2019 Chevy Silverado Highlighted by Offroad.com as “Exceeding the Competition”

Many of our die-hard truck fans that frequent the lots and sales office here at Chuck Hutton are longstanding proponents of the V-8 engine. Why shouldn't they be? Power, grunt, and high efficiency have long been major “names of the game” as far as sales of new trucks are concerned. But as of late, trends have shifted a bit in favor of smaller engines that boast a bit better of a punch in the fuel rating category. For 2019 Chevy now boasts new volume models (LT and RST), featuring a 2.7-Liter turbocharged engine. Unlike the 2.7-Liter in the competing Ford F-150, Chevy's features a 4-cylinder, making 310 horsepower, and 348 lb-ft of torque.

Boasting the ability to nail down 20 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway, the good folks on staff at the Offroad.com blog thought now was the time to take it for a spin and reflect on the fine points. Right off the bat, they lamented that “thanks to some clever engineering, the turbo 4-cylinder in the Silverado accelerates fast, making the run to 60 mph a full second faster than the 4.3-Liter V6 it replaces.” The new engine up front is lighter as well, drastically improving the feel of steering, as well as feedback. Claiming after some lengthy spins that “this is the most balanced Silverado you can currently buy,” it is now evident that those of you who are spending more time in the city while driving could really benefit from the out-of-sight handling capability of these well-engineered new releases.

The average pickup buyer in this class has a need to tow around 5,000 pounds, and this Silverado sporting the 2.7-Liter turbo tows up to 7,200 pounds, with a max payload of 2,280 pounds. When put to the task around the test loop in Scottsdale, Arizona, this 2.7-liter 4-cylinder outperformed both the Ram's V6 eTorque engine, and Ford's base 3.3-Liter V6. The Offroad.com staff also was in full agreement that the Silverado possesses amazing off-the-line potential, and is clearly the champion when it comes to overtaking a rival at speed.

Ask us here at Chuck Hutton about the various trim options when you are ready for a seriously opinion-swaying test drive: this is truly the model with a 4-cylinder engine that “doesn't feel like a penalty box,” and still fares excellently while doing the day-to-day tasks any average truck driver has in front of them. We really enjoyed how this article claimed major supremacy to our rival in the form of Ford: standard features such as dual-zone climate control, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto support do not disappoint, as well as heated seats and steering wheel, and LT-model-included LED headlights. The miracles of modern engineering have drastically changed engine power and performance that was perhaps not taken seriously, and these new 4-cylinder Silverados are going to make a scorching statement of prime ability and punchy power!

ZR2 Race Parts Slated For Release Courtesy of Chevy Performance

Exciting expansion has taken place on the Colorado ZR2 Midsize truck's performance level: there are 15 new and ultra-souped up factory race components that have been developed courtesy of Chevrolet Performance engineering. The parts were developed by Chevrolet Performance engineering in collaboration with Multimatic and Hall Racing, and off-road guru Chad Hall had the honor of competing in a Colorado ZR2 that was equipped with these components over the last year, and the team successfully completed every mile during the “Best in the Desert” series, putting them to the test in the most desolate and demanding of elements.

Hall Racing also used the Colorado ZR2 to pre-run the incredibly demanding Baja 1000 race, which is a particularly brutal and tough dose of strain put on a truck's suspension. Now for the first time, anyone can purchase for themselves the Chevy Performance Parts that raced to glory in the desert. After observing the overall impressive performance of the Colorado ZR2, many loyal customers have been asking Chad for help and advice while constructing their own type of racing ZR2, and now you just need to add the required safety equipment to build a pre-runner for scouting the Baja 1000, or a full-blown race truck that is ready to participate in the gnarliest of conditions.

Compared to a standard Colorado, the ZR2 features front and rear tracks that have seen widening of 3.5 inches, and a suspension lift of 2 inches. Rocks and other obstacles are important elements to keep in mind in the off-road realm, and functional rock sliders are on deck for better delivery of performance in these areas. Other features that help when the going gets hazard-ripe and tough are standard front and rear locking differentials, an available diesel engine, and the very first off-road application of Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve.

Planted deep inside this fine machinery and steel, a set of Multimatic DSSV dampers engineered with quality that surpasses the bandwidth of the ZR2's stock DSSVs reside. There are also Available Multimatic Front Long Travel DSSV Shocks, that dole out as much as a 15 percent increase in the overall front suspension travel, while the Multimatic long travel rear shocks offer up rear suspension travel increase by as much as 10 percent. When you are talking about getting down to serious off-road business, this is definitely the medium that fully outfits you to get the job done: the front and rear shocks incorporate the same technology found on Trophy Trucks. These parts go on sale between now and early 2019, and are exclusively available to ZR2 customers a la carte, or as a complete package.

To check out the details on the various options available to make your ZR2 that much more rock-crawl and canyon ready, just click here for the goodies. This is the truck that Business Insider ranked as “robust and highly capable,” and will allow you to begin the journey to an exhilarating and equipped-to-the-nines off-road adventure!

ZR1 Corvette Hailed by Motor Authority As “Best Car to Buy 2019”

Every year, the seasoned editors of Motor Authority are lucky enough to place themselves in a brand new arsenal of sports cars and luxury sedans, and they are able to treat them as if they were theirs. This is a privilege that knows no boundaries: the chance to see the features of new vehicles and see how they perform on the various roads and tracks out there are invaluable to writers of this publication. This year they narrowed down their selection of strong contenders to five finalists, and the focus was ultimately on the Audi RS 5, the BMW M5, our beloved Chevy ZR1 Corvette, the Ford Mustang GT Performance Pack Level 1, and the Jaguar I-Pace.

After hours of comprehensive testing, a winner was announced, and the decision had swung in the favor of the Corvette. Finding the 755 horsepower overwhelming in a good way, the ZR1 proved to be very capable on the track, and accessible on the street. When put in skilled hands, this is a car that is capable of breakneck speed, and is built on the very exciting C7-generation's frame. The upgrades for the ZR1 add more elements of goodness, beginning most importantly under the hood, where Chevy added the 6.2-liter V8 that features a supercharger.

There is also 52 percent more displacement than the 650-hp engine present in the Corvette Z06, and the startling 755 hp is the most ever for any vehicle crafted under the prized Chevy namesake. Direct and port injection both work overtime to help churn out 715 lb-ft of tire-scathing torque. The uniquely designed front fascia completes the task of bringing in more air to cool a total of four radiators, and a specially-designed carbon fiber hood completes the task of supercharger clearance. Many diehard 'Vette fans have been righteously fascinated with not one, but two rear wings, that help increase downforce to attain more speed on the track, and carbon-fiber brakes that can slow down this lightening-fast vehicle in a dire hurry.

The staff of Motor Authority claimed after driving that “the torque from the LT5 V-8 comes on like a hammer when pushed hard, but the engine will stay in the background with a light throttle foot.” The brand-new ZR1 provides a bellowing sound that is unlike any other from previous models, and everyone here on the sales and service staff at Chuck Hutton of Memphis has heard various rumors that this car is simply not the handful on a track you'd expect, given the massive amount of raw brute force derived from the ingeniously-designed engine.

This is a very intensely-honed machine that you can place avidly on a dime, punish at very high speeds, then quickly switch directions with, leaving behind the fear of the tires losing their valuable grip. Also equipped with an 8-inch infotainment screen sporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and cooled seats, and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot, the 2019 ZR1 is a true supercar that is absolutely worthy of investigation. You won't find anything on the planet that can nail down track times like this at even twice the price, and we truly attest that “this is the stuff that high-speed legends are made of.”

Car and Driver Focus on Truck Tech: Tremendous Ways to Make a Rig More Trusty

When you take on the task of tracing the history of pickup trucks, one sees that for years the “form-follows-function” mentality was the name of the game. If a feature was discovered that did not improve the efficiency or capability of a truck, it was quickly deemed not worth putting into the production regimen. During the middle to late 20^th century, that principle began to steadily disintegrate, and convenience, as well as luxury features from cars, began to gradually work their way into the beds and cabs of trucks everywhere. Now, trucks that boast luxury-car levels of equipment are common, and the rise of frequent technology use has changed the face of trucks for good.

Everything from air suspensions for lowering the truck to built-in steps began to appear, and even though trucks still regained their traditional form, many different innovations began to checker the landscape. One prime example of just how far things have come is downsized turbo engines. Back in 1993, the Ford F-150 had a 302 cubic-inch V8, making just 185 horsepower, and 270 lb-ft of torque. This year, GM released a turbocharged 2.7-liter 4-cylinder for our trusty new Silverado that generates 310 horsepower, and 348 lb-ft of torque. Forced induction is one of the developments that is really taking the truck world by storm.

Trailers are one of the great perks of owning a truck: you can haul goods, or even choose to move the kids to college without ponying up for a formal U-haul. This is all well and good, until you may encounter forces of nature that make you sorry you had ever thought of this cross-country endeavor. High winds can really change your trailering plans in a hurry, as the trailer may be tossed around, potentially causing damage to anything you are trying so hard to transport safely. All of us here on sales and service staff at Chuck Hutton are proud to show customers how awesome the brake-based trailer sway-control system is: these factory systems will keep drivers from having a flat-out heart attack every time the wind picks up.

The 2019 Chevy Silverado makes use of a tow package that has cameras on hand to show close-up views of the hitch and trailer, displayed conveniently on the Infotainment screen. This can really make a huge difference: while it may not completely cut a two-or three-person job down to just one, it really can help with the extreme close-up and vital focus that is needed during the hitch process. It is fantastic that trucks have become so much more than just trucks, yet at the core are the exact same all-American workhorses that they always were. When you come to visit this fall and test drive a new Chevy truck, ask us to show you all of the amazing features: there are so many ways in which new technology has made the working man and woman's vessel more productive!