Auto news on Youtube Sep 2 2017

2017 Chevrolet Suburban quick take: The American standby

What is it: Chevy's extended-wheelbase, full-size SUV carries over generally unchanged from last year, gaining some interior tech revisions and a few new color and wheel options. Key Competitors: Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia. Base Price: $59,450 As-Tested Price: $66,020.

Highlights: The Suburban is capable -- in this 4WD configuration, it can tow up to 4 tons -- but with a quiet interior and available high-tech features like wireless smartphone charging, you wont feel like youre roughing it.

And this isn't even the most loaded model: The Premier trim (which replaces LTZ) gets heated and vented seats, 22-inch rims and more. Our Opinions: The Suburban is nothing if not an American standby.

The model's impressive eight-decade run (so far) comes down to its adaptability; since the Suburban name's introduction in 1935, it's evolved from a big station wagon into an honest pickup-based truck into. a bigger pickup-based truck with luxury features.

There was a moment, in the 1990s, when the Burban rode the SUV wave into the driveways of a lot of owners who probably didn't really need them.

That moment has come and gone, yet the Suburban remains -- and it's exactly as good as the pickup bones it rides on, which is to say, very.

Surprisingly, when it comes to moving goods, you might be better off with a van -- theres more cargo volume behind the first and second -- though not the third -- rows of a Chrysler Pacifica, for example, and the high load height doesn't do the Suburban any favors.

But youre not going to show up at the gun club in a minivan, are you? Nor will those practical people-haulers also tow an Airstream trailer or a reasonably sized boat with ease.

Admittedly, there aren't all that many people who need to move a family and gear and a boat or trailer, and anyway the Suburban has become too big and too pricey to be a default family option.

Those who do need something like this, though, will be delighted to find that it performs as well as anything else on the market at meeting its intended purpose -- and that includes pricier options from both overseas makes and GM itself.

Assuming your particular mission profile demands a vehicle like this, is it worth stepping up to a Yukon or an Escalade? Depends on how much you want to spend on uprated interiors or exterior flash -- putting more money down won't get you any more fundamentally solid a truck.

AS TESTED PRICE: $66,020. 3-liter V8, 4WD, six-speed automatic transmission. OUTPUT: 355 hp @ 5,600 rpm; 383 lb-ft @ 4,100 rpm. CURB WEIGHT: 5,808 lb.

OPTIONS: Luxury package ($2,995); LT Midnight Edition ($1,835); Power sunroof ($995); Audio system 8" diagonal Color touch w/nav and MyLink ($495); All-weather floor liner ($250). PROS: If youve got three kids and a boat, its tough to beat. CONS: Thirsty and expensive.

For more infomation >> 2017 Chevrolet Suburban quick take: The American standby - Duration: 2:52.

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Affordable Classic: 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Convertible - Duration: 5:24.

Affordable Classic: 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Convertible

Bet you didn't know: The Chevrolet Corvair, 40 years after its introduction, might well be responsible for the second Gulf War.

Here's how that goes. The groundbreaking Corvair, with its air-cooled, rear-mounted, horizontally opposed flat-six engine, was initially a success for General Motors.

But problems with the car's swing-axle design, exposed by then-unknown attorney Ralph Nader in his book "Unsafe at Any Speed," eventually helped kill GM's baby, while boosting Nader's career into the stratosphere.

Ultimately, in 2000, Nader made a third-party bid for president, which played a significant role in killing Vice President Al Gore's chance at moving into the White House. Thus, one can conclude: No Corvair, no Nader.

No Nader, Gore becomes president, America never invades Iraq.

So the Corvair continues to carry a certain amount of notoriety, but it also happens to be a great little runabout, with proportions as unique as its design. Chevrolet built 1.7 million of them during the car's 10-year run.

Today, Corvairs are easy to find and range in price from a few thousand dollars to more than $15,000 for mint models.

There's also a large network of owners, many of whom have joined clubs such as the Corvair Society of America, which boasts nearly 5000 members. I know this because last year I plunked down $5300 for a white 1964 Corvair convertible.

I knew I wanted a '64 — it's the last year of the original body style, and engineers had corrected some of the swing axle problems by installing a transverse leaf spring across the rear.

Many owners suggested I avoid buying a turbo.

(The Corvair was one of the first mainstream production cars to offer a blower.) As one put it, "That thing will run great once, and then you spend the entire summer trying to get it to run like that again." I heeded the advice and bought a Monza with the base 110-hp, 164-cubic-inch flat-six.

Maintaining the Corvair has been easy, in part because the engine has a mechanical simplicity all but impossible to find today.

I've also replaced the clutch, rear shocks, both mufflers, and a few other parts, totaling $1100 and giving me an all-in price of $6400. The work wasn't essential, but every bolt I wrench makes the car a little more mine.

Even if I end up spending an additional $400 for a new roof, it's been worth every penny just to take the Corvair down the road, its engine tick-tick-ticking along.

In Detroit, the land of classic cars, the Corvair still draws thumbs up from passersby and more than its fair share of stares.

The Corvair's four gears are perfectly spaced; you can cruise at 45 mph in third all day long. The small drum brakes on all four corners, however, mean the driver should keep his eyes out for everything in front.

Torsional rigidity is frighteningly poor — you can see the car squirm back and forth over even the smallest bump — and the whole thing rattles as if there's an open toolbox hidden inside the body panels.

But, man, is a Corvair convertible fun to cruise in — it'slow to the ground and it appears three-quarters the size of everything else on the road.

Dollar for dollar, my Corvair cost $2.55 a pound, meaning it's cheaper by weight than Nader's book. More important, this unique little car represents a special place in automotive history.

The Corvair demonstrates what can happen when a carmaker takes risks and moves in a totally different direction. For better or worse.