Incase you are new to txGarage and missed out on some of our reviews from the past year, or you just want to check out what’s hot on txGarage; here are our top 10 reviews from 2011.
We poped open Google Analytics and listed out the reviews with the most views in order. Easy enough. Continue reading
Teachers of the year win 2011 Camaro for the summer
Two teachers were selected this week as Decatur ISD’s Teachers of the Year. Not only are they recognized by the school and the community, but Craig and Kristi will each get a new Camaro to drive for the summer thanks to the donations from James Wood.
Obviously, we think very highly of James Wood Motors as they are one of our biggest sponsors and supporters and all the work they are doing in their communities is really showing strong. This is just the latest in a growing list of donations and community involvement by our friends at James Wood, so be sure to show them some love too.
Continue reading
2011 Chevrolet Camaro ZL560
We have driven many Camaros during our time here at txGarage, and have come to the same conclusion with all of them; great looks and design, great engine and exhaust note, but mostly lackluster while compared to its competition.
This car has the potential to break that mold. This is no ordinary Camaro; this is the ZL560 package from SLP Performance. There really isn’t much they don’t touch here. Walking around the car in anticipation of the drive, you notice the slight extra hints in the body kit. It’s not way out there changing the looks of the whole car, but accents the looks and makes it just that much more aggressive looking. You are missing the bowtie upfront replaced by a clean, white SS badge. Around the back, you get two huge exhaust ports that look like cannons turned around, ready to fire upon the people you just blew past. The wheels on this ZL560 are 20” five-spoke Red Line wheels, 9” wide in front and 10” wide in rear. They are massive, but look great. They’re definitely one of my favorite features on the exterior of this car. Continue reading
Main Street in Motion
2010 Camaro SS vs. 2010 Mustang GT
2010 Mustang GT vs 2010 Camaro SS
Some wars have been waging since the dawn of society with race vs. race, religion vs. religion, king vs. king. Other battles that are more short-lived but still remembered to this day like the Battle of the Alamo or the Battle of Waterloo. We just stumbled into such a battle that’s been waging on the streets for almost 50 years now. There has always been that epic battle between the Camaro and the Mustang spanning back to the late 60′s and revived today. This week at txGarage we were able to get a hold of a 2010 Camaro 2SS and a 2010 Mustang GT Premium, what else is there to do but race! Continue reading
Mustang VS Camaro
Today we picked up the 2010 Mustang GT and the 2010 Camaro SS! We can’t wait to get them out together and get some good pictures and video! Look for that soon, also look for the upcoming video on the 2010 Shelby GT500. Continue reading
The 2010 Camaro SS
During the GM media event last week for the State Fair of Texas, we were treated to a special surprise. After announcing and showing off the new GMC Terrain and the new Buick LaCrosse, we got a chance to check out the a car I have been wanting to drive for a while now. As you know, this is a car enthusiast site, and although the Terrain and LaCrosse are nice vehicles and there were things we liked and disliked about these vehicles, we wanted to jump into something a little more sporty. Well, the Camaro then.
We have to start with the looks of the new Camaro because it has been debated both ways, love it or hate it. In all honesty, I’ll admit that I have always been more of a Mustang fan over the Camaro but when I first saw this car it really took my breath away. This is what a muscle car should look like! The proportions are dead on, not too long not too short. The trunk is not massive and the front overhang is short and clean. The rear fenders flair out to cover the grippy rear tires completing the muscular stance. It is just every detail about the looks of this car seems to be dead on.
Terrain Lane
Today we had the privilege of attending the first of two media days for the State Fair of Texas Auto Show. We met up at the Studios of Las Colinas only knowing that today would be dedicated to General Motors, more specifically Buick and GMC. We were in for a treat with two vehicles that I have actually been eager to check out and drive. With all the hype around GM bringing better quality and design to their brands, I knew that these cars would have to be good.
GMC Terrain Front
Our first treat was the all new GMC Terrain, GMC’s new mid-sized crossover SUV. GMC is excited about this new model hoping that it would appeal to a wider audience than the everyday GMC. The Terrain, although built on the Equinox platform, only shares two body panels with the Equinox. It will be offered with a 2.4 liter inline four or a 3.0 liter V6 both mated to a 6 speed automatic gearbox with a manual mode. One big thing GMC tried to tackle in this new SUV was fuel efficiency. The 2.4L has an estimated 22 city and 32 mpg highway rating, which is unbelievably good. Even the V6 has a 17 city and 25 mpg highway rating while still maintaining 264 hp and 222 lb-ft torque and a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. So all in all I think the they did a great job in the fuel efficiency standpoint.
GMC Terrain Dash
So what about the looks a feel of the Terrain? The outside looks sleek and bold. It keeps the masculine look associated with GMC with flared fenders, big headlights, and a big bold grill. The interior was about the best I’ve seen from any GM brand in a long time. The contrast of textures and colors, the sophistication and ease of the center control panel, and the steering wheel and cluster look and feel gives the Terrain an upscale feel. During the drive the suspension felt smooth and direct and the power was never lacking. The Terrain drives with ease like a smaller car or SUV but with the look and feel of a bigger SUV.
I think that GMC and GM has really hit the nail on the head with the Terrain. I was very impressed and thats coming from someone that doesn’t like big SUV’s. I accept GMC will have a real hit on their hands with this one.
Buick LaCrosse
Next up was the all new Buick LaCrosse. Ever since I saw this car as a concept I pleaded for Buick to bring something with as bold and sporty design to the market. Needless to say I think the car looks great on the outside and seeing it in person did not disappoint. It will be offered with a 3.0 liter V6 with 255 HP (replaced later this year with a 2.4 liter four) or in the CXS top of the line you get GM’s 3.6 liter V6 pushing out 280 HP and 259 lb.-ft of torque, both with a six speed automatic gearbox with manual mode. The drive was smooth but not as smooth as you would expect from a Buick. The other thing I just can not get over, even arguing with others at the media event, was the interior. You could tell that they put a lot of thought into the layout and the materials in the car but it just didn’t seem as luxurious as the Terrain, or even any more than an Impala at that. I couldn’t put my finger on it, I just couldn’t get into the gray leather and gray dash and gray headliner. The one good thing that stuck in my head was the instrument panel with backlit gauges and a beautiful ice-blue ambient glow throughout the cabin. All in all I would say the LaCrosse’s design is a success but is it enough to draw people away from Acura or Lexus? I don’t think so.
Buick LaCrosse Dash
The big surprise after driving the Terrain and the LaCrosse was a set of new Camaros. Review coming soon! Tomorrow we check out what Ford, Dodge, and Toyota have for us.
Hennessey HPE700
Today we got to see new video of the overly insane project Hennessey has been working on. The first dyno pull to make it to YouTube with speaker busting exhaust notes and all. If you’ll take a second to remember why this project is so… well awesome, here you have a 2010 Camaro with a modified LS9 V8 engine named the Hennessey HPE700. LS9 you say? Yes that would be the same engine found in the ZR-1 Corvette, only finding a new home. With 645 HP at the rear wheels and 653 lb-ft of torque this monster will hang with the best of them. Again this is the first dyno we know about so more tuning may come. No word yet on when the project will be finished and what the planned price for the package will be but trust me, we are all ears.
