General Motors Co.’s lumbering full-size SUVs are dinosaurs from a bygone era, but don’t expect them to go extinct just yet.
Despite flagging sales, each delivery brings in piles of cash for GM. headrest blu ray player
“These vehicles are minting money for them,” said Dave Sullivan, an analyst at AutoPacific Inc. “It’s one of the biggest profit margins in the industry.”
GM makes at least $10,000 per full-size sport-utility vehicle sold, he estimates. (Not to mention the windfall for the nearest gas station.)
Models such as the all-new 2015 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon are holdouts from a time when gas was cheap, big was cool and the current king of family haulers — the crossover — had not yet been born.
But that was then. In 2002, Chevrolet sold 21/2 times the number of Tahoes as it did in 2013. All large SUVs accounted for just 1.7 percent of U.S. auto sales last year, down from 5.4 percent in 2001.
The latest crossovers, built on car platforms, offer nearly all the advantages of traditional SUVs with few of the downsides. Beyond better fuel economy, they outstrip most large SUVs in refinement and interior functionality.
“Automakers are a lot smarter in terms of squeezing more out of vehicles they’re making today,” Sullivan said. “It’s not as cool as it used to be to drive things that big. And there are just so many other alternatives to full-size SUVs.”
Yet the new Chevy and GMC models — rolling into dealerships now — show that GM isn’t ready to give up on the segment. These 2015 GM models certainly hit their marks: style, refinement and efficiency are all improved. The updates should help the SUVs widen their lead over competitors that haven’t been updated much in years. This includes GM’s closest competitor in this segment, the Ford Expedition, as well as the Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia.
The ride quality on our loaded 2015 Chevy Tahoe tester benefited from GM’s magnetic ride control suspension, which continuously varies the impacts from the road and adjusts accordingly. This system has proved itself on the likes of Chevy’s Corvette Stingray and performance-oriented Camaro models, and it doesn’t disappoint in the Tahoe — more than one passenger commented on its surprisingly comfy ride. The system is standard on the high-end LTZ version we tested, as well as various GMC models.
The cabin was whisper-quiet, sealed off from the harsh road and wind noise. Chevy uses higher-grade materials in this generation of Tahoe, and everything is bolted together with laudable attention to detail and craftsmanship.
The front and middle seats (captain’s chairs on our tester) offered gobs of space. But the third row was short on legroom in the Tahoe and still snug on the larger Suburban, surprising given both vehicles’ overall girth. At least the rear seats now fold flat rather than needing to be hauled into your garage to gather dust and cat hair.
Blame this lack of space on these vehicles’ old-school, solid rear axle and suspension design. GM chose not to invest in independent suspension, a stark contrast to the Expedition. In addition to the Ford’s smoother ride quality, third-row space in the Expedition and Expedition EL models resembles your living room.
Under the hood of both Chevy SUVs is an all-new 5.3-liter V-8 engine. Though the size is the same, a higher compression ratio, direct injection and cylinder deactivation combine to boost power and efficiency.
Horsepower jumps to 355 from 320, and torque rises to 383 pound-feet from 335. A six-speed automatic transmission remains. While this powertrain was enough to move the nearly 5,700-pound Tahoe around, the transmission at times felt a bit sleepy in its downshifts.
But the engine is plenty refined and a bit less thirsty. The all-wheel-drive Tahoe tested is rated at 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway, gains of one mile per gallon for each category. During five days of driving, more on the highway than in the city, we averaged 17.8 mpg.
As mentioned, our test vehicle was a loaded Tahoe LTZ with an eye-watering price tag. This version included a long list of high-dollar amenities that pushed the price to $70,085. That’s well into the territory of a healthy BMW X5 or Range Rover Sport, both of which just spank the Tahoe in terms of pure luxury.
But for buyers willing to stomach such a high bill, the goodies included leather seats that were heated and cooled up front, an 8-inch touch-screen navigation and infotainment system, a rear-seat DVD player, power-retractable running boards, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning and 20-inch wheels.
Throw in the cylinder deactivation, the fancy suspension and newfound refinement, and maybe these GM full-size SUVs aren’t dinosaurs after all.
2015 CHEVROLET TAHOE LTZ ALL-WHEEL DRIVE:
Highs: Quiet, refined cabin; smooth ride; increased efficiency
Lows: Third-row and cargo space still down, V-8 still sleepy and thirsty
Vehicle type: Four-door full-size SUV
Powertrain: 5.3-liter, direct-injected V-8 engine, part-time all-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy rating: 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway
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