Going tow-to-tow with GM SUVs
POWER: 2015 Tahoe and Suburban are the biggest trucks on the road and can haul large loads with ease
CGASPÉ, Que. hevrolet likes to say its 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2015 Suburban “drive smaller.” Smaller than what? A 747? Let’s not kid ourselves: these are the biggest SUVs on the road. 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. To pilot a 2015 Tahoe or Suburban is to unquestionably “drive larger.”
But so what? For many of us, an XXL is exactly what we require in a vehicle, finding the venerable pickup just a little too cumbersome or the mid-size class a wee bit short on either hauling capability or space. In fact, about 8,000 full-sized SUVs are sold each year in this country, and GM proudly collects about 70 per cent of that market, a figure that competitors such as the Toyota Sequoia or Ford Excursion would dearly love to replicate. Perhaps, with prices for a 2015 Suburban LTZ easily reaching $80,000, vehicles such as the Mercedes GL, Lexus LX or Infiniti QX80 ought to be added to the list of rivals, too.
But this story is not about how well the 2015 Tahoe and Suburban compare to the competition, nor about its many new features or ultra-smooth ride, which we covered in detail on our first drive of GM’s new SUVs.
With the aid of a backup camera, which is standard across all models, hooking up to the aforesaid trailer is a snap. Before adding the hitch to the receiver, however, a painted bumper cover needs to be removed. Once removed, the cover can be stowed under the cargo deck inside, though it all seems needlessly complicated, and I wonder how long will it take before the cover gets scratched, lost or hard to reattach. Left of the receiver sits the plug for a seven-pin wiring harness.
Both the Tahoe and Suburban will use the same 5.3-litre V8 with 355 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque. This is the same EcoTec3 engine in the 2014 GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado pickups, and it will relax to four-cylinder mode when all eight cylinders are not required, even when towing. On 4WD models, the maximum towing capability of the Tahoe (using the current SAE rating) is 8,300 pounds; for the 44 cm-longer Suburban, it’s 8,000 pounds. Curb weight on the 4WD Tahoe is 2,533 kilograms, but 2,637 kilograms for the Suburban, so the SUV’s V8 has a lot of work cut out for it 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 the stunningly beautiful Gaspé region of Quebec. That’s partly, of course, because of the body-onframe construction, but also from a greater use of higher strength steel in various parts of the frame, and GM’s magnetic ride control no doubt played a role.
Sure, the V8 worked hard pulling the load uphill, but our Tahoe was clearly devoid of harshness and vibration thanks to hydraulic engine mounts, and it sounded terrific. A Hydra-matic six-speed 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 for longer. The transmission shifted quickly and smoothly under a variety of grades. It was only when empty that the occasional abrupt shift was detected.
A trailer brake controller and hillhold feature is available with the optional towing package, but the side mirrors are painfully small for trailer towing. They look more suited to a Cadillac than a full-sized SUV.
While fuel economy for the 4WD Tahoe is rated at 15.1 litres per 100 km city and 10.4 highway under Canada’s new five-cycle testing format, we averaged 18 L/100 km while towing the boat. That’s a number I expect could be much lower on roads with fewer long hills than those in the Gaspé region.