Excited Onlookers Enjoy National Drive Electric Week

On Sept. 22nd in the sunny streets of Venice, California, Chevy took over the appropriately named Electric Avenue to give the public a taste of the Eco-friendly attributes of electric power. Even though many consumers are generally familiar with the benefits of an electric vehicle, there are still many who have not yet driven one for themselves. The Bolt EUV and EV were the stars of the show as those who participated learned about the benefits of EV ownership, range, and home charging options fitted for their lifestyle.

There were also a few newly released EVs on display, as the 2024 Blazer EV and 2024 Equinox EV were present courtesy of Your Korean Dad star and EV connoisseur Nic Cho. The Bolt EV and EUV are fitting and cost-efficient options for any lifestyle, with the EV providing an EPA-estimated 259 miles of range on a full charge. Both models are offered with Chevy’s at-home charging installation promotion, and KBB.com has deemed the Bolt EV the “cheapest new electric car for sale in the United States.” 

A car that is easy on the pocketbook is heavily in demand and holds a large amount of appeal within the EV segment. The 2023 Chevy Bolt features the Regen on Demand shift paddle beneath the steering wheel, and when it is set at the highest intensity of brake regeneration, the car will speed up or slow down based on how much pressure is applied to the accelerator. 

During the stop and go of city driving, the Bolt EV handles amazingly smoothly, rides quietly, and still offers up bursts of acceleration when needed. The luggage space behind you is 16.6 cubic feet, which expands to 57 cubic feet after being folded down. 

The 1LT Trim offers 17-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lighting, heated side mirrors, keyless entry/start, remote start, an 8-inch digital driver information display, single-zone automatic climate control, programmable Teen Driver key, and cloth upholstery. The infotainment system has been praised for its wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Wi-Fi, in-vehicle apps, USB-A Port, USB C Port, satellite radio, and six-speaker stereo. The 2LT trim brings perforated leather seating surfaces, a heated/leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 360-degree camera system, rear parking sensors, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

2023 Chevy Silverado Duramax Diesel Engine is Formidably Flexed for Fall, Readily Available

The 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 is one of our heaviest hitters (and haulers!) here at West Chevrolet of Knoxville. It will now enjoy its fourth model year standing strong as the latest-generation pickup, and we guarantee that it will sport one fantastic feature that everyone has been asking about: the brand-new 3.0-liter Inline-6 LZ0 turbodiesel Duramax engine. GM Authority reported this week that the new diesel engine will be more widely available to order, after the production restraints that affected this year’s output have been lifted. 

This hefty and capable Duramax is ready to roll, and available to order for the 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ and High-Country trim levels. You can also enjoy its powerful presence on the LT, RST, and LT Trail Boss trim levels and shares a few high-octane and very desirable things in common with the LM2 including turbocharged aspiration, 3.0-liters of displacement, and an inline six-cylinder design. The LZ0 acts as a replacement for the LM2 in the 2023 model year providing more output and is rated at 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. 

Every time these heavy-hitting and brand-new engines appear on the scene, it is quite impressive to marvel at the mechanical traits that make them so amazing, as the LZ0 diesel features fully upgraded steel pistons, a revised combustion bowl, brand-new fuel injectors, and a refined turbocharger compressor. All this refined and expertly built goodness is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission and is assembled by the hard-working and proud individuals at the GM Flint Engine Operations plant in Michigan. 

Underneath it all is the GM T1 Platform, built by the crew on duty and always cranking out sheer perfection at the GM Fort Wayne plant in Indiana. As the price of diesel fuel remains a bit high in the US, efficiency such as the 24-mpg combined found here will be a welcome trait. In a separate blog post earlier this year, Motorbiscuit also confirmed that this new LZ0 Duramax engine’s reliability is so thorough that it has extended its recommended inspection to the 200,000-mile mark, alleviating the need for the somewhat difficult task of replacing the variable valve oil pump belt at 100,000 miles. 

Engineers at the helm of developing the Duramax spent a lot of time assuring that the rig would start up quicker and discovered some fine tuning that had to take place during the crank design. It also uses smaller, steel pistons instead of aluminum, and needed a longer stroke to maintain 3.0-liter displacement. There are also brand-new injectors that assist with turbocharger tuning and an entirely reworked cylinder head along with a completely revamped cooling system. What all these components collaborate to achieve is a high satisfaction level with the smooth and quiet power the diesel provides, and the true reliability and grit drivers have praised Chevy trucks for all of these fantastic years!

2024 Equinox EV Steals the All-Electric Show as Affordable and Uncompromising Offering

After the introduction of the Chevy Silverado EV and Blazer EV this year, all of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville were excited about a more budget-friendly and still amazing offering arriving soon! The 2024 Equinox EV is the ideal vehicle for making a very uncompromising and feature-loaded transition to the benefits and Earth-friendly club of all-electric EVs. As this category promises to be a mainstream choice for generations of customers in the future, there are many stellar vehicles from Chevy to meet the needs of those at every price point.

The 1LT trim puts Chevrolet into the critical compact SUV segment and will most likely be the most affordable EV in its class. There are already the might and muster of the Silverado EV, Blazer EV, and compact SUVs in the form of the Bolt and Bolt EUV, and the 300 miles of range on a full charge is enough to knock out numerous daily commutes along with all the after-school shuttling and exciting weekend fun (Think pumpkin patches and upcoming costume parties!) 

During the Equinox EV’s design process, engineers had a keen focus on the space, style, and safety qualities that gave the gas-powered Equinox the bragging rights to being second to only the Silverado in overall sales. As drivers are leaning toward a preference for larger screens to navigate and light up their interior for infotainment features, the Equinox EV will include a 17.7-inch diagonal system, with a strong suite of standard and available driver assistance technologies as well as the very modern and convenient Super Cruise hand-free driving assistance technology. 

The time is now long overdue which allows drivers to celebrate the need to no longer constantly stop at the gas pump, and you’ll be able to enjoy this convenience with either the LT or RS varieties. You’re going to love the way these two look with sweet extras such as innovative walk-up lighting, also boasting front and rear lighting animation standard and an available very unique light bar on mid and up level LT and RS trims. One of the most useful additives we’ve seen in some time is the presence-based liftgate: it will open hands-free for you when it is sensed that the key FOB is situated near the back of the vehicle. 

Inside you’ll find the ultimate comfortable space for five, and up to 57 cubic feet of max cargo room for the journey with the rear seat folded. The MyChevy app is a great tool on board to help you make sure that you know where the nearest charging station is, with more than 110,000 publicly available and “ready with the juice” charging points in North America. Brimming with promise and boasting enough of a range to truly make a difference, the Equinox EV offers 210 horsepower and 242 lb-ft of torque, with the upgrade to a 290-horsepower and 346 lb-ft torque eAWD system also available. 

2024 Chevy Blazer EV SS First Sighting in Fully Electric Form at Woodward Dream Cruise

The Chevy Blazer has seen a successful and long-awaited resurrection over the past few years at West Chevy of Knoxville, and customers are loving its aggressive and sporty style that perfectly blends with its daily driving practicality. The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV just made its debut last month and brings an all-electric and exciting version of the popular crossover SUV to the public eye before next year’s release. 

Offering a broad variety of trim levels and new features, many loyal customers were excited to see GM Authority’s feature this past week that showed the first legitimate photos giving us a clear idea of what to expect. These shots were taken during the Woodward Dream Cruise that took place in Metro Detroit, showing the Blazer ready for action and boasting the Radiant Red Metallic paint hue. What we believe so many diehards will love about this incoming Blazer it’s taken influence from the soul of a true sports car, making it the highest performer of the entire Chevy Blazer lineup.

The front fascia has wide horizontal lighting that traverses across the top edge of the crossover’s nose, with an organized and technical grille workup. A small red SS badge is in the corner, while angular styling lines render the Blazer a bit sportier than the average everyday crossover. There is a newly redone sculpture line that draws attention to the wheel arches, and two-tone styling nicely does up the lower panels, roof, and pillars in black. 

The charging port is situated in the driver’s side front fender, and once you approach the rear, things change drastically from what the last model offered. Here, the geometric styling pattern has several separate boxy dimensions that still blend amazingly well with the rest of things, and the taillights have a T-shaped design that wraps directly into the rear quarter panels. The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV SS is set to be available exclusively with all-wheel drive and cranks out an admirable 557 horsepower and 648 lb-ft of torque while getting on up to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. 

The 2023 Blazer was praised by the experts on staff at Car and Driver for its fierce style, satisfying driving demeanor, and rear seat and cargo space. As the 2023 Blazer resides at around 308 horsepower courtesy of its current V6, the bump to 557 horses is bound to stir excitement. This is on track to be a model that makes the most of the industry’s new juice for refined thrills during each drive! 

 

Consumer Reports Names 2022 Chevy Equinox as a “4-Star Triumph” for Usability and Controls

With its roomy cabin, user-friendly infotainment system, and high ranking for reliability from top experts such as U.S. News, all of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville already knew that the 2022 Chevy Equinox was going to be a huge hit! Living and breathing proof that you don't have to spend a fortune to have great features and amazing handling during your daily drive time, the Equinox has now introduced a full model refresh that gleaned stellar reviews from the Consumer Reports crew for its usability and controls. 

In a recent post, Consumer Reports looked at vehicles that nailed down high scores during extended evaluations and tests and were on the hunt for the much-needed “stress-free” models. To secure this prized spot among busy parents, young professionals, and startup owners here in Tennessee, the vehicles needed to have a quiet running noise threshold, good visibility, easy-to-use controls, and a good amount of rear seat comfort. There were more than 50 objective and subjective tests, then the results were tabulated and ranked in comparison against composites. 

During this detailed process, Consumer Reports were able to identify four major categories that buyers would render as important enough to sway their purchase decision, and the vehicles that posted the best performance in these categories. After the evaluation, the 2022 Equinox scored a very high 3 out of 5 and managed an overall score of 74 points out of a possible 100. The standard engine that comes along dutifully with you for the ride is the turbocharged 1.5-liter I-4 LYX gasoline engine, which cranks out 170 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque. 

This year’s Equinox rides on the GM D2 platform, which is expertly engineered to be very lightweight, extremely modular, and serves up top-notch driving dynamics. This platform replaced the Delta 2 and Theta architectures and provides front-wheel drive along with support for all-wheel drive, and a transversely mounted engine placement. Predicted reliability is a very sought after-trait as families want their vehicles to stay on the road in a rapidly changing economy, and hardworking Americans are demanding models that are built to last. 

The RS trim with its brand-new sporty aesthetics makes a stellar addition to the lineup, and new for this year is completely revised front and rear styling. The Motor Trend team reflected after a test drive the 2022 model looks much sharper than last year, and the 6-speed automatic has the “uncanny AI” to be right there with the next gear just when you need it for every single shift. The competition is definitely ready to rumble since the overall market is tightening up again, but the Honda CR-V, the Toyota RAV4, and the Subaru Forester will have to remain astute, alert, and always up on all fours to compete with the value proposition and sensible stance the Equinox provides!