William Maley

Here's what CNBC says back in 2013: Source: CNBC

Dangit, I thought I had the gallery in the review. Well I have it in there now.

Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced some big changes for the Model S. The first change is the introduction of all-wheel drive to the Model S lineup, which means the addition of a second electric motor up front. The system dubbed Dual Motor All Wheel Drive works out like this for their lineup, 60D and 85D - Front & Rear Motor: 188 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque; Combined: 376 horsepower and 326 torque. P85D - Front Motor: 221 horsepower and 244 pound-feet of torque; Rear Motor: 470 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque; Combined: 691 horsepower and 687 pound-feet of torque. The P85D will take the place of the P85+ as the Model S flagship with a 0-60 MPH time of 3.2 seconds (0.7 seconds faster than the P85+) and a top speed of 155 MPH. On the range front, the 60D sees a 17 mile increase (208 to 225 miles); the 80D gets a 10 mile increase (265 to 275 miles); and the P85D takes 10 mile hit (285 to 275 miles). Pricing for the all-wheel drive models is as followed, 60D: $75,070 85D: $85,070 P85D: $120,170 Also being announced was Tesla's Autopilot system. The system utilizes a forward-looking camera, a radar sensor, and ultrasonic sensors to give the Model S a 360-degree view of the surrounding road. At the current time, the system will be able to read speed limit and stay at that speed if the driver allows it. The system will also automate lane changes and park itself. Tesla says there will be more features coming to the Autopilot system in the future. Source: Tesla, Motor Trend, Carscoops, Automobile Magazine William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

Whenever an automaker introduces a redesigned vehicle, they talk about how new and improved it is. Whether its the all new engine that delivers better performance and fuel economy, or a new suspension that improves ride quality dramatically. But I have always wondered what would a redesigned vehicle look and feel like if they kept some things from the old vehicle. Well it happens to be that General Motors recently did this with the heavy-duty trucks, updating certain aspects while changing others. Lets see how this works out in the 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD. Let’s begin with what hasn’t changed. First off is the powertrain found in this truck which happens to be the optional 6.6L Duramax turbodiesel V8 with 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque. This is paired up to a Allison six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive system. While that might fall flat when compared to the likes of Ram’s 6.7L Cummins Inline-Six turbodiesel (385 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque) or Ford’s 6.7L V8 turbodiesel, (400 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque), the Duramax can more than hold its own. Performance is excellent with the Sierra Denali HD able to get up speed with no signs of struggle. Even when the bed was filled up with brick pavers, the Duramax V8 made it feel like nothing. The Allison six-speed is still one the best transmissions on the marketplace with smart shift logic and smooth shifts, it seemed to know what gear the truck needed to be in. As for average fuel economy, the Sierra Denali 2500 HD averaged 14.3 MPG. Also not seeing any big changes is the chassis which was redesigned back in 2011. This includes a fully boxed steel frame, independent front suspension with forged steel upper control arms and cast iron lower control arms; torsion bars, and leaf springs in the rear. Like I wrote in my review on the 2012 model, the ride is somewhat bouncy due to the leaf springs; but overall, it’s ok for most situations. GM has improved road and wind noise in the Denali and its very noticeable. Driving on the freeway, I felt that I was riding in a luxury car due to how quiet it was. What has changed is the exterior and interior. Outside, GMC designers have smoothed out the design to make the Sierra Denali a bit more aerodynamic to improve fuel economy. The front gets a new grille and headlights to make it stand out a bit from its Chevrolet brethren. The back gets a new bumper with integrated steps and a spray-in berliner. Overall, the 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD has to be the best looking of GM’s heavy-duty truck lineup as it has some distinctiveness to it. Inside is where some of the biggest changes took place. Like the light-duty trucks, the heavy-duty models get a redesigned dashboard with large vents, an eight-inch screen featuring GMC’s Intellink infotainment system, and just better materials all around. The Denali gets a a large multi-configurable digital display in between the the speedometer and tachometer to display key information such as oil and transmission temps. This screen is very readable and a nice touch for the most luxurious truck in GM’s lineup. Seats are supportive and provide excellent comfort. This is the interior that the Sierra Denali HD was deserving of, and its nice to see that it has finally got it. General Motors made a very wise decision with their 2015 heavy duty lineup of changing exterior and interior to keep them fresh, while keeping the diesel engine and chassis the same. For the Sierra Denali, these changes help the truck from being a pretend luxury truck, to something that could give a Cadillac a run for its money. Disclaimer: General Motors Provided the Sierra Denali HD, Insurance, and One Tank of Gas Year: 2015 Make: GMC Model: Sierra 2500HD Trim: Denali Engine: 6.6L Duramax Turbodiesel V8 Driveline: Six-Speed Allison Automatic Transmission, Four-Wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 397 @ 3000 Torque @ RPM: 765 @ 1600 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - N\A Curb Weight: 7,549 lbs Location of Manufacture: Flint, Michigan Base Price: $53,740.00 As Tested Price: $64,630.00 (Includes $1,095 Destination Charge, and $1,500 discount for the Duramax Plus Package) Options: Duramax Plus Package - $8,845.00 Power Sunroof - $995.00 20-Inch Forged Polished Aluminum Wheels - $850.00 Dual Alternator - $295.00 20-Inch All-Terrain Blackwall Tires - $200.00 Power Outside Camper Mirrors with Heat and Turn Signals - $55.00 Cold Climate Package - $55.00 William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

The Environmental Protection Agency released their annual report on industrywide fuel economy this week and says that 2013 model year vehicles achieved an average of 24.1 miles per gallon — up 0.5 mpg from the previous year and almost 5 mpg since 2004. "We are thrilled to see that manufacturers continue to innovate and are bringing technologies to improve fuel economy online even faster than anticipated," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Mazda was the top automaker in the report with a fleet average of 28.1 MPG, while Nissan was the leader in the full-line automakers with 26.8 MPG. The Detroit automakers made up the bottom with Ford at 22.2 MPG, GM at 22.0 MPG, and Fiat Chrysler at 20.2 MPG. The EPA also notes in its report more fuel saving technologies are beginning to appear on vehicles. For example, the report notes that five percent of vehicles that aren't hybrids. This up from none back in 2009. Source: EPA William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

Since the announcement was made that SRT would be integrated back into Dodge, the question of what would happen to the Chrysler 300 SRT and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT has been up in the air. We've heard that the former would be canceled, while the latter would live on. But how? The folks at Allpar may have the answer. They report that Chrysler has trademarked 'Trackhawk'. This could be a way for Jeep to link this to their linked with the “Trail Rated” Trailhawk models. Trackhawk could also allow Jeep to build other performance models. This also could also mean that Jeep is doing something completely different with the name (think trim level or a concept). Nevertheless, we'll be keeping a close eye on this. Source: Allpar William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article