Remember when GM made hybrid trucks and SUVs?

"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
07/29/2014 at 20:59 • Filed to: None

Yeah, never understood that.

Were they really that much more efficient over their standard models to make sense?

I occasionally see a white Tahoe Hybrid around here, it's really rather ugly with that modified front bumper.

DISCUSSION (29)

Tom McParland > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:02

dem badges tho...

RoadHead -- Armand > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:02

Is it driven by a tall phillipino man?

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:03

I think there was an Escalade as well....Definitely weird, they came with a 5.3....el oh el.

They still make some I think too.....I could be wrong but I remember seeing some come through when I worked with Chevy.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:03

a big Chevy that can use HOV lanes?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:05

Escalade: 14/18 mpg standard, 20/23 hybrid. So yes, yes they were.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
07/29/2014 at 21:05

I'd assume!

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
07/29/2014 at 21:07

I...I really can't believe they actually made a difference.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Tom McParland
07/29/2014 at 21:09

You mean these badges?

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:10

there is one in my parking garage...sneaks up on me all quite like all the time.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:11

Diesel locomotives are hybrids, and that makes a difference.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > HammerheadFistpunch
07/29/2014 at 21:11

A big lumbering Tahoe quietly moving around, what a strange concept.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
07/29/2014 at 21:12

Hey, don't be switching the subject to trains, which I know nothing about.

HammerheadFistpunch > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:12

no, it freaks me out.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > HammerheadFistpunch
07/29/2014 at 21:12

It's coming to get you!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:13

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
07/29/2014 at 21:16

Suddenly brought back to when I was 3...

Your boy, BJR > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:16

when I worked for Cadillac, they sent me down to Richmond to pick up an Escalade hybrid. Pretty nice. Only filled up twice. But yeah, 6.0 V8 in a hybrid is kind of hilarious.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:17

That and Bob the Builder were the first (and arguably best) 5 years of my life.

GhostZ > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:17

I think they genuinely expected people to flock toward 'manly' hybrids to avoid the Prius stereotype, but still wanting to save money. It didn't work, as those people bought Crossovers instead.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 21:53

Since it was capable of 21 MPG combined, it sounds like the hybrid system did make a difference.

As this Edmunds article notes, though, the Tahoe Hybrid did have to make some utility compromises (i.e. changing the 3rd-row seats to removable units to accommodate the battery). Crossovers of the time seemed to be able to achieve the about the same MPG, too, so competition was stiff in addition to the price premium the hybrid system carried. Interestingly, the hybrid system was developed in conjunction with BMW and Daimler-Chrysler.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
07/29/2014 at 22:07

deekster_caddy > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 22:24

I wouldn't be surprised to see a return of them and more hybrid trucks in the future. It makes more sense for the vehicles with more mass. It helps with stop and go, the things that make a heavy truck eat up the gas. Plus a truck that size having a few hundred pounds of battery makes less of a difference. I believe those used the E-assist system though (correct me if I'm wrong) for their energy drive.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/29/2014 at 23:48

Kinja'd!!!

This was once the American Green Car of the Year. 6.2L V8 with a teeny tiny electric motor. 28MPG apparently.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > deekster_caddy
07/30/2014 at 02:46

The older (first) Silverado Hybrid was one of those E-assist type systems. They really didn't provide much, if any, benefit for most people.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
07/30/2014 at 02:47

Curious where you got all of these numbers. It has a 6.0L, and I believe the 2wd version was rated 21/22. I only ever saw 4x4 ones.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/30/2014 at 02:52

I like those Tahoes, and you hardly ever see them. 20mpg even in mixed driving, with 4x4? That's really hard to beat. I think that if you do the math, gaining 4mpg on a vehicle that normally gets 16mpg will save you more money than driving a Prius that gets 45mpg versus a Corolla doing 35mpg. The big gains to be had with a bigger vehicle don't look or market very well, however.

I remember that after the Tahoe came out, there was a small protest of tree huggers at an auto show, they were upset at Toyota for not offering a hybrid drivetrain in their Sequoia.

Bullitt417 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/30/2014 at 09:08

I thought they were rated at 20's in the city, which is fantastic considering most Tahoes barely break 20 on the highway and struggle with 14 in the city. I think they were just priced to high to make sense. That giant hybrid sticker was lame too.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/31/2014 at 11:01

I think the biggest advantage to these is their city mileage.

PilotMan > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
07/31/2014 at 11:19

From strictly a fuel usage standpoint, improving truck/suv mileage by such a large percentage could save 10 gallons of gas ($37) a week, that is huge! Hybrid trucks make much more sense than hybrid econoboxes. So what if your Prius gets 50 MPG compared to a 40MPG Corolla, you're only saving 1.75 gallons ($7) a week.