Review: Chevy Traverse

A new budget-friendly version of crossovers, Chevy Traverse, is the latest of the brands to be launched by the General Motors. Another addition to the family of crossover vehicles of GM like the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and the Buick Enclave, the car is to hit the markets at a price of $29,999 including destination. The all wheel-drive 2LT trim level test vehicle comes at a price of $38,990.

 

Chevy Traverse has a 3.6 liter, V-6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission that can produce 281 horsepower. It has wheels made of aluminum as compared to the typical steel wheels, making it different. The vehicle has a curb weight of 5,200 pounds and offers a seating capacity for seven or eight people. It enjoys 16 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on the highway.

 

Chevy traverse are for people who love a bit of adventure and fun in their lives. The capacity of the transmission to downshift quickly and the excellent power train permits the best use of the engine’s horsepower to the fullest. If interested, one can go for the top LTZ trim level that gives an additional 7 horsepower to the vehicle.

 

The 116.4 cubic feet of space behind the front row of seats, 68.8 behind the second row and 24.4 behind the third row makes the journey comfortable. The seats can be folded flat, even though it does not fold into the floor like that of the Dodge Grand Caravan.

 

Though comparable with the Toyota Sienna, Chevy Traverse weighs at 5066 pounds, which is over 500 pounds more than the Sienna. In spite of the weight the EPA fuel mileage numbers displayed by Traverse is much more than its competitor. Sienna is rated at 16 in the city and 21 on the highway as compared to the 16 and 23 of Traverse.

 

Traverse permits great handling, comfortable seats and smart designs. But it feels a little stiffer over larger bumps while traveling at a slow speed when the vehicle is loaded with people.

 

The interiors present greater room and leg space than the Tahoe. When compared to the third-row seats in the Tahoe which comes with little leg space, Traverse gives a comfortable ride for its passengers. The sliding seats of the middle row make access to the third row easier.

 

A place where Traverse lags behind Tahoe is in towing. While Tahoe can tow up to 8,400 pounds, the new Traverse capacity is reduced by 3,200 pounds. But a decent overall rating makes Chevy Traverse still an option worth consideration.

Test drive the new 2010 Chevy Camaro

 

2010 Chevy Camaro

The 2010 Camaro is a faithful remake of the `68 Camaro with modern features and amenities with plenty of power and exhaust rumble which gives you a feeling as if you are driving a 6.2-liter V8 powered Camaro.

 

To a certain extent, it looks more as a sports car a perfect street machine to drive. Kudos to the development team at General Motors for the new Camaro. It resembles the old protégé 68 Chevy, but is a completely modern rendering with angular design and sharp edges. This is noticeable in the rear fender flares, which, when you look at them through the outside rearview mirrors, resemble a Porsche’s, but are more angular.

The only concern is that the windows seem little narrow, making the finished car look “chopped.” This is a problem with a lot of new designs which seem to be caused by the abundance of safety equipment inside the doors that actually make the doors taller.

Sitting in the Camaro is as much fun as looking at it. The seats offer excellent side support and are comfortable. The rear seats offer support, but they are difficult to enter because the car is a coupe.

Out on the road the ride may be hard, but not harsh. The firm suspension lends itself to excellent handling, probably better than the original. Ride quality suffers a bit on “normal” roads, but you can easily become accustomed to the ride quality.

Acceleration is excellent, and you really have to pay attention to the digital speedometer located in the center of the instrument panel. There are a normal large tachometer and speedometer, but the digital speedo is so easy to rear one tends to ignore the analog one.

You may like the way the 6-speed automatic shifts, but still can try the manual version. There are rocker switches located behind the steering wheel that you can use to shift without taking your hands off the wheel.

In addition, there are a water temp and fuel level gauges in the main i.p., with four accessory gauges in a “4 pack” ahead of the shifter at the base of the center stack. These include oil pressure, oil temperature, volts and transmission fluid temperature.

The gauges are light blue on black, which is a nice combination. Each door also has a light blue slash that is lighted at night. Like the original one, the trunk is compact. What makes it tough for loading larger objects is that the opening is small.

Options include the RS package ($1,450) which consists of 20-inch wheels, high intensity headlamps, a rear spoiler, and RS unique tail lamps. The 6-speed automatic with remote start goes for $1,185, polished wheels adds another $470 and the compact spare another $150.

The bottom-line is that the 2010 Camaro is not only a faithful modern re-creation of the classic Sixties Camaro, it is also a ball to drive and be seen in. So, if you’re hankering for the good old days, this is the one for you!

2010 Chevy Camaro ss coupe review

The 2010 Chevy Camaro SS Coupe answers the question, if General Motors could build first-class automobiles with straight for sure answer “yes”. The latest 2010 Chevy Camaro version which may take some time to come to the streets, but the wait would be its worth. It is one of the most sophisticated, strongest and powerful vehicles.

The international muscle car built in Canada in Oshawa, ON is the 21^st century all style American car, but development being coordinated American and Australian efforts. Although the engine is still on the front and drives the rear wheels with e solid rear axle gone. The typical “rear drive architecture” meets the futuristic GM body work.

Coming to the engine, 2010 Camaro comes with 6 cylinder equipped with V8 engine, which is shorter to the 1993-2002 Camaro, longer wheelbase ensures better room in the rear seat. The SS model gets 6.2 litre V8 engine.

The automatic transmission has the L99 engine with the Active fuel management system where as the manual has the six speed V8 engine. For people who are keener on performance to fuel economy. The LS3 variant gets the aluminum pushrod V8 . The presence of “tap shift” manual mode in the transmission makes easy for manual shifting

The presence of dual overhead cams made of aluminum alloy, four valves percylinder, variable phasing and direct fuel injection with V8 base transmits 304 HP to the rear wheel also via the automatic transmission mode makes the V6 smart engine.

The 2010 Camaro is real quick, super beast on the road, can get from zero to sixty in under 5 seconds, stops immediately. The sixth gear’s high overdrive ratio means excellent g\highway fuel economy and cruises at legal speeds than 2,000 RPM. Calm and beautiful at slow speeds and super beast when throttle is provoked. It gave xcelent results evening the first heavy rain.

APPEARANCE: Stealth factor: zero. Or less. With styling little changed from the concept car of a few years back, the new Camaro makes a statement. Some people wave and smile; members of the Anti-Destination League hasten to turn in front of it and go as slowly as possible. Nobody ignores it. While the lines pay homage to the original of the late 1960s, the new Camaro is no exercise in nostalgia. It looks honestly muscular, and it is. The only faux styling elements are the small non-functional air intake at the front of the SS’s hood bulge and the embossed “gills” on the rear fenders. Come to think of it, with the wide mouth and gills, there’s a more than passing resemblance to a shark…

Appearance: The new Camaro makes a statement itself. The enticing appeal makes some people to waive and smile, some people try to come in front of it and go slowly away while admiring the car look. There is no one who ignores it. It is only true muscular car with small non-functional air intake at front of the SS and embossed “gills” on the rear fenders.

COMFORT: is a word that has not always been associated with “Camaro”. Here, no worries. Like its exterior, the new Camaro’s interior is a contemporary interpretation of past themes, surrounding passengers with simple geometric forms and multiple materials in a pleasant manner. The 2SS’s leather-faced, power-adjustable front buckets have good side bolsters, useful when cornering, but not too high to impede access. The do offer good support and comfort. The leather-wrapped steering wheel adjusts for both tilt and reach, and has cruise and

Safety: The Stabilitrak stability and traction system is standard, and allows a reasonable level of performance driving without being intrusive.

CONCLUSIONS: The 2010 Chevy Camaro has the soul of sixties with the modern chassis

Windsor Nissan – 1 owner car sales

Mega event on November 7th 2009 (Saturday) at Windsor Nissan. All first owner cars will be reduced for this event. Look  for the blue carfax logo on the vehicles and save $$$.

 

Venue:     590 Route 130

East Windsor, NJ 08520

 

Date: 7th November 2009

 

Windsor Nissan Car Sales

Another End To A GM Saga

The decision to wind up the production of the General Motors brand, Saturn, has brought in a period of anxiety to the minds of the people in the small town of Spring Hill, Tennessee. The withdrawal of the retailer, Penske Automotive Group, from buying the brand Saturn renders many jobless. Jill Lajdziak is one of those people who witnessed the whole lifetime of Saturn, from its pre-launch era to its death. Lasjdziak, who joined Saturn before the launch of the first car in 1990, continued with her contribution until its demise last month.

 

Lajdziak will take a vacation until her retirement from the General Motors Company at the end of this year, said the spokesman John McDonald. The job of bringing a great era to a close is left to the GM’s general manager of the retail sales support, Steve Hill.

 

The last few weeks saw a group of hopeful people keeping a close watch over the deal between the Penske Automotive Group and the GM. The withdrawal of Penske came as a shock to many as it was followed by GM’s announcement to stop the production of Saturn. The show comes to an end when the “dealers are able to sell their inventory and wind their dealerships down,” McDonald said.

 

Lasjdziak, who is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor of arts in business marketing and management, began her career with GM in the year 1980 as the district sales manager with Chevrolet. She became the manager of the retailer division of Saturn in 1986.

 

Her passion for cars grew from growing up with her father who was a Chevrolet and Oldsmobile dealer in a small Wisconsin town. She started her small “career” by assisting her father in washing new cars at the age of three. When she was interviewed by Procter & Gamble at the early years of her career, who asked where she sees herself after a period of five years, she commented, “I want to be working for GM.” The interviewers reply to check out this option brought a major break in her career.

 

Twenty three years of Lasjdziak’s career was spent in the different managerial level jobs with Saturn. In 1999, her contribution got rewarded when she was made the general manager of this brand.

 

Today, the demise of Saturn brings a glorious end to the career of people like Lasjdziak.

Nissan’s New Global Car For The U.S. Markets

Nissan Motor Company has made plans for the manufacture of a new small global car that is to be placed below Versa, which is to hit the U.S. roads by 2010. The company spokesman stated that the U.S. is a major participant in their campaign to sell one million vehicles a year under the newly created low-cost “V platform” that includes four-door sedan, a five-door hatchback and a multipurpose vehicle models.

The “V platform” models will slowly replace the subcompact Micra from the non-U.S. markets. Currently the European Micra is manufactured at the company’s Sunderland plant in England and shares platform with the Japanese March.

The new car launch that will contain three-cylinder engine is part of the company’s attempt to capture the small A and B car segments that hold a major share in the present day sales, said Vincent Cobee, the V -platform manager. However, the company officials refused to comment on the official name or model of the upcoming car or the time when it will appear at the U.S. dealerships. It has made plans to produce the V- platform vehicles at five plants around the world, with the first launch in Thailand around March, 2010.

The shift is an attempt by the Japanese automaker to capture the small, fuel-efficient low-cost vehicle market from amongst its competitors. With the last year’s fall of the automotive industry, many companies like Mazda Motor Corp, GM, etc. have made a switch to the smaller models. Nissan has experienced a setback against the sale of its bigger vehicles like the Quest minivan and Pathfinder SUV the last year.

Last year Nissan introduced a stripped-down version of Versa with a 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine, priced at $10,620 including destination charges that became the low-priced American car. The Versa is physically larger than the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, its immediate competitors.

Cobbee stated that the company has spent the past four years in pulling down the cost and weights to produce a small car. He expressed their plans to quit manufacturing March in Japan and outsourcing the job to plants in India, China, Thailand and another two markets that will produce around 200,000 cars a year. Cobbee, however, refused to comment on the plant that is to undertake the job of the U.S. models. The V-platform will bring about 50 percent more fuel-efficiency over Micra. The gasoline and diesel engines will be launched to cater to the needs of the market. The total number of parts will be reduced by 18 percent to cut down the costs and thereby, enhance the sales.

Lutz’s View Of A New GM

Robert Lutz, the vice chairman of the marketing and communications of the “new” GM, who was a keynote speaker at the 46^th Annual Northwood Auto Show’s kickoff dinner, mentioned the future vision of the company. He expressed the GM’s plans to return to the future of the automotive industry.

Robert Lutz, who first began his employment in GM in 1963, has led all of Chrysler’s automotive activities for twelve yeas and spent another twelve with the Ford, the last as the executive vice president of truck operations. GM re-appointed him in 2001 and even though he was to retire this year, he continues with his contribution to the “new” company.

He expressed his views about the automotive sector as, “I feel like the industry is on the cusp of a technological revolution.” He said the future lies in the latest technology and in EV like new Chevy Volt.

Lutz emphasized the excellence of the GM’s products repeatedly during his speech. “The world does not realize how great today’s GM products are,” he said. “Our products are equal or superior to the competitors.” The company is now on its way to a “may the best car win” ad campaign these days.

When it launched an ad that stated that the GM cars enjoyed a better mileage than the Toyota cars, the latter asked GM to withdraw the advertisement. Lutz said that he will race a Cadillac CTS-V against the comers with stock four-door cars to prove the Cadillac is the fastest sedan in the world as a part of the promotion program.

He utilized the opportunity to reveal the pictures of the latest models that GM is manufacturing or proposes to produce in the future such as the Cadillac CTS Sportwagon, GMC Terrain and Chevy Cruze. He also stated the company’s plan to produce the concept car, Cadillac Converj during the dinner meeting.

Lutz highlighted the Chevrolet Camaro during the meeting where the company focuses on the fuel-efficient models, even though V-8 is better selling today. The company is on the look out to break-even at those markets that they had struggled recently by aiming at the younger crowd.

When he was asked whether the company has plans to fight through the “Government Motor” image, Lutz commented that the role of Government is virtually nonexistent during the bailout period. “The way it is organized now it’s like any other company. The best way to shed that image is to make a lot of money quickly and buy back the government’s stock.”

Lutz is hopeful of the ability of the hybrid versions of bigger vehicles like the trucks and SUVs in meeting the future fuel economy laws of the country.

Impact Of Saturn’s Demise In Spring Hill

The decision to close down the GM brand, Saturn, by the company after the attempt to sell it to Penske Automotive Group fell through, came as a major disappointment to the people in the small town of Spring Hill, Tennessee.

The first car of the brand Saturn, a red S-Series that was launched in 1990 is still kept for display in the factory premises. The factory and the town have hosted many tours and reunions for the Saturn car owners as a part of their promotion programs. The City Hall has the walls decorated with the photographs of the old town of Spring Hill before and after the arrival of the brand, Saturn, depicting an era of development.

The residents and the Mayor credit GM’s Saturn for the major developments the town has witnessed over the period. But later, the locals saw GM rolling off Saturn from Tennessee in 2007 to replace it with the building of Chevrolet Traverse that is now on its way out. The company has made plans to transfer the production of Traverse to a plant in Michigan, closing down the Spring Hill factory.

This decision of the General Motors to wind up the factory has left the residents in a state of perplexity. A few, who had remained hopeful of Penske’s ability to revive the brand, were unable to understand its decision to pull away from the deal. Others are still in a shock over the fall of the auto giant GM that can leave many locals jobless. One of the local residents put the blame on the federal government calling it responsible for the fall of the automotive industry in the country.

The locals are also wishing for a revival of the economy that can put back the things to its normal state. To quote a resident, Dinwiddie, who is confident of the future of Spring Hill, “I have to believe the plant is going to come back. It all depends on the overall economy. I hope that Americans start buying American products and start supporting the American auto manufacturing industry and if that happens, we’ll get a product in this plant.” He has sent invitations to President Obama and the auto recovery czar to have a tour of the plant, which he thinks will result in it being operational.

Whatever be the future of the plant in Spring Hill, residents are sure of their ability to wade through the times of misery.

Saturn dealers looking for exit strategies

The year was 1990 when Bob Maguire, started selling Saturn vehicles in Bordentown, NJ, they were the first on the board to open the dealership when Saturn contacted them in 1989 and adds now it is time too think of new business with GM announcement of Saturn closing down.

Bob Maguire says his two Saturn dealerships at Bordentown and Toms River will continue to be open and sell. Maguire, the co-owner of Maguire Auto Group quips, I will try to cultivate new business and confident that something will come up soon.”

With the announcement by General Motors of wind down of Saturn vehicles after the acquisition deal with Penske Automotive failed, it left 350 Saturn dealers across the country have been left in the lurch and trying to find exit strategies including Bob and Marcy Maguire for themselves and also for the workers. The on going events and trends means almost definite death of Saturn brand that was set up by Saturn to fight against the Japanese imports in the 1990’s and currently it is estimated around 13,000 jobs are at stake.

The exact business plan is still vague, and the steps being taken after the shutdown of Saturn operations in October 2010 is still being formulated, but for one thing, the business will be as usual. We are looking for new business and selling new Saturn vehicles to anyone who is interested to purchase the last ones in the breed. He does not close out the option of shutting down the two dealerships at Bordentown and Toms River a year from now and is keeping all options open. Currently the two dealerships employ 25 people each. Maguire further adds that it is not is ambition to close down the dealerships, but would be forced if no viable options come up and says they still provide gainful employment to all their workers.

Saturn launched in 1990 with its own exclusive tag line, “A different kind of Car Company” gained popularity in America by their low-key showrooms and no-haggle pricing. General Motor had launched Saturn with the hope that with the dent free plastic panels, it would attract the young generation with the hipper cars. It built the Saturn plant at Springhill, TN devoted to Saturn vehicles.

Although it attracted and drew huge crowds, the brand could never make enough money, although it was never disclosed how much the company made profit on the Saturn brand.

The Saturn customers brand base we have, have their culture of their own and there were never a customer that was unhappy with their Saturn vehicle they purchased from us and sadly it’s true.

The closedown events have come as a shock to everyone. GM had even agreed to keep 3 models running beyond 2011 and after which Penske have had to come up with their own products made by any other manufacturer.

There is very little hope that talks could be reopened without another supplier in place before the deal was signed according to Anthony Pordon, a Penske spokesperson. It would take several years to design new vehicles, especially foreign vehicles which meet US standards and Penske would beat risk selling no products once the contract with GM expires.

The production of new Saturn vehicles will be stopped as soon as possible. But no layouts are expected according to Sherrie Childers, GM spokeswoman. The Saturn owners can still go to their dealers for servicing and will be able to go to certified GM dealers once the Saturn dealerships close down.

Maguire said it was even true for his NJ dealerships. They would continue to be in business and would take care of Saturn customers who are in need of servicing. The close down announcement has come as surprise to everyone. In this damn economy it is difficult to forecast anything but we are doing the best as we can, according to Bob Maguire.

Bob Maguire Chevrolet | New Jersey | Bordentown

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October clean up sale