2011 Chevy Tahoe

The world has fewer full-size sport-utility vehicles these days--maybe a good thing--but one of the diehard survivors will be the Chevrolet Tahoe. Spun from the same running gear as GM's full-size pickup trucks and other big utes like the Cadillac Escalade, the Tahoe is the less lengthy companion to the likes of the Chevy Suburban. It's pitched as the traditionally strong performer in a crowd including the gas-powered utes like the Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia, and Nissan Armada. As a Hybrid, it takes on the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class with the clean BlueTEC diesel and the BMW X6 Hybrid, but more likely, GM's own Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and Yukon Hybrid.

The Tahoe nameplate arrived in the 1995 model year, replacing the Blazer badge and was teamed with a four-door model. Based on the big GM trucks, the Tahoe was powered in most cases by a big 5.7-liter V-8. A turbodiesel version found few applications and few buyers. In this generation, sold until the 1998 model year, GM added a driver-side airbag and a luxury-trim Limited package, which was sold in the 2000 model year. This version overlapped with the entirely new "GMT800" Chevy Tahoe, which was new for the 2000 model year.

The 2000-2006 Chevrolet Tahoe again offered a choice of V-8 engines, either a 4.8-liter V-8 or a 5.3-liter V-8, separated only by 10 horsepower. A four-speed automatic took care of shifting in all versions, and the Tahoe came in rear- or four-wheel-drive versions. A more genteel look wasn't quite matched by a lackluster interior, but with good towing capacity and additions like stability control and more airbags, the Tahoe rode the SUV wave of popularity to become a best seller in the Chevy truck lineup.

GM advanced its plans to replace the GMT800 trucks and SUVs with a GMT900 family of vehicles--and the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe proved the move worthy in mechanical terms, even if SUV sales were about to fall off a proverbial cliff. The new Tahoe's crisp lines, and improved body rigidity lent it a mature, even sophisticated look--one matched by a handsome interior. All the towing and hauling capability carried over, with a more comfortable five- or six-seat interior package--but the powertrains got a fuel-economy boost that was offset on the marketing side by the addition of a 403-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8. The Tahoe returned for the 2010 model year as one of the best-performing SUVs available, even in fuel economy, thanks to the recently added, 22-mpg Tahoe Hybrid.