I've had my 08 Tahoe for a year now. In that time, I've managed to put 14k miles on this with primarily city driving 2-1. My overall impression of the vehicle still remains high, but there are issues which needed to be addressed and a few that remain. This vehicle, IMHO, is a series of trade-offs to allow the hybrid technology. I also understand that while this technology was tested in buses, we are all early adopters of it and expect some hiccups along the way.

First, I upgraded from an 06 Tahoe Z71 (12mpg city, 17mpg highway), so the new Hybrid rides *much* smoother than the previous vehicle. (which is to be expected) Gas mileage on highway and long trips easily exceeds 22mpg. (65+mph avg) The cabin is quiet. I really like to drive this vehicle. It merges and accelerates into traffic with ease. Passing is a no-brainer. Just press on the gas pedal and the 6.0L takes you where you want to go in a hurry.

Now for the nit-picking. Some of it is more serious than others. There are more than a few trade-offs for this technology and are as follows:
Lighter (and lower quality) leather upholstery.
No roof rack.
2nd row seats do not lock into the upright position. What this means is that if I'm hauling things in the back of the truck, I've had to literally tie the seats to the handles by the rear windows to stop the rocking.
No spare tire.
No memory for the front seats.
No fog lights.
Less cargo room than gas model.

My major concern was the rear seats when folded up. They literally rock back and forth when you accelerate and brake. Having the seat thump your back when braking is something that is disconcerting, to say the very least. I made my dealer aware of this and quite honestly, don't know what they did with my feedback. After having a Tahoe and Yukon before this vehicle, I didn't expect this problem. Tying up the seats so they don't rock is *not* the solution I was hoping for.

Gas mileage: This is used in primarily city driving. In the city, I'm averaging anywhere between 16.5-19 MPG which is much less than expected. On the highways and long trips, I can easily average 23+mpg.

Issues since I purchased the vehicle:
I had an issue when the vehicle refused to start one day. I managed to get it started and immediately drove to the dealership. There was a connection issue with one of the cables and the problem was solved easily. The cable was actually crimped causing a spotty connection.

Acceleration: While it accelerates very well, you cannot just mash on the gas pedal. GM has a rev limiter on their vehicles and if it exceeds a certain RPM, the engine cuts off. On my previous Tahoe, I used an aftermarket computer programmer which eliminated the rev limiter and allowed a higher top end speed.

Overall, as stated, I like driving this vehicle. Would I buy another one? At this point, I'm not quite sure. Unless I got a deal like I did last year (the GM red tag sale was going on, and add to this the $2200 tax credit), I'm honestly undecided. All this being said, the technology is going in the right direction. We have to remember that this is the first SUV hybrid that GM has produced and this is only a step to more efficient vehicles.

Note: I did take the vehicle in for the recall which in which the dealership reprogrammed the computer. At present, I haven't encountered some of the problems that have been noted from other Tahoe Hybrid owners.

 

Jake,

Thanks for yoru feedback very helpful indeed.
I am still waiting for the dealer in Jordan to have their first 2010 hybrids in probably mid of December.
I hope they managed ot fix some of the issues in 2010 models, although I doubt it.
Thanks again, and keep us updated with any issues

 

Jake,
Totally agree on the mid-row seats. I have never owned an SUV before, so I didn't realize this was a "special feature" of the hybrid. I may just add my own bungee cord to each seat to keep them in-place. It bugs me when they slam down on acceleration if I have left one up.

Good insight into the vehicle and I'm glad you like yours.

For city MPG, you have to drive it with a light foot and it will get 20 to 21MPG, but driving it just like a regular car (but not racing away from lights) it will get a steady 19.3 on my gauge.

Also, as I pointed out in a different thread, I don't trust the MPG meter at all. I think a few of us should do a city driving tank and measure the MPG the old fashioned way (gallons used/miles driven).

Also, Jake, did you get the gas gauge recalibration done? If not, have you run it dry yet?

 

the seats are irritating....the ONE time I ever had to drive it like that. I REGULARLY get 22-23 MPG IN TOWN!...sounds like you need a driving lesson. Switch your gauge to instant mileage then see how it works in V4 instead of V8..I think you will find that you can drive quite easily in V4 mode most of the time and keep up or pass everyone...all you need to do is feather your throttle pressure a small amount to get it into V4.

 

Since I installed my wheels. My MPG have gone down. But I am sure part of it is a bit taller tire and my foot.

I was getting 19-20. Now its averaging 17.

 

Hello, new to forum.
Just wondering what you exactly mean by inferior quality seats? Thank you

 

Yeah, I was wondering too. I spent 92 hours in them in a two week period, and I have never been more comfortable in a vehicle. No complaints from the other six passengers either...

 

To Jake and any other Tahoe, Yukon, or Escalade hybrid driver. Braking on chatter bumps, manhole covers in NY, and hovercraft pot holed dirt roads will shut off your regenerative braking.

Re-Gen is also backed off when the steering wheel angle is more than about 25 degrees off center.

In many low speed re-gen conditions you can hear the dynamo hum of the system.

Excessively hard braking, bumps, and steering angle all factor into the automatic stability system.

Safety and stability trumps kinetic energy recovery.

 

No, haven't got the gas gauge recalibration done yet. Did you get this done by the dealer? I wasn't aware of this. For estimating the gas mileage, I'm using it the fashioned way also (gallons used/miles driven) as you are.

Regarding my City MPG. I live in Philadelphia in an area where it's more hilly than others. I'm not sure if it affects my MPG, but it seemed when I was on vacation (in a very flat area), my city MPG went up considerably. For those of you who live in urban areas, (especially in the Northeast) you understand that you have to drive with the flow of traffic. No time to try to hypermile during low speeds.

 

It's a lighter leather. (IMHO, which may be incorrect... is lower quality) It's difficult to describe the leather without comparing the seats from an LTZ or Escalade (for example) to the Hybrid in person. I would say to try and compare this at a dealership. While I don't expect the plush leather like my buddy has in his 6 series BMW, which is incredibly soft and supple, the leather in the Hybrid "feels" lighter and less giving.

I hope this helps, but it's something you have to literally "feel" the difference.