Chevrolet has finally revealed its much anticipated RWD flagship sedan. As expected, the car looks nearly identical to its Australian cousin, the Holden VF Commodore SS-V and bears great resemblance to the late Pontiac G8 GXP. Unlike the Holden and the Pontiac though, the Chevy will only be offered with a 6-speed automatic as the sole transmission option. This is disappointing for those of us who prefer to row their own gears but I doubt it will affect sales. Since Dodge pulled out of NASCAR, this makes Chevrolet the only maker to have a RWD production vehicle (and a V8 one at that matter) using the same nameplate that's used for NASCAR. It, unfortunately, still isn't mechanically related to the race car but a shared name and front end is a good start. It will be offered with the LS3 6.2 L V8 making 415 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque routed to the rear wheels and a 3.27 final drive ratio. Chevy is estimating a 0-60 time of about 5 seconds but I am expecting this
A few weeks ago, I made a post explaining mainstream AWD system types and how they compare , pros and cons, etc. including some simple diagrams to show where the power goes and how much. As promised, this post will focus on specific cars and what AWD systems they use, especially ones that that have more or less been defined by their AWD systems, and the best place to start may be with a bombshell; the Nissan GT-R. Nissan GT-R (R35) The GT-R has built a reputation around having monster traction and very approachable performance, thanks to its AWD system - Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA) - and what it can do for you. But the GT-R doesn't actually use the most mechanically sophisticated type of AWD systems discussed in the previous article, namely a "true" AWD with a centre differential. Instead, it uses a clutch pack to transfer power. RWD-based clutch-type AWD schematic - Rams Eye The Track Guy © The R32, R33, and R34 Sky