First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
Over a year ago, we sampled a Korean-built, Euro-spec Cruze and declared it the car that must save GM. Since then we’ve been bombarded with rhetoric about how THIS global compact will be different, conceived from the start as a world-beater that will sell in the U.S. as an aspirational compact (oxymoron alert!). We’ve been assured the proof of the pudding would be in the tasting, and today the chefs have called us into the kitchen to lick some beaters as the chefs add the final pinches of tuning calibration and dashes of refinement before the Cruze comes out of the oven this September.
On hand for our taste test were two competitive benchmark vehicles, the COTY-winning Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla (both 1.8-liters), and three 1.4-liter turbo Chevrolet Cruzes: a 2LT (upmarket trim on the chassis setup 70 percent of North American Cruzes will get), the fuel-economy-optimized Eco, and the top-shelf handling-optimized LTZ. Our drive was limited to a six-mile loop of mixed pavement surfaces on GM’s Milford Proving Grounds ride-evaluation loop.
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, Chevrolet, GM Tags: Chevrolet
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Limited Edition Announced
Chevrolet has unveiled the 2010 Camaro Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Limited Edition replica.
Based on the Camaro 2SS (with the RS appearance package), the car features an Inferno Orange paint job, White Pearl rally stripes, a ‘heritage’ grille, Indy 500 decals, and 20-inch aluminum wheels. Inside, the cabin is outfitted with leather upholstery, embroidered headrests, and Inferno Orange accents.
Power comes from a 6.2-liter V8 engine with 400 hp (298 kW / 406 PS) and 410 lb-ft (555 Nm) of torque. Ironically, it is connected to a six-speed automatic.
New York 2010 Live: Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon is fantasy writ large
The world’s automakers are introducing around 20 new vehicles this week at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Some of those cars are pretty interesting, but here’s the juice: In 20 years, there is exactly one car being shown here today that people will still be whispering about. That car? The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon. You’re reading this correctly. Cadillac, former maker of landau-roofed Boca Rotan retirement sleds will soon be offering a station wagon stuffed with a 556-horsepower, supercharged and Corvette-derived 6.2-liter V8. If that’s not loony enough for you, yes, you can order it with a six-speed manual. Wowza.
We first glimpsed the V Wagon last night at a fairly gala Cadillac cocktail reception, complete with GM design boss Ed Welburn and none other than Maximum Bob Lutz, the man who may have single handedly willed pistonhead fantasy into production. The CTS-V Sport Wagon took center stage flanked on either side by the plain old CTS-V and our Detroit Show favorite CTS-V Coupe. To put the spectacle in photographic terms, even though it was surrounded by some pretty desirable metal, the newest V managed to “pop.”
Categories: Auto Show, Cadillac, GM, New York Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons Tags:
New York 2010 Live:Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon is fantasy writ large
The world’s automakers are introducing around 20 new vehicles this week at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Some of those cars are pretty interesting, but here’s the juice: In 20 years, there is exactly one car being shown here today that people will still be whispering about. That car? The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon. You’re reading this correctly. Cadillac, former maker of landau-roofed Boca Rotan retirement sleds will soon be offering a station wagon stuffed with a 556-horsepower, supercharged and Corvette-derived 6.2-liter V8. If that’s not loony enough for you, yes, you can order it with a six-speed manual. Wowza.
We first glimpsed the V Wagon last night at a fairly gala Cadillac cocktail reception, complete with GM design boss Ed Welburn and none other than Maximum Bob Lutz, the man who may have single handedly willed pistonhead fantasy into production. The CTS-V Sport Wagon took center stage flanked on either side by the plain old CTS-V and our Detroit Show favorite CTS-V Coupe. To put the spectacle in photographic terms, even though it was surrounded by some pretty desirable metal, the newest V managed to “pop.”
Categories: Auto Show, Cadillac, GM, New York Auto Show, Wagon Tags:
Cruze Comes To Town: Chevy unveils 40-mpg Eco model and RS package
hevrolet will use the 2010 New York Auto Show to reveal a few more details about the production Cruze sedan going on sale this fall. Specifically, the Big Apple is where Chevy will formally unveil the high-mileage Cruze Eco model and RS trim package (inset). The Chevrolet Cruze Eco is propelled by the new turbocharged 1.4-liter Ecotec inline four-cylinder. This engine, combined with a six-speed manual transmission, is not only the most powerful unit available, it’s also expected to yield a hybrid-like 40 miles per gallon on the highway. In order to help achieve that lofty number, the Cruze Eco gets drag-reducing shutters that close off the lower grille at higher speeds. Also contributing to the car’s elevated fuel efficiency are a deep front air dam and under-body panels. The 1.4 turbo is rated at 138 horsepower and a healthy 148 pound-feet of torque.
Like other Chevy models, the Cruze will also be offered in LS, LT and LTZ trim levels. The LS gets a 136-horsepower naturally-aspirated 1.8-liter four, while the two higher trims get the turbo. Drivers wishing for a sportier appearance can opt for the RS package, which adds foglamps, rocker panel extensions and a rear spoiler. The RS pack also brings an upgraded interior featuring chrome trim and backlit instrument cluster bezels.
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Categories: Auto Show, Chevrolet, GM, New York Auto Show Tags:
