is
starting to appear
I think we're finally clearing the top
of the yes we are it all of a sudden got
real easy to turn the nut so we no
longer have the magnet pulling out or
resisting us pulling out okay you can
see the entire length of the rotor here
get another bearing down below it and a
gear below that now we're supposed to
just lift up on this and and pull it out
I'm not sure if I'm strong enough I may
have to bring in the the engine hoist to
pull it out of here but it's just
sitting on these three non-magnetic
aluminum poles here and we've got the
weight of the the rotor assembly itself
I measured it earlier but I can't
remember what it is at this moment but
let's see if we can lift this up and out
though I cannot so let me get the engine
hoist we have to lift it up high enough
to clear that alignment dowel so I've
got to lift it up probably four more
inches 100 millimeters or so okay I've
never tried this before it's just a lift
strap let's bring it up
okay the lifting or the tool was getting
stuck in one of the holes for the the
stator bolts there we go
okay here we go
and we've cleared the alignment dowel so
slide the case out of the way here and
we'll let that back down
oh let's see how much that weighs it
says it weighs 60 pounds with the tool
the tools probably 10 pounds of that
okay we have to remember that this rotor
is highly magnetic very strong eight
pole magnetic field around this thing
and so we need to keep it away from
anything any metal particles or any
tools or anything else that could cost
cause it to receive damage on its
laminations here in looking at the the
laminations from removing it I don't see
any obvious damage at all there let's
let this down and take the the tool off
and just look at the rotor itself
little clamshell pieces out of there
these tools are magnet earth iron some
some sorts so we got to keep those away
from the magnetic field as you can see
these blue bars are aluminum they're not
sticking to the the rotor itself and
then plastic of course works great with
the magnetic fields so now we've just
got our rotor we've got our drive gear
down here I've got a ball bearing and
another ball bearing there's another
shim down inside the case a bigger
diameter shim for this bigger diameter
bearing all right I'm going to get some
wooden blocks to put this in all right
here's the rotor for the bolt
evie as you can see this bearing seems
to have some sort of a gray coating on
the outer race where this one does not
and on the counter gear bearings they
also have this gray coating it doesn't
say anything about what that gray
coating is for I suspect it's to prevent
corrosion from the dissimilar metals
with possible induced currents going
through them with the the motor running
vehicle going down the road I've seen
this type of coating on universal joints
in universal joint caps universal joint
caps bearing caps in an aluminum
driveshaft the same color I don't know
if it's the same material but if any of
you know what this coating is for if
you'd please put that in the comments
below I'd appreciate that
I'm just speculating okay so we've got
the rotor out of the way this is a
serviceable piece now the last piece to
remove is the stator assembly itself and
it has three special guide pins that go
into the stator bolt holes and screw
into the transaxle case and then they're
tapered on the top here and that's to
allow you to slide the stator out
without it binding inside so I'll slide
that over there rotate it down and just
pull out slightly
here it comes just like that so here's
the stator for the Chevrolet bolt Eevee
if we zoom in close and look at the
stator windings you can actually see
there are 1 2 3 rows of these hairpin
conductors which means they are 6
conductors deep in this stator and from
what I read in the SAE document on this
new improved motor that helps reduce the
AC power losses at the higher motor rpm
a typical stator like in the previous
Chevrolet Volt had 2 rows instead of 3
so they were four conductors deep in the
Chevrolet Volts and six conductors deep
here and one of the people that was on
the original design team for the
Chevrolet Volt told me that when they
designed this electric motor and it's
designed for maximum efficiency and hand
power that there was no other motor out
there that could even match the
efficiency of this motor and they said
that they designed this motor to be the
next small-block Chevrolet so to say of
power trains so the small-block
Chevrolet was and still is a very
popular very powerful v8 engine and has
been for many many years and their
intent was to have this motor design
maybe even this drive unit be in
multiple platforms with the same high
power high efficiency motor system if we
look at the other side here of the
stator windings you can see the the
other end of the hairpin conductors and
then there's a drip channel right here
for oil to come out of that oil sump and
to drip down and go down and lubricate
the stator windings because these get
really hot this is the heat source
inside of the transmission and it and
although it gets hot it doesn't get as
hot as the fluid
although the fluid gets hot it doesn't
get hot as a normal planetary gearset
style automatic transmission and the
cooling system surge tank reservoir cap
was only pressurized to 5 psi for this
loop of the cooling system so much lower
amounts of heat compared to an internal
combustion engine with a torque
converter heat generating planetary
gearset style of automatic transmission
now just a couple of things to get
wrapped up with this disassembly video
because we will reassemble it showing
the special measurements for the shims
and everything when we go back together
but one thing I wanted to show you about
these electric vehicles is how simple
they are and when I mean when I say
simple I don't mean simple design
meaning it was easy to design these
simplicity is not necessarily easy but
if we look at the number of rotating
parts in this entire drive unit
there are basically three main rotating
parts we've got the rotor assembly that
then turns the counter gear right here
that then turns the final drive three
pieces no clutch packs no bands and no
sprags no roller clutches no Pistons
none of those hundreds of parts that you
would see in a typical automatic
transmission let alone the internal
combustion engine that this is replacing
of course there are three main moving
parts these pieces here but each one has
two bearings on it so there's six more
pieces so there's nine total and then
inside of the differential here we have
two side gears and two differential
pinion gears so that makes for a total
of 13 possible moving parts inside the
of this drive unit and only when you're
turning corners would the side gears in
the differentials
be rotating at a different speed than
the differential case so a real basic
very reliable system these electric
vehicles and and this one is is very
efficient and that the design is very
compact to where this left-hand output
shaft remember goes right through the
center of the rotor instead of being
offset like on the the Nissan Leaf and
other electric vehicles out there so
congratulations to Chevrolet and the
design team that came up with this
amazing and efficient and simplistic
evie drive unit and I think it's
absolutely beautiful so coming up I hope
to shoot a reassembly video with all the
measurements for this drive unit and
then we've got all of these parts out
the drive unit all of the electronics
and our and our Chevy bolt back here on
the hoist is totally empty yeah under
the under the hood so we've got to put
that all back together and and make it
work again even the battery is out the
whole thing is stripped as far as the
powertrain is concerned and we're gonna
put that back together and and make it
work and hopefully get it converted to a
DC fast charge thank you for watching

Small SUV: 2015 Chevrolet Trax Review, Test Drive and Specs

CarPreview.com Expert Car Reviews:

The 2015 Chevrolet Trax is the best car for
you if you're a member of Generation Y -- as
in, "why would I want a regular car?"
New to Chevy's US lineup, the Trax competes
in a rapidly expanding new category - the
subcompact crossover SUV. It's aimed at young
buyers on a budget who want the room, maybe
the all-wheel-drive, but certainly the image,
most subcompact cars can't provide.
Is it right for you? I'm Chuck Giametta. Join
me for a CarPreview video review of the 2015
Chevrolet Trax.
[music intro]
Already on sale in more than 60 other countries,
Trax arrives here to compete with the Nissan
Juke and the new Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Jeep
Renegade, and Mazda CX-3. Toyota and Hyundai
may also be considering entries, and the popular
Kia Soul is in the mix, too, though it stands
out by not offering all-wheel drive.
All these crossovers are a size smaller than
compact SUVs like the Ford Escape and Honda CRV.
And with prices starting in the low-$20,000
range, they're less expensive too.
Buick already sells an upscale version of
this Chevy. The Encore is almost identical
beneath the skin, though it costs about four-thousand-dollars more and offers features the new Chevy doesn't,
like leather upholstery and a power memory
driver's seat.
That doesn't mean the Trax is bare-bones.
Chevy knows the target audience and makes
available a tasty menu of digital features,
including 4G LTE connectivity that makes this
a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot.
That should appeal to shoppers the automaker
will try to reach exclusively through social
media and experiential marketing. Trax won't
be advertised on TV; Chevy believes this active,
urban demographic doesn't watch traditional
television.
The midline LT model should account for about
two-thirds of sales. Like the base LS and
top-line LTZ versions, it comes with a seven-inch
touchscreen and Chevy's MyLink hands-free interface.
iPhone owners can use it to talk with Siri.
And anyone can contract with AT&T for high-speed
4G LTE service that enables wireless Internet
access for onboard tablets, laptops and the like.
GM's well-designed OnStar assistance is standard.
It can provide verbal directions, but downloading
the BringGo navigation app puts real GPS mapping
on the touchscreen.
LT and LTZ models have remote engine start.
Lane-departure warning isn't offered, but
every Trax comes with a rearview backup camera.
And to the usual cocoon of airbags Trax adds
standard torso-protecting rear side airbags.
All versions of the Trax use the same engine:
a small turbocharged four-cylinder also found
in the Encore and in Chevy's Cruze and Sonic
small cars. The only transmission is a six-speed automatic.
Front-wheel drive is standard. Chevy thinks
just under half the buyers will opt for all-wheel
drive. It's a basic system, meant mostly for
traction in snow.
It adds fifteen-hundred dollars to the price
of an LT or LTZ. It's a fifteen-hundred-eighty-dollar
option for the LS because it replaces 16-inch
steel wheels with the LT's 16-inch alloys.
Exclusive to the LTZ are 18-inch alloys.
Road manners are a fine match for Trax's role
as a city and suburban crossover.
At just over 9 seconds, the zero-to sixty
sprint is on the slow end of the spectrum.
Turbo lag causes momentary delay from a dead
stop. But there's surprising scoot after that,
and you won't lack confidence to pass slower
traffic or merge onto a freeway.
Highway cruising is stable and a high seating
position and good outward visibility invite
you to exploit this crossover's impressive
low-speed maneuverability.
But fast cornering triggers lots of body lean
and noseplow. The LTZ's low-profile tires
contribute to slightly better grip and response
but they don't absorb bumps nearly as well
as the 16s.
Every Trax suffers some choppiness on broken
pavement, but the LS and LT ride more comfortably
than most vehicles this size, no matter the
category.
That friendly but less-than-sporty performance
is reflected in the styling.
Chevy tacks on simulated skid plates and dresses
up the LTZ with big wheels. But Trax is shorter
in length than a Honda Civic, yet taller than
a Subaru Outback, so it's saddled with some
chunky proportions. It's a success inside,
though.
The tall body pays dividends in a fairly spacious
cabin. You sit upright with good headroom.
Rear-seat room is very good for a vehicle
this size. The door openings aren't terribly
wide, but we suspect the older among us will
appreciate that you can just step in without
having to climb up or drop down.
Nothing in the cabin feels cut-rate. LTs are
upholstered in a pleasing blend of cloth and
leatherette while the LTZ's full leatherette
is a fair imitation of real leather. Both
get a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The dashboard is well-organized, though the
analog tachometer and digital display for
speed and other readouts is a little hokey.
Storage is a highlight, with dual gloveboxes
and plenty of bins, drawers, and crannies.
Cargo volume behind the rear seat is about
average for this class. Most rivals exceed
Trax's 48.4 cubic feet with the rear seat
dropped, but a folding front passenger seatback
lets you haul objects eight-feet long.
As for pricing, an LTZ with every option is
twenty-eight-thousand five-hundred dollars,
well into compact-class territory. But the
average Trax should retail for around twenty-three-five.
That's your "why not" alternative to a subcompact
car.
Trax won't compete with the Honda HR-V or
Mazda CX-3 as eye candy. And extroverts will
still head for the Nissan Juke.
But its middle-of-the-road approach appeals
to a range of buyers looking for something
a little different in a little package.
For more on this and other cars, trucks, and
SUVs, go to CarPreview.com and please subscribe
to our CarPreview YouTube channel.

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.

Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 2018 | Complete Review | with Steve Hammes | TestDriveNow

Steve Hammes New Car Reviews:

In case you haven’t noticed, off-road trucks
are a thing and they’re gaining in popularity.
No longer do you need to up-fit a garden variety
pickup with aftermarket parts to accomplish
the task. 
Companies like GM are providing the opportunity
to buy these serious off-road trucks straight
from the factory. 
Case in point: the new Colorado ZR2.
This is the performance halo of the Colorado
lineup.
Chevy’s midsize truck can be had for as
little as $21,195 - if you’re cool with
a 2WD extended cab powered by a 4-cylinder
and 6-speed manual. 
But the ZR2 starts at about twice that with
standard 4WD and an automatic transmission. 
My attractive Cajun Red tester has been optioned
with the Duramax diesel and 6-speed auto in
crew cab/short box livery. 
A V6 and 8-speed auto is standard.
A brutally cold week and a couple of small
snowfalls accompanied my ZR2 test, so the
favored muddy, rocky off-roading wasn’t
to be.
But this Colorado’s impressive engineering
resume translates to a number of driving environments
and clearly stands alone in the midsize segment. 
Forget about the Tacoma TRD Pro, this Chevy
has bigger fish to fry like the mighty Ford
Raptor. 
When it comes to hitting the trail, bigger
is not better, so the ZR2’s much shorter
and narrower dimensions make it more manageable. 
The kicker on this truck is the DSSV dampers. 
Short for Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve
and sourced from the racing gurus at Multimatic,
these are highly engineered dampers specific
to off-road use and imbue the ZR2 with an
amazing sense of composure no matter where
it’s being driven. 
Wheel movement and body motions acts as though
they’re being micromanaged to the finest
degree. 
The jounce and relaxed nature usually associated
with driving a truck are nonexistent leading
to enhanced ride and control whether you’re
driving on- or off-road. 
It feels more like the suspension of a performance-tuned
car and considering DSSV dampers have been
used on such elite machines as the Ford GT
and Mercedes-AMG GT it makes perfect sense. 
They’re not available aftermarket either
but GM uses them on certain Camaros and this
is their first outing on a truck. 
This is no doubt the leading contributor to
the ZR2’s formidable sticker price but as
they say, you’ve got to pay to play and
DSSV dampers are the golden ticket.
But there’s more to the ZR2 than just that.
Compared to a standard Colorado, the it features
front and rear tracks that have been widened
by 3.5 inches and a suspension lifted by two
inches affording nearly 9” of ground clearance.
Functional rockers have been added for better
protection over obstacles, the front and rear
bumpers have been modified for better off-road
clearance and a transfer case shield protects
the underbody. 
And these 17” Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac
all-terrain tires absolutely love wintry conditions. 
Add to that standard front and rear electronic
locking differentials, a sophisticated 4-wheel
drive system with an Off-road Mode and 2WD,
Auto, 4WD and 4 Lo settings, and a quiet hill
decent control system and you’ve got yourself
one incredibly capable truck done in a modern
fashion.
I always wanted Marty McFly’s truck from
Back to the Future and this ZR2 kind of reminds
me of that.
It has an undeniable coolness factor and is
equipped to go just about anywhere.
It’s sized just right and has modern 4-wheel
drive controls and a trick suspension.
The diesel’s sounds are more pronounced
than others but totally acceptable in a truck
and its torquey-ness is what truck buyers
crave.
And all is good on-road where the ZR2 feels
tight and sharply engineered.
The 2.8-liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel is a
$3,500 option that produces 369 pound-feet
of torque and 186 horsepower while netting
20mpg, extending the Colorado’s driving
range to 420 miles.
But it’s not going to save you anything
at the pump and can’t tow any more than
the V6’s 5000 pounds so its advantages are
more subjective. 
It does come with an exhaust brake, trailer
brake controller and new for 2018 Active Tow
for help in aligning the truck with a trailer. 
With options this ZR2 checks in at $47,970
and there are a million and one upgrades and
accessories you can add to make it your own.
It’s a big step up to get inside but once
hoisted reveals a fully modern interior featuring
the Chevy MyLink touchscreen including Wi-Fi,
OnStar, Navigation, and CarPlay, wireless
device charging, 2 USB ports, premium Bose
audio system, a color multi information driver
display, teen driver feature and rear seat
reminder.
The Easy Lift and Lower tailgate and spray-on
bedliner for the 5’ 2” box are also nice
touches.
  Can you imagine Toyota putting in an effort
like this?
  Heated seats and remote start were also
definitely appreciated this week. 
There are 2 big omissions however: smart entry
with push button start and blind spot detection.
Also available as an Extended Cab with an
extra foot of bed length, the ZR2 is the truck
you never knew you needed but have always
wanted.

2020 Chevrolet Silverado Diesel Test Results; Do Tires Ever Expire? | Talking Cars #239

Consumer Reports:

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hi, everybody.
Welcome to another episode.
I'm Mike Monticello.
I'm Jake Fisher.
And I'm Ryan Pszczolkowski.
So this week we're
gonna talk about-- we're
kinds of gonna do, sort of
like a pickup truck roundup.
Yee-haw!
Oh, god.
You know, 'cause pickup
and rounding up and cattle.
We got you.
Anyway, if you have to
explain the joke it's no good.
Anyway, so we're gonna talk
about our 2020 Chevrolet
Silverado 1500 Turbo Diesel.
And what's important about
that is the turbo diesel part.
So we've seen turbo diesels
in the heavy duty trucks.
You know, these would
be like a 2500/3500.
And we have seen
Ram had what they
call an eco-diesel
in their Ram 1500.
But now Chevy and Ford are also
coming out with these smaller
six cylinder turbo
diesel engines
in these, what used to be
always called, 1/2 ton pickups.
And so we just completed
testing on a truck.
Ryan, what did we find?
Well, I think it's the
way to buy this truck.
We found that the turbo
diesel actually gets
considerably better fuel mileage
than the gas counterpart.
It rides better.
It shifts better.
It's just a nicer powertrain.
It's a fantastic truck.
To me, I think that's the
only way you buy that truck.
So you're OK with the
$3,890 price tag that
comes with that diesel engine?
It's that much more
pleasant to drive.
I really think so.
And keep in mind, that's
almost in a sense, a drop
in the bucket compared
to the almost $10,000
you have to spend if
you get a heavy duty
truck with a diesel option.
Exactly.
So these diesels are expensive.
That's just the way they are.
Well, let's break it up.
I mean, first of all,
for the longest time,
in order to get the diesel you
needed to get the heavy truck.
And the problem
is, they are heavy.
So OK fine, it's a
diesel powertrain,
which is more fuel efficient.
But then you throw in another
1,000 pounds of weight
and all the other problems that
come with a heavy duty truck.
I mean, they--
Handling.
--ride terrible and
drive like a dump up.
And it pretty much eats up
any of that fuel savings
that you would actually get.
We've done tests of that too.
So I mean, putting these in
these light duty trucks--
It seems to make sense.
It takes a lot of sense.
Because the big trucks are now,
you know, they're built to tow.
So they put a ton
of power in it.
So there goes the fuel economy,
'cause the power doesn't
come from nowhere for free.
So you have to put these
big engines in them.
And they make sense for
towing and whatnot in those.
But these smaller
diesels in these trucks
make sense, 'cause now we're
getting the fuel economy.
And it did considerably better.
It actually-- not only does
it do better fuel economy-wise
than any of the other gas
trucks that we've tested,
but it also did better
than the last Ram
Eco-Diesel we tested as well.
So--
And we actually did--
sorry to interrupt.
But I mean, we actually
did some numbers,
and there will be
more of this online.
On our website,
ConsumerReports.com.
The payoff, that extra
cost, it pays off
in just a couple of years.
Right.
That's how much it was, right?
Yeah.
And here's the interesting
thing about diesels, when you
come to a truck that's using--
I mean, you look at the
large pickup trucks,
full-size pickup trucks.
I mean, they're often
getting 18 miles per gallon.
If you could get a couple of
more numbers, in terms of MPG,
and those, it's a
huge difference.
I mean, we're not
talking about going
from a Prius' 50 miles per
gallon to, like, 30 miles
per gallon.
We're talking about
a lot of fuel use.
So it actually has
a very quick payoff.
Well, and not only that
though, if you just
looked at it drivetrain
to drivetrain,
this diesel is just
so nice to drive.
I mean, it has power
right off the line.
That's with my point earlier.
There's no drawback to this.
I actually prefer driving it.
And I kind of like it's--
diesels, especially good ones,
have that kind of lazy nature
that keeps you driving
just, kind of like, slow.
But when you want that
instant power, it has it.
Plus, the transmission
is really smooth.
And it's quiet for a diesel.
Other that when it's
cold, it is quiet.
This is not your
father's diesel.
No.
No, it's not.
So I mean, and I'm thinking
about-- my father had a diesel.
So I grew up and we had--
I mean, we're wacky.
But we had a 1979
Peugeot 504 diesel.
Wow.
So I mean, this is,
like, old school diesel.
Tractor engine, yeah.
But even if you forget
about the French cars.
But I mean, if you haven't
had a diesel for a while--
and this was a car,
like, you know,
you go and you
gotta click and you
gotta wait for the glow plugs.
Gotta wait for the glow plugs.
Glow plugs, wait a while,
and then you start it.
And it's raggedy, raggedy.
And it's cold.
And you put this little
sweater thing on the grille
to make sure--
Yeah, to keep it warm.
And it doesn't warm
up for like another--
so this morning I had
our Silverado diesel.
And I looked, it was 19
degrees this morning.
And I just turned it,
it started right up.
Start's right up, yeah.
I got heat.
And it was, like, it drove--
it drives so nice.
It does.
And you were talking
about the way it rides.
So they made an update.
Chevy made an update
to the 1500s for 2020--
Because, previously we
tested a 2019 gasoline truck.
And it rides better because
they made some suspension
improvements.
So you're getting that
with this 2020 as well.
So we're seeing all of that.
It's a nicer truck.
There's no doubt about it.
Anytime I get to
drive it, I don't
care if I'm doing anything
truck related or not,
I just like driving it.
And I-- sorry to interrupt you.
Go on.
I towed with it.
I towed my boat with it.
That truck has less horsepower
than the gas version.
But it tows better
because of the power band.
It only has 277 horsepower,
but it has 460 pounds torque.
Your torque, exactly.
And of course, torque
is what you want--
For towing.
--that low end grunt for towing.
But you know what?
People might look
at that at first
and be, like, this
is a smaller motor.
It's a 3.0 liter,
it's not a 5.2.
And it doesn't matter.
It's a better setup for torque.
It flatout works.
I'm gonna rain on
the parade a little.
Oh, no.
Uh-oh.
So I mean, the one thing though,
is while it does use less fuel,
which does save you money
in the long run, pollution--
if you care about
the environment,
you know, I mean keep in
mind, even though it's
using less fuel, the diesel
cycle puts out more CO2
than gas.
So you're not necessarily doing
much for greenhouse gases.
Also there's other
pollution that's
coming from diesels that
is more than gasoline.
So it's not necessarily
the green choice.
It's, kind of, the nice
truck choice for sure.
That also depends on what the
diesel fuel prices are as well
compared to gasoline prices.
Sometimes they're higher.
It eats up some of the savings,
but you still do save money.
So there's some other
competitors for this Chevrolet
Silverado 1500 turbo diesel.
There's a new F-150
turbo diesel coming out.
There's Ram 1500 Eco-Diesel.
I mean, Jake, is diesels where
we're going with these 1/2
pickups down the road?
Well, I think we're going is
we're trying to figure out--
look.
We like pickup trucks.
Right?
Yeah.
They're not going anywhere.
They're not going anywhere.
So it's how can we
evolve the pickup trucks
so they're more fuel
efficient and they
make more sense in the future?
And I think there's a lot
of different ways to go.
I think these smaller diesels
make a whole lot of sense.
I mean, the other thing is
car-based vehicles, right,
the Ridgeline.
The Honda Ridgeline.
The Honda Ridgeline, I think
it's a really interesting
thing, where I
think smaller pickup
trucks makes a lot of sense.
It fits for a lot of people.
It does.
It doesn't have the
all-out capability,
but then of these bigger--
Some people don't
need that though.
A lot of people don't need that.
They don't need to
tow 7,000-plus pounds.
I mean, for me, if I'm throwing
the snowboards or the bikes
in the back, it's beatable.
It's more comfortable.
It's better all around.
So I think that's
a good way to go.
And the other interesting
thing that we're
seeing that's coming out soon
is a lot of electric trucks.
And electric
powertrains are great,
because there's tons of
torque, tons of power.
We're seeing what--
Rivian is coming out
with an electric truck.
Ford's gonna be doing
an electric truck.
Tesla Cybertruck.
The Tesla Cybertruck.
That thing's wacky looking.
Yeah, it is.
Is that a truck?
They're saying it's a pickup.
I mean, when I first saw
it, because at the angle
they showed it at and the
back is kind of sloped,
I didn't realize it actually
had a pickup bed too.
I thought it was, like, a big
piece of glass back there.
It's futuristic.
It's weird.
I mean, they say, it has a
stainless steel exoskeleton,
similar to an airplane design.
They're saying it's gonna
start under $40,000.
And the top version
will be able to tow
14,000 pounds, which
is a lot for a pickup.
I mean, here's the thing--
How long will it be able to
tow 14,000 pounds, though, for?
Well, that's the question.
Well, if it doesn't
exist, then--
let's say 1,000 miles.
I mean, it's coming.
Here's the thing about it is
that the electric trucks--
I mean, look, diesels are
rough and they're strong
and they can tow all this stuff.
It's for guys that
wear flannel shirts.
And electric powertrains
have not been, kind of,
in that same Venn diagram.
You know?
And what was really interesting
about the Tesla Cybertruck
is they really were emphasizing
how tough this thing is.
I mean, they did the
tug-of-war with the--
what was it the Ford?
F-150.
Yeah, it's smashing the--
It just drags it,
like, a rag-doll.
--side panels.
And then with the sledgehammer
you can't dent it and all that.
So then they're
definitely trying
to show how strong it is.
I do have some
concerns about that.
Because one, I mean,
some of the things
that keep you safe in vehicles
is the fact that they crumble.
I mean, that's a fair point.
So if you actually
were driving something
that was really, really
strong with this exoskeleton
of stainless steel
that doesn't move--
It just bounces off everything.
Your brain doesn't though.
Your brain, kind
of, goes forward.
It's, like, a Mad Max stuff.
And the other interesting thing
about these electric ones--
I mean, the Cybertruck, but
also some of the other ones--
we saw Bollinger had--
they were showing something
at the LA Auto Show--
is that because
they're so heavy,
because of all the
batteries, they're not
even light vehicles anymore.
So this one company Bollinger,
which is an electric truck,
they don't have to comply
to a lot of safety standards
because they're so heavy.
Wow.
And it doesn't
even have airbags.
Sneaky.
That's sneaky.
So I'm not saying that
the Tesla Cybertruck
doesn't have to comply to them,
'cause I'm sure they will.
We'll see.
But it is interesting.
They're very heavy
and it will be
interesting to
see, how does that
affect other cars
on the road when
you have such heavy passenger
vehicles now driving around.
So there's a lot going on
in the pickup truck segment.
And keep it tuned in here.
We're gonna follow all
of those stories for you.
So let's move on to audience
questions this week.
Don't forget, send
your questions,
comments, 30-second video clips,
to talkingcars@icloud.com.
So let's start
with the first one.
First question is, Rafi says,
I'm wondering why really tall
modified pickup trucks
are allowed on the roads.
Aren't they less safe
because of their taller
bumpers and headlights?
If speeding is frowned
upon as a safety issue,
I would think that
modifying one's vehicle
and making it less safe
should also be illegal.
Jake, what do you
think about that?
This seems like a good point.
And what is going on with the
laws related to pickup trucks?
Well, I mean honestly, they're
kind of all over the map.
So I'd say, it's
about your state laws.
And some have restrictions
on how high you could go.
But certainly, if you
lift up the vehicle--
you know, if you come into
contact with another vehicle,
I mean, you may be hitting the
rear window of a station wagon
or a minivan or an SUV,
rather than actually hitting
the bumper.
Well, and they're not
gonna handle the same.
No.
Well, yeah, I mean,
it's simple physics.
You pick a vehicle up
off the ground further,
you raise the center of gravity.
And also when you put suspension
lift kits and all these things
into trucks like that
or vehicles like that,
it's looser.
It's just naturally gonna be
a little bit looser-feeling.
And let alone all these
big off-road tires
and stuff like that.
You're affecting how
it handles, and there's
no doubt about that.
Not to say that it's
making it terribly unsafe,
but it's not gonna handle
like it did from the factory.
I mean, it was designed a
certain way for a reason.
Exactly.
Think about how much aren't R&D
goes into designing a pickup.
Yeah, and then you
just completely--
And you're completely changing
it, basically on your own.
You're gonna affect the
way that truck handles.
It's unsafer for the
person driving the pickup,
that they might have a crash.
But the worst thing
is if they have
an accident because they lost
control of the pickup and hit
someone else.
That's the really
terrible thing.
Sure, sure.
So, Rafi, thanks
for that question.
We have another one
here from Jonathan.
When Consumer Reports test
new cars on the track,
do the cars have
full fuel tanks?
Does the extra
weight of the fuel
have an impact on a
car's road test score
and how it handles
in everyday driving?
Ryan, I'll start with you.
You're part of our test program.
Do we use full gas tanks?
We do.
Is that one of our precise
measurements we do?
Yeah, so before we do any
of the tests on the track,
we make sure the
gas tank's full.
Because to answer his
question, yeah, it
can affect handling and whatnot.
And acceleration and braking.
Anything, right.
Even more importantly than
that, for us, it's consistency.
So every vehicle, we
just fill the tank up
so they're all on a
level playing field.
Even though these vehicles could
be different shapes and sizes
and hold more or
less fuel, that's
just the nature of the vehicle.
So you fill the
tank up, and that's
how we run all our tests.
Because there could be a
minor effect or something
if one car was tested
with a full fuel tank
and another was tested with an
eighth of a fuel tank, right?
Right.
So we're trying to draw
a level playing field.
Well, and the other thing
is that weight affects
just even normal driving.
I mean, the car is gonna
perform differently
if you've got just
yourself in the car
or if you have five
people in that car.
Right, Jake?
Absolutely.
I mean, look, if we had
all the time in the world,
we could test the cars in--
Every which way.
--every different combination.
But if you have four
passengers in it,
it's gonna change your ride.
It's gonna change
your acceleration.
It's change your handling.
You got something
heavy in the trunk--
I mean, there's all different
types of iterations.
I think what's
important is that--
Consistency.
--we just make sure we're fair.
And like Ryan said--
To every single car and truck.
--if had an empty tank
on one car and fuel tank,
that would be a problem.
We want to be as--
we're always trying to be
as consistent as possible
with everything that we do
here as far as our testing.
That's right.
All right, good
question, Jonathan.
Let's move on to
Julien from New Jersey.
I just finished
watching a CR video
about the importance of having
enough tread on your tires.
This sounds like a
Ryan question already.
I drive about 6,000 miles a
year, usually in the suburbs.
In these conditions,
I still have plenty
of tread after four years.
But I can feel the
tire losing some
of its grip and responsiveness,
especially in cold conditions.
How does Consumer
Reports account
for this in their testing?
Is there a technique to
simulate older tires?
Ryan, we've talked
about it before,
but you're one of our
tire-tester extraordinaire.
So do you have an
answer here for Julien?
Yeah, so in our
tire testing, we've
done some what we called
tread loss or worn tire
testing, where we
actually shave tires down.
But that's simulating, you
know, as your tires wear,
you lose the tread--
which was some of probably
what he saw in that video.
But there's another effect
that happens with tires
as they wear.
They age.
The rubber can dry
out a little bit,
oxidizers-- there's a lot of
things that are happening.
So the compound's not gonna
work as well over time?
Yeah, And four years,
four years seems
like a short amount of time.
Some vehicle manufacturers say
you should replace your tires
after six years,
irregardless of tread,
just because they are
starting to dry out.
The compound's
changing a little bit.
Some tire manufacturers say
about 10 years actually.
Really?
Oh, wow, OK.
That's a pretty long time.
Actually, it's
quite a long time.
But to his point, 6,000
miles in four years,
he's got maybe 24,000
miles on those tires.
Depending on the
type of tires, those
could be a quarter,
maybe even half worn.
So now, the tread is
actually changing.
So that's why he's feeling
some of that loss of grip
or whatnot.
Could it also be also--
it's mentioned mostly
in cold conditions.
Could it be that if
it's an all-season tire,
it might not be performing
as well as a winter.
A winter tire is gonna do
better with that softer
compound in the really
cold temperatures.
And it could be as
simple as that even.
Right.
In winter conditions.
Yeah, so you gotta pay
attention to your tires.
Make sure the tread's
good, they're not too old.
Always buy four new
tires, the freshest tires
you can find at a time.
I'm impressed by him, like,
feeling the differences
and the nuances.
So that's-- so depending
on the tires you bought,
you are your own tester.
If you start to
feel these things--
if you don't have
confidence anymore,
maybe it's time to buy new
tires-- even if they're not
worn out completely.
Well, I just-- my compliments
to him to be able to feel those
nuances.
Paying attention, right.
Because I mean, a lot
of people, they'll
drive a car with
a flat tire and--
They don't even know it, right.
--wouldn't notice
the difference.
So I mean, it's
really good to be--
Diligent about it.
--in-tune with your car.
And truth is they feel,
when they're brand new--
I mean, when I used to--
when I was racing my MR2
all the time, the guys who
were winning the races, they
were putting a fresh set
of tires on every race.
It matters.
That gets expensive.
It got real expensive.
I wasn't doing that, believe me.
But I mean, every race--
You just drive through it.
--you got that fresh rubber.
Right, it matters
It was a little bit better.
All right, Julien,
keep in touch.
We might be reaching out to you
if we need another tire-tester
down the road.
Let's move out to
Steve from New Zealand.
Wow.
Steve says, I'm moving
back to the US soon,
and I'm considering buying
an old Prius, a Toyota Prius,
with fuel costs being
important to me.
EPA estimates for
mileage for a 2012 Prius
are 51 city, 48 highway,
and 50 combined.
CR testing found 32 city,
55 highway, and 44 combined.
That's a big discrepancy.
Help me understand why your
real world testing conditions
would make that much
of a difference.
Jake, so we're talking about
a third generation Prius here.
Can you explain
this difference here
between what our
fuel mileage was
and what the EPA was
saying at the time?
Well, first of all, let me
say that this Prius is gonna
get really good fuel
economy, whether or not
you look at our numbers or
EPA numbers or whatever.
I mean, still, it's very good.
And the differences
are kind of nuance.
Because when you get to that
high amount of fuel economy,
small percentages
are big swings.
Our fuel economy regimen is very
different from the EPA regimen.
Let's just lay that out.
Our highway, I'm gonna
do the air quotes here,
is really just steady
65 mile per hour.
That's what we're doing,
steady 65 miles per hour.
Realistically, if
you're driving highway,
you're not gonna get quite
that good, because you're
gonna be fluctuating.
You have an on-ramp or whatever.
Our city is a simulated city
traffic loop that we do.
The city on the EPA is
very gentle, especially
with a hybrid.
Like, gentle on the
throttle you mean?
Very gentle on the throttle.
So if you drive your Prius,
your hybrid, very, very gently,
you could stay on that
electric a lot more.
You don't pop on
the engine as much.
So it really, really makes
some of these hybrids
look incredibly
good in the city.
But if you're in a city,
sometimes you gotta get on it.
I mean, it turns
green, you're gonna
be honked if you go with a
gentle, gentle acceleration.
I think the way to
look at it, though,
is look at the final number.
I'll stand by the
44 that we got.
If you drive it
normally, that's probably
about what you're going to see.
You could get 50, if
you drive more gently.
So I mean, it's still good.
And we do our test
the way we do it
because we're trying to have it
be as close to his real world
as we thought we could make it.
And that's why we
do it that way.
Yeah.
I mean, we think, in
terms of the city traffic,
I mean, people sometimes do have
to get on the throttle a bit.
That's what you do.
All right, great question.
That's gonna do it
for this episode.
If you want to learn more
about the cars and the topics
we talked about, you can click
on the links in the show notes.
Don't forget to send
those 30-second video
clips, questions, comments
to TalkingCars@icloud.com.
As always, thanks for watching
and we'll see y'all next week.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

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.

Why Not to Buy a Chevrolet HHR Car

Scotty Kilmer:

rev up your engines,
Marco's Delgado says Scotty I want to
get an HHR with a manual transmission
has 130,000 miles what are your thoughts
okay I don't like those GM products they
generally don't hold up over time, but
it's a standard transmission the worst
thing about the HHR are their automatic
transmissions are garbage and you don't
have one it's a manual transmission, now
that sets got 130,000 miles it's got a
little bitty four-cylinder engine in it
don't pay much for it, because they are
worth much when they're used, you get a
standard you get it at a cheap price
right, change the oil a lot take care of
it, who knows but don't pay much for it because just realize it when they get older
they're not worth that much money and
you want to pay much for it, and if you
get it cheap enough, hey you never know
it might last a long time just don't pay
too much for it because it isn't worth
that much, Theresa B says I got a 1998
Ford Taurus W hundred and sixty-four
thousand miles for free, but the radiator
was rusty, flushed alone, suspensions bad
valve cover transmission leaks
needs transmission motor mounts are
Ford Taurus is good car, okay
that's 98 Ford Taurus they actually had
quite a bit of problems, now the thing is
you got that car for nothing,
it runs decent and shifts decent do the
valve cover, oil leaks if it's not
leaking that bad, transmission fluid and
engine oils cheap just keep adding it,
and if the suspension is bad get some
struts and put them on it on and it will ride a
lot better, just don't put a whole bunch
of money into it, my advice would be,
drive a little while see how you feel
with it, does it feel solid enough does
it run and shift good enough and if it
does fix things a little at a time, if
it doesn't have just drive until the
wheels fall off and get rid of it, you
got it for nothing so you're not really
gonna be losing anything,
MDS 81 68 says, Scotty I have a shake or
wobble in the front when I take off from
a stop once in a while I thought it
could be the engine, clean the MAF
throttle port cleaner I had strut
replaced and it's still shaken or wobble
when I take off from a stop, a lot of
times it's just the motor or the
transmission mount is worn, because when
you take off, there's more torque on the
engine and so if the mounts are gone it will
wobble as it bounces back and forth
you want to check those mounts first to
see if there's any problem with that, now
let's say you have a car that is a
notorious problem like say, a Chrystler minivan that's doing
that
odds are two transmission is starting to
go out, because when you take off, if it
wobbles a lot of times it's the
transmission just starting to go out,
because if you got a suspension problem
like a bad tire or worn tie rods, the
faster you go the more it's gonna wobble
and yours is the other way around, it's
wobbling when you're taking off, you want
to pray that it's not an internal
transmission fault, because if it's that
you would have to go and get it rebuilt
which costs a fortune, so pray that it's
a motor or transmission mount first
because they're very easy to check, Zeno
2019 says Scotty I got a 2004
Trailblazer
and my dash lights aren't working what
could be the cause, people had the radio
out before the original dash cluster
and we got three more clusters put them
in and the light still didn't work what
could it be
it could be not having the radio when
you swap it out, because GM has these
insane designs, some of the modern cars
won't even start if you swap the radio
because part of the starting system
is in the radio circuitry, so you want to
check all the wiring by where the radio
was, something could easily be off now if
you hadn't had that radio taken out and not
replaced, the problem often is on those
you turn your lights on then you got
those things to make the lights brighter
or dimmer, that part often breaks now
that can be bypassed
because you can just take the wire off
of that and you can run it directly to
the clusters, when you have the car
running the cluster will get 12 volts
all the time and then the lights would
stay on, you couldn't adjust them and
make them dim or make them bright they'd
be bright all the time but hey, look at
me I'm getting old I want a bright so I
want those things as bright as they can
be, first thing I do is go to the light
feed on that cluster and just give it 12
volts and as it lights up, just rewire it
so that power comes from the ignition
switch to there when you start it up and
they'll be lit up all the time, Edoardo
Becerra says, Scotty hello from Italy I
have a 1984 Audi Quattro it overheats the
fan works I checked the inlet and outlet
temperature the two radiators and enters
in at 240 and exits at 140 what can it be, okay well it's leaving at a lot lower it's your
radiators are losing a hundred degrees
so they're getting rid of heat they're
doing their job, now the problem with
Audi's is, as they age they often have
problems with blown head gaskets, your
engine could just be putting out so much
heat that it's overheating
you want to watch my video, how to tell
if your head gasket is blown, do that test
because if the head gasket is blown it'll
overheat no matter how fast your
radiator can dissipate heat the engine
will create too much heat and then it will
keep overheating, so if you never want to
miss another one of my new car repair
videos, remember to ring that Bell!

2019 Chevrolet Silverado; Mercedes-Benz Goes Electric | Talking Cars with Consumer Reports #167

Consumer Reports:

The truck wars are heating up.
And we just picked up a brand
new Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
Also, Mercedes Benz
introduced their new EQC SUV,
part of their new plans
for electrification.
And we answer your questions
next on Talking Cars.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hi, everyone and welcome back.
I'm Jon Linkov.
I'm Jennifer Stockburger.
And I'm Ryan Pilakowski.
And some announcements this week
about new electric vehicles,
we've also got the new Chevrolet
Silverado in our test fleet.
We'll talk about
that with the RAM.
And then we have viewer
questions, so lot of stuff.
Let's jump in Jen.
Mercedes Benz introduced
their, or showed,
their new EQC all electric SUV.
Can you tell us about it?
Right, so this is a, you
know, the first in Mercedes EQ
line of electric vehicles.
So that's kind of a big deal.
Electric intelligence is
what it stands for, right?
Right.
And C means that it's
kind of C-class base size.
C-class platform, right?
So it all has meaning, right.
I wondered what the German
word for intelligence
was that made it a Q, but
anyway, different issue.
But anyway, fully electric,
402-horsepower rating,
80-kilowatt battery,
floor mounted,
which means some
of the space stuff
maybe isn't an issue,
two electric motors
for all-wheel drive, right?
So you get all-wheel drive.
But more so it's
kind of the industry
that the big players are
beginning to introduce
electric vehicle lines.
We've talked about Volkswagen,
you know, Mercedes, so yeah.
Tesla had the Model
X. Jaguar has the--
now, let me get this right.
The I-PACE-- the
E-PACE is not electric.
The I-PACE is the
electric, right?
Right.
You know, Ryan, it's kind of
a GLC Mercedes Benz, GLC SUV.
What do you think of that model?
And do you think it would
translate well to electric?
Yeah, I mean, it all sounds
really good actually,
because the GLC we liked quite
a bit here at the test track.
I know I liked it.
If they can make it
actually go 200 miles--
Right, I think that's the key.
That's the key.
It is that size of the GLC.
I think they have something.
The price is probably
not going to be low.
I mean, let's face it.
That's the unfortunate
part I think.
But maybe it'll be reasonable.
I don't know.
But I think they'll have
something if they can do that.
Yeah, I mean, they claim that
you could charge in 40 minutes,
the battery can.
Depending on the
status of the charge,
you know, there's a lot of
caveats with this announcement
right now, almost 80%, from
10% to 80% in 40 minutes.
But does it mean something
big for the industry?
Or where does it fit?
I think it's good news for
the electrification industry,
if you will.
I don't know what
you want to call it.
But Mercedes is a big name.
And they have the infrastructure
and the knowledge,
the know-how to do
this stuff on a bigger
scale I think, than even
Tesla, you know, if it works,
if they can figure that out.
But it's--
We'll, you know, you
raise a good point.
And you know, Jen,
Tesla kind of what?
Proof of concept in a sense.
You know, Mercedes, they're
established, like Ryan said.
Right, right, maybe more--
I mean we joke about German
engineering and the rigidness,
but that's probably a
good thing in this case.
They're going to
make the technology--
And they might --work --have
been using all this time
sitting back a little bit
watching, learning, figuring--
who knows what they
have up their sleeve?
They could do
something impressive.
I find it interesting,
diesel was their way.
When it was hybrid and electric,
the Germans were like, nein.
You know, we are
going with diesel.
Diesel is the way to go and
all of a sudden scandal--
This is a big deal.
That they're accepting the
fact that maybe electrification
is the way.
Well, I think there's
two you talked about.
There's two tipping points.
One Ryan just mentioned,
the 200 miles.
Now, electrics are
a practical vehicle
that you can actually
get somewhere
without having to charge.
And you talked about Tesla.
And I think that's kind of
a hesitation for others.
Tesla did a huge thing, in that
they not just made the car,
they built the infrastructure
and the charging stations.
We have not seen
that from others
introducing electric vehicles.
Volkswagen has the plan as
part of their kind of penalty,
you know, their punishment
for the diesel scandal.
But we haven't seen
it yet, like you said.
But I think those two
need to go hand-in-hand,
that you can get somewhere,
charge, and get back.
I have a question
for both of you.
So OK, is 200 miles
or around 200 miles
acceptable for both of
you or either of you?
And also, would you
buy an electric?
Big toss up.

I think 200 miles is the key,
300 would be even better.
Sure, more is better.
But for me-- and again, we're
here in rural Connecticut.
The infrastructure is not there.
So for me-- and you know,
I think I've mentioned,
we have a place in Vermont.
I'm not going to Vermont
and finding a Tesla
or any other charging station.
They're getting there.
We just passed a coffee shop.
We were in Vermont
over the weekend,
three charging stations in
Newfane, Vermont, new coffee
shop.
Tesla?
I think they were Tesla.
I didn't get close.
But three Tesla
charging stations
in this little rural
town in Vermont.
So it's coming.
What about you, Ryan?
No, not yet.
I mean, if they start
getting up over 200 miles
and there's more to choose
from at a lower price,
I could see maybe
having a second vehicle.
But right now-- and I
forget to charge this thing.
You know, it's just I could
not have just one car.
I'm a dingbat.
I would forget.
And it would just be
not good, trust me.
Oh, shoot, I forgot
to charge again.
I mean, I think--
no, I'd be walking.
I'd be riding my
bike half the time.
I swear, I'd forget.
You have to keep it in the back.
I mean, where I live, if I
worked in the city of Hartford,
because I'm outside of
that, that would work.
If my employer had charging--
I mean, we have them
here, but you know,
it's a different situation.
That would work And
families close enough.
But yeah, a trip to Boston would
be one of those tic-tac-toe,
make connect the dots to charge.
And you know, goodness forbid
there's weather, traffic
jams on I-90, stuff like that.
It kind of leads
to another question
we had from someone
about hybridization
electrification of cars.
And I want to read it, because
it refers to the RAM eTorque
system.
We'll get to that.
Recently, I saw a review
of the 2019 RAM 1500.
Can you explain what
eTorque is and how
it is or is not beneficial?
Is it kind of like a hybrid?
Jen, you want to
jump on that one?
Right, so it is kind of like
a hybrid, a mild hybrid.
We use that word mild hybrid.
So in that they are using
an electric motor to one,
help the stop-start technology.
And I will say, I
found it seamless.
I wasn't sure it had it.
It was so seamless.
Right, it stops at traffic
lights and restarts.
I was like, is it even stopping?
And it was.
And then it's the
other piece of that,
is this 48-volt
power system, which
is, you know, there's so much
running electrically now,
that they're having
this 48-volt platform.
It's going to be necessary
to run all these things.
Online we said,
the 48-volt system
provides a short bump in power
delivery, regenerative braking.
Chrysler estimates this
mild hybrid system.
So that's what they're calling
it, 10% boost in fuel economy.
So we have it in testing.
Yeah, it's a unique system.
I mean, it's a giant
alternator-battery system.
And it acts a an alternator
when you're cruising along,
but it gives you a little boost.
On the v8 model, it gives
you 130-foot pounds of torque
in taking off.
And that's a big deal.
That's where you use a
lot of fuel, just getting
the vehicle moving
a lot of times.
And any little bit
helps, so it's unique.
Well, you know, we're putting
the RAM through testing.
And we'll have fuel
economy numbers coming up.
But it perfectly leads
into a huge competitor
in the giant pickup truck
market, the new Chevrolet
Silverado.
And it's 48,380, the RAM
that we're testing is 50,820.
We all drove it.
We've all been putting
some miles on it.
Both of you tow, so
Jen, let's go first
how it performs
as a tow vehicle.
Right, so I think the
power train's very good.
And I think it'll be great.
It is a bit more truckie riding.
So in towing or when it
has stuff in the bed,
I think it will ride better
when you can settle down
that rear end a little bit.
And personally, it's a little
more bare bones interior,
but I think--
again, you're talking to someone
who uses a truck for a truck.
We have hay and grains and
shavings every single week
in the back of our truck.
And I think sometimes
when you've covered--
excuse me-- covered
in horse hair,
you don't necessarily want
that plush of an interior.
Whatever you're doing.
You know what I mean?
I want it to be cleanable.
So I actually kind of
like the more sparse--
is that the right word?
Spartan.
Interior.
Again--
Utilitarian, yeah.
--it's a $50,000 truck.
But I kind of liked
that it was more
on kind of the functional side.
Ryan, boat towing or--
Yeah, no, that's why
I agree with Jen.
It's firm.
It rides like a truck.
But it was designed to
carry loads and whatnot.
I actually had weight
in both of these trucks.
OK, the RAM and the--
None of this is scientific
or-- this is objective data.
This is subjective.
Like the RAM, I had probably 400
pounds in the back of the RAM.
And it sat down a little bit.
I was surprised.
But it also rides really
nice without weight in it.
Well, it has coiled springs
under there versus a LEAF,
so it has a better
ride overall, unladen.
Exactly.
I had probably a
little less weight
than that in the Silverado
and it settled the truck down.
I mean, I think it even
shifted a little better.
So the RAM was more like
this in the settling.
And the Silverado--
Silverado didn't squat,
but it rode nicer,
because it had some
weight in the bed.
But it's designed that way.
I think it's going to be maybe
a little more of a rugged work
truck than the RAM,
but depending on what
you're looking for, you know?
And that's a key
question, because what
are people looking for,
because you know, in my town,
a lot of--
In Jon's town.
A lot of people buy
really loaded trucks.
And you never see them towing.
You never seen them
carrying a load.
The biggest load
they carry is, you
know, the family coming
back from maybe Costco
or some kind of big-box store.
You know, and they're
$60,000, $70,000--
The loaded paper towel.
--trucks.
You look great.
And the ride can't be--
yeah, right, you look great.
But the ride can't
be that enjoyable.
They're almost like--
well, you said--
Well, it's depending
on the truck.
So in the RAM, it probably
is very enjoyable.
You go back-- do you
remember back in--
we used to do, in our
ride-comfort, a full-load ride.
We actually loaded up
the bed and then judge
the ride based on a full bed.
What we found is
people, to your point,
people aren't using
them like that.
So we don't even do
that test anymore.
They're like a SUV
without a cover.
Yeah, so I would encourage
people, you know,
if you're between--
I don't know what the right way
to get a full load in, maybe
bring some sandbags or something
along and do maybe a test
drive both ways.
If you're going
to use it loaded,
don't judge it completely
on its unladen ride.
You touched on something
about the price.
And I looked at them both.
I mean, the RAM feels nicer.
It has more features really,
than not for much more money.
I mean, we're looking at maybe
$2,200 in our test vehicles.
It has XM.
It has a larger screen
with Uconnect, which is--
the GM one's good,
Uconnect's better.
It is better.
It has power-folding mirrors
and a power-sliding rear window.
Now, the GM truck has
a huge rear window,
makes it easy to see out,
but that venting is nice.
Parking sensors front and rear,
which helps with the truck,
because the front end.
You cannot see over it, right.
The key thing, I mean,
again, let's just make
a round number, 50 grand.
Neither of them has
advanced safety gear.
The RAM has a little bit of a
parking assist for the back.
It'll stop if it thinks
it's going to hit something,
but no automatic emergency
braking, no forward collision
warning, not even blind spot.
And again, you got some
big blind spots in trucks.
That's a disappointment to me.
Something that I
thought was interesting,
is the Silverado-- at least the
1500 always been a lower truck.
This truck's tall.
It's going, I think, after--
you know, Ford always has
these big, brawny grills
and they're tall.
The RAM actually seems lower.
And the Silverado went up.
I needed the handle.
And the hood I notice it's
big and it's a little bit
to look around.
The steering is still better.
I think that it has the best
steering out of the three
trucks, the F-150 included.
I don't care for the
steering in that or the RAM.
But it's a big truck either way.
I was just going
to say, I'm also
looking for stuff that
makes shorter stature.
You know, women buying
trucks, which again,
and we've talked about.
There's a lot of horse women.
In the Silverado, that
step in the bumper that
let you get in the bed,
the assisted gates,
you know, the Silverado
had a power-lift gate.
Most of them are easier
now, grab-handles
to get in, all of them have
that, adjustable pedals.
Silverado did not have
the adjustable pedals.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
RAM does, F-150 does.
So things like that make
it easier for someone
who is a little shorter.
It's an important truck
for GM, in the sense of A,
they compete with Ford for the
best-selling vehicle in America
each year.
Not truck, vehicle.
Vehicle.
Right, right, not just truck.
Small volume.
And secondly, it is
going to be the basis,
the platform basis
for their SUV's,
so the Chevrolet Suburban, the
Chevrolet Tahoe, the GMC Yukon,
the GMC Yukon XL, the big ones.
And last generation, they
didn't launch Silverado well,
according to the Consumer
Reports' annual auto survey
reliability data
from our members.
And those trucks
also had problems.
Hurt the others,
hurt the others.
They also had reliability.
So we'll see getting
them through testing
in the next couple of weeks.
We're going to move to questions
right now, because we've
got a lot of great ones.
We had that one about eTorque.
But we've got a--
We through the
eTorque in up there.
Right.
So the first one, e
have a video question
about all-weather tires.
Take it away.
Hey, Talking Cars.
So I've been thinking
of getting some snow
tires for my new Ridgeline.
But I really don't want to
changing tires over every six
months.
I saw your reviews on
some all-weather tires
from Toyo Celsius CUV,
Goodyear WeatherReadys,
and some Nokian WRG3's,
RG4's or new, I guess.
I'm in the same
state as you guys.
And I don't need to go to
work when it's extremely bad.
But I do need to be able to
drive when it is snowing.
Are these new all-weather
tires decent enough, especially
in something like a Ridgeline?
It's pretty heavy.
I'm leaning towards
the WeatherReadys.
But I also kind of like
the Toyo Celsius CUV.
Thank you, have a great day.
OK, a really good
question and something
we hear from people a
lot about type of tire
for the transitional weather.
Ryan our black-donut expert,
what should this gentleman do?
So it's a great
question, because this
is the exact situation why
these tires were designed for
or what they were designed for.
People that do encounter
snow, but don't
want to be hassled with
the tire change over.
Actually, we just
got done testing
our last all-season
program of car tires.
And there's actually
five all-weather models
that we tested in the
performance all-season group.
And there's a good spread.
I mean, we have a
couple at the top,
middle, and then
closer to the bottom.
And I think they're
a great compromise.
They are still a compromise.
Tires are always a compromise.
In what way are
they a compromise?
Well, you know, you can't have
a tire that is amazing in snow
and is amazing on wet roads.
It's just-- there is one.
He skewed more towards
snow, but yeah,
give up maybe something else.
So yeah, I mean, I definitely
recommend an all-weather tire.
Take a look at our
ratings, we just
came out with all new ratings.
And there's five
different models in there.
If that doesn't work,
if you can't maybe
find something that
fits you, you know,
there, the next
best thing is really
a set of snow tires
on wheels ready to go.
And you can go to
a local tire place.
And they'll mount them
for you, maybe even
store your other tires, so you
don't have to deal with that.
I know sometimes
storage is an issue.
Can you give us a rundown
just in the brands
that are making them?
And also are there any
worries that you may have,
because I think they're
kind of limited.
It's interesting.
You can look at these
tires and they all
look radically different.
I mean, the Michelin looks
almost like a summer tire,
but they do it all
with compounding.
The grip comes from compounding.
The Nokian looks
like a snow tire.
It's really unique.
But it's usable on dry roads.
Exactly, if you
look at our ratings,
you'll see the benefits of each.
So right, consumerreports.org,
we've got our ratings.
And we might have some
free content up there too.
But members can go to
consumerreports.org.
Also, send us your
video questions.
We really like those, text it
to TalkingCars@icloud.com, send
them in via our YouTube site.
Wherever we can get
questions from you,
we want to answer them.
So moving on, we have a
question from a young viewer
who's buying his first car.
Hi, I'm 15.
I love cars.
And I'm coming up on
buying my first one.
I live in a place
that snows a lot.
And my parents want
me to buy a car
with either 4x4 or
all-wheel drive.
I have no idea
what to look into.
And I have a budget
of about $10,000.
What should I get?
So first I'm going to
steal Jen's game, because--
Stealing my game.
--everyone has to come
up with a suggestion.
But I'm going to
go to Jen first,
because Jen maintains a list,
top used cars for teens,
fits right in here.
Jen, go.
At the risk of being repetitive,
just to say, you know,
we try to balance not too big,
not too small, not too fast,
not too slow, obviously
reliable, obviously full
of safety features.
The Goldilocks of cars, right?
Yeah, right kind of the
Goldilocks and that's
how we narrow that
teen driver list.
So my pick was--
I mean, my gut at first was
to go to all the Subarus,
you know, reliable.
I think, you know, I said I'd
lease one for my own daughter.
But if you look there, resale
prices are a little higher.
So where I ended up
for him is a RAV4.
Toyota RAV4.
Yeah, 2009 or later, excellent
reliability, ESC was standard.
I would really like
you to get something
with Electronics
Stability Control,
regardless of what you
buy, please look for that.
Four-cylinder, so
it's not too quick.
But fuel efficient.
Fuel efficient, reliability
was excellent, room,
your all-wheel drive, that's
what I settled on, RAV4.
Ryan, what did you
bring to the table?
So I went down the
Subaru road, just
because all-wheel drive and
they do make great cars, a 2010
or later Legacy.
The Impreza is too small.
I think the Legacy
is a little bigger.
It's a nicer car, I think,
a little more solid.
And like Jen said,
definitely try
to get stability control, 100%.
I was looking-- there's
some Hyundai Santa Fe's
mentioned, Santa Fe Sport.
I saw the Forester.
I went with the Impreza.
Both of you knocked it--
We didn't knock
it, I just didn't.
Truly, I just didn't.
So I'm not knocking it.
I just was weighing out the--
But you both gave reasons
not choose it here.
Non-turbo, key, no
WRX, no WRX, OK?
That's--
And you look at the price range.
You could see these 22,000.
That's the WRX.
And summer tires or super-ultra
high performance all-season
is not going to
give you snow grip.
You know, you can
look 2010 to 12's.
You know, that's
the lower end of if.
You might get some high mileage.
Also, pretty good reliability
and owner satisfaction data
from our annual auto
survey of CR members.
So I think all great option.
You want to know the other
one I through in there?
Toyota Matrix.
There's just not a
lot of them around.
There isn't.
But that was a great car.
I forgot about the Matrix.
You got to put snows.
He wants an all-wheel
drive or 4x4.
Well, you can get
all-wheel drive.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, you could get
an all-wheel drive.
But I thought that was--
Rare car.
Yeah, rare car.
You maybe not be
able to find one.
Proper tires, though.
That's on our list, so.
Right, in any case.
OK, so we have one more.
We have an electric
vehicle hybrid question
from a viewer in the
Dominican Republic.
Hello, from the
Dominican Republic.
Yay, I love our
international audience.
I think it's the first one.
First one from a island
versus --and are Canada.
--youthful.
A whole lot of questions
from the youngsters.
That's good.
Well, they're texting.
They're doing the text.
That's good.
That's good.
So let's start.
Hello, from the
Dominican Republic.
I spend over an hour
in traffic every day,
burning fuel and traveling
five to eight miles at most.
Sounds like he lives in
San Francisco instead.
[LAUGHTER]

On weekends, I take the
family to the mountains,
which is a 200-mile round trip.
I know hybrids and EV's
are different animals,
but which one would perform
better in stop-and-go traffic
driving environment?
What do you think?
We've already talked about that.
Right, so I think in his case
a hybrid is the perfect one.
EV's would work for his commute,
but may not work for the travel
into the mountains.
Exactly what we said
five minutes ago.
That he's not going to find
a charger in the mountains.
So to me perfect
person for a hybrid.
And stop and go is actually
where hybrids excel.
You know, you think
of long commuter miles
on the highway, that's actually
not where they get their most
benefit.
It's in that stop and go,
in the city, perfect car.
So I would say,
absolutely go with hybrid.
Then you have the option and
when you're on your weekend
to the mountains, that
you have the backup.
You don't need to
worry about charging.
I thought a Prius,
Toyota Prius or Prius V.
The V is a little bigger.
You go to the mountains, you
can carry some extra stuff.
You know, one thing that
I was thinking about,
the charging infrastructure.
You know, I mean, what do
we see here in the States?
Right, well, we
were just talking
about how in Connecticut,
we don't have that many.
I mean, there are chargers, but
maybe in this area there isn't.
And you know, that deters me
from wanting an electric car.
I don't know what
it is down there.
I can't imagine it's
better than here, you know,
in terms of frequency
of chargers.
So you know, that's
one of the things.
I looked online.
It seems like there's
only one or two chargers.
Maybe that's only one or two
public chargers in the --it's
Dominican --not
Republic --to say
--he can't have one at
home, but yeah, right.
Right, but still and
then we go to the mileage
of an EV or the range, you're
going to maybe get 200 at best.
And that's a Bolt
or a Tesla Model 3.
If you buy a LEAF,
that's way low, right?
Batteries don't like heat.
You're going to be
using the AC a lot.
You know, that range
is going to be lower.
Any suggestions for Him?
Yeah, the only thing I added--
and you're right, Prius,
Prius V would be
great with something
maybe slightly larger, if
they're camping or going
on a round trip.
I said Highlander
hybrid or a RAV4 hybrid,
so keeping in that
Toyota vain, but yeah.
What about people who
maybe aren't living there,
but want an EV?
There is some news
about them actually.
Right, so we just
published an article.
It's an industry thing.
But right now, if
somebody is looking
to get into the
electric vehicle market,
there is a glut-- we
actually us that word.
Of used EV's in
the used car market
to be had for super reasonable.
We're talking about 1/3
of what they're MSRP was.
$10,000, you can get into a
LEAF or something like that.
Albeit, not 200 miles
range, but if you
wanted to pick up a second
vehicle as a commuter vehicle,
now is the time.
We even said, what a great
way to get new safety features
in a $10,000 car.
We talked about
this young driver.
It's hard to get ESC
yet for under $10,000.
You really got to look.
But a brand new car,
$10,000, great teen vehicle,
great way to try it, great
way to get a second car.
Yeah, if you live in
that kind of situation
I was talking
about, you know, you
have a commute 20 or 20
miles or you can charge,
that really works.
Yeah, if you have the parking
and a charger at home,
would be awesome time.
Yep, well, you know that article
and more about EV's and hybrids
is free on consumerreports.org.
And members can get our
ratings on EV's and hybrids.
That's going to do
if for this episode,
so remember to check the
show notes, also, send us
those video and text questions
to TalkingCars@icloud.com.
We really want them, potentially
for another all-question
episode down the road.
Thanks for watching and
we'll see you next time.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

2018 Chevrolet Malibu AT LTZ Review - Behind the Wheel

AutoDeal.com.ph:

Debut in the 60’s, it was name after a
coastal community in California
Sadly it’s named however in the Philippines
as the butt of some jokes
as people like to add a G to the end
Sorry
Now on their latest generation, Chevrolet says it has
better fuel efficiency connectivity and safety features
more than ever before. Let’s find out what they are going on about
In this, the 2018 Malibu
The HID’s with Intellibeam are housed in a smaller frame
which compliments the smaller slats that are found
all over the front clip. Now, there is no large gap to speak of
to allow the air in but the four mentioned slats are equal to the task
Unique to the car, are the lights down here which are
your actually DRL’s and too is the emblem, the very proud emblem
I should say because it is textured and ribbed
Sorry but it does feel very cool
Even the keys emblem has texture
Nitpick if I may there is just one aspect on the front clip
that I don’t really appreciate
There’s a line that can be found on the hood that stretches
all the way down pass the emblem and to the chin
How much does it bug me? Well, not that much
Down on the side you’ll notice two lines that begin at the front doors
and slowly but surely taper as you get to the rear
Given the car a very streamlined, very fluidic look
Now the car does sit on 18-Inch mags fitted with 45 series tires
Now if you take that and combined it with this
beautiful fastback right here and this sharp departure angle
it does make for a very good looking stance
Now for some, the rear overhang might be much but
there is good reason for that
In fact, there is 447L of reasons, now it’s not the largest capacity
in this class but it’s certainly not the smallest
Space good enough that that can hold Professor Klump
However, getting him in that might be a problem through this
Renee Zellweger lips, kinda tight
Golf bags even two, not a problem. Medium sized suitcases
Not a problem however anything larger than that
You might need Steven Tyler lips and that’s a completely different story
Oh! Worth mentioning, the two exhaust, tucked away very nicely in chrome. Very nice touch
Now the toys back here include 2 cupholders on the center armrest
You got 2 air vents right here, 2 USB charging ports and a 12V socket
There are also speakers on either door and 2 more speakers behind the passengers
Now that’s 4 out of the 9 speakers in total inside the car
Now, the wheelbase of this car is actually 4-Inches longer
than the previous model which is checkout this legroom
It’s ridonculous. There’s enough space in here to fit
two large adults easily and even an average size adult in the center
Thanks to the low tunnel found in the ground
Safety? Yup! Apart from the standard airbags found upfront
There are also airbags found on the B pillars and either side of the rear seats
Not bad
The color scheme is the first thing that may not catch your attention
because it’s pretty subdue really
its got grays and browns, very comfortable, very laid back
Now your 4 gauges upfront and your trip computer
along with the air controls are, well they’re pretty adequate
as too are the buttons found on the steering wheel
different though in the fact that they’re all the same height
covered by a thin rubber film so that it is non-slip that’s pretty cool
You also got your dual pane sunroof and your 2 cupholders upfront
and loads of cubby spaces that you can put all your knick knacks
Including actually a very smart way to put your umbrella away
Now, not only are the front seats comfortable
because they can knock Vincent down in 5 minutes or less
but they can also accommodate much taller people
Now, you’d expect the driver to have power right
Well, the passenger seat has power too, in fact both of them can move
back and down to accommodate much taller people
and not only does the driver have lumbar support, so does the passenger
The lumbar support comes out so much that it can be like a basketball
at your back say put it at number four and it can retract all the way in
to the same number of wins that the Cavs have in the 2018 finals, which is zero
I’m gonna get flanked for that aren’t they? Meh, it’s the truth
The 8-Inch screen which also doubles as your reverse camera by the way
and is extremely clear I must add, also has the Mylink system which is a
breeze to use, in fact we find that it’s one of the easier head units that we’ve ever had to test
On any of the units that we’ve gotten, it’s really fun to use
and while you’re using it, you can also charge your phone
with the wireless system down here, it might be difficult for bigger phones
such as a Note or anything larger than that, but the smaller wireless units, not a problem
The one thing that I have to add about this unit is that
The whole thing is integrated into dash very very well
it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb and that I gotta say
that I do love
Under the hood, there’s only one engine variant available in the Philippines
which is an inline 4 2L Turbocharged gasoline engine
which produces 250horses and 353 Nm of Torque
in an executive sedan, not bad
but even with all that power, in and out of the dreaded weekend traffic of Metro Manila
The Malibu was still able to do 10km/l. Frugal
Apart of the ease of which Chevy’s Mylink is just a joy to use
whether your an Apple user or an Android user and it also has 9 speakers
that’s around the car which are all Bose, louder than kids on a Saturday morning
it also has the following technologies
Its got adaptive cruise, its got lane keep assist, emergency braking
and semi autonomous parking to name a few
Oh! And get this, there are also 12 sensors all around the car
so that even Catherine Zeta Jones could not escape these guys
The level of comfort driving Malibu is well, is pretty good
The steering is light yet it’s not disconnected from the road
Yes, there are some cheap plastics that can be found all around the cabin
and the road noise does kinda creep up just a little bit
But it does not take away from the very comfortable leather seats
As a driver you have really very little to complain about
and even much less as a passenger
There are no paddle shifters to speak of, in fact it’s a bit confusing
when you run your fingers down the back of the steering wheel
where you’ll find audio controls
Now to manually change gears and provide you with a more sport feel
Pop the transmission into L which activates the plus minus selectors on the shifter
Fuel efficient? Check. Safety? Big check. Connectivity? Check
the Chevrolet Malibu LTZ is available at P2,131,888
Now it’s a bit pricey yes I understand, not the cheapest thing out there
But it’s also not the most executive sedan available in the Philippines
And you do have to consider that you do get a boatload of toys for the driver
Now, it does also gives us the consumers something that we do
very much appreciate, an option
And regardless of what I think about that line
Yeah, it’s a good looking option

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.