Buy or Lease?

Depends.  Hope this helps.

Accessorize Your Chevy

Anybody who is into cars wants to customize their ride, but custom parts are expensive.  Living in the state of California, what you drive describes what you are. We want our cars to be the best looking ones on the road, but rims and tires can cost thousands of dollars. Custom paint jobs can be even more. And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to customizing your car. If you’ve ever watched those “car makeover” programs on television and wished your car could be next on the list, here’s some good news: there are affordable, do-it-yourself products that can help give your car a custom look. Check out this website that General Motors has created so you can choose the parts you want to upgrade on  your car and have them shipped to your door so you can have a technician at your local GM dealership install them on your vehicle.

The Tahoe Hybrid: Size AND Economy

Considering downsizing the size of your vehicle to save on soaring fuel costs? Worried about how to squeeze in those five kids you need to lug to soccer practice every week? Does the sight of a wimpy small sedan fill you with consternation but does the sight of gas prices at $4.00 a gallon fill you with absolute terror? Then perhaps the all new 2008 Tahoe Hybrid will cure what ails you! Available in both 2WD and 4WD, it is comparable with the existing Tahoe in terms of seating, cargo capacity, and price range.

 

The Tahoe Hybrid’s fuel conserving technology includes its 6.0L Vortec V8 engine with Active Fuel Management. It has Late Intake Valve closing for additional fuel savings with Variable Valve Timing and 10.8:1 compression ratio. Even with this high compression rate, the Tahoe Hybrid can run on regular unleaded fuel. The Tahoe Hybrid’s patented technology, the world’s first 2-mode (two motors, both generating 60kW of electricity) hybrid propulsion system, optimizes fuel economy for various driving conditions. The first mode, used at low speeds with light loads, enables the vehicle to operate in three ways: 1) electric power only, 2) engine power only, and 3) combination of electric and engine power. The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds, full engine power is used when necessary such as passing, towing a trailer, and climbing steep grades. The Tahoe Hybrid also recharges itself through regenerative braking. About 30% of its battery power is regenerated through regenerating braking, but be sure to not brake too hard! Just let off the gas and ease down for regeneration to occur.

 

The exterior has also been redesigned for aerodynamic improvements. It has a sleeker aluminum hood, grille and front fascia with a lower air dam, 18” wheels, assist steps, rear spats, a new rear spoiler, D-pillar moldings, tail lamps, rear fascia and an aluminum liftgate with fixed lift glass.

 

The Tahoe Hybrid’s safety components also exceed what you would normally find in a conventional Tahoe. It has a unique crash sensor for high-voltage content, a 300V battery protected by a box which encases it as well as the vehicle structure, a high-voltage system that shuts down automatically when the air bags deploy, and access protection, which shuts down the high-voltage system if any safety cover with integral switches is removed.

 

So cram in all of your kids, pets, and toys! The 2WD supports a payload of 1830 lbs and the 4WD model 1773 lbs. With 332 horsepower, a torque of 367 at 4100 rpm, and towing capacities of 6200 lbs (2WD) and 6000 lbs (4WD), you’ll forget that you’re driving something that uses so little gasoline! Three hundred gallons less per year than the competition, in fact!

2008 Equinox Sport

The 2008 Chevrolet Equinox Sport delivers something that’s still rare in the new-car marketplace: a complete sport-tuning package on a compact sport-utility vehicle.

Like Chevy’s larger Trailblazer SS, the 2008 Equinox Sport adds a comprehensive performance-oriented package that includes a sports suspension, styling tweaks and a new, 263-hp V6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. By appearance, the Sport is easy to distinguish from the standard Equinox. The standard roof rack has been removed for a more streamlined look. The Sport’s grille and lower bumpers have been painted to match the body, with big, silver-trimmed air intakes in the front bumper. Polished five-spoke aluminum wheels, 18 inches in diameter, come standard.

The biggest improvements are under the hood. Its 3.6-iter V6 is not a mildly tweaked variant of the overhead-valve engine in the standard Equinox. Rather, it’s the same four-cam V6 offered in more expensive GM vehicles like the Cadillac SRX, with the latest materials and control technology, including fully variable valve timing. Generating 263 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque, the Equinox Sport’s engine is one of the most powerful available in a small SUV. Moreover, the Equinox Sport features a six-speed automatic with tap-up, tap-down manual shift capability. The class standard remains a five-speed or less. With 0-60 mph times in under seven seconds, and 3,500 pounds of towing capacity with the optional fulltime all-wheel drive system. The Sport, rides about an inch lower than the standard Equinox, with firmer springs and bushings for more immediate steering response and less lean in corners. Inside, the Equinox Sport features seats with bigger side bolsters, a thicker, four-spoke leather steering wheel and model exclusive monotone Ebony trim. Standard features include remote starting, a flat-folding front passenger seat, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power windows, air conditioning, tilt steering, rear liftgate defogger and wiper, and a six-speaker stereo with CD player, auxiliary jack and XM satellite radio. Options include leather upholstery, power sunroof, seven-speaker Pioneer audio and GM’s OnStar system with navigation. Safety features include GM’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, four-channel antilock brakes and tire pressure monitoring system.

Bottom line: Chevrolet’s Equinox Sport will offer a lot of small SUV for the money.