chevrolet

How Many Times Has Bruce Springsteen Mentioned Car Brands in His Songs?

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While it’s slow going, the revival of the American economy can be clearly linked to the renewed strength of our domestic automobile industry. At a rally yesterday at Cuyahoga County Community College in Ohio supporting President Obama, Bruce Springsteen gave thanks that General Motors is still making cars, remarking ”What else would I write about?”

That quote got me thinking about the wealth of automotive imagery in Bruce’s songs over the years, dating all the way back to his very first album, Greetings From Asbury Park. There’s The Angel’s mention of VW – “The interstate’s choked with nomadic hordes in Volkswagen vans with full running boards dragging great anchors,” and the pure American brother in Lost in the Flood, “dull-eyed and empty-faced, race(ing) Sundays in Jersey in a Chevy stock super eight.”

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2013 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ Review

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MPG-o-Matic 2013 Chevrolet Suburban Review Summary: The 2013 Chevrolet Suburban is the Big Daddy of traditional body-on-frame American SUVs, with half- and 3/4-ton versions that can seat up to nine people with a maximum towing capacity of 9,600 pounds.

We put a loaded AWD half-ton Suburban LTZ to the “take your kid to college” test, packing the cargo area full, and taking to the open road for a 700+ mile round trip. The Suburban delivered plenty of creature comfort, while consuming a considerable amount of fuel.

2013 Chevy Suburban LTZ 4WD half-ton - rear view

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2013 Chevy Spark First Test Drive

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A media drive event on the streets of New York City? We’re game! Earlier this year, I took part in the Ford Focus Electric first drive, traveling over a relatively short route in Midtown Manhattan. Yesterday’s 2013 Chevy Spark media drive took it to a whole new level, as we ventured out of Manhattan into Brooklyn in a fleet of tiny Sparks on a scavenger hunt for scents, sights, and sounds.

Some bloggers would rather tell you about the way that Chevy is marketing the Spark or go ga-ga about the cool places we visited. I’ll forgo the millennial-bashing and simply lay out the route.

2013 Chevy Sparks at Momofuku Milk Bar in Brooklyn

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The Chevy Malibu Eco’s MPG Rating: Is it High Enough?

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Chevrolet took a gamble by rolling out the fuel economy focused 2013 Malibu Eco before the other Malibu models. In the eyes of some in the media horde, it was bad bet. All it took was a biased piece by an old-school automotive journalist – a long-time employee of a bastion of conventional media – to set the lemming fish marching. With post quotas to fill, they quickly piled on, throwing numbers into the fray. As if that would turn a subjective editorial into fact.

To this I say, how many hours did you spend in both the 2013 Malibu Eco and its predecessor, the Malibu Hybrid? I spent plenty in both cars, along with the 2010 Malibu LT. And I spent plenty of my own hard-earned cash on the gasoline for our extensive road tests. No expense accounts here.

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco Review

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Chevy Malibu Eco Bowtie MPG-o-Matic 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco Review Summary: The 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco dukes it out in the midsize sedan segment with the Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, and Hyundai Sonata. General Motors chose to cast aside the flashy hybrid emblem of the Eco’s predecessor, in favor of a small green badge. The new Malibu Eco swaps in a 2.4-liter inline four and lithium-ion battery powered electric motor in place of the older Hybrid’s 3.6-liter V6 and NiMH battery pack. We found the new model to be quieter, faster, more fuel-efficient, and more refined.

The 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco is powered by a Direct Injected VVT 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine with eAssist that produces 182 horsepower (HP) and 171 foot pounds of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard.

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