Hello my name is Ben and thanks for having me. Thanks to the good gm engineers for their incredible work. I recognize you and applaud you as we'll as the ownership group for having such discerning taste to plunk down the stacks to get you one (or two or three).

I was referred to this forum by hyhoe. I actually first crossed paths with a tahoe hybrid via my uncle in Denver. That was several years ago and didn't think much of it other than a glancing cool this is a big tank of a hybrid get me to the fam reunion let's party.

Never cared to own American. Love automotive and watch things with "history" so am quite a big fan of 911s, land cruisers and land rovers.

Long story short, I'm astounded by how much I am enjoying this thing even in the short 20 miles I drove it last night from dealership to downtown dinner to home. It is Fun to drive and gives me pause whether I want to add bigger wheels or not as I am very vain along the auto aesthetics front. Is it akin to putting a 'stache on the mona lisa? Tbd.

So gone is the 2011 ltz replaced by a 2013 hybrid.

my notes? Copied from a tahoe forum that I recently joined:

-hybrid is a much, much better drive. it feels tighter, more responsive even if it's heavier. the ltz feels detached, methodical, and somewhat corpulent comparatively though it's a few hundred pounds lighter ('11, 13k miles, mint). its transmission is programmed to economy mode. the engine feels a little coarse at times whereas the hybrid feels like a peppy suv programmed for sedan like driving responses at the throttle.

-didn't realize that i don't get all the little niceties in the ltz that i'll miss in the hybrid. i wish the hybrid had memory seats (valet, car wash, gf etc), cooled seats, auto trunk, and captain seating in the rear. i guess the only way to keep prices in line was to drop some luxuries to add the drivetrain innovations.

-whereas the ltz i wanted to see about getting it louder via exhaust, i shall fight to keep the hybrid as quiet as possible. i love rolling into the condo garage in golf cart mode. something new and cool about that to me. first.

-if you guys have followed any of my posts, i'm absolutely in love with the looks of the hybrid aerokit which was the main driver of the switch. i owned the ltz for all of 4 days? priced out the conversion and though ultimately i spent more to get the hybrid, i do end up w/ two years younger with 10 miles on the odo.

the above is just my personal, humble opinion. once i have a few knick knacks done, i'll post up some pics. right now, it's just a plain jane silver hybrid.

as an aside, this is my first american car. though the interior can't compare to the range rover '11 supercharged i owned, i gotta admit, had i really driven the hybrid a couple of years ago, i would've gladly saved half the stash. it's got to be one of my favorite cars i've ever driven - the looks are rugged and elegant at the same time.

thanks so much all!

 

Sup Ben!

Oem 22" CK375s look beautiful on these trucks, TBSS 22" reps as well, LTZ 20s if less chrome is preferred, and even Denali 20s (with blank caps) look great. The latter two will leave ride quality unchanged, the 22s will make the truck slightly stiffer, but also corner slightly better, such is the price of being a baller.

 

congrats and welcome.

 

Approx a month later, it's finally done up to my liking. Wheels, suspension, roof rack, de-chroming, piano interior. Big thanks, again, to the GM hybrid engineers for a job well done.

Averaging 18 to 19 mpg in the cooler climate with mods. Hoping to see 19 to 20+ in LA.

 

nice!

 

Loving winter mode. For those of you running 22s I highly recommend going with bigger sidewalls (285/60/18). I don't think I'll ever go back to my summer setup. It drives so much better and IMO looks like a proper truck with the wider, aggressive tread.