2012 Chevy Sonic is the only small car built in the United States8 and packs a whole lot of attitude.  Sonic is going to catch an eye or two. Its defined front end with motorcycle-inspired, exposed headlamps and unique dual-port grille make a strong visual statement. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is a peppy, well-executed subcompact car with lots of standard features and surprisingly good performance at a reasonable price. We think the new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is one of the segment’s top picks, with it’s winning combination of Comfort and power, along with fuel efficiency. You won’t be dissappointed.

Check out our Review of the 2012 Chevy Sonic

For tire-burning power and Hollywood flash, it doesn’t get much better than the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro.
Strong acceleration with any engine; head-turning looks; good V6 fuel economy; capable handling.

Check out our Inventory of the New 2012 Chevy Camaro

Read our Full Review of the 2012 Chevy Camaro

A new Camaro convertible joins the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro lineup. The Camaro convertible is equipped like the coupes, and it’s available with either the smooth 3.6-liter V6 or in 6.2-liter V8 SS trim.

The reborn Camaro begins its second year with the 2011 model, and it’s turning more heads than ever because the striking styling is starting to sink in as more new Camaros hit the road. Ten exterior colors are available, including a Corvette yellow that guarantees the car will gather many thumbs-up. For 2011, a color called Synergy Green Metallic is added.

Camaro LS and LT models use the Cadillac 3.6-liter V6 with a 6-speed manual transmission standard and 6-speed automatic (with semi-manual shifting) optional. The V6 revs to 7000 rpm and sounds sweet along the way. The horsepower rating for 2011 Camaro LS and 2011 Camaro LT models has been upgraded to 312 horsepower. It was 304 hp on 2010 models, but it’s the rating that changed, not the output. Additional testing found the Camaro’s intake system to be more efficient than the Cadillac’s, on which apparently the previous power estimate was based.

A steeply raked windshield helps produce a low coefficient of drag for good aerodynamics that contribute to the impressive V6 government fuel economy rating of 29 mpg Highway. However, the 2011 Camaro is nipped at the checkered flag by the 2011 Mustang V6 that makes 305 hp and reaches 31 mpg Highway.

We found the handling, ride and brakes to be excellent in both the Camaro LT and the Camaro SS with the big V8, although the SS suspension is stiffer and its 20-inch tires are firmer. The chassis structure is rigid, helping make the turn-in precise for a car this size; the grip is secure, and the damping is solid and supple. We never encountered a harsh moment with the ride, in either car, during a full day of hard driving east of San Diego in both of them, and later a full week in the Pacific Northwest with the 6-speed Camaro SS.

As for the brakes, the Camaro LT stops superbly. The Camaro SS uses four-piston Brembo brakes, but because it’s 200 pounds heavier, the stopping distance isn’t much shorter. However, the Brembos with four-piston calipers make the brakes on the SS more resistant to fade, important on race tracks and mountain roads where the brakes are being used repeatedly.

The TAPshift manual automatic transmission does what you tell it to do, nothing more. We love that. But the 6-speed manual transmission with the V6 is the most all-around usable sporty combination (the V6 because 426 horsepower is overkill on the street). The gearbox is solid but not slick, and the throws are shorter than some. The 6-speed shifts nicely, including easily down into first gear for hairpin turns.

Inside, the cabin is quiet, so quiet that 80 mph feels more like 70. Interior materials are good, but the instrumentation is disappointing, with GM apparently still trying to be clever rather than clean with gauges. The bucket seats are comfortable, with decent bolstering. The front seat slides 8.5 inches and the steering wheel tilts and telescopes, so drivers of all sizes will fit, most notably Camaro’s many female buyers. The standard cloth upholstery is good, with excellent leather available in black, gray, beige and two-tone Inferno Orange.

The windows are small (doorsills high for safety) and the A-pillars wide, so it makes the cockpit feel a bit cave-like. Visibility through the windshield is compromised by the long hood and raked windshield, although careful location of the driver’s seat helps. Rear visibility over the driver’s shoulder isn’t very good, but then it’s impossible to make it good with a roofline this sporty. Rear seat legroom measures a meager 29.9 inches, so you’ll want to avoid sitting back there.

Camaro SS uses the 6.2-liter Corvette V8, making 400 horsepower with the optional 6-speed automatic, or 426 horsepower with the 6-speed manual. We were disappointed by the civility of the exhaust note. The SS uses firmer shocks, springs and anti-roll bars than the V6 models, but the ride doesn’t suffer for it. We found the handling balance of the Camaro SS excellent.

The convertible is equipped like the coupes but features a soft top fitted with acoustical foam in the headliner to minimize noise with the top up. This latest-generation Camaro was designed from the outset to include convertible models, and reinforcements were added in four key areas to increase rigidity.

The 2011 Chevy Corvette is available in coupe and corvette forms, but also in special models including the Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1. This model year gives the Corvette Magnetic Ride Control as an option on Grand Sport models and includes Goodyear F1 Supercar Gen 2 tires with the manual transmission. Radios on models with the navigation system add a USB port and audio input jack. Contrasting-color headlamp housings are newly available in gray, black or silver. The Grand Sport is distinguished by special exterior styling and a stiffer suspension. It uses the same 430-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 engine as the base Corvette, and it’s likewise available with a six-speed manual or an optional six-speed automatic transmission. The Z06 ratchets up the Corvette’s performance capabilities with the use of a more powerful V-8 engine, larger brakes and a firmer suspension. It also features unique styling cues designed to improve performance. Weighing in at a scant 3,324 pounds, the ZR1 is based on the aluminum chassis of the Corvette Z06. It adds a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 capable of a 205-mph top speed, carbon ceramic brake rotors and standard magnetic ride control, plus a carbon-fiber roof, front fenders, rocker moldings and more.

The 2011 Silverado HD is redesigned with many improvements and revisions. One aspect of the ’11 Silverado HD that had dramatically improved is safety features. This year adds the first application of trailer sway control to GM’s full-size pickups. It works using the truck’s antilock braking system and integrated trailer brake controller to brake individual wheels on the pickup automatically when it senses dangerous yaw in the rear of the truck from the trailer, which could happen if weight unexpectedly shifts inside the trailer. If the trailer has electric brakes and is connected to the Silverado’s 7-pin trailer connector, the truck can also automatically apply the trailer’s brakes to stop dangerous sway. TRW is the supplier for the system. The Silverado will continue to compete with its main rival, the Ford F-350. In comparison, the Ford F-350 for 2011, which can be found at many Ford dealers in NH, adds traction control, a hill launch assist feature, side curtain airbags, a redesigned instrument panel offering more information, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel and trailer sway control. At AutoFair Ford, one of the top Ford NH dealerships, they usually have in stock F-350′s that come with antilock brakes, dual front airbags, adjustable height outboard belt anchors, and child-seat LATCH anchors.

Another new safety feature of the ’11 Silverado HD can help with hill starts. Hill-hold assist will automatically apply the vehicle’s brakes for 1.5 seconds once you lift your foot off the brake when you’re on an incline. Its part of the Silverado’s integrated trailer brake controller, so it will apply the trailer’s brakes, too, if it has electric brakes. Finally, all SRW Silverado HD pickups will come standard with GM’s StabiliTrak stability and traction control system. Though it’s not required on trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, on the GM pickups it will run up to the heaviest 11,600-pound GVWR.

The new 2011 Silverado HD will offer an available Duramax 6.6L Turbo-Diesel V8 with a maximum 397 horsepower and 765 lb.-ft. of torque, making it the most powerful heavy duty available.  The amazing feat with the new Silverado is, it’s more fuel-efficient  than The truck will use a heavy duty and strong transmission – the legendary Allison six-speed automatic. The ’11 Silverado will feature an all new chassis – giving an improved ride and payload and towing capabilities that rank with its competition. Plus, innovative trailering features like Trailer Sway Control (SRW only) and StabiliTrak help keep you on track. Silverado. The 2011 SilveradoHD will arrive at dealerships summer 2010.

The Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD look very much like the 2010 models with only a new grille, bumper and hood to distinguish them—normally, you’d expect a complete restyle, but this modest approach was a cost-saving measure taken in light of GM’s bankruptcy. Expect a more thorough restyling in two or three years, after the company repays its government loans and issues stock in the new GM, but the new front end does give the 2011 truck a less pouty look. Underneath the familiar Silverado sheetmetal, though, is an all-new truck, starting with a new frame. The frame is now fully boxed end-to-end and boasts uprated crossmembers to achieve a 92 percent improvement in bending stiffness, a 20 percent gain in torsional rigidity. A new independent front suspension attaches to the hydroformed front segment and this forward portion of the structure is 125 percent stiffer, which let the engineers improve the ride quality and steering feel. Plus, all 4×4 permutations of the HD trucks are now capable of carrying the load of a snow plow thanks to an uprated front axle rating of 6000 lbs.