GM’s big SUVs haul freight in style, comfort
Suburban, Tahoe haul big in quiet comfort
GASPÉ, Que. — Chevrolet likes to say its 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2015 Suburban “drive smaller.” Smaller than what? A 747?
Let’s not kid ourselves: these SUVs are for people who live large, for people who have lots of kids (Suburbans can seat up to nine) or large things to haul, whether it’s a big boat, trailer or big game.
But for many of us, an XXL is just what we need in a vehicle. In fact, about 8,000 full-sized SUVs are sold each year in this country, and GM collects about 70 per cent of that market, a figure such competitors as the Toyota Sequoia or Ford Excursion would love to replicate.
But this story is not about how well the 2015 Tahoe and Suburban compare to the competition; this is about how these SUVs tow and perform while hauling a 2,358-kilogram load — a 310-horsepower Sea-Doo 230 Challenger boat and trailer.
With the aid of a backup camera, standard across all models, hooking up to said trailer is a snap.
Before adding the hitch to the receiver, however, a painted bumper cover needs to be removed. Left of the receiver sits the plug for a seven-pin wiring harness.
Both Tahoe and Suburban will use the same 5.3-litre V-8 with 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque as in the 2014 GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado pickups. It reverts to four-cylinder mode when all eight are not required, even when towing.
On 4WD models, Tahoe’s maximum towing capability (using the current SAE rating) is 3,764 kg; for the 44 cm-longer Suburban, it’s 3,628 kg. Curb weight on the 4WD Tahoe is 2,533 kilograms, but 2,637 kilograms for Suburban, so the V-8 works hard under load.
Yet it’s all so remarkably composed. With torsional rigidity now 50 per cent stiffer than previous models, the Tahoe felt surprisingly at ease pulling roughly two-thirds of its maximum-rated load. Virtually no bucking or pushing — the typical and tiring bane of pulling a heavy load — could be felt on a hilly drive across Quebec’s stunningly beautiful Gaspé region. That’s partly, of course, due to the body on frame construction.
Our Tahoe was also devoid of harshness and vibration, thanks to hydraulic engine mounts, and it sounded terrific. A Hydra-matic sixspeed automatic, controlled by an old-fashioned lever on the steering column, comes with grade braking and a tow/haul mode that maintains a higher rpm longer. The transmission shifted quickly and smoothly on a variety of grades.
A trailer brake controller and hill-hold feature is available with the optional towing package, but the side mirrors are painfully small for trailer towing.
While fuel economy for the 4WD Tahoe is rated at 15.1 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving and 10.4 for highway under Canada’s new five-cycle testing format, we averaged 18 L/100 km while towing the boat. I expect that could be much lower on roads with fewer long hills than in the Gaspé region.
The Suburban, rated at 11.8 highway, reached 12.6. With Suburban’s 117-litre fuel tank (98 litres in the Tahoe), it wouldn’t be hard to travel more than 900 kilometres to a tank. Much like everything else on the new Tahoe and Suburban — which tow as well as they show — that’s a large number.