More than a new car, a new concept! Check out this throwback thursday video for the 1955 Chevy!

2013 Chevrolet Malibu: Once an also-ran, now a winner

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is faith rewarded. It is the belief that excellence in automotive engineering and design can be found in any car company, including General Motors.

It is a simple faith, the genesis of this holiday season: Most of us, given a chance, can step up after we’ve messed up.

General Motors, maker of all things Chevrolet, has stepped up. The proof is in the product — amply represented by the 2013 Chevrolet LTZ front-wheel-drive sedan driven for this column.

This is the eighth generation of the Malibu, a car whose name is derived from the swanky California beach-front town. But since its inception as a model line in 1978, the Malibu has been anything but swanky or otherwise emotionally appealing.

It’s been an also-ran, a “renter car,” a “this’ll do.” It’s been clobbered in the marketplace by other mid-size sedan favorites: the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord and, lately, the Ford Fusion.

The Malibu mostly has been reliable. But reliability alone is not an adequate customer draw. A motorized celebration of the ordinary, the Malibu did not have the swagger to compete.

Consider that history . . . history.

In exterior sculpture and interior appeal, the 2013 Malibu looks better than the Toyota Camry and the new Honda Accord. It has a more aggressive stance. That’s not “aggressive” as in “bully.” The new Malibu simply seems more likable, more confident, and very proud of what it is — an affordable, attractive family sedan. It is more concerned about safety, overall quality, comfort and fuel economy than it is about moving from zero to 60 miles per hour in record times.

That means that not everyone will like it. Equipped with its standard 2.5-liter, inline four-cylinder gasoline engine (197 horsepower, 191 foot-pounds of torque), the new Malibu can feel like a slug if you are trying to blitz from a stoplight in nanoseconds. (My average zero-to-60 time was nine seconds. Maybe that’s just me.)

None of that really matters in real-world driving, anyway. Traffic in the Washington area, where I spent most of my time with the Malibu LTZ, seemed forever congested. By the time I consistently moved at 60 miles per hour in any direction, the car was humming along.

That is, I was humming. The Malibu LTZ is super-quiet, I wonder if GM/Chevrolet got carried away with sound-deadening engineering. I could barely hear any outside noises — and absolutely no vehicular squeaks or rattles — sitting in the Malibu LTZ’s tufted cabin.

The Malibu truly honors its geographical namesake. It’s pretty. It’s swank: two-tone leather seat coverings with piping and contrast stitching; subtle blue mood lighting encircling the car’s interior at night; one of the mid-size car segment’s most appealing instrument panels, this one highlighted by a seven-inch touch screen using Chevrolet’s trademarked MyLink communications technology.

Through voice commands or touch-screen controls, you can use MyLink to tune into Stitcher Smart Radio or Pandora, listen to commercial-free radio on Sirius XM (the Malibu comes with a three-month trial subscription) or install your own music via a flash drive or MP3 player in an available USB port.

This, finally, is a no-excuses Chevrolet Malibu, easily competitive with anything in its size segment or price category.

*Courtesy of The Washington Post

"Putting you first, keeps us first." Check out this 1969 Camaro ad!

Check your Brake Fluid Monthly!

Top off your brake fluid

Check brake fluid monthly.Wipe dirt from the master cylinder lid before you open it. If you need fluid, add the type recommended by your car’s maker. Never substitute other fluids, such as transmission or power-steering fluid. And don’t use brake fluid from a previously opened container. Once exposed to air, brake fluid absorbs moisture and contaminates easily.

*Courtesy of Reader's Digest

Throwback Thursday!

 

Happy Throwback Thursday! Here's a commercial for the 1967 Chevy Camaro! Was your car born from a Volcano?

Silverado Towing Tips! Enjoy!

Check engine oil at every other fill-up

For an accurate reading, follow this procedure:

• Run or drive your car for about 15 minutes to warm the oil; then park the car in a level place.Turn off the engine and wait 15 minutes to allow the oil in the engine to drain back to the oil pan.
• Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean with a paper towel or rag. Reinsert the dipstick, being sure to push it in all the way, then pull it out again to check the oil level. It should be somewhere between the hash marks on the dipstick.
• Add the type and amount of oil as specified in your owner’s manual, if necessary.

*Courtesy of Reader's Digest

2014 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra to debut on Dec. 13

GM has confirmed that the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra full-size pickups will be making their debut on Dec. 13, 2012 in Michigan at a special press event.

Mark Reuss, president, GM North America, and Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer for full-size and midsize trucks, will present along with Chevrolet and GMC leadership and designers and engineers who developed the new trucks.

The models will make their auto show debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show next month.

* Courtesy of egm CarTech

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Are you in a Malibu State of Mind?

It's Throwback Thursday!

What do you think about this 1983 Chevy ad?

Silverado Towing Tips! Enjoy!

2014 Chevy Impala First to Get Updated MyLink System

The redesigned 2014 Chevy Impala will be the first product in the General Motors lineup to receive the brand’s new updated MyLink infotainment setup.

 

The system has received a new interface and the option to download different display themes which take their inspiration from smartphones, tablets and sports graphics according to Chevy. Four different themes are offered as standard on the car, which are contemporary, edge, velocity and main street.

Among the new features, MyLink can now connect to the internet and look up things for the driver, along with accepting natural-speed voice commands. Presets for radio stations, navigation locations and contacts have sixty spaces to be saved in, and the car’s Bluetooth connection can handle ten different devices at one time.

All of the icons in the new MyLink system are customizable, and can be dragged and dropped to wherever the user wants them.

The updated system will debut on the 2014 Impala, and will also find a home in the new Corvette, Silverado pickup and Tahoe and Suburban SUVs.

*Courtesy of autoguide.com

Happy Volt Owners!

 

The 2013 GMC Acadia Preview

The 2013 GMC Acadia is the mid-point classwise, and is also meant to be the more rugged looking, larger CUV in GM’s trio. For the 2013 model year, the front fascia garners the most attention with a bolder grille and headlights that feature LED signature lighting, and it also grabs new 18” to 20” wheels.

The rear receives likewise LED-accented tail lights, integrated into revised rear quarters with flow-through exhaust outlets.

The cabin is equally updated with new gauges, a redesigned center console replete with features such as touch-activated climate control, and new soft-touch materials.

The Denali version of the 2013 GMC Acadia returns as the top model with a power tilt and telescoping leather and wood-grain steering wheel, contrast stitching on gorgeous unique Cocoa Dune leather and an eight-way power passenger seat.

On the powertrain front, the 2013 GMC Acadia sports the same 288 hp 3.6L V6 and 6-speed automatic transmission as the pre-face-lifted model. Front- and all-wheel-drive versions are offered.

Safety features are numerous in the new Acadia as it will be equipped with seven airbags including an industry-first Centre Side Airbag, the Cross-Traffic Alert System, and Head-up Display. Traction and electronic stability control systems are obviously standard.

The 2013 GMC Acadia Denali is scheduled to arrive in Canada at the end of 2012. Final pricing should be available later this year.

 

*Courtesy of auto.com

A tip to go by in the winter!

Run your AC in winter.
To keep your car’s air-conditioning system fit for the next warm season, run it a few times throughout the winter. This will prevent moving parts in the compressor from seizing. Also, circulating the refrigerant will help keep the seals soft and pliant.

*Courtesy of Reader's Digest