Unbiased Opinion.
 

Obviously the people participating in the discussions on this forum are biased towards Hybrids, however, are you honestly happy with your hybrid? I am considering buying a used Tahoe Hybrid and I am curious if any of you would suggest not getting the Hybrid? It seems that the mileage advantage of the Hybrid is modest and you do give up a few luxuries. The used Hybrids in my area are selling for the same price as the non-hybrid models, so it is not a matter of paying a premium for the hybrid. Just curious if it is really worth it or not?

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

I understand your concern. I live about 5 miles from my office and in rush hour traffic I have driven all the way home on battery power. My other thing is the reduced hydrocarbon footprint of the hybrid which is 2/3 LESS than my previous vehicle. Its not the perfect solution but if you need this size of vehicle it is the perfect compromize. I would love to talk to a GM person of influence as there are several little things I personally think would make it even better than it is.
good luck with your decision

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

I have an escalade hybrid and everytime I bring it for service, they give a brand new escalade loaner whether it is the shortwheelbase or the esv. the gas consumption is night and day! with the hybrid, I can wait inside the truck with it idling(A/C on due to heat) and not losing any gas which is not true with the regular escalade. if you are worried about the hybrid components, it is warrantied up to 8years/100k miles. the battery is $1200 after core.

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

Thanks for the feedback. I really like the idea of a full size SUV with the added benefit of the hybrid technology. I was just concerned that the fuel savings may not actually be achieved which would defeat the whole purpose. It sounds like the fuel economy improvement is real. My next step is to go drive one.

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

you do need to learn to drive differently......your left foot controls your mileage. run one down the highway at normal cruise speed (not using cruise control) set the info center to show instant mpg. see if you are in v4 or v8 mode. you will probably be in v8, feather your pedal pressure very slightly and you will probably drop to 4v and still be at the same speed but doubling your instant mpg on the gauge, it requires more thought than a normal one to extract its benefits and most dealers dont have any sales staff that really understand the things fully

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

Thanks for the tip. My BMW 530xiT has a needle gauge that indicates the instant litres per 100 km (miles per gallon) and I have been practicing being gentle on the accelerator. It will obviously spike when you accelerate from a stand still but with practice I can effectively keep it in the middle range.

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

I like my 08 Hybrid, but I dont know if I would suggest it. It certainly isnt worth the $55K price tag new. We bought ours used and it was same price as a King Ranch Ford Exped ($36K/12K miles, 1.5 yrs old)

It nets us about 5 mpg more than the Exped, but ... there is a hell of alot of electronics going on, a variable AND regular transmissions, and all the associated gadgets to get that 5 extra mpg. In the long run, that might not be all that wise.

As for luxury, its got a great ride, considering this is really old suspension technology (non independent rear, body on frame, truck chassis). Whereas the Ford Exped has full independent suspension, fold flat 3rd row (electric at that!), seat heaters AND coolers, and a very nice interior/NAV system in the higher end Limited/King Ranch models. The Ford also tows MUCH more than the Tahoe hybrid, so if you are towing a heavy boat the hybrid is not the ticket.

We bought the tahoe hybrid because it was advertised at 20/23 mpg from EPA. In truth, we have seen 18mpg in mostly city driving. This is about 5 mpg better than a similarly equipped Expedition we rented for a weekend.

The Tahoe definitely looks better than the Expedition. But I wouldnt use the hybrid/mileage to factor into the equation. You'll need to really like the Tahoe look and feel, and be willing to overlook the dated suspension, non fold flat 3rd row, and somewhat useless Nav/Onstar system (08 model anyways). If you are a Tahoe fan, and can get 1 at same price as non-hybrid version, then get a low mileage, non-lemon (there are a lot of lemon by back hybrid tahoes, so check car fax carefully), and by all means get the extended b-b warranty up to 100k miles.

I would also highly suggest the 4wd model. There will probably be a slight hit in fuel mileage, but the 2wd version is all but useless on anything other than pavement. I assume the Ford Exped 2wd is basically the same, but there is virtually no weight on the rear axle. So if you get into even dry grass on a slight hill, the 2wd model can get out of sorts. I live in Atlanta, so I figured 2wd would be fine. Ive gotten mine stuck on wet grass at the kids playground, and God forbid the 3" snow storm we got last year kept this thing stuck at the bottom of our driveway for 2 days. Again, the traction thing isnt Tahoe specific, its any large 2wd SUV.

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

Thanks a2t. Your feedback is appreciated. I have concerns that I would regret not getting a fully loaded Tahoe LTZ or Escalade. I like the idea of the hybrid in theory but would rather wait until GM fixes all the bugs and increases the fuel economy. I am also disappointed that the dealers don't seem to know anything about the hybrids. I don't really want to give up what I consider basic options for a full size SUV like a roof rack and power liftgate in exchange for the "Hybrid badge"s. I also think the non-hybrid models look better (don't really like hybrid front end).

Re: Unbiased Opinion.
 

I really like the way the hybrids (and other NBS tahoes) look.

You can probably swap out the grill and such, add fog lights if you wanted to. The Hybrid decals look really bad, but thankfully those are easily removed. Yep you do give up certain features on the hybrid in exchange for 5 mpg.