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Edmunds tests Tahoe Hybrid: It Ain't Easy Being Green. Ain't Cheap, Either

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by cwerdna, Jan 26, 2008.

  1. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Follow-Up Test: 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
    "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
    ...
    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.)
    ...
    But as we've said before, there's a price to be paid for hybrid enthusiasm, and it happens to be $9,100 in this case."
     
    #1 cwerdna, Jan 26, 2008
  2. eddiehaskell

    eddiehaskell Member

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    Hmm, some of the other test I've seen have it getting better mileage (or atleast better compared to the non-hybrid).

    For example:
    motivemagazine.com - Motive First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

    2009 GMC Yukon 2-Mode Hybrid - First Test - Motor Trend

    REVIEW: Spies get a first drive in the new Tahoe Hybrid- Does it deliver? - AutoSpies Auto News

    Also, I believe Motor Week got 23mpg.
     
    #2 eddiehaskell, Jan 26, 2008
  3. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Well yaaaah, what would ya expect (heavily advertised by GM) motor trend & the like to say. Gee, go figure :D
    MPG in the teens (shaking head) . . . them and Lexus's mongo power luxury cars getting MPG in the 20's. Whatever.
     
    #3 hill, Jan 26, 2008
  4. eddiehaskell

    eddiehaskell Member

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    So you're are insinuating that all of those publications were paid off to inflate the test mileage?
     
    #4 eddiehaskell, Jan 26, 2008
  5. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    This is also true for Prius with HSD. You never see this kind of information in Prius reviews when they compare to smaller Corolla with less standard features!

    19% MPG increase seems too little too late but still 19% reduction.
     
    #5 usbseawolf2000, Jan 26, 2008
  6. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    My Dad approached the problem from a completely different angle. For the $9000 difference, he bought a small Kia for all the non-truck driving and only uses the big rig for big rig hauling. Vastly less gas use than a hybrid Tahoe.
     
    #6 FL_Prius_Driver, Jan 27, 2008
  7. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Inflate or deflate: How hard is it to drive a little harder or easy, to get the result you want / need? You think the MPG 'estimates' weren't done that way for decades? Then, when Prius advarsaries wanted to take on OUR great (50mpg-60mpg) stated mileage results ... what happened? They drove the Prius a little more aggressivly. Of course, the down side was that Ford, Chrysler, GM results went even farther into the toilet. Yes, I think publications can and do inflate mpg results on an as needed basis. But 19mpg? 20mpg? 25mpg? All of that is horrible, and unnecessary.
     
    #7 hill, Jan 27, 2008
  8. apriusfan

    apriusfan New Member

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    Weight will stop a freight train. At 5,800 lbs, the Tahoe/Yukon hybrid MUST go on a diet if they are going to see any kind of city mileage into the 20s or higher. I wonder what the outcome would be like if the Tahoe/Yukon were to tip the scales at something like 4,800 lbs? I have a Volvo XC90 V8 that has an unladen weight of something like 4,800 lbs. and I routinely see 18 mpg City and 24 mpg on the highway if I keep the revs below 2,000 (~72 mph). With a hybrid power train at 4,800 lbs, I have to think that 23 - 24 City is doable.
     
    #8 apriusfan, Jan 27, 2008
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