The Tahoe Hybrid: Size AND Economy

Considering downsizing the size of your vehicle to save on soaring fuel costs? Worried about how to squeeze in those five kids you need to lug to soccer practice every week? Does the sight of a wimpy small sedan fill you with consternation but does the sight of gas prices at $4.00 a gallon fill you with absolute terror? Then perhaps the all new 2008 Tahoe Hybrid will cure what ails you! Available in both 2WD and 4WD, it is comparable with the existing Tahoe in terms of seating, cargo capacity, and price range.

 

The Tahoe Hybrid’s fuel conserving technology includes its 6.0L Vortec V8 engine with Active Fuel Management. It has Late Intake Valve closing for additional fuel savings with Variable Valve Timing and 10.8:1 compression ratio. Even with this high compression rate, the Tahoe Hybrid can run on regular unleaded fuel. The Tahoe Hybrid’s patented technology, the world’s first 2-mode (two motors, both generating 60kW of electricity) hybrid propulsion system, optimizes fuel economy for various driving conditions. The first mode, used at low speeds with light loads, enables the vehicle to operate in three ways: 1) electric power only, 2) engine power only, and 3) combination of electric and engine power. The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds, full engine power is used when necessary such as passing, towing a trailer, and climbing steep grades. The Tahoe Hybrid also recharges itself through regenerative braking. About 30% of its battery power is regenerated through regenerating braking, but be sure to not brake too hard! Just let off the gas and ease down for regeneration to occur.

 

The exterior has also been redesigned for aerodynamic improvements. It has a sleeker aluminum hood, grille and front fascia with a lower air dam, 18” wheels, assist steps, rear spats, a new rear spoiler, D-pillar moldings, tail lamps, rear fascia and an aluminum liftgate with fixed lift glass.

 

The Tahoe Hybrid’s safety components also exceed what you would normally find in a conventional Tahoe. It has a unique crash sensor for high-voltage content, a 300V battery protected by a box which encases it as well as the vehicle structure, a high-voltage system that shuts down automatically when the air bags deploy, and access protection, which shuts down the high-voltage system if any safety cover with integral switches is removed.

 

So cram in all of your kids, pets, and toys! The 2WD supports a payload of 1830 lbs and the 4WD model 1773 lbs. With 332 horsepower, a torque of 367 at 4100 rpm, and towing capacities of 6200 lbs (2WD) and 6000 lbs (4WD), you’ll forget that you’re driving something that uses so little gasoline! Three hundred gallons less per year than the competition, in fact!

MPG’s: Easy as 1,2,3!

With gas prices nearing $4.00 a gallon, the sticker shock at the pump has sent many car buyers asking “what MPG’s does this vehicle get?” Chevrolet currently offers no less than seven models that get at least 30 MPG on the highway. If you require a little more interior space, but still crave the fuel economy then the Tahoe Hybrid may be for you. The 2008 Chevy Tahoe hybrid gets better gas mileage than a Toyota Camry! And if that was not enough, Chevy stands behind all of their vehicles with a 5 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. Further dispelling the myth that reliability and fuel economy can only be achieved with certain vehicle manufacturers. To view our entire inventory of vehicles in stock, including our hybrids visit our website.

Hybrid Tahoe

The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid looks nothing like the NASA space shuttle, yet it’s a similar leap into the future, and a similar collaboration among a bunch of science guys made it happen.

This full-size SUV can still haul seven or eight passengers plus cargo, and tow up to 6,000 pounds. Yet the only different thing you’ll notice about driving it, is the number of fuel stations you can pass by without feeling the need to top off the gas tank. Two-mode hybrids aren’t exactly new. GM has had the two-mode hybrid system working in transit buses since 2003. Today, about 700 of those buses are operating in 60 cities in North America and have just been introduced in Europe.

But the Tahoe represents the technology’s first application to a personal-size vehicle.The two-mode hybrid is a complex integration of electric motors, high-performance electronics, wiring, energy management and hybrid-system control units. As a result, GM had a devil of a time trying to help us understand why this two-mode hybrid technology is better than existing hybrids. A hybrid powertrain requires more airflow for cooling, so the front grille and front airdam have been suitably modified. Meanwhile the front fascia, running boards and rear spoiler have been reconfigured for a more slippery aerodynamic profil. As a result, the Tahoe Hybrid now has a 0.34 Cd (coefficient drag) , compared to the conventional version’s 0.39 Cd.Since the new hybrid powertrain adds about 400 pounds to the Tahoe’s curb weight, there are a number of useful measures to reduce the vehicle’s weight. The hood and rear liftgate are now aluminum. The front bucket seats are thinner, though they turn out to be just as comfortable and improve rear-seat legroom by a fraction. Look at some we have in stock.

So that’s why Chevy is an American Revolution.

First Driving Impression – 2008 Tahoe Hybrid

When you get behind the wheel of the new 2008 Tahoe Hybrid, you might easily mistake it for the top-of-the-line LTZ model. Then, after you start the engine and take a closer look at the dashboard gauges, you notice a couple of things new: The ‘Economy’ gauge takes the upper-left position with a notable green-zone in the center. On the upper right, you will notice that the oil pressure gauge suddenly reads “0″ (zero). The engine is now in “Auto Stop” mode. (Gas engine is off.)I purposely turned off the climate control air conditioning to see if I could hear the 2 electric motors contained inside the transmission. I put the gear selector into “D” and accelerate slowly. The sound of the electric motors is barely noticeable. If the radio was on even at a low level, you would never hear them.As you begin to pick up speed, around 15 mph or so, you notice the oil pressure gauge come to life. The gas engine just turned on so smoothly you could barely feel or hear it engage. From there on up, it’s the same V8 Tahoe power you would expect.I also set the Driver Information Center, which displays in the speedometer gauge, to show the engine mode so that while driving and/or stopping, you can see the system change from “Auto Stop” to V8 mode to V4 mode while cruising at a steady speed on the freeway.The operation of the system was smooth and flawless. I really expected more jerkiness from the transmission as it changed modes. Not so. It is really remarkable and I look forward to demonstrating the system to Singh Chevrolet customers!-Gordon Lai, Customer Relations Manager-Singh Chevrolet (951) 710-1477