cars news 10

2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 6.2L 4×4 8-Speed Automatic – Instrumented Test

2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country Crew Cab 4x4

2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country Crew Cab 4x4 6.2-liter V-8 engine

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2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG Tested, Should Be Renamed the WTF45 AMG

Car manufacturers sometimes stray from established paths in their quest for market growth, occasionally birthing creations that surprise us with vision, excellence, and healthy profits (see Porsche Cayenne and Cadillac Escalade). Other times, however, the process yields a dud, such as the BMW 5-series GT. While Mercedes-Benz’s extra-strength GLA45 AMG is certainly more exciting than BMW’s Quasimodo, it’s no less confusing. READ MORE ››

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2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG – Instrumented Test

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 engine

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Recall Alert: 83,572 GM Trucks, SUVs

12Chevrolet_Silverado

Vehicles Affected: About 84,000 GM trucks from the 2011-12 model year, including certain Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche pickup trucks and Tahoe and Suburban SUVs; GMC Sierra pickup trucks and Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs; and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV SUVs and Escalade EXT pickup trucks. Certain 2007-14 models from that group with previous repairs may also need this recall because of defective replacement parts.

The Problem: If the cabin is warm, a faulty ignition lock actuator could cause the key to stick in the Start position when you turn the car on. (That's past the Off, Accessory and Run positions.) If you drive with the key stuck in Start and the cabin temperature falls or you hit a bump, the key could release from the Start position and rotate all the way past Run into the Accessory position. That would turn off the car, disabling important systems like power steering and airbags.

The Fix: The actuator is too large, spokesman Alan Adler told us, and a warm cabin may cause the piece to expand even more. GM dealers (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet or GMC) will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing if needed, according to The Detroit News. Adler told us GM expects fewer than 500 cars to need the repairs.

What Owners Should Do: Owners can call GM at 800-458-8006 for more info.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

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This Nonet of Vehicles Is Guaranteed to Defeat Any Snowpocalypse

Thanks to the polar vortex—or rather, vortices—last winter was one of the harshest on record. While it’s yet unknown where this season will land in the annals of icy doom, you can never be too prepared. Here are our top picks for taming winter’s fury.

In the early 20th century, most rural mail carriers relied on horses and sleds for mail delivery, but a few enterprising folks came up with kits to convert automobiles for snow duty. Given the rugged nature (they still use Model T pickups for general maintenance on the grounds of the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village) and ubiquity of the Ford Model T, it was only natural that the majority of the professionally manufactured kits would be aimed at Ford’s legendary T. It may be crude, but its bag-of-hammers simplicity will come in handy when the only tools you have to perform a repair are a pair of vice grips, a reel of baling wire, and the wisdom of the Inuit.

Even if you hate winter, you still have to love the retro-modern look of the Bombardier Snow Coach. Originally diesel-powered and used in Canada’s most unforgiving polar terrain, a handful of these track-driven coaches have been updated and adopted for use in and around Yellowstone Park. Roll into town during a blizzard—to get a Blizzard, maybe—in one of these babies and locals will be positively convinced the snow-Martians have landed. But they’ll probably still ask for a ride.

Take an already capable snow vehicle—VW uses Touaregs as rescue and recovery vehicles at its winter driving facility in Sweden—and outfit it with tracks, and you're ready to ride out any Snowpocalypse in leather-lined comfort. Protip: Don’t forget the Grizzly Bear CDs, bearskin rug, and peppermint schnapps for midnight rendezvous with snow bunnies while waiting for the sun to return.

Many companies have manufactured snowcat-type vehicles over the years, but the Thiokol Spryte is the one that Shelley Duvall used to escape the fictitious Overlook Hotel in the movie adaptation of Steven King’s “The Shining.” For that reason alone the Spryte is our snowcat of choice. Adding to the Spryte’s notoriety is the fact that the Thiokol Corporation at one point sold the Snowcat division to none other than John Z. DeLorean, a man who knew a thing or two about mounds of white stuff.

There’s not much to say here beyond what we’ve already stated in previous coverage: As tracked vehicles go, this is the top dawg on our list for performance, but sneak attacks are out of the question.

Why bother with tracks or tires when you can simply use a dead-nuts-reliable screw drive? Not only will you be a hit with the steampunk crowd, you can julienne a helluva salad with the giant, auger-like torpedoes it rides on. Just make sure to keep your extremities free of the working bits—bloody stumps are totally out this year.

Duh, they call them “snowmobiles” for a reason. (OK, some call them “snow machines,” but you get the point.) Many brands are available, but you can’t go wrong with Ski-Doo’s Expedition SE. With a hearty 1200-cc four-stroke under the hood and room for a passenger and some survival gear, you'll have plenty to smile about as you blast past miles of stuck and abandoned cars on the highway. Suckers!

We haven’t exactly tried it, but both of our tests of side-by-sides in the mud lead us to believe that such a vehicle sporting massive studs on its tires might be just the ticket for navigating the frozen byways of our new permafrost reality. Just don’t forget to double up on the thermals and ammo.

When travel by land fails, take to the air. Sky jockeys have been outfitting the storied single-engine Beaver with skis for decades, landing them in the coldest places on earth. If that isn’t enough of a recommendation, consider that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police use them for patrol, although it’s not clear if the Mountie or the horse flies the plane. Regardless, as a dependable aircraft with a long and storied history and quirky appeal, it offers one advantage that trumps the rest: You can fly the hell out of the Snow Belt, put ’er down in Key West, and run up one mother of a bar tab.

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Ben Ballers Not So Average Rental Car

When your Rolls Royce is in for service, you can't drive just any old rental car. Or at least that's the case for Ben Baller. The dealership gave Ben a red Rolls Royce Wraith to drive for the week while his Ghost was in for service.

Ben Baller Rolls Royce

Photo (@benballer)

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This Is Why a Toyota V-6 and Porsche Flat-Six Sound So Different

What separates a Porsche flat-six from a Toyota Avalon V-6—aside from the bank angle, the power output, the engine location, and your interest in owning one? At full throttle, the Porsche belts out an aggressive mechanical rasp while the Avalon mutters a nonthreatening burr. How can two six-cylinder engines sound so different? READ MORE ››

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2015 Ford Expedition

Elbowed out of the limelight for 2015 by rock-star Mustangs and F-150s, Ford’s face-lifted Expedition has earned minimal hoopla. But cheaper gas and a recovering economy have spurred full-size SUV sales, so the timing is right for the largest sport-ute wearing the blue oval to win more customers seeking maximum seating and towing capabilities. READ MORE ››

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