The family station wagon is a North American tradition. The name and style changed with the baby boomer’s distaste for things that smacked of the frugal domesticity of their childhood.

The Chevrolet Tahoe is a handsome, useful vehicle. Detail changes have made its face smoother, and a deeper chin spoiler helps to reduce turbulence. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

The mid-century wagon was replaced by the large, efficient boxes we called minivans and they grew into even larger maxi-vans and out of favor with the boomers’ children for the same reason. The sport utility vehicle was next and moved the perception needle nearer an adventurous life style, but its most notable challenges are the daily adventures of — domesticity. As our comfort zone became ever more hedonistic these sturdy vehicles grew heavy with luxury and technology. Through all these reinventions of the multipurpose wagon, General Motors has remained steadfast in its development of the most purposeful, hardest working vehicle in the category.

As early as 1935, GM began the move from wood-bodied sedans for the efficient movement of travelers and luggage to metal-bodied trucks with the same dimensions and utility. In fact, Chevrolet and GMC produced the only all-metal commercial and/or family utility vehicles between 1935 and World War Two. At the time the concept was universally called a carryall-suburban. The post-war prosperity brought a boom in home ownership, personal transportation and ... babies. With this came the attendant accumulation of previously unaffordable “stuff.”

Leather is available on all seating surfaces, and the ambient detail is more woodwork than work truck.(Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

The post-war two-week vacation became a road trip, and inflated the demand for capacious family transportation. The station wagon ruled seasonal traffic congestion. The children of this phenomenon refused to include an “old fashioned station wagon” as they raised their own families, but the need for capacity for even greater volumes of “stuff” made the minivan a marketing success. The minivan became the elegantly aerodynamic maxi-van filled with innovative, luxurious accommodations and entertainment. Then the generation of children that grew up in those luxe-lined soccer-team haulers did as their parents had, refused to be seen in the light of that domesticity movement. Thus was born the leather-lined off-road vehicle and the next rush to socially acceptable family transport.

The Carryall-Suburban dropped its first name and became top of the food chain for transporting people to outdoor activity. It was the only one of its type to back three rows of three-across seating with accommodations for work-truck tools or adventure travel gear, and have it all out of the weather and secure. That remarkable capacity for hauling was multiplied by its ability to tow more than its own weight. As the sport/utility fascination grew to include families or small businesses that didn’t need seating for eight and equipment for all, GM took the bold step of removing the third seat and its required additional length.

The hybrid system starts with GM's 6-litre V8, developing 332 hp and 367 lb-ft of torque, and adds two 300-volt electric motors that increase performance and improve fuel consumption. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

The Tahoe was now parking lot friendly and gave up none of its towing or hauling capacity, and then GM squeezed in a third row again for ideal body/gear flexibility. It became the perfect family station wagon, but the interior remained that of a comfortable truck. Enter the luxury century.

Holy cow! Leather is now available on all seating surfaces, the dash and door panels are all embossed with a very authentic leather texture and the ambient detail is more woodwork than work truck. Still, the beautifully integrated center stack controls include buttons sized for working hands and winter gloves. Unlike many of the new breed of family truck, it is all logical and effortless. The systems control and navigation screen could be a little higher, but it would displace the air vents that are the “over-the-seat-and-through-the-car” component of climate control. If you can operate your desk-top, lap-top and shirt-pocket computers everything you can see in the Tahoe will seem middle-school simple. The latest in Bose sound delivery has been enhanced by the exclusion of all external noise and body vibrations with state-of-the-art isolation engineering.

The roominess and comfort of the Tahoe’s interior cannot be overstated. The steering wheel adjusts only for tilt, while the fore-and-aft driver ergonomics is accomplished with a motor-driven, moveable pedal set that can be adjusted for in-seam after the sleeve-length seat-to-wheel distance is established. Few utility vehicles have delivered a better set of driver-friendly adjustments.

Three adults can comfortably share either of the rear seats. The third row can be folded or removed. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

Three adults can comfortably share either of the rear seats, assuming they are lithe enough to negotiate the route to the third row.  Unfortunately, the compromise of including the giant Suburban’s third seat in the length of a Tahoe simply precludes any space behind that last seat at all. There is none. A bag of groceries back there would be crushed when the hatch was closed. That last row of seats can be folded forward if you can live with seating for five. They can even be removed if they are not essential, but they are very heavy and require a tall, strong person to fold them and two to remove them.

Everything about the Tahoe is designed for heavy duty. The product team remains committed to delivering an indestructible work truck under the guise of a luxuriously equipped family utility vehicle. Both of those goals have created a 2,548 kg (5,617 lb) two-wheel drive vehicle that reaches 2,647 kg (5,835 lb) with four-wheel drive. That is a tough challenge in the face of increasing fuel prices and government mandates for fuel consumption.

Enter the modified Atkinson cycle engine design and electronic management of swept volume. GM starts with its 6-liter V8, delays the closing of the intake valve for simulating lower compression while leaving the

The engine features variable valve timing for improved towing performance, as well as Active Fuel Management, which allows four of the eight cylinders to be shut off during periods of light-load. (Photo: GM)

stroke volume to produce torque. The result is still 248 kW (332 hp) and 398 Nm (367 lb-ft) of torque, to which is added two 300-volt electric motors that increase performance and, at low speeds, greatly improve fuel consumption — a hybrid drive. The engine also features variable valve timing to control that late intake closing for improved towing performance, as well as Active Fuel Management, which allows four of the eight cylinders to be shut off during periods of light-load, highway driving. With the benefit of electric boost, the engine is able to stay in V4 mode for longer periods in the Tahoe Hybrid.

The theory is that the vehicle can move using only the electric motors at low speeds during brief local drives, then launch the internal combustion engine for faster or more heavily-loaded conditions, with two modes of electric drive as additional torque when necessary. One of the challenges of this theory is that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in its wisdom, insists that the catalytic converter by brought to operating temperature before any alternative drive system can function. So even though you might do all your local chores in EV mode, it is not permitted until the gas engine has run for long enough to raise the temperature of the catalytic converter. That means you must drive the vehicle with the engine for a period of time before it will allow itself to use only the electric vehicle (EV) mode. It seems counterproductive. In our experience the Tahoe was never able to operate as a pure EV and that was our initial goal for analyzing the system.

No eggs here — the Tahoe has traditional lines that maximize interior space while reflecting its roots as a utilitarian hauler. (Photo: GM)

It was frustrating. All other functions — regenerative braking as a charging function, or using the electric motors as power enhancement — were simply incremental movements on a small gauge and impossible to recognize in use. The power steering pump and air conditioning compressor are now each driven by their own electric motors to reduce drain from the gas engine. All well and good, but if the air conditioning is on when you make your run to the market that too precludes the vehicle operating in pure EV mode.

The Chevrolet Tahoe is a handsome, useful vehicle in its own right and the search for improvements in efficiency have made it even better. Detail changes have made its face smoother and a deeper chin spoiler helps to control air that can cause turbulence and aerodynamic drag under the bottom. Without reverting to the artless egg, the Tahoe Hybrid represents a thoughtful return to the roots of the all-metal, fully enclosed super-utilitarian hauler — but filled with the 21st century opulence of leather, climate control and entertainment, plus better efficiency than has been possible throughout its long history.

Specifications (2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid):

• Price Range (MSRP): $67,415 – $74,315
• Destination Charge: $1,300
• Body Type: 5-door full-size SUV
• Layout: front engine, 4WD (std. 2WD)
• Engine: 332 hp (248 kW), 367 lb-ft of torque, 5,967cc, 16-valve OHV V8 gasoline / electric hybrid
• Transmission: CVT + 4-spd auto + 2 motor actuators
• Brakes (front/rear): disc / disc, ABS, EBD, BA
• Exterior Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 5,130 / 2,007 / 1,955 / 2,946 mm (202 / 79 / 77 / 116 in.)
• Curb Weight, kg: 2,647 (5,835 lbs)
• Wheels: 18-inch alloy
• Tires: P265/65R 18-112S AL2
• Cargo Volume (behind 3rd row/2nd row/1st row): 478 / 1,707 / 3,084 L (16.9 / 60.3 / 108.9 cu ft)
• Fuel Economy 4WD (city / hwy): 10.5 / 9.8 L/100km (22 / 24 mpg US)
• Safety: dual front airbags, side curtain airbags, ABS, traction control
• Warranty (mo/km): 36 / 60,000 comprehensive; 60 / 160,000 powertrain; 96 / 160 hybrid
• Direct Competitors: GMC Yukon Hybrid, Chrysler Aspen Hybrid,
• Dodge Durango Hybrid, Lexus RX 400h, Mercedes-Benz GL320 DCI
• Website: www.gm.ca

Interior

Exterior

Mechanical

Safety

Dimensions

Misc

(J005) Standard Gloss Paint

(J004) Standard Black Paint

(V1K) Luggage Rack

(K05) Engine Block Heater

(PDE) Driver Convenience Package

(80U) Red Jewel Tintcoat Paint

(K5L) Heavy Duty Cooling Package

(JL1) Trailer Brake Control

(V76) Recovery Hooks

(VLQ) Recovery Hooks (Chrome)