2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 4WD Road Test

If it wasn't for the oversized “HYBRID” decal on the rear window and even

Let it be known - this Tahoe is a Hybrid. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

larger stickers down each side of the massive Tahoe parked in my garage this week, the crossover ute sitting next to it would be most peoples' guess for having a gasoline-electric powertrain. After all, the Lexus RX was the first crossover to get Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive treatment, in 400h trim, not to mention status as the first luxury crossover HEV ever, so it would be a reasonable mistake. The second looks I've been getting when driving around in the Tahoe Hybrid, however, come with a mix of honest to goodness smiles and positive thumbs up, to heads shaking in disbelief, with one neighbor looking perplexed while saying, “Now there's the ultimate automotive oxymoron”.

He's got a point, as the Tahoe has been one of those anti-green beasts that have instigated some hot-under-the-collar environmentalists into spraying their discontent all over offending body panels, resulting in some unique decorative paint schemes. Rather than drop such a popular model because of a small group of radical protesters, Chevy has incorporated its new Two-Mode Hybrid system. It's a full hybrid powertrain (meaning it can drive solely on electric power) that reduces fuel economy up to 32-percent over

It's on a vehicle like this that a hybrid system makes the most impact. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

the regular Tahoe, from 14 mpg in the city with the conventional SUV to 20 in the HEV version, and consequently improves its emissions. While I'm the first to question the overall effect of hybrid vehicles in a global market where tailpipe emissions make up less than one-percent of airborne toxins and, according to some studies, the growth of coal plants in China over the next 12 years will be the equivalent to 3 billion conventionally-powered full-size SUVs roaming the planet (which puts things into perspective), I appreciate having the car next to me and the one I'm driving spew out fewer fumes, making my quality of life better, and I really like the technology.

Driving by a group of mall shoppers walking to their car, in absolute silence, really grabbed eyeballs, which I must admit was fun, and then when out on the highway the SUV's get-up-and-go put away anyone else's doubts as to a hybrid's performance credentials. This truck really moves, although I found myself driving the Tahoe Hybrid differently than I did with a regular version last year. Its little “ECO” meter at the top-left of the primary

The tach is maintained unlike the Malibu, Aura and Vue hybrids. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

gauge cluster had me trying to maintain a different kind of performance, optimizing fuel economy. A jab at the throttle causes the needle to spin to the right, notifying of less than efficient operation, while keeping it in the middle tells you all's well in eco-land. The internal combustion engine (ICE) portion of the drivetrain is GM's fabulous 6.0-liter V8, with cylinder-deactivation dubbed Active Fuel Management (AFM) that cuts off four cylinders when under light loads. Most Chevy fans will be glad to know that despite this enviro-friendly technology it growls just as naughtily as it did prior to AFM being added, before being applied to the hybrid version. On the contrary, when stopped at a light, where many SUV owners enjoy the chug-a-chug of their vehicle's rumbling exhaust, the Tahoe Hybrid is completely silent. The engine shuts down at idle, not unlike Toyota's Prius, Chevy's Malibu or any other hybrid vehicle, saving fuel when not in use. And getting to that stoplight, the Tahoe makes a most unique whine that caused me to spin my head around in anticipation of an approaching police car or ambulance. I've never heard that in any other hybrid, but despite its conjoined gasoline engine and electric motor, idle-stop system and regenerative braking, a system that recaptures some of the energy

This one's a full, proper hybrid capable of moving along on electricity alone. (Photo: Kevin Wang, American Auto Press)

used in braking and replenishes the battery packs, this isn't the only thing that sets the Tahoe Hybrid apart from anything else currently for sale.

GM is touting its new Two-Mode system as ideal for an SUV's applications, or a pickup truck's for that matter, because it's useful for towing and hauling; but its Two-Mode status doesn't specifically address these SUV attributes. Before I get into that, what does GM mean by Two-Mode? In the system's first mode, below 30 mph and under light loads, it either drives under full electric power, by ICE only, or both depending on need, all decided automatically by the system's ECU. During the second mode, at highway speeds, it's mostly powered by the ICE, although the electric motor combines for extra power when needed, like when on the throttle for passing, climbing a hill or towing something heavy. Towing something with a hybrid? Good point.

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