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Towing, Sporting Rig Copley News Service There is a little-publicized piece of auto-industry trivia that General Motors shuts down the Friday before deer season opens in Michigan. It's an official GM holiday for employees in the United States. It supposedly became official when it was realized that half the staff in the Detroit offices and factories called in sick that day anyway. Coincidentally, I had just finished a week in a sportsman's special type of Chevy Tahoe. A bare-bones model, the four-door, 5-passenger truck came with vinyl seats, crank windows and no carpeting. Not too many years ago, this truck would have been an uplevel model with its V-8 engine, automatic transmission, 4-wheel disc brakes, automatic headlights, front and side-impact air bags, 16-inch tires and stainless steel exhaust. Now, however, it's a no-fuss rig to pull the boat or pack up the dogs and kennels for the fall hunting trip. Tahoe is a full-sized sport utility, shorter than the Suburban but sharing much of its architecture. It comes in three levels: base, LS or LT in two- or four-wheel drive. Add $2,916 for the electronic Autotrac four-wheel drive. In AUTO mode the truck runs in rear-drive until the system senses wheel slip and redirects some torque to the front wheels. When traction is regained, the system returns to rear drive and standby. Low range is also push-button activated. At $25,641, including $700 destination charge, the two-wheel-drive test truck was an inexpensive way to buy into V-8 towing power, but a few extras quickly add up. The appearance package ($717) is a good deal that makes it look like pricier LS and LT models. The package adds more chrome in the grille, body side moldings, luggage rack and stainless-steel wheels. A climate package ($1,542) added air conditioning, deep-tint windows, cruise control and rear defogger. The stock AM-FM radio (not offered for LS or LT) was upgraded with an AM-FM-cassette for $147. Add it all up and the sticker hits $28,035. Not exactly a base-model price for a vehicle with crank windows, manually adjusted outside mirrors and plastic floor, but it comes with a lot of steel, rubber and horsepower. There's no disguising the interior: The dark gray and black plastic and fabric is basic and functional. It can be hosed down when it gets dirty. The front 40/20/40 bench seat gave 6-passenger capacity, and the layout can be upgraded to carry eight or nine people with an optional third-row bench. Tahoe has a 6,900-pound tow rating and the wiring harness is part of the equipment list. Adding finesse to trailering is a tow haul mode to the transmission that adjusts shift points depending on the load. Optional on the LS and standard on the LT is a rear self-leveling system that helps control stability when towing. The tester had the rear "barn" doors, which can be an asset for some users. The doors are easier than a tailgate for reaching deep into the cargo area or for loading boxy freight. When the doors are closed, however, there's a vertical blind spot in the middle of the rear window. The cargo area is enormous - 63.6 cubic feet behind the second seat or 104.6 with it folded; that's about 7 feet long by 5 feet wide. The cargo area behind the second seat is larger than the cargo space behind the third seat of the Suburban, if hauling space is a priority. There also are tie-down hooks, a power outlet and a door-lock release button. Tahoe is very American in its generous head, leg and shoulder room, but the back doors are cut around the wheel well and entry and exit is tight. Feet frequently bump into the door pillar as passengers climb in and out. If people capacity is your priority, the Suburban is a better way to go. Also for consideration is the 21.5-inch step-in height of the two-wheel-drive truck. It's the same as the 4WD as is the ground clearance, 9.8 inches in the front, 8.4 rear. All this means is that there is no benefit of a lowered ride height in buying the 2-wheel drive model. And for style, the body looks like it has been lifted; there's nearly a 9-inch margin of open wheel well around the back tires and 5 inches at the front tires. If that's a design trick for enhanced truckness, it also contributes to top-heavy handling on the highway and noticeable nose-dive on braking. The height may also affect aerodynamics because the test truck wouldn't settle down and track on the interstate. The steering wheel required attention at all times; lift a hand from the wheel and the truck would drift off course. Also bothersome at highway speeds was the vibration of the outside mirrors that washed out visibility. That said, three of Tahoe's strongest features are its chassis, engine and brakes, a strong foundation that comes from the Silverado pickup. The frame feels bedrock solid, which helps keep out road harshness. On the highway even this base Tahoe cruised in first-class quiet and comfort. Hefty disc brakes - 12-inches at the front and 13 on the rear - over-deliver in firm stopping power. Don't look for a 6-cylinder or manual transmission. The only engines are V-8s - the Vortec 4.8 or 285 hp 5.3 liter - and a 4-speed automatic transmission. The standard 275 horsepower 4.8 liter V-8 hefts the 4,828-pound Tahoe with ease and returns 15 mpg around town and 20 on the highway; a decent rating for a truck of this size. Both engines run on 87 octane fuel and have a 10,000-mile oil change interval, depending on engine use, which is up from 7,500 miles in 1999. Some of Tahoe's worst traits are the fit and finish of its construction. There's a greater tolerance for rough edges and loose fit at the GM truck plants than the car plants; this truck was made at Janesville, Wis. Grab the window crank and you wonder if the plastic handle really has 100,000-mile durability. Look around the interior and you will see plastic trim pieces that are already warping out of position. On the test truck, a section of weather stripping at the rear passenger door had come loose and resisted staying in place when I tried to tuck it back. There also was a poor fit of the fabric on the base of the rear seat, which flapped around when the seat back was folded flat. If these pieces can come loose with only 4,000 miles on the odometer, how will they hold up after 94,000 on the clock? Expectations might be more forgiving when buying a "base" vehicle, but Tahoe reaches buyers in their mid-40s with a $90,000 household income. Base truck or not, these people have expectations of quality in their vehicle, especially when the truck competes with the Ford Expedition and Toyota's new Sequoia. News Index | Features Index |
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