The ’08 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
I spent yesterday as a guest of GM up at the Milford Proving Grounds, test driving their new ’08 vehicles. (They paid my way up there, handed me the keys to anything I wanted to drive, then turned me loose on their test track. Someone’s probably getting fired as I write this.)
Over the next several days I’ll be posting on the cars I drove. Cars that work for different guys and their lifestyles.
Today’s car is the new Chevy Tahoe Two-mode Hybrid. Perfect if you spend a lot of time hauling gear and friends around – and don’t want to have to stop every few miles to fuel up.
I know. “Hybrid” brings to mind tiny little cars driven by guys with nose rings and alt-rock on their iPods. But this is 2008. And GM is planning to roll out hybrids for most of its vehicles. Including trucks and SUVs. The two-mode hybrid system is the one they designed for use on transit buses back in 2003 and is optimized for both city and highway driving. In the first mode, at low speed and light loads, the Tahoe can operate in three ways: electric power only, engine power only or in any combination of engine and electric power. When operating with electric power only, it provides all the fuel-savings benefits of a full hybrid system. About 25 percent more fuel efficiency. I’m not saying it’s anywhere near close to what you’d get in a Prius, but then have you ever tried towing a boat and heading to the lake with five guys in a Prius? Exactly.
And if you think because it’s a hybrid you’ll have to sacrifice power, the 332-horsepower Vortec V-8 engine will change your mind. I slammed the pedal down on the quarter mile straightaway and all 332 launched the Tahoe down the track much quicker than I figured it would. It also dropped the fuel efficiency down to zero. But after letting up on the pedal the electric power kicked on and the thirsty beast stopped sucking gas and hummed through the rest of the course.
Looks-wise the Tahoe hybrid has been given a special front fascia that drops its drag coefficient down close to the 2004 Corvette’s. (Looking at a Vette parked nearby and then standing in front of this big bitch, I was skeptical, but they swear it’s true.) And since its nickel-metal hydride battery piles on 400 pounds, the hood and tailgate are made of special lightweight aluminum to offset the extra weight.
The interior is big and roomy and comfortable, as you’d expect from a truck this size. You should have no problem fitting the guys and their gear. And getting them to chip in for gas.
