Accelerate Mpls

Spotted by none other than the great Mark Boyadjis in Columbia Heights, MN, this mid 90′s Chevrolet Silverado has a second generation Cadillac Escalade front clip grafted onto it. Paint is for suckers. Either the front clip is still just primed and not painted, or else the front clip is black and the donor truck is white. Either way it is hideous. For the awesome blend between luxury and redneck, the GM Escalado is the only way to go.

Thanks for the tip Mark.

I wanted to start this review off by stating how much I really like the current Chevrolet Tahoe. As far as larger body on frame SUV’s go, I like it a lot. When I received word I would have a Tahoe Hybrid to review, my first thought was how interesting it would be. Since I like the regular Tahoe, would I like the hybrid? After a week, lets dive in and find out.

The exterior of the current Tahoe is terrific. Changes were necessary in many areas on the exterior for the Hybrid model. These changes were for improvements to aerodynamics, which include a different grille, new lower air dam which is much lower to the ground, slight sculpting in the rear rocker panels and other little things. The wheels are also a different design, and are wrapped in low rolling resistance tires. The Tahoe is a sharp vehicle but the lower front air dam on the hybrid looks somewhat awkward to me. The lower ground clearance in the front meant I scraped the front end on a few driveway entrances. This is a full-size SUV in which I can scrape the bottom front air dam on a driveway entrance. That somewhat bothered me! I also like the non-hybrid grilles slightly better. Other then the front end and wheels, you will not notice a huge difference between the hybrid and regular Tahoe aside from the hybrid badges. Though I am not a huge fan of all the necessary aerodynamic changes, the Tahoe is still a looker and the hybrid model is not that much worse.

I also like the interior of the regular Tahoe and not many changes were made for the hybrid.  The battery pack resides under the second row of seats.  They can tumble fully forward.  The third row tumbles forward but does not fold flat like the current generation Ford Expedition and can be fully removed, but they are not light.  Make sure you do not have a bad back!  Also make sure you have somewhere to store them.  The front seats are very comfortable and will be easy to take a long road trip with.  The navigation unit is still disc based and the resolution on the particular unit in this Tahoe hybrid had a somewhat fuzzy aspect to it.  The words and everything just did not seem as crisp as other units I have seen from GM of the same variety.  You do have a hybrid mode screen where you can see exactly what is happening with the powertrain.  I found that,while it was cool, ultimately I would rather have the navigation map up or the radio station presets.  I found that to be more useful.  The gauge cluster has plenty of information to inform you what mode you are running in and how much power is coming from where.  The rest of the interior is standard Tahoe, which is nice – however a power lift gate on a SUV with this price tag would not be a lot to ask for.  Not to mention the lack of telescoping steering wheel!  Overall, the interior is a nice place to spend your time, but small changes could be made to enhance it.

The powertrain is a 6.0 liter Vortec V8 with active fuel management, along with two 60 kilowatt electric motors.  This was a four-wheel drive model, so the power can be pushed to the rear wheels or all four depending on the mode.  The transmission is a “2-mode” system that was developed in collaboration with Daimler and BMW.  The transmission essentially works in two modes, one in the city at speeds below 40 miles per hour an one at speeds above 40 miles per hour. Essentially one is a city mode and one is a highway mode.  They are trying to maximize both conditions with less compromises. It is a somewhat unique approach, seeing as most hybrids do not focus on highway mileage as much as city mileage.  I was highly impressed with the overall system.  The switching between battery and gasoline, as well as the combination of both, was very smooth.  I noticed the engine was operating in four-cylinder mode a lot more often then the Silverado I recently had with active fuel management.  This tells me that the settings are much more aggressive due to the battery and electric motor assistance.  The EPA rates the mileage at 21/22 mpg.  I saw an average of 19.6 mpg in mixed city driving.

The battery pack

The total bill for this Tahoe after options and everything was $56,810 including destination.  The only two options on this particular vehicle was the entertainment/destination package which was $2,390 and the red jewel tintcoat paint for $395.  Many features that are optional on non-hybrid models or that you need to upgrade trim levels for normally, are standard on the hybrid model – including the navigation package.  The base price for the Tahoe Hybrid with four wheel drive is $53,525.

So at the end of the week, did I like the Tahoe hybrid as much as I like the Tahoe?  The reality of it is that the powertrain and driving experience is much more seamless and refined then I imagined it would be.  I was highly impressed in that regard.  The bottom line, if you are in the market for a full-size (body on frame) SUV and care about the environment mileage numbers, then the Tahoe Hybrid delivers on the promise of better fuel economy with a refined hybrid experience.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors

Episode 24 starts with introductions including Justin Loyear from Cheers and Gears and this weeks guest William Maley also known as realmudmonster on Twitter.  Moving into the garage we talk about the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon I was in for the past week along with the Chevrolet Equinox Colin was in.  We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• New Fuel Economy Standards Still Use Old EPA Test
• Consumer Reports Flags 2010 Lexus GX 460
• Toyota Recalls 600,000 Sienna Minivans
• Saab had to foot the bill for the BLS
• Marchionne’s Chrysler may not survive as it exists today, analyst says

We then proceed to the clip of the week segment.  This week we featured a Toyota Avalon plane TV commercial. (Link)

Next came our main topic which was discussing ideas you would like to see on a Ford?

Last we discuss the past week on our respective blogs, Cheers and Gears,  AutoBird Blog and Accelerate Mpls.  The week in review included- my editorial on negativity in the auto industry and my review of the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado.  Cheers and Gears had a post on a new Subaru Legacy commercial.  Colin had a post about by the numbers in Germany.

Download this episode (right click and save)

The Silverado is a nameplate that goes back generations.  People’s grandfathers and their grandfathers drove these pick up trucks while working the land.  They are every worker’s friend and seem to always be there.  Over the years, as we have evolved, so has the Silverado.  The pickup of yore were smaller and less powerful, not to mention much less luxurious.  Though things have changed, the underlying characteristics that makes the Silverado, the character has not.

In 2007 the Silverado went under the knife for a major refresh.  In the first commercials Chevrolet had a clay Malibu and then showed designers reshaping the vehicle into the new Silverado.  This was to try and tie the sharp styling of these two vehicles together and connect the Chevrolet brand.  Without question, the outside of this truck is sharp.  The front has the headlights stacked vertically and the hood has two small power bulges on the sides.  The fender flares are over-sized and shaped nicely, though the side of the truck, specifically the cab is plain and rather slab sided.  The windshield has a steeper rake then the previous generation Silverado and the panel gaps are tightened up.  This all leads to better aerodynamics.  Overall, the look is sharp on the exterior, though I would like to see more done with the cab styling.

The current Silverado rides on the GMT900 platform, a truck chassis adapted from the current Tahoe and Suburban.  The frame is fully boxed and that helps not only the payload and towing specs, but also the ride.  Engineers commented at the launch of the 2007 Silverado about how they wanted to keep high capacities but strived to hit a good mix for ride and handling, both when the truck was under load and when it was empty. It rides nice all the same.

I formed strong opinions about my experience with the truck and little things struck me.  For instance, the Silverado I had was an extended cab.  The rear half doors swung open on unique hinges a full 180 degrees.  This is not only impressive but also quite handy.  The truck also was equipped with the Z71 package which among other things, on the interior gave a unique gauge cluster background which resembled carbon fiber.  I personally liked the gauge cluster in the Silverado.  I found it easy to read and had all the necessary gauges a truck owner using his vehicle might need.  I found the leather seats to be very comfortable and the leather seemed to be good quality.  The sound system was the base unit and sounded decent at best.  It got muddy with the lows, while not the worst system I would definitely opt for the upgraded unit.  The USB port was hidden in what you would assume to be a power outlet but it was easy to reach and quickly connected with my iPhone using a little white cable.  The biggest down fall of the interior, and this is a huge downfall, is the plastics.  The entire dash is made of hard plastic that does not even look that great.  The door panels are all cheap plastic except for the touch points.  While this used to be fine in the pick up segment the competition (Ram and Ford F150) have all upgraded their interior cabin material significantly recently and that makes the Silverado look dated.  All was not lost for I did like the electronic climate control interface.  Though the gauge cluster, terrific 180 degree extended cab doors and electronic climate control interface cannot fully make up for the cheap interior plastics.

The 5.3L V8 in this Silverado pumped out 315 hp and 335 ft-lb pushed to the rear wheels though it had four wheel drive.  A six speed automatic handled the power and was programmed quite well.  It seemed to be in the correct gear and never seemed lazy.  The mileage is rated at 15/21 which is definitely competitive and right along the lines of other full size pick ups.  I averaged 14.8 throughout the week.  The way this particular Silverado was equipped it was rated to tow a maximum of 10,400 lbs and the maximum payload is rated at 1714 lbs.  Neither of these numbers was I able to confirm as I did not have a Bobcat lying around to tow.  Though I can only assume it would tow a boat or trailer quite easily.

The Silverado I had was a 1500 4WD extended cab LT.  With many packages tacked on this LT was not stripped.  The optional packages included the interior plus package, exterior plus package, power pack plus package, off road suspension package, Z71 appearance package and the 40/20/40 split bench seat.  Among these packages features such as the dual automatic climate control, Bluetooth, chrome exterior bits, remote start, and much more were added.  The total sticker price rang up to $37,775.  The package I wanted to take a moment to focus on was the power pack plus package.  This upgraded the engine to the LTZ trim levels 5.3L V8 with active fuel management.  That engine gives a few more horsepower and ft-lb but the real addition is the six speed automatic ditching the four speed transmission.  I am a bit shocked this engine is not the standard V8 and transmission combination on the Silverado line.  What is the exact reason for offering the 4.8L V8 and four speed automatic transmission on the base LT models.  Make with the standard six speed transmissions already.

The reality is simple when it comes to the three American made trucks, you are not going to buy a bad truck.  Really, I know you are about to blast me and that is because everyone has an opinion on this topic.  The reality of it is these trucks are all very capable when it comes to working hard they are worlds nicer, stronger and more power then they used to be.  At the end of the day would I recommend a Silverado to someone?  Absolutely.  Now ask me if it would be my first choice and I would say no.  I really do like the Silverado but I would have to be honest and say both the new F150 and Ram 1500 are more competitive in their own rights.  The interiors have been heavily upgraded and the innovative features are endless.  The Silverado is not a bad truck, it simply is not currently the best truck. A complete refresh is coming around the 2013-2014 time frame (possibly sooner) and we shall see how the chips fall at that point.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors