2025 Chevy Traverse High Country: The Finer Things in Life, Dipped in Four Wheels

Getting the family around in style is always a hot topic here during back-to-school season at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse! We have many various models that are all up to the task, with each one offering their own unique sense of style. The 2025 Chevy Traverse is creating quite a buzz with its third-generation debut, boasting a few notable updates for the second model year. The High Country trim is now going to make a reintroduction, poised to impress and provide ultimate comfort.

The Traverse exists directly below the very sporty RS trim and offers the segment-leading essence of luxury feel. As buyers look to meet their on-the-road demands in style this fall, they’ll immediately notice that all the stops have been pulled out to make this truly special. The High Country starts things off with the same steering wheel found on the Z71 and LT. You’ll enjoy numerous memorable views courtesy of the power panoramic sunroof. This allows for the coming season’s brilliance to shine ideally through!

The High Country is equipped with everything to make it glossy even down to the door handles. The exclusive body-color ones included now sport a defining new chrome strip. The High Country rolls proudly on segment-exclusive 22-inch aluminum wheels while still using the same all-season tires as the RS. You have your choice of two exclusive interior colorways, Jet Black with Bronze accents and Jet Black with Sky Cool Gray. The High Country’s leather-appointed seats won’t fail to impress. 

The element eagerly supplying the power is the 2.5-liter I-4 LKO gas engine, which rides on the GM C1-2 platform. Production is being handled by the determined employees of the Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan. The Motor Trend crew was happy during their review to proclaim that “Three-row SUVs don’t have to be blobby lifted minivans!” They also praised the 2025 model for its modernized turbocharged engine and well-updated infotainment suite.

We are confident that the Traverse will fare amazingly well when held up to its rivals, which include the Subaru Ascent, Honda Pilot, and Kia Telluride. This testing crew enjoyed the larger displays and heavily updated array of active safety technology. This model still hasn’t introduced a plug-in or hybrid, and all of us at the Powerhouse think that’s ok! While the future is hurtling towards us with its promise of efficiency and resourcefulness, many elements from the present are still performing above par.

The maximum trailer rating is 5,000 lbs, and the Z71 model is the one that delivers conquering off-road capability. The Traverse should continue to be equipped with the Chevy Safety Assist features which include forward collision alert, following distance indicator, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, high-beam assist, and front braking for pedestrians and cyclists. Cargo capacity is anticipated to reside at around 97.6 cubic feet with the second and third rows slipped down.

Each 2025 Chevy Traverse will come standard with a 17.7-inch touchscreen display and an 11-inch digital instrument cluster. The experts at Autoblog were excited about the Traverse’s brand-new looks, which are now more aligned with the body-on-frame persona. Passengers will also love the dual screens on the dash that are the anchor for a very tech-rich focal base. To improve fuel economy, the new engine employs an “ePhaser” that periodically adjusts the camshaft to advance and delay the spark accordingly.

Duramax Dominance: 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 Diesel is Relentlessly Unstoppable

Just a few years back, the U.S. truck market enjoyed a golden era of diesel, along with a large assortment of offerings. We were just getting done packing the amazing 3.0-liter Duramax into our already awesome Chevy Silverado, while the Car and Driver staff lamented that the “bounties of low-end torque were reaped.” Since Ford and Jeep had their own versions of sparred-off competition, GM knew that it was time to upgrade our hearty compression-ignition inline-six.

For the 2023 model year here at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse, the smaller Duramax received new fuel injectors and pistons, along with a completely reworked combustion bowl. Horsepower output jumped from 277 to 305 horsepower, while torque jumped from 460 to 495 lb-ft. This officially crowned the Duramax the reigning champion of internal combustion torque. Even when you’re enjoying the excitement of wide-open throttle, the diesel model is quieter than its 6.2-liter sibling. The Car and Driver crew got to test a ZR2 and a Trail Boss model and noted that the tires were even louder than the powertrain!

When they tested the first-generation engine in a 2020 Silverado LTZ, the truck hit 60 mph in just 7.1 seconds! The quarter mile is a very defining test of any vehicle, as it allows for a layman’s true glance at blistering accomplishment. The 2020 model negotiated firmly with the quarter mile laying down 15.5 seconds at 88 mph. The 2024 ZR2 carries around an extra 145 pounds and is nicely wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires. The 60-mph time is just 6.8 seconds, and the quarter mile now rings in at 15.3.

The revised engine felt incredibly responsive to this team, and the highway fuel economy ebbed in a constant and eagerly delivering rpm. One of the quite necessary elements to recognize here is that the full-size pickup market can seem saturated. This provides any single truck a quite well-equipped black book to have to hurriedly contend with! The Motor Trend review team had taken their Silverado to conquer the steep incline at the Davis Dam, which is near the Arizona-Nevada border.

They reflected that with all the frustrating elements they threw at it, the diesel still controlled the trailer amazingly well. These hard-boiled experts even made it a point to roll their entire operation across a certified CAT scale, to double-check their weight to the T. Throughout 2,627 miles of towing they nailed down their “best tank” averaging to around 14.02 mpg under ideal weather conditions. The 2024 Silverado is fitted with a 5.5-gallon tank idea for storing DEF, with the ability to resiliently power through an oil-change cycle of 7,500 miles.

The Hagerty review team got behind the wheel of this year’s ZR2 and “immediately knew it was something special.” They loved writing home about the suspension that eats up just about anything you can throw at it on the trail, without compromising its easy-going highway manners. The performance proved to be quite potent, as tipping into the throttle nets a very immediate and satisfying torque response. While climbing steep grades on the highway, the turbo was the perfect medium for the engine to easily rev toward its peak power at 3750 rpm.

Pickups’ strength, versatility, and undeniable charm are exactly why buyers of all types are after them. When the Gear Junkie blog tried out the Silverado for a test drive, they were fond of the insanely large amount of room and instantly commanding view of the road. These all-in truck addicts claimed that the menus “are intuitive enough, the response time of the touchscreen is acceptable, and the 13.4-inch screen is bright.

2025 Corvette ZR1 Presides Over Heavy-Hitting V8 Segment as Most Powerful Ever Made

Now that back-to-school season is finally here at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse, the best memories of the summer are already in the rearview! As fireworks exploded and patriotic tunes blasted from car stereos this 4^th of July, we thought about all the best things this nation has to offer! V8 power is one of them, as it has commandeered some of the most memorable car models of all time. The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 now enjoys the title of the most powerful V8 American production car ever.

The record-setting power source is a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V8 with 1,064 horsepower, 828 lb-ft of torque, and an 8,000-RPM redline. Its top speed is over 215 mph, and it trounces the quarter mile in less than ten seconds. For anyone making the thrill-inducing step up to the ZTK package, there are over 1,2000 pounds of malicious downforce. The ZR1 already was known for holding the title of the most powerful car in the Corvette lineup, so this well-cultivated brute force is no surprise.

Edging the highly anticipated needle over 1,000 hp is a first-time achievement for any Corvette! The last ZR1 blasted off the line with 755 horsepower, while the current-model Z06 shows up for battle brandishing 670. The ZR1's engine has a few things in common with the Z06's LT6. It's identified as the LT7 and has dibs on the same block casting as the 6. The block itself has undergone a unique machining process, and new forged pistons allow for a lower compression ratio. There's also a brand-new crankshaft in the mix, along with unique heads.

The twin ball-bearing turbochargers employ 76-millimeter compressor wheels, along with single-scroll volutes on the intake side. The incredibly modern addition of electronic wastegates allows them to be expertly tuned to minimize lag. “MAR” is a game-changing material that the turbines are constructed from, which has proven to be more efficient than the previously used Inconel. The turbo power is routed through a completely revamped 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that it shares with all other C8 models.

The suspension is such a crucial component in a machine that is capable of such record-breaking potency. The max downforce-enabling ZTK package is available for anyone who wants to try their hand at the local circuit, and the gigantic rear wing looks absolutely perfect in its place. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires boast a stiffer spring set, and you can opt for a coupe or convertible. There's another cool feature that has not been spotted on a 'Vette since the decade that spawned Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones: a cool split rear window.

Since this earth-shattering ZR1 has brand-new carbon ceramic brake rotors and carbon fiber wheels, it still doesn't arrive with the burden of excessive weight. The new ZR1 can claim 44 very spry more horsepower than the Tesla Model S Plaid while arriving on the tarmac weighing almost an entire ton less. While closely eyeballing the gas-powered competition, the ZR1 also shows a more favorable power-to-weight ratio than the Bugatti Veyron.

Even though the engine has less displacement than seen in a base-model Corvette Stingray, the ZR1’s setup still enables it to be the recently crowned speed king. Just about every single inch of this Kentucky-assembled supercar has been closely engineered to provide maximum cooling. This new Chevy Corvette ZR1 uses the latest version of GM’s Magnetic Ride Damping, which can constantly tweak its firmness to ensure you stay properly glued to the road while commandeering curves.

Affordable Excellence: The 2025 Trailblazer’s Roomy Comfort and Budget-Friendly Tech

The USNews.com website’s car section is always on point, and they took an in-depth look at the 2025 Chevy Trailblazer last week. We’ve admired its spacious interior and standard technology here at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse, along with its attractive styling! The team’s test drive offered capable brakes and perfectly comfortable suspension tuning. When measured up against the other cars in the subcompact segment, the Trax was hands-down one of the more fun to drive.

And that’s what some models from other brands have lost touch with over the past few years: the invigorating connection with the pavement. The Trailblazer’s base engine is a turbocharged 1.2-liter 3-cylinder that cranks out 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. An upper-level optional turbocharged 1.3-liter 3-cylinder ups the ante considerably to 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque. During routine city driving, the Trailblazer was confident and capable and built up nicely when reaching highway speed.

The team tested the Trailblazer in the Activ trim level, and they remarked that it was “incredibly adept at getting around in day-to-day traffic.” The Kelley Blue Book staff were impressed with the Trailblazer’s efficiency during performance tests and the lively response of the larger engine. While reflecting on the 9-speed transmission, they loved how it stayed in its sweet spot during acceleration and was always ideally ready for downshift. AWD provided the best all-around response, with the front wheels breaking traction by bringing the heavy throttle input to the table.

The Trailblazer’s turbo-three also offers a distinctive and pleasing engine note, which complements its sporty handling dynamics. It’s a crossover that is expertly tuned for comfort and provides a quick and engaging throttle response. The Car and Driver team rolled their sleeves up enthusiastically while claiming “We love the way the Trailblazer steers, along with its excellent brake pedal feel.” There’s ample legroom for rear-seat passengers, and the focus on textures and build quality makes for an upscale cabin.

With the rear seat raised, the cargo area offers 25.3 cubic feet of storage space, which is ample room for any after-school activity’s gear supply. This is a very relevant matter! 10.2 million children participate in these programs nationwide. Some of the recently reported barriers for these individuals yearning for this structure were cost,availability, and transportation. Features such as easy access to the rear of the 2025 Chevy Trailblazer with a manual liftgate help with this task so vital for development.

If you are planning on a family expansion to ring in the crisp coming of fall, there are two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the Trailblazer’s rear outboard seats. The Activ trim comes with a more powerful engine, an off-road-tuned suspension, and heated front seats wrapped in synthetic leather. The very sporty RS trim comes with very cool styling extras such as 19-inch alloy wheels.

The LT trim adds desirable options such as a panoramic moonroof and adaptive cruise control. The Trailblazer’s excellent fuel efficiency, healthy selection of standard safety and convenience features, and abundance of interior space allow it to exist as a breath of fresh air in a crowded and sometimes dreadfully ordinary segment! We hope to see you during the late days of summer here at the Mid-MO Powerhouse, where this and many other models are waiting to bridge the back-to-school season’s gap.