A full-size hybrid SUV that offers a 3.1-mpg improvement in everyday fuel-efficiency might seem a little self-defeating, like too much iron in a very pale shade of green. But do some math using our observed fuel economy figures and the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid starts to make sense.
If you drive 15,000 miles annually, this innovative two-mode hybrid will consume 149 fewer gallons of fuel per year than its conventional counterpart. This isn't going to put OPEC out of business, but the 19 percent improvement is substantial enough to climb a few more rungs up the ladder of social responsibility.
Do a little more math using the current average U.S. fuel cost and you'll find that's also an extra $456 you get to keep in your pocket every year.
And here's the clincher. Since an SUV uses far more fuel annually than a small car, even a small improvement in a sport-ute's fuel economy can make a big difference in gallons of fuel saved at the end of the year. Run the same comparative calculation using EPA fuel estimates for a Honda Civic EX and a Honda Civic Hybrid, and the annual fuel savings for the Honda works out to 139 gallons.
So a small mpg savings in a large truck makes a big difference, which is why GM has built the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid.
To Guzzle or Not To Guzzle
The reality is that this 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid produced a not-so-impressive 19.3 mpg average over the 887 miles we put on it in six days. About 60 percent of these miles were on the highway. We compared this to a nearly identical mix of city and highway driving in our long-term Tahoe (a four-wheel-drive model with the 5.3-liter V8, the largest engine available outside the hybrid), and it produced a 16.2-mpg average over those 3,000 miles. (Overall combined mileage for our long-term Chevy Tahoe over 21,000 miles proved to be 14.6 mpg.)
We've always believed the only reason to drive a full-size SUV is the combined need for seven-passenger capacity and heavy-duty towing ability. Reality says that many people driving these beasts could make due with a more reasonably sized minivan or crossover vehicle that still holds seven people. Unless they must tow something heavy, that is.
GM rates the rear-wheel-drive Tahoe Hybrid's towing capacity at 6,200 pounds, which is 1,300 pounds less than the rear-wheel-drive 5.3-liter version of the same package, yet still substantial. Four-wheel-drive non-hybrid models can tow up to 8,200 pounds.
Our long-term Buick Enclave, which has a 3.6-liter V6, has a seven-passenger capacity and is rated to tow 4,500 pounds. Using a nearly identical mix of city and highway driving, it produced an 18.4-mpg average over the last 3,100 miles. This fuel-efficiency is making us start to believe in the merits of GM's new full-size crossovers.
The Cost/Benefit Full Monty
Naturally, the lower fuel cost and fuel savings are only part of the Tahoe two-mode hybrid's story. Here is the rest: Our test truck — equipped with a 6.0-liter V8 and electrically controlled variable transmission, navigation system and rear-seat DVD player — cost $51,785. That's about $6,900 more than a comparably equipped standard Tahoe with the 5.3-liter V8 and four-speed automatic transmission.
Until the sales of this GM hybrid reaches 60,000 units, the IRS offers a $2,200 tax credit, bringing the cost premium down to about $4,660. Even more math will tell you that to recoup the price premium in fuel savings at a rate of 15,000 miles of annual driving will require more than 10 years. This is hardly a strong enough argument to convince those shopping from a cost-only perspective that the fuel-efficient Tahoe Hybrid is a good idea.
So What Else Do I Get?
Part of the Tahoe Hybrid's price premium comes from its abundance of standard equipment — much of which comes at additional cost on a Tahoe LT. Many features of the standard Tahoe's $3,225 3LT equipment group — leather upholstered seats, remote start and premium Bose speakers, to name a few — are included as standard equipment for the Tahoe Hybrid. As is the navigation system. A locking rear differential was also a no-cost option for our two-wheel-drive test Tahoe.
GM isn't going to let you forget this behemoth is a hybrid. We counted 13 examples of hybrid badges, logos and insignias that have been glued, embossed or painted on this SUV's flanks. One of these was on the navigation system's screen, which has a Prius-like display showing which mode the powertrain is using or if the gasoline engine or regenerative brakes are being used to charge the nickel metal hydride batteries. There's also an "economy" gauge that lacked any sort of label but pegged every time we mashed the throttle.
Thinner, lighter front seats help offset the additional weight of the hybrid system and create marginally more legroom in the second passenger row. Otherwise, the interior is the same as any other Tahoe. There's a cavernous interior with 60/40-split-folding second-row seats that tumble forward for more cargo capacity. The 50/50-split-folding third-row seats can be removed with a yank of the release handle.
There are some functional compromises for this Tahoe's hybrid identification. The deeper front airdam helps reduce the Tahoe's aerodynamic drag coefficient from 0.39 Cd to 0.34 Cd, but it also compromises its approach angle.
Even a Hybrid Can Feel Quick
The driving differences between the Tahoe Hybrid and conventional Tahoe from behind the steering wheel are not significant enough to matter to most drivers. You'll really only notice the hybrid's unique transmission performance. The transmission houses two 60-kilowatt electric motors, and it blends their power with that of the gasoline engine using three special planetary gearsets in addition to the four fixed ratios of the fairly conventional automatic transmission.
Of course, the biggest difference between this hybrid and other GM hybrids is its ability to move up to 30 mph in electric-only mode. The electric motors can also provide some power assist at higher speeds, so the hybrid has improved throttle response in passing situations as a result. In comparison, making a pass in a standard Tahoe is an exercise in frustration. You mash the throttle, wait for the transmission to kick down, then wait again for the V8 to rev into unhappiness and only then will anything resembling acceleration ensue.
In contrast, the hybrid is far more sensitive to smaller changes in throttle position and, thanks to electric assist, its acceleration responds to your foot almost immediately. The result is far more effortless passing performance.
Even a Hybrid Can Be Quick
A Chevy Tahoe isn't exactly nimble or quick in any configuration, but the hybrid outruns the last standard Tahoe we tested to 60 mph with an 8.2-second performance compared to an 8.8-second result. The quarter-mile performance, meanwhile, is a wash, as both the hybrid and the standard SUV do the job in 16.5 seconds, with the hybrid making the pass at 86.9 mph while the conventional Tahoe is doing 84.3 mph.
The hybrid also handles about the same as the standard Tahoe. Through the slalom, the hybrid records an average of 54.7 mph, some 1.1 mph slower than the standard Tahoe and 1.2 mph slower than the Ford Expedition. Around the skid pad, the hybrid grips the asphalt with a 0.68g result, while the regular Tahoe generates 0.70g.
The hybrid comes to a stop from 60 mph in 132 feet, a result as good or better than any full-size SUV we've tested, so its regenerative brakes are effective.
The bottom line here is that the hybrid system's added weight (approximately 400 pounds) has less effect on a large vehicle like an SUV than we typically experience in smaller vehicles.
Practically Practical
Most hybrids force packaging compromises by intruding on valuable interior space with batteries. In cars, it's usually the trunk space that takes the hit. But GM has cleverly packed all of the Tahoe Hybrid's batteries under the second-row seat, so there's little or no compromise to the interior's utility.
What's more, short of the absurd number of hybrid badges, this hybrid looks enough like any other Tahoe to be indistinguishable to the casual observer — something that can't be said for many hybrid cars.
In a lot of ways, the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid shows just how far hybrids have come, because there are no real performance or packaging liabilities that come with the fuel-saving technology. But as we've said before, there's a price to be paid for hybrid enthusiasm, and it happens to be $4,660 in this case. This reminds us that the hybrid is a matter of feeling good about what you're driving, in the same way that people also feel good about lots of horsepower or flashy wheels.
And it's hard not to feel good about preserving seven-passenger capacity and serious towing capability while saving 149 gallons of fuel every year.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
If you drive 15,000 miles annually, this innovative two-mode hybrid will consume 149 fewer gallons of fuel per year than its conventional counterpart. This isn't going to put OPEC out of business, but the 19 percent improvement is substantial enough to climb a few more rungs up the ladder of social responsibility.
Do a little more math using the current average U.S. fuel cost and you'll find that's also an extra $456 you get to keep in your pocket every year.
And here's the clincher. Since an SUV uses far more fuel annually than a small car, even a small improvement in a sport-ute's fuel economy can make a big difference in gallons of fuel saved at the end of the year. Run the same comparative calculation using EPA fuel estimates for a Honda Civic EX and a Honda Civic Hybrid, and the annual fuel savings for the Honda works out to 139 gallons.
So a small mpg savings in a large truck makes a big difference, which is why GM has built the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid.
To Guzzle or Not To Guzzle
The reality is that this 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid produced a not-so-impressive 19.3 mpg average over the 887 miles we put on it in six days. About 60 percent of these miles were on the highway. We compared this to a nearly identical mix of city and highway driving in our long-term Tahoe (a four-wheel-drive model with the 5.3-liter V8, the largest engine available outside the hybrid), and it produced a 16.2-mpg average over those 3,000 miles. (Overall combined mileage for our long-term Chevy Tahoe over 21,000 miles proved to be 14.6 mpg.)
We've always believed the only reason to drive a full-size SUV is the combined need for seven-passenger capacity and heavy-duty towing ability. Reality says that many people driving these beasts could make due with a more reasonably sized minivan or crossover vehicle that still holds seven people. Unless they must tow something heavy, that is.
GM rates the rear-wheel-drive Tahoe Hybrid's towing capacity at 6,200 pounds, which is 1,300 pounds less than the rear-wheel-drive 5.3-liter version of the same package, yet still substantial. Four-wheel-drive non-hybrid models can tow up to 8,200 pounds.
Our long-term Buick Enclave, which has a 3.6-liter V6, has a seven-passenger capacity and is rated to tow 4,500 pounds. Using a nearly identical mix of city and highway driving, it produced an 18.4-mpg average over the last 3,100 miles. This fuel-efficiency is making us start to believe in the merits of GM's new full-size crossovers.
The Cost/Benefit Full Monty
Naturally, the lower fuel cost and fuel savings are only part of the Tahoe two-mode hybrid's story. Here is the rest: Our test truck — equipped with a 6.0-liter V8 and electrically controlled variable transmission, navigation system and rear-seat DVD player — cost $51,785. That's about $6,900 more than a comparably equipped standard Tahoe with the 5.3-liter V8 and four-speed automatic transmission.
Until the sales of this GM hybrid reaches 60,000 units, the IRS offers a $2,200 tax credit, bringing the cost premium down to about $4,660. Even more math will tell you that to recoup the price premium in fuel savings at a rate of 15,000 miles of annual driving will require more than 10 years. This is hardly a strong enough argument to convince those shopping from a cost-only perspective that the fuel-efficient Tahoe Hybrid is a good idea.
So What Else Do I Get?
Part of the Tahoe Hybrid's price premium comes from its abundance of standard equipment — much of which comes at additional cost on a Tahoe LT. Many features of the standard Tahoe's $3,225 3LT equipment group — leather upholstered seats, remote start and premium Bose speakers, to name a few — are included as standard equipment for the Tahoe Hybrid. As is the navigation system. A locking rear differential was also a no-cost option for our two-wheel-drive test Tahoe.
GM isn't going to let you forget this behemoth is a hybrid. We counted 13 examples of hybrid badges, logos and insignias that have been glued, embossed or painted on this SUV's flanks. One of these was on the navigation system's screen, which has a Prius-like display showing which mode the powertrain is using or if the gasoline engine or regenerative brakes are being used to charge the nickel metal hydride batteries. There's also an "economy" gauge that lacked any sort of label but pegged every time we mashed the throttle.
Thinner, lighter front seats help offset the additional weight of the hybrid system and create marginally more legroom in the second passenger row. Otherwise, the interior is the same as any other Tahoe. There's a cavernous interior with 60/40-split-folding second-row seats that tumble forward for more cargo capacity. The 50/50-split-folding third-row seats can be removed with a yank of the release handle.
There are some functional compromises for this Tahoe's hybrid identification. The deeper front airdam helps reduce the Tahoe's aerodynamic drag coefficient from 0.39 Cd to 0.34 Cd, but it also compromises its approach angle.
Even a Hybrid Can Feel Quick
The driving differences between the Tahoe Hybrid and conventional Tahoe from behind the steering wheel are not significant enough to matter to most drivers. You'll really only notice the hybrid's unique transmission performance. The transmission houses two 60-kilowatt electric motors, and it blends their power with that of the gasoline engine using three special planetary gearsets in addition to the four fixed ratios of the fairly conventional automatic transmission.
Of course, the biggest difference between this hybrid and other GM hybrids is its ability to move up to 30 mph in electric-only mode. The electric motors can also provide some power assist at higher speeds, so the hybrid has improved throttle response in passing situations as a result. In comparison, making a pass in a standard Tahoe is an exercise in frustration. You mash the throttle, wait for the transmission to kick down, then wait again for the V8 to rev into unhappiness and only then will anything resembling acceleration ensue.
In contrast, the hybrid is far more sensitive to smaller changes in throttle position and, thanks to electric assist, its acceleration responds to your foot almost immediately. The result is far more effortless passing performance.
Even a Hybrid Can Be Quick
A Chevy Tahoe isn't exactly nimble or quick in any configuration, but the hybrid outruns the last standard Tahoe we tested to 60 mph with an 8.2-second performance compared to an 8.8-second result. The quarter-mile performance, meanwhile, is a wash, as both the hybrid and the standard SUV do the job in 16.5 seconds, with the hybrid making the pass at 86.9 mph while the conventional Tahoe is doing 84.3 mph.
The hybrid also handles about the same as the standard Tahoe. Through the slalom, the hybrid records an average of 54.7 mph, some 1.1 mph slower than the standard Tahoe and 1.2 mph slower than the Ford Expedition. Around the skid pad, the hybrid grips the asphalt with a 0.68g result, while the regular Tahoe generates 0.70g.
The hybrid comes to a stop from 60 mph in 132 feet, a result as good or better than any full-size SUV we've tested, so its regenerative brakes are effective.
The bottom line here is that the hybrid system's added weight (approximately 400 pounds) has less effect on a large vehicle like an SUV than we typically experience in smaller vehicles.
Practically Practical
Most hybrids force packaging compromises by intruding on valuable interior space with batteries. In cars, it's usually the trunk space that takes the hit. But GM has cleverly packed all of the Tahoe Hybrid's batteries under the second-row seat, so there's little or no compromise to the interior's utility.
What's more, short of the absurd number of hybrid badges, this hybrid looks enough like any other Tahoe to be indistinguishable to the casual observer — something that can't be said for many hybrid cars.
In a lot of ways, the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid shows just how far hybrids have come, because there are no real performance or packaging liabilities that come with the fuel-saving technology. But as we've said before, there's a price to be paid for hybrid enthusiasm, and it happens to be $4,660 in this case. This reminds us that the hybrid is a matter of feeling good about what you're driving, in the same way that people also feel good about lots of horsepower or flashy wheels.
And it's hard not to feel good about preserving seven-passenger capacity and serious towing capability while saving 149 gallons of fuel every year.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
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