A decent, almost European interior. True, the plastic of the front panel is hard, and one of its parts is not perfectly fitted, but still — das ist gut
From its predecessor, our young friend inherited, it would seem, almost everything except the body and interior. Up front — independent coil-spring suspension, at the rear — a solid axle on springs. The gearbox is a four-speed automatic, the good old Hydra-Matic 4L60E, controlled by the traditional American "stick" on the steering column. The engine seems to be the same 5.3L as before. It pulls great at low revs and runs quietly. However, if you really press the pedal, the car starts to hum like a giant vacuum cleaner — the signature "GM" sound. In fact, the engine is the same, but not quite: the new version allows operation on E85 fuel, which consists of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. If anyone doesn't know, ethanol is ethyl alcohol. The engine can run on pure alcohol, gasoline, or any mixture of the two.
As for driving qualities, Tahoe fans need not worry — the outstanding ride smoothness off-road has not disappeared. On bumps, the Chevy is incomparable — it swallows any unevenness without rocking or bouncing. And on asphalt, it's quite decent. True, the car we took for the test had the Autoride system, which changes the characteristics of the front shock absorbers depending on driving conditions (for the LTZ trim this is standard equipment, for other versions it's an option). In addition, the fact that the 2007 Tahoe has a slightly wider track and a slightly lower center of gravity compared to its predecessor also positively affects handling.
And yet, let's return to off-road. The all-wheel drive on the Tahoe is implemented according to the Part Time scheme, meaning the rear wheels are constantly driven, and the front is engaged when necessary, on slippery surfaces. But in this case, the scheme is improved and there is an automatic mode for engaging all-wheel drive. It was also on the previous version, and even then we didn't like it. The car's behavior in a turn changes too much when the front axle is suddenly engaged without a differential. However, a pleasant function has been added, which seems to have not been there before: when shifting to low range, the traction control system automatically turns off.
Our modest off-road experiments showed that the new Tahoe has a clearly unnecessary part — a wide spoiler under the front bumper. Of course, it doesn't hang as low as it seems, and it doesn't reduce ground clearance (228 mm), but it noticeably reduces the approach angle: when tackling hills, you have to use the services of a navigator. Otherwise, again, nothing new: the rear suspension travel is impressive, the torque is monstrous, so it's better to handle the gas pedal carefully, and, of course, you need to remember the weight of the car. Two and a half tons is no joke, and on sand it almost let us down.
Nevertheless, overall, we liked almost everything. It's just that there's not enough space for second-row passengers — at 186 cm tall, I sat behind myself without much comfort. The light-colored interior that gets dirty instantly is beyond good and evil, but then again, the car was originally intended for the Middle East. There, by the way, the Tahoe is loved and valued — it fully meets Eastern notions of luxury. I strongly suspect that the popularity of this model in Russia is explained by roughly the same thing. You sit inside as if in your own palace, surrounded by silence and peace. Meanwhile, those around you clearly understand that a serious person is driving — even if they don't yet know that the current "gray" price of a new Tahoe is $80,000–90,000.
At first glance, the engine is just an engine — Vortec V8 5.3L. But in reality, it's not averse to drinking a cocktail of alcohol and gasoline, or even knocking back pure C2H5OH
SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Make | Chevy Tahoe |
| Length/width/height, mm | 5129.9/2007/1955 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2946 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 228.8 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2511.6 |
| Engine type | V8 |
| Displacement, cc | 5328 |
| Power, hp@rpm | 320@5200 |
| Torque, Nm@rpm | 461@4000 |
| Transmission | 4AT |
| Suspension front/rear | independent/dependent |
| Tires | 265/70 R17 |
| Brakes | disc |
| Fuel tank capacity, L | 98 |
| Fuel consumption, L/100 km | 21.9/15.7 |