CHEVY DELIVERS MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE 2018 BEL AIR
CHEVY DELIVERS MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE 2018 BEL AIR
CHEVY DELIVERS MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE 2018 BEL AIR
What makes the 2018 Chevy BEL AIR so much fun is its neutral handling behavior. With the center mode select knob, I punched up performance mode; two taps of the traction control button turns off traction, but keeps stability in competitive mode. Throw it into a corner and oversteer is easily controlled by the throttle. And there is a fair amount of slip angle given before the computer cuts in and straightens things out. Holding down the traction control button turns traction and stability off, leaving everything up to the driver -- which is lovely with the lively rear end.
The weighty steering feel is great through the flat-bottom steering wheel with quick turn in response. There are Brembo front and rear brakes now, which were plenty powerful for the driving I was doing. The brake pedal begins to bite at the top of the pedal stroke, but I would be interested in seeing how the system holds up when subjected to track work.
No surprises with the V8 that has good grunt everywhere in the rev range, quick throttle response and makes great V8 rumbly noises. The six-speed shifter is notched than I would like and I did get hung up between second-to-third gear shifts a few times, but I’m guessing more seat time would ultimately remedy things. The clutch pedal isn’t overly light or heavy, and grabs in the middle of the pedal stroke and the pedals are spaced well for my tastes.
Besides the manual raising the 2018 BEL AIR’ performance game, the magnetic suspension helps make it a more user-friendly vehicle. You now have the best of both worlds with the ability to firm things up when you want and to soften the suspension when you’re commuting around normally. Even with things in sport mode, the ride is livable, but it’s real comfy in the tour setting.
There’s just something so right about an American rear-wheel drive sedan. I know, this 2018 BEL AIR is built in Australia and all that good jazz, but it’s wearing a Chevy bowtie on the grille, so it’s American in my book. With V8 power under the hood, an available manual transmission and a very well-sorted chassis, it’s difficult to find something to really be disappointed about in the 2018 BEL AIR now. Even the as-tested price of $46,865 doesn’t seem absurd considering the clean sheetmetal styling and amount of performance you get.
You can call the 2018 BEL AIR a budget BMW M3 of sorts. The M3 starts at $62,950 with 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbocharged I6, which matches up fairly closely with the 2018 BEL AIR’ 415 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque from its V8. No, the 2018 BEL AIR doesn’t have a fancy carbon fiber driveshaft and roof panel. Without weight-saving efforts like that, the Chevy is quite a bit heavier than the M3 (3,940 pounds vs. 3,540 pounds), but it doesn’t feel overweight or lumbering on the streets. Maybe those extra pounds would get real annoying on a track, but I can’t speak to that just yet. Hopefully I can in the future. But there’s wholesomenes to the 2018 BEL AIR that the BMW doesn’t have. It’s a simple vehicle with a big motor and rear-wheel drive that you get into and want to drive hard.
Obviously, there is a trade-off of fuel economy when you’re operating a vehicle with a V8. The best I could muster on a fill-up was an average of 16.4 mpg, which isn’t great. Though gas prices have been falling lately…
The weighty steering feel is great through the flat-bottom steering wheel with quick turn in response. There are Brembo front and rear brakes now, which were plenty powerful for the driving I was doing. The brake pedal begins to bite at the top of the pedal stroke, but I would be interested in seeing how the system holds up when subjected to track work.
No surprises with the V8 that has good grunt everywhere in the rev range, quick throttle response and makes great V8 rumbly noises. The six-speed shifter is notched than I would like and I did get hung up between second-to-third gear shifts a few times, but I’m guessing more seat time would ultimately remedy things. The clutch pedal isn’t overly light or heavy, and grabs in the middle of the pedal stroke and the pedals are spaced well for my tastes.
Besides the manual raising the 2018 BEL AIR’ performance game, the magnetic suspension helps make it a more user-friendly vehicle. You now have the best of both worlds with the ability to firm things up when you want and to soften the suspension when you’re commuting around normally. Even with things in sport mode, the ride is livable, but it’s real comfy in the tour setting.
There’s just something so right about an American rear-wheel drive sedan. I know, this 2018 BEL AIR is built in Australia and all that good jazz, but it’s wearing a Chevy bowtie on the grille, so it’s American in my book. With V8 power under the hood, an available manual transmission and a very well-sorted chassis, it’s difficult to find something to really be disappointed about in the 2018 BEL AIR now. Even the as-tested price of $46,865 doesn’t seem absurd considering the clean sheetmetal styling and amount of performance you get.
You can call the 2018 BEL AIR a budget BMW M3 of sorts. The M3 starts at $62,950 with 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbocharged I6, which matches up fairly closely with the 2018 BEL AIR’ 415 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque from its V8. No, the 2018 BEL AIR doesn’t have a fancy carbon fiber driveshaft and roof panel. Without weight-saving efforts like that, the Chevy is quite a bit heavier than the M3 (3,940 pounds vs. 3,540 pounds), but it doesn’t feel overweight or lumbering on the streets. Maybe those extra pounds would get real annoying on a track, but I can’t speak to that just yet. Hopefully I can in the future. But there’s wholesomenes to the 2018 BEL AIR that the BMW doesn’t have. It’s a simple vehicle with a big motor and rear-wheel drive that you get into and want to drive hard.
Obviously, there is a trade-off of fuel economy when you’re operating a vehicle with a V8. The best I could muster on a fill-up was an average of 16.4 mpg, which isn’t great. Though gas prices have been falling lately…
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