Nik J Miles

Posts Tagged ‘Chevy’

            Getting the mail at the neighborhood box cluster often elicits comments about the car we are driving.   We have a few neighbors who know we write about cars, but there are others that probably think we are car dealers (or drug dealers that can afford to buy new cars each week).

The only comment we received on the Inferno Orange Metallic Chevy Camaro SS Convertible was from a four-foot tall boy running by the boxes, when we stopped, “I like your car.”  We’re sure there were many others peeking through their blinds and drooling.    Read the rest of this entry »

Chevy engineers have finalized the numbers for the upcoming ZL1 super Camaro at 580 horsepower and 556-lb.ft. of torque making it the most-powerful production Camaro ever.

“The Camaro ZL1 delivers supercar performance and technology in the sports-car segment,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “For sheer power, the ZL1 delivers more horsepower than a Ferrari 458, more torque than an Aston Martin DB9 V12, and a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. Read the rest of this entry »

When the Chevrolet Volt was delivered to our house for our week of road testing, it was plugged into the 120-volt outlet in our garage where it waited until we had time to go for a drive.  We have no idea how long it took to “fill it up”, but when we went for a drive a couple days later the battery and fuel tank were on full.  

Rather than spending our drive time running errands we decided to see how far we could go on the battery alone before the gasoline engine started.  Down freeways, over the river and up a winding mountain road we went.  The large colorful screen of the instrument panel kept us abreast of how far we could go on the battery, how far the gas engine charging the battery would take us and there was also a total range so we didn’t have even to add.  Read the rest of this entry »

It all started in 1955 when Chevrolet introduced its first small-block V-8 engine.  Built at the rate of nearly 5,000 engines per day since then, the engine production odometer will roll over “100 million built” during 2011.

From 1929 and 1955, Chevrolet only offered six-cylinder engines, but with the growing demand for performance, Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole set out to design a Chevrolet V-8 that was powerful, lightweight and affordable. Read the rest of this entry »

Almost everyone driving a car with a manual transmission has faced the uneasy or sometimes terrifying feeling of rolling backward when starting on a hill.  While a hill holding feature is often included on upper level vehicles,  it is seldom on the entry-level models until now.

Hill-hold technology will be standard equipment on 2012 Chevrolet Sonic with manual transmission.   Acting almost like an extra foot when the Sonic is stopped on a hill, the hill-hold feature will hold the car in place for up to two additional seconds after the driver takes his or her foot off the brake pedal.  This allows the driver plenty of time to move their foot to the accelerator and gently release the clutch without the car rolling back.  It makes driving through hilly terrain with a manual transmission as effortless as an automatic.

Read the rest of this entry »

Already rated at 37 mpg for highway driving, the Chevrolet Cruze Eco is one of the more fuel-efficient non-hybrid vehicles sold in the United States.   If a recent report by the Associated Press is confirmed, that number could grow significantly with the addition of a diesel engine option, which could challenge hybrid numbers by achieving nearly 50 mpg.

General Motors and other U.S. automakers have been slow to embrace the diesel option, even though top European makers have been offering an increasing number of diesel models with great success in the U.S.  GM already sells a diesel Cruze in Europe and Australia, but the engine would have to be re-engineered to meet U.S. emission standards, a process that could take up to two years. Read the rest of this entry »

After extensive study and refinement, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) is being put into service by law enforcement agencies around the country.

Sheriff Ted Paxton saw the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) at several events last year and was impressed enough to be among early law enforcement customers. The PPVs began patrol in Cumming, Ga. in May. Read the rest of this entry »

It took General Motors a couple of years to react to the tremendous success of the Ford Mustang, but they did respond, they did it in style with the Chevrolet Camaro and the pony car battle began.  Author Darwin Holmstrom and photographer David Newhardt have captured the Camaro history from that beginning right up to the dramatic fifth generation.

Displayed in 348 pages with 280 full color photos, Camaro documents the full story of the race to capture the emerging youth market in the 1960-s and Chevrolet’s efforts to out-muscle the Mustang.  All the classics cars are in the book: RS, SS, Z/28 and IROC-Z, along with performance numbers for most of the cars. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite millions of dollars of advertising and hundreds of news stories and reviews, a majority of consumers still do not know who builds the Leaf and Volt electric cars.

According to Lindsay Chappell of Automotive News, a recent independent market research study indicated that nearly 70 percent of the shoppers had no idea that the Leaf was a Nissan, and about 55 percent of those in a market for an electric car did not know that the Volt was a Chevrolet. Read the rest of this entry »

In celebration of, or to take advantage of, the release of the 3D movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Chevrolet is introducing a Special Edition Camaro Coupe dressed like the movie’s Autobot “Bumblebee”. The 2012 model Transformers” will be easy to spot with its bright Rally Yellow paint and with the optional RS appearance package which features black rally stripes that stretch over the hood, roof, decklid and the unique high-wing spoiler.

“The Transformers franchise has helped introduce Camaro – and Chevrolet – to a whole new generation of fans,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “Its role in the films helped make the Camaro the best-selling sports car in America, and one of the best-known cars of any kind around the world.” Read the rest of this entry »