Yes the GM Two-Mode hybrids can tow, but what of MPG?
We've had numerous opportunities over the last two years to drive various SUVs and pickup trucks equipped with the two-mode hybrid system spawned from GM, Chrysler, Daimler and BMW. Among the claimed advantages of the two-mode hybrid system is the ability to dramatically improve fuel efficiency while still maintaining the functionality one expects of these trucks, including towing. We've even had the opportunity to sample the towing capability of the now departed Dodge Durango hybrid. In doing so however, our impressions have been strictly subjective with no opportunity to evaluate fuel efficiency during an extended towing test.
Over at Popular Mechanics, Larry Webster had precisely that chance recently when he purchased an old Camaro a couple of hundred miles from his Ann Arbor home. Just as we found with the two-mode Durango, the Yukon behaved pretty much the same with a load hitched up as it does without. Also, just as a non-hybrid consumes more fuel with a weightier load, so does a hybrid. Larry got 14.14 mpg with the Yukon hybrid pulling the car. While not great in and of itself, that's 20 percent better than a conventional SUV gets under similar conditions. So the Yukon hybrid can tow and be more efficient.
Gallery: ABG Garage: 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
[Source: Popular Mechanics]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
stas peterson 10:34AM (1/26/2009)
I await the arrival of the smaller dual mode member(s) of that hybrid drive family for more general applications, as in full size "D" segment sedans. Large SUVs like yours, are a relatively tiny proportion of the market, but nonetheless do serve a genuine need.
But it is certainly wonderful that many occasional uses can still be accommodated by advanced technology. Even towing a 2 ton car, the dual mode hybrid with a a mammoth vehicle still reduced fuel consumption proportionately. The present large dual-mode drive hybrid can serve tot help answer the genuine needs for trucks. ICE downsizing has yet to be employed there, as the dual-mode hybrids have been mated to V8s which really isn't necessary.
The auto-builders feared truck buyers would object and reject them, so they kept the v8s. It was considered to be a prudent case to make them acceptable to truck buyers.
The extra assist from the electric portion can easily be mated with advanced v6 ICEs, and still serve the needs of truck users. The superb torque characteristics of electric motors is particularly important when used in such hauling or towing applications, as downsized v6s even with "eco-boosting" would still be deficient in torque for such applications; with the electric motor creating maximum torque at zero rpm, that is not the case.
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MikeW 12:25PM (1/26/2009)
GM didn't manage to sneak a full size diameter (narrow width) spare wheel above the rear most muffler
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/abg-garage-2008-chevy-tahoe-hybrid/715969/full/
did they?
Is there a spare wheel accessible from the inside?
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Louis Pierce 12:22PM (1/26/2009)
Diesels are better suited for this task.
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imoore 7:45PM (1/26/2009)
The Escalae Hybrid looks good, but the price is not going to draw many customers. In honesty, the Camaro on the trailer is a much better bargin.
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Cmicasa the Great XvX 8:23AM (1/27/2009)
981 Chevrolet Tahoe, 442 GMC Yukon and 306 Cadillac Escalade 2-mode hybrid SUVs delivered in Dec 2008... with no real GMAC Financing available.. or leases...
That's outta 2802 Escalades in total... 6417 Tahoes, and 4401 Yukons (not including ESV, Suburban, or Yukon XL numbers)
Meaning that 10% of all Escalades and Yukons were Hybrid.. and 15% of Tahoes were Hybrid... which is excellent considering those percentages are exactly the same proportions for the Camry, Highlander, and RX400... I won't even bring up the non-existent sales of the GSh or the LSh
Now imagine if GM were to actually PROMOTE the damn things...
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