Chevy Multi-Flex Tailgate Brings Time Saving Functionality to Already Supreme Lineup

The Chevy Multi-Flex tailgate is a valuable asset in a war of sorts that has been brewing between full-sized pickup truck makers for quite some time now. We have observed here at West Chevy of Knoxville that engineers dedicate their careers to making sure that their brand has the competitive edge, as the battle for consumer loyalty has amped up! Improving the access to the bed and offering different ways to conquer every scenario are what the Multi-Flex was built for. 

The Multi-Flex tailgate is designed to make the workload of the truck owner that much simpler. Operating as a traditional pickup tailgate, it’s hinged at the bottom and can easily be lowered to a position aligned with the floor for easy loading- in and out. It opens using the key fob or a button inside the cab, or you can simply lower it manually with the old-school style handle directly on the tailgate. 

The tailgate comes equipped with a load stop, which comes in handy when your load is longer than the truck’s cargo box. It folds out of the tailgate’s top to form a vertical wall that can prevent loads from sliding right off the truck’s bed. The tailgate’s secondary portion drops down to enable the worker to get closer, a position that was not seen in the American pickup’s early days of existence.

When the secondary portion of the tailgate is lowered, there is another fold down section that you can open to reveal a step. This allows you an extra foothold, which makes things easier when your XXL-sized load blocks your downward vision, or when getting in and out of the truck bed. You can also lower the secondary tailgate in order to accept cargo above the box floor, which also has a fold-up load stop to assure that cargo doesn’t slide directly out of the rear during acceleration or from jolts on the road.

Once you have the secondary “half gate” folded down from the rest of the tailgate, a new area at about chest height pops out to use as a super-handy work surface. This is the ultimate spot for a laptop, quick bite to eat, or proper tunes for the upcoming tailgate party! Made from primarily aluminum, the Multi-Flex Tailgate is lightweight and not clunky like steel. We hope that you come down to check out this and all the other great features of the Silverado line-up here at West Chevy, where we have Knoxville’s best customer service and these rigs poised and ready for duty!

2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2: The Super-Sized and Wickedly Talented Wilderness Warrior

Here at West Chevy of Knoxville, we know just how popular off-roading has become in the last few years. 

People who have been cooped up are now finally free, and yearning for a little bit of off-road adventure! The most capable Chevy Silverado 1500 out there by far is the ZR2 trim, which turns up the heat and proudly secures itself as a segment leader.    

Some of the extras that allow you to do so much more than smooth cruising on the open road are a two-speed transfer case, Multimatic spool valve shock dampers, off-roading springs, front and rear locking differentials, hill descent control, 33-inch MG tires, along with skid plates that are in place to protect the oil pan, differential, and all-important transfer case. Things can get even more overland and rocky-road ready with the power liftgate, rear camera mirror, head-up display, and 180inch gloss black wheels. 

The engine choice for the current model Silverado ZR2 is one that we couldn't be happier about: it is the 6.2-liter V8 powertrain mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission, cranking out 420 steep-hill hungry horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. The Max towing limit is 8,900 pounds, and all the vitals have been thoroughly covered as far as achieving the optimal angles to provide successful clearance of the sudden roots, rocks, and water-carved ravines that you’ll encounter during the journey. 

10.7 inches of ground clearance and an approach angle of 38.3 degrees will assure that you can square off righteously with any incline needed to claim full-on backcountry victory, and anyone behind the wheel will see the advantages over the competition in the form of the Ram TRX and Ford F-150 Raptor. Since we have always had so much love for the essence of hefty trucks and how they can go the extra mile, the aggressively styled Silverado ZR2 is excellent at letting everyone that lays eyes on it no right away it is anything but run-of-the-mill. 

Once its differentials were fully locked, the Car and Driver team had a blast taking the 2022 Chevy Silverado ZR2 to the famed and desolate location of Joshua Tree, where shifting into Terrain Mode enabled the perfect 1-pedal trail driving setup that was ideal and intensely focused for the task at hand. The truck’s various high-resolution camera views get the job of providing a virtual spotter for planning the way through very technical terrain, which the tailpipes are routed up a little bit higher to perfectly accommodate. 

Once in deep sand, the Multimatic spool-valve dampers were “extreme experts in residence” of keeping the rear axle from drastic hopping and jolting around. Engage the new electronic joystick shifter on the console and prepare to easily clear, lurch, and blast your way up steep inclines and through washed-out brush: The Silverado ZR2 has more than generous game-changing grit and precision!

J.D. Power 2022 IQS Heralds Late Summer’s Horizon: Chevy Silverado HD is America’s “Best Heavy Duty Pickup”

Troy, Michigan is home to an American consumer research entity that has long been the authority on product quality, buyer demographics, utilities, automotive opinion, and wealth sectors. Founder James David Power III had worked in customer research and advertising himself for Ford, and it was here that he felt the all-important data regarding customer satisfaction had been overlooked for too long. J.D. Power created their first comprehensive Dealer Attitude Study in 1976, and the highly regarded and on-point U.S. Automotive Customer Satisfaction Index in 1981. 

These surveys are vital and always educational for us here at West Chevy of Knoxville, as every year brings new opportunities to celebrate as we usually have extreme bragging rights with multiple models at the top of the list! The latest J.D. Power 2022 U.S. IQS is based on the collected survey responses from 84,165 individuals who purchased or leased current-year models. This year’s thorough endeavor was composed of 223 questions, which examine vehicle quality based on nine traits. Features, climate, powertrain, controls and displays, exterior, driving assistance, infotainment, interior, seats, and overall driving experience are taken into consideration for each contender.

After gathering these responses, J.D. Power then finalizes individual model and brand scores using their infamous and very informative “PP100”, or Problems Per 100 vehicles stat. A lower score is an indicator of higher vehicle quality. The Chevy Silverado HD was slotted at the top of the Large Heavy-Duty Pickup segment, and the Chevy brand was ranked above Dodge with a collective PP100 score of 147. The Chevy Corvette, Equinox, Malibu, and Tahoe also were at the top of their respective categories, netting Chevrolet six champion-reigning segment awards for the year. 

There’s so much to love about the Silverado HD: When it first came onto the scene in 2000, the base powertrain was a Vortec 6.0-liter V8, which cranked out 300 eager horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque. Now enjoying its 4th generation and being expertly assembled by the hard-working men and women of Flint, Michigan, the HD moved to the T1 platform and saw an entirely new exterior design along with more space inside to sprawl out, more capable hardware, and the latest and greatest in technology features. 

The available configurations for the 2022 model are Work Truck, Custom, LT, LTZ, and High Country, providing various combinations for 22 durable and hard-working cab, chassis, bed, and driveline lineups. Every test drive of the 3500HD here at West Chevy is excited to work with 35,500 pounds of towing capacity with new hardware, more than half as much more than the previous generation. Bold-looking and loaded with awesome trailer technology to aid when the going gets tough, this award-winning beast is a well-appointed and headstrong tool for hard-working folks that can’t resist the pull of all-American and show-off-worthy steel!

Future of Powertrains Platform: InsideEVs Reports on 150,000 Current Reservations for Silverado EV

Our team here at West Chevrolet is always excited to learn what the future holds for our beloved brand. One of the biggest pieces of news and most popular incoming models is the all-new Chevy Silverado EV. We know the classic Silverado draws sentiments and nostalgia from Americans across the country, but we can guarantee that the incoming Silverado EV will be just as trusty, hefty and incredibly efficient as the model we all know and love! 

The InsideEVs blog just reported that there were currently over 150,000 reservations for the Chevy Silverado EV, compared to the 110,000 at the beginning of 2022. That’s a very respectable number for a vehicle that is scheduled for an official market launch in Spring of 2023: by that time, it’s possible that GM may beat the number of registrations that Ford collected for its rival F-150 Lightning. 85% of reservations are from new customers, and 70% of the reservations taken were from customers on either coast. 

Part of the official plan is to overtake Tesla in sales by providing a focus on much more affordable EVs. There is no reason that we cannot follow its gas-powered relatives in racking up stellar sales numbers, and the orders already in place are an incredibly promising sign. The official reveal of the Silverado EV was in January of this year, and the work truck model is expected to arrive during early spring of 2023, with the fully loaded and upper trim RST First Edition set to be available to the public in the fall of 2023. 

Any one of these 150,000 lucky customers along with others who decide to dive fully-fledged into the electric-powered stratosphere will enjoy some 400 miles of range, and DC Fast Charging at speeds of up to 100 miles of range in just ten minutes. Dual electric motors offer up standard all-wheel drive and up to 664 horsepower, and the Silverado EV will have a towing rating of up to 10,000 pounds. Buyers of the RST model will find that it comes with the extra additives of 24-inch wheels, an adaptive air suspension, while the Trail Boss offers up all-terrain tires and locking differentials. 

Once inside the RST Model you’ll enjoy a fixed glass roof, black-and-white two-tone leather upholstery with red piping, and available passenger space about identical to a regular Silverado crew cab pickup truck. There is a column-mounted shifter instead of one situated directly on the console, which creates enough space for a useful storage bin ideal for items that can be stowed away during the drive. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are expected to be standard, with in-dash navigation, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an on-board Wi-Fi hotspot to provide the ultimate in connectivity and entertainment options.

Stay tuned for more updates from West Chevrolet about the incoming Silverado EV or contact us today to make your reservation.

2023 Corvette Z06 Set to Annihilate Tracks Nationwide Courtesy of Brand-New LT6 V8

The entire Corvette line and its history have made an awesome impression on all of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville over the years, as it has spanned eight design generations and finally was successfully released on a mid-engine platform in 2019. The experts at Motor Authority provided a blog feature over the past week that talked about the hellacious power and how the 2023 Chevy Corvette ZO6 is “bursting at the steel seams.” They provided this video that illustrates how the Chevy engineers accomplished putting the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 ever under the hood. 

A naturally-aspirated engine will result in a much more solid and polished driving experience, and it shares a lot of similarities with the Corvette C8.R. The code name for the new engine is LT6, and part of the many demands during development was that it had to make more ready and raucous horsepower than the C7 Corvette ZO6’s 6.2-liter V8.

The LT6 features dual overhead camshafts as well as a flat-plane crankshaft: the latter has made an appearance in numerous Ferrari engines, as well as the Voodoo V-8 that was the capable and ideally brash power source on deck for the Shelby GT350 Mustang. Since there are now smaller and much lighter rotating parts, this design will have the trait of less inertia than a traditional cross-plane crankshaft, which provides more freedom for the engine to offer up its trademark rev without much difficulty. 

Speaking of which, the LT6 also sounds like no other Chevy V8 before it, with a high-pitched wail that delves into pure Supercar territory. The flat-plane crank allows this LT6 to rev to 8,600 RPM, and was also specifically designed to properly partner up with tuning valves in the intake manifold that will help the all-important air flow moving in on cooling duty. This intake system also uses an occurrence called Helmholtz resonance that ups the amount of volumetric efficiency and makes for more of an aggressive and useful torque curve. 

The result of all these hardcore specifics within the engineering realm is a very fast 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. These stats are greater than the horsepower output of the C7 Z06 by 20 hp, but the C8 Z06 cannot necessarily match the C7’s 650 lb-ft of torque. All of us here at West love the fact that the Z06 has a much more track-focused attitude and stance. It also arrives with bolder styling cues and performance traits ready to scorch some serious pavement. The addition of the Z07 package allows you to enjoy the ultimate high-octane care package of extras with a tuned suspension, Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, and high-performance Michelin Pilot Cup 2R ZP tires. 

2022 Chevy C8 Corvette Boasts Good Gas Mileage

When the mid-engine Corvette debuted stunningly in a California airline hangar, it changed the auto world overnight and received rave reviews from experts and world-class drivers who had waited years for its arrival. One of its most valuable qualities is something that many would have not thought was on the list of strengths: it gets surprisingly good gas mileage!  

The 2022 C8 Corvette is working with a 6.2-liter V8, and its gas mileage is a few notches above decent. According to the most recent EPA findings, the 2022 Corvette gets 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. The Car and Driver team’s 495-horsepower C8 Z51 recently recorded 26 mpg on the highway!

The all-American and always iconic 2022 Corvette definitely delivers better mileage than quite a few of its naturally aspirated V8 rivals. The 2022 Ford Mustang GT sits around 15 miles per gallon city and 24 miles per gallon highway, and that's with a V8 that has slightly less power than what the Corvette is currently brandishing. The C8 Corvette has been billed even faster than the 2022 Dodge Challenger TA 392 as well as the supercharged Challenger Hellcat.

Corvette models even earlier than 2022 without the Z51 Package had slightly better mileage stats, with the Z51’s track-focused addition including a shorter axle ratio. Even though it drastically improves the 0-60 and quarter-mile times and increases rear-wheel torque, it also leaves the V8 spinning at higher rpm on the highway, ultimately burning a bit more fuel. If you opt for skipping the Z51, you’ll be able to save a few dollars at the pump.

The 2023 C8 Corvette currently under development is estimating about 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway with the potent pleasures of the Z51 Package. We hope you visit us here soon to check out its raw power and cutting-edge advantage at the pump! 

2023 Chevy Equinox in Line for Sensational “Summer of Rebounded Freedom” Power Boost

This summer, prices on just about every good or service have gone up, and consumers at West Chevy of Knoxville who are feeling the squeeze all are still wanting to enjoy summer fun without reaching deep into their wallet. 

The brand-new Chevy Equinox EV won’t arrive until later in 2023, and now is the ideal time to drive off of the lot with the current and awesomely-equipped gas model. The knowledgeable staff on duty at Carbuzz.com reported last week that the 2023 Equinox will receive a new LSD engine to replace the current LYX unit, which still displaces 1.5 liters with a turbocharger. The Midnight and Sport Edition Packages will also reportedly return on the 2023 model, bringing the addition of black exterior trim, black badging, and a matching blacked-out interior. 

Extensive production of the 2023 Equinox is likely to begin soon, meaning that official stats on availability and pricing should be available in the coming weeks. The 2023 Equinox will be available in LS, LT, RS, and Premier trim levels, and we were immediately impressed with the Equinox’s Highway Safety marks being the highest rating for most categories of five stars overall. We are confident that the Equinox has all the class-leading driving chops that it takes to dominate the competition in the form of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Mazda CX-5. 

The recent facelift for the equinox has brought a brand-new front end, new headlights, a new grill and a brand-new bumper. There's plenty of space here for passengers on board, and two generous rows of seats that can comfortably situate 5 adult passengers. The front seats provide a great amount of comfort and support, and the driving position offers an excellent viewpoint of the road. The current model comes standard with a 7-inch touchscreen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, four USB ports, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth, voice recognition, and A 6 speaker stereo. 

The additional upgrades you get as you move up the trim scale are the 8-inch touch screen, two additional USB ports, wireless device charging, satellite radio, HD radio, A7 speaker Bose premium stereo, and the very useful for longer hauls’ rear-seat entertainment system. The incoming Equinox will also come standard with forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, the following distance indicator, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic high beam headlights, and a rearview camera. A few of the upper-level upgrades we definitely recommend are blind-spot monitoring, rear traffic cross alert, surround view parking camera system, and adaptive cruise control in the very high-tech safety alert seat.