GMC and Chevrolet Cars of the Year

The award is presented annually by a jury of ten automotive authorities in the Middle East and around the world consisting of leading automotive journalists and other industry experts.

According to Publishing Director RMS magazines and Editor-in-Chief Middle East Car, Philip Moore, 'The jury found the all-new, comprehensively redesigned GMC Acadia and Suburban and Chevrolet Caprice and Corvette Z06 like no other vehicles in their class, delivering an unprecedented experience,' said Moore. 'These vehicles are truly leaders in their category - where buyers no longer need to sacrifice performance and style for utility.'

This is the first time the influential Middle East Car magazine has presented Car of the Year Awards. Philip Moore continued, 'The publication had been responding to requests from the market and the COTYs would be an annual event from now on'.

The all-new 2007 GMC Acadia, winner of the 'Best Crossover' award, was designed to add a new dimension to the fastest growing-vehicle segment in the Middle East offering superior levels of comfort, versatility and performance.
Sharing familial design cues with GMC's other all-new full-size SUVs, the Acadia features styling that underscores GMC's professional grade philosophy. The exterior profile of the Acadia is sporty, sleek and aerodynamic while its interior reflects style and refinement. The GMC Acadia GMC's first CUV takes the best aspects of the class and melds them together intelligently, and with more style.

The all new 2007 GMC Suburban, winner of Middle East Car's 'Lifetime Achievement' award, is the latest generation of the industry's most versatile and capable full-size SUV. It is based on GM's new, full-size SUV architecture, featuring sleek exterior styling, a sharper, more precise driving feel, more power with improved, segment-leading fuel economy, increased interior refinement and improved quietness.

'GM is a powerhouse in the Middle East, notching record sales on the back of some fine product. This was reflected when the votes were tallied. GM innovates while keeping an eye on auto traditions and traditions of the Middle East, which was clearly evident in our special Lifetime Achievement award for an industry icon, the Suburban. This award will not necessarily be presented each year, only when the situation warrants it.'

Terry Johnsson, President, General Motors Middle East Operations, said: 'The 2007 Acadia and Suburban reinforce that the GMC brand is all about exceeding expectations. GMC has long been a trusted brand in the Middle East and our customers are drawn to the precision, power and capabilities of what the brand offers. And now, the line-up is expanding to offer more professional grade vehicles to suit everyday demanding lifestyles.'

The new 2007 Chevrolet Caprice, winner of Best LWB Executive Car, balances great proportions, world class exterior and interior styling, and creative design elements to give a stately stance on the road. Reinforcing Caprice's generous heritage, the all-new Caprice makes its own statement about what a large sedan should be. With its advanced technologies and functional, user-friendly features, the 2007 Chevrolet Caprice is stronger and better equipped than ever before.

The 2007 Caprice is set to build on the success and tradition of its predecessor as one of the legends of the regional car market, maintaining its pre-eminence as the car of choice among statesmen, government officials, business executives and large families.

The 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the fastest, most powerful production Corvette ever built, won the 'Best Muscle Car' award. It is also the fastest, most powerful production car ever offered by General Motors, making it one of the best performance values on the market - better than many of today's 'super-

cars'. The Z06's LS7 7.0 litre engine delivers 505 horsepower in a 1,421 kg package - a combination that delivers 0-100 km/h performance of 3.7 seconds in first gear, quarter-mile times of 11.7 seconds at 200 km/h and a top speed of 317 km/h.

'Chevrolet's reputation for reliability and for driveability has ensured that our heritage has developed into the success we see today with our expanded product portfolio,' said Terry Johnsson. 'Our strategy is to continue to maximize our global resources to bring great new cars and SUVs to the region and to compete in all-new segments under the Chevrolet brand.'

Moore concluded, 'The COTY awards have several functions. One is to salute every single person involved in providing vehicles to consumers in the Middle East. We have taken a long time to decide to give awards because we take such a matter very seriously. We salute all finalists and winners. There would always be a modicum of disappointment from some that they might not have won COTY'.

The recognition marks another milestone for the GMC and Chevrolet brands in the Middle East, coming at a time when the appeal of the brands and sales are at an all time high.

GMC 4.5L V8 Duramax Diesel

Mark your calendars, because we're calling today a watershed moment for the advancement of diesel's acceptance in the U.S. General Motors has just announced a new 4.5L V8 Duramax turbo-diesel powerplant it plans to use in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, as well as the HUMMER H2. The new oil burner is expected to produce at least 310 horsepower and 520 ft-lbs. of torque. It features dual-overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, a variable-vane turbocharger and aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding that helps keep the overall package small enough to fit in the same space as the automaker's small-block gas V8s.

That's right, just imagine the possibilities. Wherever GM uses a small-block V8 gas engine, it could potentially use the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel. In a few years we could be driving diesel Impalas, diesel Camaros, maybe even a diesel Corvette! To quote GM's press release, the engine's small size gives it "the flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there be future market demand." Indeed.

GM estimates that the engine will improve fuel efficiency by 25%, reduce CO2 emissions by 13% and decrease particulate and NOx emissions by at least 90% in its GMT900 pickups and the HUMMER H2. Whoever said the HUMMER H2 was on its way out will likely be proven incorrect after this engine debuts. Scheduled to be built at the GM Tonawanda engine plant outside Buffalo, NY, the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel will be 50-state emissions compliant and meet 2010 diesel emissions standards, as well. GM claims its new diesel will also have NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels approaching those of today's current gas V8s, though we'll have to wait and see if that wish comes true. That wait should end in a couple of years, as the automaker states the engine will be available in Silverado, Sierra and H2 models built after 2009.

2007 Chevrolet Impala Review

The Chevrolet Impala is a comfortable and convenient car, practical and enjoyable to drive. We find its neat, clean lines pleasing to the eye. Its styling looks fresh and it is. The Chevrolet Impala benefits from its recent redesign for 2006.

Several upgrades and refinements for 2007 make for a better car: The available 3.9-liter V6 gets GM's Active Fuel Management system, which idles cylinders at certain times for improved fuel economy. A tire-pressure monitor comes standard. OnStar comes standard and has been upgraded for 2007, offering the new Turn-by-Turn navigation service. And OnStar will automatically communicate the nature and severity of a crash as well as its location to the 911 centers.

The Chevrolet Impala is a big car. It's generally classified as a mid-size sedan, though it's large for that class, and nearly a full-size. The front and back seats are roomy, though not inordinately so given the size of this car, and getting in and out of the car is easy. and it has a healthy cargo capacity. It has a huge trunk and flip-and-fold back seats that present holding wells for groceries or a flat cargo floor that expands the trunk for long items.

It's very stable on the open road, a nice cruiser. There's lots of low-end torque from the larger of the two available V6 engines, the 3.9-liter V6. Step on the gas and it goes. And it handles well, in fact surprisingly well given its size.

Several models are available, ranging from strong, reliable, fuel-efficient family sedan to sleek and powerful performance car. The mid-level Chevrolet Impala LT probably best exemplifies the model line. We like the LT with the optional 3.9-liter V6 engine, which gets GM's Active Fuel Management system for 2007, which improves real-world fuel economy. The LTZ adds leather and other convenience features. The SS comes with a small-block 5.3-liter V8 engine that sounds great and delivers strong acceleration performance.

For its low price alone, the Chevrolet Impala will be on many family-sedan shopping lists, where it competes against the Ford Five Hundred, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima.

2007 Vortech Corvette Z06

The Corvette C6 Z06 clubs nearly everything in its path. With 505 horsepower produced from a hand-assembled 7.0-liter LS7 V-8, the Z06 easily outpaces the mighty 8.3-liter Viper SRT-10 Coupe-which has made the Dodge boys quite angry. In response, SRT will soon release its super-strength 2008 Viper shod with a new 8.4-liter V-10 that cranks out 600 hellspawned horses. The gloves are off and the fight is on.

Rather than being outgunned by Mopar, Corvette Z06 owners can now gear up with more power thanks to a booster shot of bolt-on performance from Vortech Engineering. Known for making big top-end power, Vortech produces a variety of centrifugal superchargers that cram heaping helpings of added oxygen into an engine for impressive power gains. In the case of the new Corvette Z06, Vortech has just put the final touches on a kit featuring its latest V-2 SQ T-trim centrifugal supercharger, which delivers 6 psi of boost to the LS7 V-8. The SQ design stands for "Super Quiet." Gone is the obnoxiously loud gear whine associated with most centrifugal superchargers. Rather, at idle and cruise speeds, the blower is nearly silent-so as not to give away your forced-induction secret.

The Vortech kit ($6695, satin finish; $6995, polished finish) offers everything needed for installation, including a T-trim supercharger, air-to-air aluminum intercooler, compressor bypass valve, aluminum mounting brackets and hardware, high-flow fuel pump, oversize fuel injectors, and even a specially programmed Diablo Sports handheld programmer to reflash the factory computer with the proper spark/fuel calibrations. The result is an LS7 engine that cranks out a dyno-proven 635 horses (35 more than the upcoming 8.4-liter Viper's), while sipping 91-octane pump fuel. In addition, the 50-state smog-legal kit is optionally available with a three-year/36,000-mile powertrain warranty through Vortech's network of top-tier installers and new-car dealers.

Enough tech talk, how does the Vortech kit perform? The answer is simple: too well. Fit to a bone-stock Corvette Z06 (tires, exhaust, suspension, etc.), the output is so substantial the car has a hard time taking off. Laughable amounts of rear tirespin occur in first gear, even with part throttle application. In fact, our best quarter-mile launch resulted when bogging the V-8 off the line at 1400 rpm and then short-shifting the 1-2 shift at 4400 rpm-before big boost hit. In second gear, the stock Goodyear Eagle F1 325/30ZR19 tires puts down thick black stripes on the tarmac as the Corvette Z06 fishtails wildly. By third gear, you can apply full throttle, wind to the 7000-rpm redline, then watch the speedometer digits count up faster than a Chinese mathematician working a nitrous-fed abacus.

At the end of the quarter mile, the Vortech Z06 runs just a few tenths quicker than a stock Corvette Z06 (due to wild tirespin), but delivers a nearly 10 mph more trap speed (a more accurate indicator of the power increase). With stickier tires, a Vortech-blown Z06 should run in the 10s. Rejoice knowing a Vortech Z06, even with copious tirespin, will still go 0 to 100 to 0 mph in a scant 11.7 seconds. Take that, Mr. 8.4-liter Viper.

Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Concept

Of course! A convertible! It's as obvious as the response General Motors expected last year when it posed the question, "Should we build a new Camaro?" in three glorious, 1:1-scale Detroit-show dimensions.

Look at the Camaro coupe concept's top, or the original 1969 Camaro to which it pays homage, and you'll see it's easy to slice it off without compensating for too fast a fastback. It's easy if you picture it or photoshop it as we did months ago. It wasn't as easy for Tom Peters, director of rear-drive design and chief of design for the Camaro convertible, last year's coupe, and, not coincidentally, for the C6 Corvette.

"It's amazing how many people think that's all you do," Peters says. "Probably every surface is changed, say, two or three inches down from the door-cut back all around. Even the spoiler looks like the one on the coupe, but it's not."

Rear fenderlines drop off from the horizontal surface to the vertical surface a couple inches farther out than on the coupe to keep proportions good. If showing a Camaro convertible concept at the 2007 Detroit show seems obvious, that's only from your armchair.

It may not be so obvious as it is necessary. Chevy will launch the Camaro coupe in late 2008 as a 2009 model; then to battle the other Ford Mustang body style, it'll launch the Camaro convertible about spring of 2009. We're still awaiting official word from Chrysler on a ragtop version of the 2009 Dodge Challenger, but that's another no-brainer.

"The overall car statement is," Peters says, "whereas the last one was pure, design-statement, performance-oriented, this one has more of a fun, sporty, kind of personality to it. And that's appropriate. That's what Camaro's been in the past; that's what these types of cars have been in the past. Sporty, fun, and all the way to the serious performance."

As the concept makes the rounds of car shows following its Detroit debut, GM Australia is hard at work on the production car. Expect thicker sills and tunnels and added cross-bracing to give the convertible's unibody coupelike stiffness.

Doing another Camaro concept also gave Peters's crew the chance to work on different colors and textures. The convertible concept has charcoal SS stripes over a lustrous Hugger orange paint job-the stripes are so dark they appear black under certain light. You might think of the 1969 Camaro RS/SS Indy 500 official pace car, which has orange stripes on a white body.

2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx

Chevy promised great things from its new-for-2005 Chevrolet Malibu. The premise was that GM needed a car that could legitimately take on Camry and Accord, which long ago assumed the roles of America's best-loved and best-selling midsize family sedans. The aptly named Maxx sportwagon variant--something the others don't offer--is intended to help eke out some extra volume. The appeal is more rear legroom and cargo space than in a conventional sedan, without it being a crossover or conventional sport/utility. Our well-equipped example cost $27,045 all in and included other rear cabin accoutrements such as a glass roof panel and DVD system.


The Chevrolet Malibu Maxx's interior is awash in plastics of just-average quality, but they withstood our abuse well--except for a broken seatback. The leather/fake-suede seating surfaces are comfortable and grippy. Most everyone liked the simple radio and climate-control knobs and buttons, although resetting the trip odometer (done through the radio, of all places) was a hassle. One parental staffer gave the LATCH car seatbelt mounts double thumbs up for ease of use.


The Sigma platform architecture and "high-value" V-6 powertrain didn't rock our world, but got the job done. "The Mr. Roboto styling isn't my favorite design trend," commented one editor, "and the 3.5-liter V-6 has all the aural charm of a jigsaw." But there are Chevrolet Malibu characteristics we have warmed to. The structure is as solid as some BMWs or Mercedes, and, as a result, the modest tire-wearing Chevrolet Malibu slices through urban/suburban territory with its head held high, managing a decent ride in the process.

2007 Chevrolet Silverado

The ladder frame of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck features an independent, control-arm coil-over-shock front suspension. The versatile spring rates and rack-and-pinion steering combine to provide the smoothest road feel and most confident turn-in of any full-size pickup. With harsh and soft steering inputs, the results are balanced and evenly progressive, and snap-back to center is predictable and firm. Likewise, mounting the rack to a crossmember (the steering box was previously mounted to the driver-side frame rail for 4x4 models) allows steering engineers to use bushing and torque specs to minimize (if not eliminate) play or slop in the system. Solid and easy to control are apt descriptors.


The remaining two-thirds of the fully boxed frame accommodates the specific needs of a pickup bed, and the Chevrolet Silverado uses a live rear axle. Engineers put considerable effort into tuning the three-leaf pack to run smoothly when empty and carry maximum payloads for long stretches. The rear monotube shocks are staggered (one behind the axle, one in front) and canted to control wheel hop and manage up and down forces and hard cornering. Combine this with the fact that, rather than a raised butt (like some other manufacturers use) with overly arched leafs, the Chevrolet Silverado has longer rear springs with a thickened overload spring to keep the looking level when empty or loaded. With the lower center of gravity, front and rear suspensions work more closely together during easy and aggressive cornering--the truck takes a set as flat as any modified tuner truck we've driven. And for those who want more street performance, Chevrolet is offering all sorts of choices from 17-, 18-, and 20-inch rims to several road-course-biased tire treads, as well as a mud-loving 31-inch-tall tire.


It'll be a while before all the engines in the lineup will be available, but the smallest will be the redesigned 4.3-liter V-6 (only for stripper regular-cab models), then the 4.8-liter V-8, then two versions of the 5.3-liter V-8 (one cast-iron block, the other all aluminum--eventually, they'll all be aluminum for weight savings), and finally Chevy's largest available V-8, the 367-horsepower all-aluminum OHV 6.0-liter. We drove several Chevrolet Silverados with the popular 5.3-liter V-8 that'll offer the fuel-saving system known as Active Fuel Management. The system can shut off four cylinders, depending on how you drive, to provide up to a 20-percent fuel-economy advantage over non-AFM-equipped system. The 5.3-liter V-8 is rated at 315 horsepower and 338 pound-feet of torque and has recorded an EPA fuel-economy mark at 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway (2WD). Impressive that a 300-plus-horsepower engine can get over 20 mpg on the highway.

2005 Chevrolet Venture

For 2005 the Chevrolet Venture and Montana are offered only in extended length models as they make way for their new replacements the Chevrolet Uplander and Pontiac Montana SV6. For the Chevrolet Venture two trim levels are offered as well as a LS Sport Touring Package which adds 16-inch chromed wheels on touring tires and a slightly firmer suspension. Automatic leveling suspension control is included and an on-board inflator kit for inflating various types of recreational equipment. Both of these vans offer power sliding rear doors. Both have easily removable rear seats, and both offer the option of a DVD-based video system for passengers in the middle and third rows. Both vans share the same 185-hp, 3.4-liter pushrod V-6 engine and four-speed automatic—a combo we rate as just adequate. The Montana is the sportiest of the two, with a firmer ride and grippier tires. The changes for 2005 for the Montana are limited, just two new colors are added, Sedona Beige Metallic and Dark Blue Metallic.

2007 Chevrolet Corvette

In its sixth generation, the Corvette retains strong ties to the five generations of star-spangled sports cars that preceded it. Power still comes from a V-8 equipped with pushrods and two valves per cylinder, just like the original 1955 small-block Chevy V-8. Modern technology extracts copious power and excellent fuel economy while reducing the original V-8’s light weight and tidy size.



The Corvette’s composite body also hearkens back to the seminal 1953 model. But here again, newer materials, such as the balsa-core composite panels used in the floor panels, combine with a sophisticated structure to yield one of the few cars that haven’t grown heavier over time, despite the pound-packing pressures of stricter safety standards, higher power, bigger brakes, and grippier tires.


This combination of heritage and sophistication gives the Corvette a uniquely American blend of performance, swagger, and everyday livability — characteristics that are all amplified in the 505-hp Z06 version. And in one final bow to tradition, the Corvette delivers this virtue at a price vastly lower than any of its competitors’.

2007 Chevy Silverado Specs

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Configurations

• Regular, Extended, Crew Cab

• 5' 8" short bed, 6' 6" standard bed, 8' long bed

• Trim levels: WT, LT, LTZ

• 2WD or 4WD

Chevrolet Silverado Engines

• 4.3L V-6, rated 195 hp and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. Standard on WT regular cab and 2WD extended cab trucks.

• 4.8L V-8, rated 295 hp and 305 lb.-ft. of torque. Standard on WT 4WD extended cab, LT regular cab and extended cab trucks, and WT and LT crew cab trucks.

• Two different 5.3L FlexFuel V-8, E85-capable, rated 315 hp and 338 lb.-ft. of torque. Available on all trucks.

• 5.3L V-8, aluminum block, rated 315 hp and 338 lb.-ft. of torque. Available on crew cab 4WD trucks.

• 5.3L V-8, iron block, rated 315 hp and 338 lb.-ft. of torque. Standard on LT and LTZ trucks; available on all other trucks.

• 6.0L V-8, rated 367 hp and 375 lb.-ft. of torque. Available on LT and LTZ extended and crew cabs--part of the maximum trailering package.