Since last we drove it as a 1998 model, the Chevrolet Tahoe has changed little. The 1999 Tahoe has a couple of new exterior colors from which to choose, and the standard cargo net has been deleted, presumably because nobody uses cargo nets anyway. The base price of the truck has been marginally increased from a year ago, and, with no content added, the only real change this year is in the Tahoe's cost.
This year, for the first time ever in America, trucks are outselling cars. Everybody suddenly needs a sport-utility. Full-size trucks are being converted to family wagons left and right, and the full-size sport-utility market is rapidly becoming one of America's most competitive battlefields since that little skirmish at Bunker Hill. Two years ago, Ford introduced the F-150-based Expedition, which, at the time, posed the only real threat to GM's full-size people-carrying dominance. Toyota has since developed its own full-size truck, the Tundra, and spy photographers have already shown us glimpses of Toyota's sport-ute version of the full-size truck that has yet to be sold. The battle lines are being drawn.
With all these newfound foes, Chevrolet had no choice but to (Gulp!) update its best-selling product line. This year, Chevy released an updated C/K pickup and called it the Silverado. The Silverado is a whole new truck from the ground up, and it carries itself with a more refined ride than we could have imagined. It brakes smoothly, it gets better mileage than ever before, has tighter steering, a stiffer frame, and it comes with a variety of suspensions - from soft to firm. By no coincidence, this is the current-generation Tahoe's final year in its present form. Next year it will be based on the Silverado, and most of what is wrong with the Tahoe will become right.
What is wrong with the Tahoe? Well, it's based on a decade-old truck platform. The steering and brakes are not as responsive as they should be. It weighs too much, and the old V8 engine uses too much gas. Other than those perennial problems, the Tahoe is an excellent vehicle.
The Tahoe's interior dimensions are huge, providing 118.2 cubic feet of cargo volume. Thanks must go to the truck's size, which measures 199.6 inches long by 76.8 inches wide by 75 inches high. That's actually shorter and thinner than some minivans, so the Tahoe is still able to squeeze its way comfortably into tight parking spaces and garages.
Besides being huge, the interior is surprisingly user-friendly. The center-dash controls offer easy-to-read buttons, including knobs for the stereo's volume and tuning controls. There are three twist-dials for the climate controls, which are accompanied by three push-buttons for "defrost," "recirculate," and "air conditioning." Of course, the cheap interior parts themselves do nothing to offer a feeling of luxury, but that's why God made option packages. Our test truck came with the LT Preferred Equipment Group and the Comfort and Security Package, which, combined, consist of heated and leather-covered high-back bucket seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated and powered side mirrors, a powered passenger seat, and front and rear air conditioning. Add the Autotrac Transfer Case with push-button 4WD, a locking rear differential and skid plates, and you're in business in a fairly luxurious and capable truck.
The Tahoe's interior does have its flaws. Among them is a control stalk that's packed with too many features, including a cruise control (set, on, off, resume/accelerate), windshield wiper with intermittent delay, windshield washer, turn signals and fog lights. Inevitably, the driver will operate the wipers while trying to indicate a turn, or flash the brights when trying to clear the windshield. Another complaint we must make is the amount of visibility wasted by the rear panel doorjamb, a problem that's easily cured by opting for the no-cost hatchgate.
Thanks to its 3.73 axle ratio, our four-wheel-drive Tahoe reached a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 6,800 pounds. The four-door 4WD Tahoe tips the scales at a hefty 5,251 pounds of curb weight, and can haul a payload of 1,549 pounds. That's enough to carry a five-member family's personal belongings for a weekend getaway (add a front bench, and the Tahoe seats six).
The Tahoe's best feature continues to be its Vortec 5700 V8 SFI engine, which develops 255 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 330 foot-pounds of torque at a low 2,800 rpm. The technology may be aging, and the two-valves-per-cylinder design doesn't help fuel economy, but, when you push the throttle, it goes. Our lead-footed driving habits didn't do this engine any favors; average mileage came in at a relatively dismal 12.9 mpg. Fortunately, gas prices are low and the Tahoe's tank can hold up to 30 gallons.
The Tahoe can tow big trailers, it can haul whatever will fit inside, and it can carry an entire family to and from the lodge without breaking a sweat. A big mark in its favor is that it happens to be a sport-utility, the most popular vehicle classification in America. So why not go out and buy one today? Because if you can wait a year, the Tahoe will be based on the best full-size truck currently on the market: the Silverado. Patience is still a virtue.
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