2021 Chevy Traverse Praised by The Car Connection for “Crisp-All Around New Edges, Superb Sharp Look”

Going on sale during late 2020 right here at West Chevy of Knoxville, the folks on staff at The Car Connection blog first claimed about the new Chevy Traverse that “it is among the most prolific three-row family crossovers on the road, and there's hardly a shopping center without one”. The biggest change for the Traverse this year is a new nose and tail, and the body sides sport a deeper crease right under the windows. In the rear, Chevy has a horizontal strip across the liftgate and revised taillights that have have a narrower appearance.

Under the hood is a 3.6-liter V-6 that cranks out 310 horsepower and is paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission, with the choice of front or all-wheel-drive. Managing Editor Aaron Cole claimed after his test drives that the Traverse “steers quite well and tracks down the middle of the road with comfort”, with much thanks to a 4-wheel independent suspension that does a fantastic job of soaking up every little dent in the road. Up to 8 can fit into the 2021 Traverse's three rows of seats, and 7-passenger configurations are available.

Behind all three rows, there are 23 feet of cubic storage that expands heftily to nearly 100 cubic feet with rows 2 and 3 in the folded position. Standard equipment on the 2021 Traverse includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, and automatic high beams, with adaptive cruise control available as an add-on. The testing team had much appreciation for the look of the chrome surrounds around the fog lights, and remarked that they now look better than what's on the Tahoe and Suburban. In the rear, the Traverse now borrows the tailgate look from the Tahoe as well, a now-wider strip that spans the liftgate like the larger breed of Chevy models.

When they got out on the more open stretches of road, the acceleration was definitely on par with the competition, and the V-6 is up to the task of hauling a unit full of cargo or passengers. When properly equipped the tow rating is 5,000 pounds, and the group rated the transmission as “flittering through gears with a preference for fuel economy”. We fully agree to the notion that there's “no mistaking the Traverse's bulk”, but also have noticed just how this makes for tracking down the middle of a highway with the ultimate in confidence.

The Car Connection crew gave the Traverse a 9 out of 10 overall for comfort, as the first two rows especially provide tons of space to stretch out during a long trip. This year saw the addition of a wireless phone charger as well as wireless smartphone compatibility software. Rear passengers see 38 inches of leg room and their own set of USB chargers. You'll also see active lane control and automatic high beams as standard equipment on the 2021 Traverse, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen is standard on LT and higher trims.

Driving.CA Hails 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 Diesel For “Smooth Riding, Tops in Towing, Refined Interior”

Most of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville will agree with the sentiment that a good number of truck fans at some point will long for the benefits of diesel. That used to mean that you are completely upping the ante and going very heavy-duty, but all of the “big 3” automakers now offer small diesel for their half-ton selections, including the test model that the staff of Driving.CA had on their hands: the Chevy Silverado 1500. To find out if the diesel route is right for you, much weighs on your budget, how often you drive, and what you need the truck to accomplish.

The diesel is one of six various engines available with the Silverado; the other options are all gasoline and range from a 2.7-liter turbo-four to a 6.2-Liter V8. The diesel is a 3.0-liter Duramax inline 6-cylinder mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and the Driving.Ca staff calls it a “thing of sheer beauty”. It cranks out 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque and sees availability in four trim levels. This crew used the top-of-the-line High Country tester, which was equipped with the 5.3-liter V8. 

Resident expert Jil Mcintosh reflected that even though you may pay more for oil changes and the diesel itself, these are incredibly robust engines that can last for many years if well maintained, and possess a very solid resale value. The days of waiting for a diesel to fire all the way up have been long gone for some time, and the testing crew's model had automatic start-stop technology that will disengage the engine at a stop sign or red light. Jil was pleased with how smooth the ride was for how bulky the truck is, and the model line overall is rated for a top towing capacity of 13,400 pounds. 

The 4x4 crew cab with short bed and diesel and pull up to 9,300 pounds, touting a maximum payload of 1,870 pounds. Once inside the cabin, the team had a great appreciation for the simplicity and practical layout of the controls, and the thought put into the fact that the big dials and buttons are easy to operate while wearing gloves. When the hot days of summer come and the truck is sweltering from residing in the rays of the sun for hours, one button will drop all four windows at once for a little fresh air before the dual-zone climate control kicks in full force. 

The switch from two to four-wheel drive is done with buttons, while a dial switches easily through normal, sport, off-road, or tow-haul driving modes. Don't forget to check out the top-of-the-line High Country trim: here you enjoy heated and ventilated seats, and the new added touch of full heating. There is also a power tailgate, operated via the key fob, a button on the gate, or an interior switch: it is also at the moment the only down-and-up tailgate on the market. While these professional testers agreed that truck buyers have it good these days and everyone makes a decent machine, the Silverado diesel is the most dependable, long-lasting, and feature-rich among current offerings! 

Forbes Doles out Top Ten Reasons to Buy 2020 Chevy Corvette C8

As we excitedly watched the numerous videos and blogs that depicted the delivery of the all-new 2020 Chevy Corvette here at West Chevy of Knoxville, we thought of how long this triumph was in the making! So many who have test driven it already proclaimed it as “Breathtaking” as well as “Pure Gold”, and the staff duty at Forbes magazine did not possess any difference in their valuable opinion. They have been fortunate enough to give the new 'Vette a spin on public roads and a closed race course facility, and were quick to offer up ten great reasons to sample the world's latest supercar:

0 to 60 Performance: the “base” 6.2-liter V8 engine cranks out 490 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. That's enough raw power and furious force to allow the car to reach the 60 mph mark in just 3 seconds flat. If you opt for the Z51 Performance Package, you'll get there in just 2.8 seconds courtesy of better brakes and suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and other valuable aerodynamic enhancements.

Outstanding Value: Seeing as how the base level still nails down this 3-second 0 to 60 time, it makes the new Corvette not only one of the fastest street-legal cars on the market but one of a select few that can even dream of hitting those numbers for under 6 figures. This takes the tradition of offering longstanding value to exceptional new heights!

Tremendous Top Speed: IF you happen to have a safe, closed course facility at your disposal, the Corvette does have a blisteringly-fast top speed of 194 mph. That's just in its base form and packs quite a wallop compared to just about anything else in existence out there.

8-Speed Dual Clutch Transmission: What is on board here is unlike a traditional manual transmission: the dual-clutch variant provides the benefit of keeping the rear wheels consistently connected to the engine. This means that shifts can take place in under 100 milliseconds, which is far quicker than a human could ever complete.

Magnetic Selective Ride Control: Chevy proudly perfected this technology years ago, so thoroughly that Ferrari licenses the tech for its own fleet. Once you incorporate the FE4 option, you'll enjoy the Tour, Sport, and Track driving modes. For what Forbes bills as the “best of both worlds”, it allows for a smooth drive during relaxing conditions or appropriate stiffness on a performance run.

Cargo Room: Not many people think at all of the cargo capacity when they think of a sports car. This is a 3-second-to-60 sports car that has 13 cubic feet of capacity, which was definitely unheard of until now. The Forbes crew said that they could fit two sets of golf clubs, in back and the front trunk under the hood can host a large carry-on bag with leftover space to boot.

Fuel Efficiency: This is another trait that the new Corvette boasts: between the torque-heavy engine, 8-speed transmission and slippery stance, not much energy expenditure occurs while at standard highway speed. This enables the new C8 to nail down an average of around 30 mpg.

Driver-Focused Cabin: Elements such as the very squared-off steering wheel and the reconfigurable gauge cluster to the well-angled 8-inch touchscreen helps with a performance orientation. Test drivers have claimed that there is excellent forward visibility, and all three seats provide the best available lateral support ever conceived for a sports car.

Open-Air Cruising: The new C8 comes as a convertible or coupe, but even in coupe form the roof panel can simply be removed and stored with the rear cargo. It also uses the very first retractable hardtop in Corvette history, which can be folded away in 16 seconds. Deriving power from electric motors, the C8 convertible provides the same drag coefficient of the coupe.

Plentiful Options: There is are an abundance of ways to personalize the new C8, with one of the longest option lists ever. By using the Corvette Configurator here you can tool with exterior and interior colors, stripe designs, seat designs, wheel designs, upgrades to performance, and various exterior accents.

2022 Chevy Bolt EUV Spy Shots and Video Served up Via Motor Authority

During this time of year here at West Chevy of Knoxville, we are giving plenty of test drives, answering questions about which vehicle may be best for you, and finding the best possible financing options out there. The type of savvy customer that is concerned about our planet's future but still has a tight schedule to follow is the type that has been following the Chevy Bolt, a revolutionary model which has seen a drastic rise in driving range on a full charge year after year.

Prototypes for a subcompact crossover closely related to the Chevy Bolt EV have been spotted by the savvy-and-stealth staff on duty at Motor Authority, who posted the spy shots and video here. The announcement was officially made Wednesday that the vehicle will be called the Bolt EUV, which may offer a glimpse into the future of separating “Electric Utility Vehicles” from those electric vehicles that already exist on sale. The models spotted were heavily camouflaged but the basic elements appear to be similar to those on the current Bolt EV.

Underneath the vehicle will be GM's BEV2 platform that saw its debut in the Bolt EV, meaning the range should be almost as good as the Bolt EV's 259-mile EPA rating for last year's model. The Bolt EV's single electric motor at the front should also be similar to what is present in the Bolt EUV, but the platform could also be changed up to accommodate all-wheel drive. This BEV2 platform is now a placeholder to serve Chevy models until the exciting launch of a brand-new BEV3 platform for EV's that boast 400 miles of range or more.

This Bolt EUV is slated to hit dealers in the summer of 2021 as a 2022 model, and the updated BOLT EV will go on sale in late 2020 as a 2021 model. Production of both these models will proudly be handled at GM's Orion Township plant in Michigan, a 4,300,000 square foot facility that now employs over 1,000 hard-working men and women. During a no-cameras-allowed preview of nearly a dozen upcoming fully electric models, it was confirmed that the new Bolt EUV now boasts three inches longer the wheelbase which will ultimately allow for more legroom and headroom in the back.

One feature that the Bolt will now come with that EV fans were asking about for quite some time is the button-activated one-pedal driving mode. The new model has also been equipped with a new sensor cluster and camera, which could lead to various self-driving efforts down the road. We will also have to stay tuned to updates on charging: EUV.GM Officials have long hinted that the Bolt EV may soon be capable of more than its current 50 kw peak quick-charging rate. 

Inside EVs Renders 2020 Chevy Bolt as “The Most Affordable and Compelling EV Option”

Over the past week, a solid video was making the rounds that showcased the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV and had a lot of fantastic things to say about it! Joe Raiti is the host of “Raiti's Rides”, and was very young when he full-on caught the car bug. Growing up watching his dad work on various makes and models, he quickly learned to have a sense of the complex inner parts and function of the internal combustion engine. He was a professional formula car racer for three years and is a renowned expert when it comes to Porsches and our very own beloved Corvette.

In the video, he is going over the fine points of a 2020 Bolt with Premier trim, and wants to answer questions for those out there wondering: is the Bolt the most bang currently out there for your buck, and the most versatile EV out there? He takes a step back in time to remember our very first “EV1”, before the Volt. He also admits that Tesla was the “Apple” style brand in the sea of electric completion, but that one thing he loved about the Volt was the fact that it had a gas-powered generator to quell anyone with serious range anxiety, a very important trait for a pioneering model.

The host is alert and future-savvy: he can't hide his excitement when he announces that the 2020 Bolt is fully electric, no generator or any other way of generating power besides regenerative braking is at play. He bills the styling as very unique as he looks at the front, with full LED projector beam-style headlights and daytime running lamps. As you look deeper into the headlights they are now all blacked out inside with a bit of silver trim, giving it a nice dose of flair.

The grille has also been redesigned, and this maestro of sorts who loves high-octane thrill machines such as the Camaro and Corvette approves of the nice blacked-out look as well as the brand-new high-def forward-facing camera situated underneath. Even though there is not any storage underneath the hood is there is in some other EVs, Joe appreciated the way the Bolt is made up because you can pop the hood and clearly see what you are working with underneath.

He then offers a very close-up look at the 17-inch wheels that are machine aluminum and gloss black, and you see that the wheel design aesthetically goes well with the rest of the car's appearance. The plug-in spot for the charger is directly at around the one-o-clock position above the driver's side front tire, and the chrome trim above it flows towards the side mirror and then stops, which Joe also thought looked smart. Also of note that will gain much approval are the roof rails on top: you could easily mount the extra equipment to carry anything like a bike or kayak if needed.

All of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville would most likely agree that one of the prime areas that the Bolt has been winning in is range: every year there is a new model on the scene, the driver will be going further without a charge, no questions asked. This was part of the allure and magic of electrification to begin with, and if a commuter is driving 15 miles a day, they can last an entire week since the mile range is now over 250! In fact, at 15 miles a day you would last two weeks  without the need for a charge. From a 210-volt outlet, the charging time is around 9 hours, perfect for any overnight to be fully juiced in the morning and ready to roll.