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Autoblog Podcast #343

George Kennedy from Boldride.com, BMW i3, NACTOY long list, Bentley SUV
Episode #343 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Steven Ewing are joined by George Kennedy, Autoblog alum and Editor-in-Chief of Boldride.com. Topics include the unveiling of the BMW i3, the 2014 North American Car and Truck of the Year long list, and the green-lighted Bentley SUV. As always, we start with what's in the garage, but then answer some of your questions before diving into the week's news. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #343:

GM mulling off-road variants of fullsize SUVs

According to General Motors, owners "just love off-roading with [its fullsize body-on-frame sport utility vehicles]," namely the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon. If that's the case, it's a bit odd that sales of the previous generation of these models with the Z71 off-road package didn't sell particularly well.
Perhaps, considering this disconnect between owner's thoughts and desires with actual sales, it's not surprising that General Motors is reportedly "considering" an off-road specific model. That means the package would include styling changes and badges along with suspension modifications and larger wheels with appropriately sized fender flares.
There's no indication if the off-road model would be called Z71 or when it may potentially go on sale, assuming it ever goes on sale at all.

Leak reveals GM's 2017 heavy duty diesel trucks to get 910 lb-ft of torque [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Chevrolet officially announced specs for the 2017 Silverado HD and the rumors were true. The truck's new Duramax 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V8 puts out 445 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque. Chevrolet says the new motor produces 19 percent more torque and 12 percent more horsepower, while producing 35 percent fewer emissions. Overall, the new engine is a big improvement over the current motor, which generates 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque. According to Truck Trend, GM's newest heavy duty pickup trucks will pick up quite a bit more power and torque. The publication spotted a recent GM Powertrain ordering catalog that had the engine specs for the 2017 model year and managed to get some screenshots before the catalog was taken down, and they can be viewed here. The screenshots revealed that the 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 powering the Silverado and Sierra heavy duty models will boast 445 horsepower and 910 lb-ft of torque. This is a substantial gain over the current models' 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of torque, and as Truck Trend points out, it exceeds the Ford Super Duty line's horsepower output of 440, but comes short of the 925 lb-ft rating. Truck Trend credits part of this output gain to the new intake system GM will introduce on the 2017 heavy duties. The intake gets 60 percent of its air from a scoop on the hood, with the other 40 percent coming from behind one of the front fenders. GM doesn't reveal horsepower figures in the press release about the scoop, but it does say the cooler air helps with maintaining the engine's output, and that the scoop does produce a ram-air affect, providing more air at speed. As we know, more air plus more fuel equals more power, but there's likely more to the power increase in this engine than only the intake. Related Video: News Source: Truck Trend via MSN Chevrolet GM GMC Truck Diesel Vehicles