Chevrolet Tahoe test drive: how to become true Americans?

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I have a friend who is the happy owner of the old Chevrolet Tahoe, the same big and iron box on which various respectable people liked to move. Now we will talk about the modern Chevrolet Tahoe, the fourth generation, which, albeit ennobled, but retained its spirit

In fact, I am a little bit thicker, the image of a chest for respectable people, which hovers around this machine with a light fleur, is more applicable to our parts. There overseas, at home, this car is an ordinary hard worker. However, owning a Chevrolet Tahoe is slightly criminal. In its own way, this is a real protest against trends, common sense, against the environment, against Greta Tunberg, against other cars, in the end. At the last point I want to dwell in more detail. When I talked about the Cadillac Escalade, I placed a call in the text: “Comrade, remember! There is a roof at the level of your hood for normal cars!”, In the case of Tahoe, this rule must also be followed. Firstly, Escalade and Tahoe are almost siblings. Secondly (this paragraph is an explanation of the first), we have before us a large frame SUV weighing more than two and a half tons and dimensions of five meters by two. For the sake of interest, we put in front of his “face” “Impreza” one of our acquaintances, who was practically invisible from the Tahoe driver’s seat …. In general, be careful when moving around city streets.

Looking ahead, I’ll say that the car will not feel like an elephant in a china shop, but first we’ll talk about the exterior, although it will be difficult to describe it, about how to talk about a large brick or cobblestone, because when you approach this car, you’re having it is these associations. Probably a brick, this is somewhat rude, so we will focus on more streamlined concepts – a monument and a block. However, Tahoe has one interesting feature – the lack of pathos. Here I return again to the Cadillac Escalade, where there was a lot of pathos: a giant grill – a radiator grill, a sea of ​​chrome, giant wheels, optics in the form of futuristic blades. Tahoe doesn’t have all this – it’s banal, simpler: standard optics, minimum chrome, if we talk about American cars. True, I had a certain dilemma – on the one hand, the lack of kitsch – plus, on the other hand, the car, without all the “luxury” touches, loses its personality a bit like an old rocker who even wears a leather jacket, but takes out almost everything riveting and combing his haer. In justification, we can say that quite recently the fifth generation of the Chevrolet Tahoe was introduced, where pleasant metamorphoses occurred with the appearance.

While you are dreaming of a new Tahoe, which will certainly reach our area in a couple of years, I will say a few words about the salon of our experimental subject. Here, too, there is a simplification if we compare the interior with a similar one at Escalade. However, simplicity plays in our case only on hand, since it looks trite more qualitatively. The fact is that there isn’t such eclecticism of materials and different textures as in the elder brother – leather and nice wood inserts are all the decorations, however, at the same time, the interior looks expensive and solid. Ergonomics, by the way, have no complaints, with the exception, perhaps, of the traditional “Americanisms” – poker – gear selectors and parking brake pedals. However, you quickly get used to all these things. What can not be taken away from the cabin is its spaciousness. I note that the car is offered in a seven-seater version, and all seven people can be accommodated inside with comfort. By the way, the back row of seats is made in the form of two captain’s chairs, while the gallery is a typical sofa. By the way, about the seats, they are comfortable, however, they lack one important thing – longitudinal adjustments. However, these comments apply only to the rear seats. The front seats are good without any reservations – anyone can sit in them, thanks to a wide range of adjustments, however, some of the options, such as the massage that Escalade has, are not assigned to our subject by status. A few words I want to say about the radio. By the way, here we have installed Bose speakers with ten speakers, which sounds pretty good. All formats are supported, including DVD. True, this is not even important here, but extremely pleasant controls. Yes, there is a touch screen, but it is supplemented by physical control using conventional buttons, which are very convenient, especially after glitches on the touch panels of Escalade … In general, the multimedia complex is rich in features. According to American tradition, in the car there are monitors for rear passengers and a whole scattering of sockets and USB-connectors, for a second, 12 pieces. So the family and children will be happy.

Now it’s time to talk about how this tank is able to move. I must say that he does this relatively well, because under the hood is the famous 6.2-liter engine, which in the high-boost version makes the legendary Corvettes move very fast. It should be noted that on the previous generation of the model there was a “small” motor 5.3, and this was also a hallmark of the Tahoe, since the last Escalade, by seniority, was a six-liter unit. However, this is lyrics, and the truth is that, despite the volume, the engine is not very gluttonous. Yes, in the city the car will consume about 17-20 liters, but on the track, you can meet the ten, however, if you do not drive. At a normal pace, Tahoe will consume about 13 liters. In many respects, such indicators are achieved due to the Active Fuel Management system. It works as follows, initially we move on a “full” V8 engine, then electronics that analyzes the vehicle’s driving conditions are included in the case. In a quiet rhythm, when relatively little power is needed, the system divides the engine in half, cutting off half of the cylinders. Returning to the dynamics, I will say that the car can drive fast. In the “slippers to the floor” Tahoe accelerates to hundreds of seconds in eight. Thumbs up for a three-ton colossus. There are some questions to the automatic box, which, alas, behaves somewhat impressively – it allows delays in switching. True, you hardly notice this behind a high-torque engine. Some questions are caused by the suspension. Like the Escalade, the Magnetic Ride Control system is installed here. We will not deal with the description, you can just read it in the test about Escalade. We will only say that shock absorbers of this class are able to change their rigidity depending on road conditions. Unfortunately, I had already encountered familiar problems – the suspension sometimes fails, especially when you notice this in a city where something is always being repaired and uneven at every turn. Here is an example for you – you drive calmly, and on the way you pit, you catch it with a wheel that goes sharply down, the control unit starts to sound the alarm and “strains” the shock absorber. That’s just all this happening at the wrong time. The suspension takes a hard hit when exiting the pit, as the shock absorber has become an “unbending crutch.”

Another fly in the ointment in this American splendor is the brakes, which are frankly weak. No, they are, but the car slows down, like an electric train or a ship, on the other hand, we remember the mass of the SUV and everything falls into place. Speaking of weight and chassis, get ready for rolls when cornering, yet we have a heavy frame SUV with rear dependent suspension. But he keeps the line stably, which is what you enjoy. By the way, in a straight line you will be able to move for a very long time – thank you for this one-liter tank. By the way, there are two restricted areas where I still wouldn’t meddle in this car. The first is off-road, forget about it. Yes, the car has four-wheel drive, but it is only in words that it is an SUV. Its maximum is a dirt road, and there is no sense to go further, because there is a non-illusory chance to dig in, the car is heavy. Add to this the very low overhangs with which you will rake everything that comes across, and, you see, tear off, for example, the front bumper will be very unpleasant. In fairness, in the winter we drove Tahoe across the virgin snow, and at first it was perfectly perched like a cruiser, since the motor allowed it, but the result was the same – it was buried, so much so that then it was necessary to pull out two Niva …. The second area, wherever I recommend you to travel, oddly enough, the city. Yes, hundreds of such handsome men cut through the streets of the capital. Yes, while driving you will almost never feel like an elephant in a china shop, because electronic assistants are a whole scattering. Only there is a question, whether it is necessary to do this in principle, whether it is necessary to drive a car into the city, and literally strangle it with it, and then upset by the gigantic expense … inconvenience of parking and much more. Whether it’s the case, I went to the highway and got a completely different car, because the car was created for highways.

In the end, it is necessary to draw a definite conclusion. It, in turn, will be similar to the one I quoted in the Cadillac Escalade test drive. Before us is a land ship, a car on which long trips bring not flour, but pleasure and good emotions. But an interesting thing turns out, at the level of sensations, I, while driving a Tahoe, was more able to penetrate the American spirit. Perhaps because it is simpler, more honest, without unnecessary luxury tinsel, which hides the real values ​​of the American car – huge sizes and volumes, locomotive traction, and excellent comfort. It’s nice that the new generation of Chevroelt Tahoe will reach us. True, a new design and new technologies, for example, the transition to an independent suspension, will already be waiting for us there. And on the one hand, technical, and any progress is good. On the other hand, I would like to hope that the spirit of the machine will not disappear after him, in the end, as was sung in one wonderful song: “The retro artist should be Forever Young.”

Author

Ovchinnikov Georgy, columnist for MotorPage

Edition

MotorPage.Ru

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