Just right, yet wrong Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

No question GM, Ford and Chrysler blew it on hybrids. Especially GM.

 

Oh I hear you. I think maybe the 'Winter Shminter' comment got misunderstood. I'm simply shocked that GM is bragging about 20mpg. 20mpg? A theoretical high? ... or a maybe high? or a definate high? That is NOT high. It ought to be illegal. That was the point.

Malorn missed the point even worse, saying the hihy and RX400h SUV drivers are hypocratical, because we don't usually drive with a full contingent of passengers either. The GM gas guzzlers are in large part gas guzzlers because they are bigger than they need to be. Get it? He points out that Toyota SUV's also ride around with only 4 ... or 3 ... or only one person. That's r-i-i-i-i-ight. So if you can get there with 1,500lbs less steel wrapped around you ... and 50% better MPG, than why not do it in a SUV that gets MPG's in the 30's in stead of the 20's (or even more likely, in the teens)?

The reason I really need a Tahoe, sad to say, is because the Bling Bling loven' Basketball bad boy types drive one. I simply can't buy into advertisisng like that. Maybe that's just me.

That being said, I think malorn is actually comming to his senses. His early posts parroted GM spin, saying hybrids were meerly a Japanese marketing ploy ... and now he's actually admitting how stupid GM was/is in not being the first on the block with newer/better technology. Similarly malorn now seems to acknowledge GM has morphed into a Chinese / Canadian / Mexican outsourced "hybrid" corporation, though just a few days ago, he was still in denial. By golly, if HE can see the light, then there may still be hope for GM's shadw of what it used to be-outsourced business.

 

We have plenty of fuel for 1,000s of years, we just have to gradually switch from petroleum based to other sources

 

Why should something be illegal based off of gas mileage? Ok, It's illegal for you to use toilet paper, And It's illegal for you to talk without permission. Completely assinine!

GM does not market the Tahoe or any of there vehicles based on a sports player. They market it becasue of interest and previous sales. Kinda like the Prius is strictly made for gas mileage.

Do you seriously think GM is the only company that outsources? All manufacturers outsource.

I never see anything in these forums about Dodge or Ford vehicles. Why is that?

I own two trucks, a 2007 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel and a 2000 F-250 Turbo Diesel. They are worked everyday and also used for my personal use.

I joined here to get info on these cars because the wifey wants one. But, I see a lot of biased posts.

 

They never took cars that people wanted to own and crushed them.(GM EV1) Unfortunately to their shame Toyota would have done the same but they responded to customer pressure. GM don't give a rats what customers want, just what GM can get them to settle for.

 

Well, of course you do. You're posting on Prius Chat, not "Dodge Gab" or "Ford Prattle." I joined for the unabashedly biased prattle and advice.

 

Yep, Skywalker will see similar biases if he goes forums for other automakers such as vwvortex.com, my350z.com, maxima.org, and [SIZE=-1]www.gminsidenews.com.
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It's because the government already regulates gas mileage of light passenger cars and "light trucks" via CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) and fines automakers who don't meet it. It also imposes gas guzzler taxes if a car doesn't meet a certain gas mileage. The latter tax, stupidly enough doesn't apply to "light trucks" (SUVs, minivans, some vans and pickups) which consume more and made up 49% of MY 2007 vehicles sold in the US (http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/mpg/fetrends/420s07001.htm).

I agree, monstrosity class (5000+ lb.) vehicles sold to consumers w/really lousy gas mileage ought to be made virtually illegal. They put other drivers on the road in danger in a multi-car accident due to their high curb weight, belch out more greenhouse gases and consume more of a non-renewable resource, much of which comes from unstable regions or countries that don't like us very much.

 

Everything is relative, though. Using your argument, my gas guzzling, greenhouse gas belching, 3000 lb. Prius should be outlawed in favor of my bicycle.

Actually, I WOULD be in favor of that. But...that's just me.

 

Well actions speak louder than words, time to sell up.

 

Did just that in when I lived in South Florida. Unfortunately, here in TN there are few roads suitable for commuting by bicycle. The roads seem to be dominated by Tahoes.

 

It's so upsetting that these standards are being imposed on peoples rights to drive what they wish. I remember growing up as a kid and nobody ever cared about some of the issues we proclaim to have today. It's not that people didn't care about the environment. Heck, I recycle all my used items and I guess that's not enough.

I almost think it's getting carried away. What about those commercial vehicles? Snow plows? Landscapers? The list could go on!

GM, Ford, Toyota, Dodge, And ect are in business to make money and produce good quality vehicles. That goes for all business owners people.

On that link I see trucks are gaining more HP and account for 49% of the sales.

 

Yeah, we tried having no standards before (pretty much before my time) and we ended up w/horribly inefficient vehicles (13.1 mpg), dirty air and the Arab oil embargoes. Per http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/cafe/overview.htm CAFE came about because of the embargo. Remember the gas lines and gas rationing?

It's more upsetting to me that the quantity of vehicles that more of the part of the problem are increasing as a percentage. I see an insane # of monstrosity class (5000+ lb. SUVs like Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons, etc.) driven solo or with a minimal # of passengers (like 1 or 2 small children). A large % of those people clearly don't "need" such behemoths. They could easily make do with a small to medium sized car (say Honda Accord or Toyota Camry size) or a more minivan (which are more efficient and lighter). But no, minivans are "not cool" or so the American public thinks.

I grew up in a family of 3. We had no huge SUV. The largest we had when I went to college was a 93 Dodge Caravan (not the extended Grand Caravan). Friends down the street had 3 kids, a cousin and sometimes a grandfather. The largest they had was Toyota's first (not very good) minivan and a Mercedes station wagon.

People who buy vehicles like Hummer H2s which don't actually have a lot of interior room show they really don't care about environment nor other drivers on the road given their 6400 lb. curb weight. Remember kinetic energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2.

So, the above buyers of monstrosity vehicles who don't need them end up using more of a non-renewable resource (we import ~60% of what we use), spewing out more greenhouse gases and pollutants, endanger others on the road due to their high mass, endanger others and themselves due to their poor braking, poor emergency handling and greater propensity to tip over.

There's a big difference between actually needing them for work vs. soccer moms who don't need them.

We've gone to war at least 2x in recent history over oil. What do you think about oil $ going to guys like Iran's Ahmadinejad or Venezuala's Hugo Chavez and enriching countries that harbor terrorists? Now we're at near $100/barrel oil again. Whenever Ahmadinejad or some other nut does some sabre rattling, oil prices spike. Hmm...

Remember, "trucks" include pickups, minivans, SUVs and some vans.

 

1,000's of years. Sure we do. Even Geologists working for the Oilies admit we're right about at the 1/2 way point. And when you use up the 1st half? You continually have to use more and more and more energy to remove the last half. And there's no more cheep energy to get that last half. "1,000's of years" That's what the folks on Christmas Island thought ... while they continued to slash and burn up all the resources. Now theres nothing but a bunch of giant statues of heads there. Heads my friend ... the part they didn't use. Supply & demand my friend. Use your head, and go Google "peak oil". Even the knuckle heads in Congress acknowledge it. Maybe you haven heard. So if you don't make Tahoe mpg (20 on a perfect day) illegal, eventually our kid's kids will see Christmas Island on a much grander scale. It's very simple. I love how history proves that the only thing mankind learns from history, is that mankind never learns anything from history.

 

The CAFE rules are a typical feel-good law for the do-gooders. The legislation is full of loopholes as always. Nobody worries about the other 75-80% of energy that is used in this country in homes and businesses? Long before 2020 gasoline-only powered vehicles will be obsolete other than maybe heavy commercial applications.
I can't believe there are posters on here looking at outlawing certain types of vehicles? Then certain types of houses? Vacations? Who draws the lines? Sounds like 1984 to me.

 

EASTER Island.

 

Thanks ... I hate it when I use the wrong christian-holiday island label.

 

"I love how history proves that the only thing mankind learns from history, is that mankind never learns anything from history."

One of the best quotes for the year...I love it. Unfortunately, it's as true as anything out there. We REact pretty good as a species, but we don't PREact very well. We do adapt pretty good, but, I have a feeling the next "phase" without cheap oil (or ANY oil) is gonna be rough. and here's the kicker, it can be done, but, alas, we as a species will just react and muddle thru, instead of conservation and phase in of renewable clean energy, which is out there waiting to be tapped. $$$ seems to lead us down a dangerous path...

 

Not always. The proper handling of the CFC ban and the very recent extensions to HCFC restrictions shows that positive things can be done before the last moment. In fact, it was done so well that most individuals probably do not know what I am talking about.