It is well known throughout the automotive world that Chevrolet can produce some incredibly powerful vehicles. Their Silverado line is consistently a class leader in towing and hauling capacity, as well as horsepower and torque. The Suburban line is one of the most sought after sport utility vehicles on the market, partly due to the fact that it is just as impressive under the hood as it is inside the spacious, modernized cabin. But what about Chevy cars? Can they pack the punch that the bigger members of the Chevy family offer?
In short, yes, if you are looking at the right Chevy cars. While Chevy (and GM as a whole) are moving away from the cars as a focal point of their business models, there are two Chevy cars that we are fairly certain are going nowhere anytime soon. Those cars are the classic Chevrolet Corvette and the Chevrolet Camaro. And when it comes to power provided by a car model, you need not look any further on the domestic market than these two iconic sports cars.
The Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette began life in 1953 as a concept car and has gone on to one of the most celebrated careers in all of American automobiles. This career has also extended into auto racing, as the Chevrolet Corvette has been an entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans race since the 1960s.
The 2019 Chevy Corvette is the last model year of the 8th generation Corvette. True to its pedigree, it offers immense power under the hood, for those who need it. The Corvette offers four engines across its five trim levels. The base engine is a 6.2 liter V8 that gets 455 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. That is enough to turn most cars a deep shade of red, but that is nothing compared to the muscle the Chevy Corvette ZR1 brings. This monster offers an ungodly 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque. If you put that kind of engine into a pickup truck, you would have no problems towing thousands of pounds behind you. However, the Corvette is built for speed and style, not utility, and we do not advise attempting to tow anything with the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette.
The Camaro
The Chevy Camaro has been around since 1966 and is considered a muscle car to some. Over its history, it has definitely lived up to that moniker. Like its older brother, the Camaro has also competed in auto racing, having had success in NASCAR circuits. It is also considerably popular in drag racing strips.
The 2019 Chevrolet Camaro also brings plenty of punch to the road. While the Corvette brings more of the power and speed that Chevy wants out of its performance cars, the Camaro brings plenty of that speed, but is considerably more fuel efficient and a lot less expensive than the Corvette.
There are four engine options for the 2019 Chevy Camaro, as well, but they are a little more manageable for novice speed seekers. The base is a 2.0 liter inline 4-cylinder that gets a respectable 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The biggest, most powerful engine option on the 2019 Chevy Camaro is a 6.2 liter V8 with 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. That is the same engine available on the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (the third most powerful Corvette engine), but it is still not as powerful as the one for the Corvette ZR1.
Perhaps more importantly to many is that the Camaro is among the most fuel-efficient sports cars on the market. It can get up to 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Those numbers are usually reserved for compact cars that have probably never seriously tested their 0-60 times. That kind of fuel mileage could very well be a selling point for those that want a high performance sports car without the insanely low fuel efficiency that usually accompanies it.
To that end, the price tag on the Camaro also mirrors that of more family-friendly sedans or coupes. It starts at $25,000 MSRP, while a fully decked out Corvette ZR1 will run you every bit of $110,000. That is a pretty significant difference, even within the same family of sports cars. Those savings multiply further when you consider your savings at the gas pump. Of course, if you can shell out six figures for a sports car, you probably aren’t sweating the gas pump prices.
Off the Track
As much fun as these cars are, not everybody is built to watch the speedometer climb higher and higher. Some would prefer the safety and stability of a family sedan. Like we said earlier, General Motors is gutting most of its cars across the Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac lines, including the long-running Chevy Impala. However, the Chevy Malibu survived the axing.
The 2019 Chevy Malibu will only wow someone who has never seen a car before. It does not have remarkable engine options. It does not have the iconic aerodynamic designs of the Camaro and the Corvette. It is the epitome of a safety vehicle. What it does offer, however, is reliability and comfort, alongside modern conveniences and safety features.
The interior is comfortable and spacious and features Chevy’s new Infotainment 3 system, complete with an 8” touchscreen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You will also find such creature comforts as USB ports, wireless charging for your cell phones, a 120-volt outlet and a nine-speaker Bose stereo system.
Best of all, the 2019 Chevy Malibu has a price tag of well under $25,000 and can get 36 miles to the gallon, depending on which engine you choose. If you are into a hybrid option, you can have that in the 2019 Chevy Malibu. The green movement to lessen the carbon footprint has been a challenge for the automotive industry in the last couple of decades, and Chevrolet has responded, albeit a little slower than some other major automakers.
The Chevy Legacy
Cars are not what Chevrolet has spent decades making their name on. They are known for the Silverado, the Z71, big SUVs and powerful vehicles. And with the recent developments in Detroit, and not just concerning General Motors, it appears that Chevy cars will be declining and they will be leaning more heavily than ever on that power and utility of the big vehicle. They are also investing a lot into SUVs and crossovers, but that’s a story for another time.
At least for now, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Corvette and the Camaro are available for the car enthusiasts. Each offers something the other doesn’t. If you feel like Chevrolet is doing just enough to barely cover its bases in the car market, it seems as though you may be right. There are a handful of other Chevy cars available in other parts of the world, but the international market works radically different than the one here in North America. Here, in our corner of the world, Chevy is leaving us just enough to be satisfied without being overly enthusiastic.
The Chevrolet Bolt is also still here, but it has only been around for a few years and may very well be the next on the chopping block. It is a hybrid hatchback that Chevy is keeping around. If it fails to perform in the very near future, look for Chevy to pull the plug.
While gearheads certainly do admire the Camaro and Corvette, and the Malibu offers the humdrum safety of a perfectly good passenger/family vehicle, it appears as though Chevy will continue to be known for those big old burly trucks, and with good reason.
