First, last and always, the Tahoes are large vehicles. As such, they lack themaneuverability of smaller sport-utilities. That's especially true in around-town use where the Tahoe driver has to exercise the kind of caution familiar to big truck drivers, though the Tahoe and Yukon 4-doors are distinctly handier than the even bigger Suburban. That said, Chevrolet has done a good job of tuning Tahoe's suspension and power steering to make commuting comfortable and easy. With reasonable care, these big vehicles can be wormed into parking spaces and threaded through traffic. On the open highway, the 4-door delivers a remarkably smooth ride, not quite up to sedan standards, but far from trucklike. Comfort is hardly affected by load; even a trailer (maximum weight 5500 lbs. for the gasoline-fueled versions, 7000 lbs. for turbodiesel) does little to disturb the occupants' comfort. The 2-door's shorter wheelbase gives it a choppier ride by comparison, but it still copes well with all but the worst road surfaces. Power, always a strong suit in full-size American sport-utes, is plentiful. Our Tahoe's V8 delivered the kind of effortless performance that we normally associate with luxury sedans, and there's plenty of reserve for passing on 2-lane roads. Braking is another matter. All Tahoes (and, for that matter, the big Chevy trucks from which they are derived) suffer from somehat numb, mushy brakes. They work well, but not as well as we'd like. This year's version of the Tahoe/Yukon 5.7-liter V8 has been given substantial increases in horsepower (250 vs. last year's 200) and torque (335 lbs.-ft. vs. 310). Drivers will notice the difference. The turbodiesel's ratings are unchanged; its advantages are better fuel economy and enough torque (360 lb-ft) to deal with the heaviest loads. |
