New Tahoe makes driving a big truck easier, more pleasant

Tom Incantalupo: ROAD TEST; March 24, 2006

General Motors didn't make the Chevrolet Tahoe the most powerful in its class when it redesigned it for 2007: The Dodge Durango's available Hemi holds that distinction, with 335 hp. GM's own Hummer H2 has 325 hp. under its hood.

But the Tahoe is more powerful than before.

The new Tahoe (and nearly identical GMC Yukon) isn't the most spacious big SUV, either: A Ford Expedition holds more, and so does the Tahoe's big brother, the Suburban, which also was redesigned for '07 and will be out soon.

But the Tahoe does hold a little more stuff than before.

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In the Tahoe's redesign, GM has accomplished something much more noteworthy, though, than a little more power and a little more room: It has made this big truck easier to drive, less clumsy and just generally more pleasant to live with than its predecessors.

Steering feels more responsive, the brakes seem better, the vehicle has less pitch and roll. Overall, even with a load of several hundred pounds, the Tahoe's performance envelope - within which the driver feels securely in control - extends further than its predecessor's, well beyond any American speed limits.

GM credits those improvements to a new rack-and-pinion steering system that replaced recirculating ball and has improved on-center feel; a new front suspension, larger disc brakes with a new ABS system, and increases of 3.2 inches and 1.1 inches, respectively, in front and rear tracks.

New safety features include available side curtain air bags that will deploy if the system senses a rollover, not just in a side impact. That's to help keep people or various parts of their bodies from falling out during the rollover and being crushed under the vehicle. New front-seat belt pretensioners work if the vehicle is struck in the rear, as well as if it's in a frontal impact.

Stability control is now standard in all Tahoes.

The tester's body felt more solid than its predecessor's, with almost none of the shudder and shake that once characterized the vehicle. GM says it worked hard to reduce wind noise, with better door seals, a more steeply raked windshield and other refinements to improve aerodynamics. Those efforts, too, seem to have borne fruit.

Casual observers might not notice big differences in styling, but the '07s do have a new and slightly more aggressive look, with new front air dams and hoods and a steeper rake to the rear window as well as the windshield.

The changes make the new Tahoe and Yukon more than ever worthy of serious consideration for buyers still in the market for a big SUV despite rising gasoline prices.

GM has improved fuel economy, too, in part with a system that cuts fuel to four of the engine's eight cylinders when the power of all eight isn't needed. An indicator on the dashboard tells the driver when that happens.

Unfortunately, though, in real-world driving, the power of all eight cylinders usually is needed. No matter how conservatively I attempted to drive, my tester rarely went into four-cylinder mode except when I was coasting to a stop.

So, as you'd expect, while its fuel economy is a little better than before, the big Tahoe still is a gas guzzler. EPA estimates, notoriously optimistic, are 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 on the highway for the four-wheel-drive model. The tester's driving computer, which can show fuel economy in real time, usually read in the teens once cruising speed was attained - and in the single digits during acceleration.

On sale since January, the '07 Tahoe starts at $33,990 without four-wheel drive and $37,790 with it. Three equipment levels are offered, LS, LT and the most expensive, LTZ. The $41,605 tester included fancier wheels, a third row of seating, the head curtain air bags, a rear obstacle detection system, a premium speaker system and power adjustable pedals - all optional.

Tahoes are available for now only with my tester's 5.3-liter, 320-hp. V-8; but a smaller, 290-hp., 4.8-liter V-8 is to be available later.

The four-speed automatic transmission is unimpressive at a time when five-, six- and even seven-speed units are commonplace, but at least the tester's performed smoothly and responded quickly to requests for a downshift issued with a jab of the accelerator pedal.

The 5.3-liter engine's horsepower rating and its torque, 340 pound-feet at 4,200 rpm, compares to 295 hp. and 335 pound-feet for its predecessor. The new engine also is designed to run on regular unleaded.

This is a peppy truck - zero to 60 mph takes just 8.5 seconds, according to Car and Driver magazine - and the tester's engine ran and idled with commendable smoothness.

Chevy says a Tahoe with four-wheel drive can pull a 7,700-pound trailer. The Suburban, in the 2500 series with four-wheel drive and a 6.0-liter V-8, can pull up to 9,500 pounds, according to the Tahoe/Suburban owner's manual that came with my tester.

Chevy offers three suspensions in the Tahoe - the tester's "premium smooth ride" setup; an optional Z55 with computer-controlled Autoride that continuously adjusts shock absorber damping to road and driving conditions, and a Z71 off-road suspension.

The most quickly noticeable change as one climbs inside is the lowered windshield line, for improved visibility forward. Nosing up to another car in a parking stall without punching out its headlights still takes some practice, but the lowered dashboard helps give one the feel of driving a smaller truck.

The mother of all center consoles might prove an irritant to some, as it did for me, for the way it impedes elbow movement in steering. But it certainly is big, with almost a cubic foot of storage space. In front of it is an open tray with two cup holders and room for items that need to be handy.

The Tahoe can seat as few as four and as many as nine, depending upon the specific first- and second-row seating that's ordered and whether a third row is ordered and, if so, whether a two- or three-place seat is specified.

As in any SUV, getting back to the third row is somewhat awkward, but, more important, any adults consigned to it will ride with their knees up around their chins because the seat is very low. And, with that third row in use, remaining cargo area is limited.

The two sections of the 60-40 split second row also can fold, and they can tumble forward as well so that they rest against the backs of the front seats. Power operation is available for the second row, but not the third.

The Tahoe, Yukon and their cousin the Cadillac Escalade are substantially changed, so reliability and quality are unknowns. But Consumer Reports magazine lists previous versions as average.

The Chevrolet and GMC are roughly average in long-term dependability, according to J.D. Power and Associates' surveys of owners, and the market researchers deem the '06 Tahoe above average in overall and mechanical quality. It lists nothing yet for the '07 Tahoe.

Also unavailable is a safety rating for the new models. The previous generation Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade didn't exactly cover themselves with glory in the federal government's frontal impact test - earning four out of a possible five stars at a time when many smaller vehicles often earned five stars.

In fairness, though, frontal crash tests determine how passengers would fare in a collision with a vehicle of equal weight or into a fixed object like a tree. In a crash with a lighter vehicle, a heavy one like a Tahoe, Yukon or Escalade always has an advantage.

The feds had no side-impact ratings for the earlier generation of these trucks. The private Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had nothing at all on the Tahoe, Yukon or Escalade.

2007 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD LT

Vehicle tested:

Engine: 5.3-liter V-8, 320 hp.

Torque: 340 pound-feet at 4,200 rpm

Transmission: Four-speed automatic, part-time four-wheel drive

Safety: Dual front and curtain-type air bags, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock and stability control, rear obstacle detection and warning, tire pressure monitoring, daytime running lamps, fog lamps, OnStar roadside assistance and travel concierge system

Place of assembly: Arlington, Texas

Weight: 5,537 pounds

Cargo room: Minimum/

maximum, cubic feet: 16.9/108.9

EPA fuel economy rating: 15 mpg city, 21 highway

Price as driven: $41,605,

including destination charge