2007 Chevrolet Tahoe Long-Term Road Tests Archives

Magrath: Okay, by training you're a scholar of religion, and I'm a journalist. So let's dive headfirst into a heated, highly sensitive, incredibly difficult business topic: Detroit.
Magrath: You cannot be relevant with a headquarters in the midwest. You can't be impartial and forward-thinking when 8/10ths of the people in your area depend upon you and buy your products.

Continue reading 2008 Pontiac G8 GT, et al.: Textcast -- How To Fix GM, Part II.

Categories: 2006 Pontiac Solstice,2007 Cadillac SRX,2007 Chevrolet Silverado LT,2007 Chevrolet Tahoe,2008 Buick Enclave CX,2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI,2008 Pontiac G8 GT

Sadlier: So, continuing its pattern of hiring random people to do important things, GM taps us to be the guys who make sure that the new GM is devoid of the stupid stuff that plagued old GM. Where do we start?
Magrath: I suppose we start from the outside in. It's how I pick my books and women; why not evaluate companies likewise?
Sadlier: Good, let's focus on outer beauty. It's the LA way.
Magrath : GM has never really had a problem selling to GM fans, so the trick, it would seem, is to get non-GM folks to take the cars seriously. This means that Chevrolet, the largest and most important brand, needs to ditch the bowtie.
Sadlier : The bowtie is obviously tainted, but I think it's potentially salvageable. Hire a design firm with money they don't have and sex it up.
Magrath : Salvageable? Except for Colonel Sanders and Tucker Carlson, who wears a bowtie? And as you may recall from Jon Stewart's pummeling of Tucker , the bowtie was a key part of Stewart's argument that what Tucker did on Crossfire is theater and not real news. Bowties are gags.
Magrath : They could try to sex it up, but that would end with the thing being a bolo tie like you see at rodeos or in Arizona. There'd be turquoise and a cow skull...not good.
Magrath : Besides James Bond, whom I don't think GM wants to evoke unless the new Camaro is a submersible, name something positive associated with a bowtie.
Sadlier : Ummm...the tuxedo? 17th-century Croatian mercenaries ? Balzac ? Hell, the Playboy bunny wears a bowtie. This is too easy.
Sadlier : The bowtie can rise again. Just not in its current form.
Magrath : Fine, then if GM is sticking with a bowtie, Lexus should switch from a stylized "L" to a mawashi .
Sadlier : Deal.
Magrath : And GM cars should be available only in black and white, or in Croatia.
Sadlier : ...with your choice of a complimentary Playboy playmate or French novel.
Magrath : I'm in.

Continue reading 2008 Pontiac G8 GT, et al.: Textcast -- How To Fix GM, Part I.

Categories: 2007 Cadillac SRX,2007 Chevrolet Silverado LT,2007 Chevrolet Tahoe,2008 Buick Enclave CX,2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI,2008 Pontiac G8 GT

Say good bye to our long-term Chevrolet Tahoe. It's hard to believe 12 months have passed since it was first introduced to the fleet. Keep an eye out for the wrap-up.

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Coordinator @ 21,507

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

Our year with our long term 2007 Chevy Tahoe is winding down, but I still have time for one last jab. The worth of this truck's range feature ranges from completely useless to almost useless.

As you can see the computer computes down to 40 miles worth of gas. But soon after that, just as the feature gets really useful, it stops giving you numbers and just reads "Fuel Range Low." No kidding? Thanks for the information Captain Obvious, but the big analog fuel gauge with the needle pointing to the big E told me that much...

Continue reading 2007 Chevy Tahoe: Fuel Range Low? Like no duh..

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

After 2,000 miles in our long-term Chevrolet Tahoe it's clear that GM got most of this vehicle right. The combination of ride and handling characteristics is impressive for a 5,500-pound, truck-based SUV. Both the wife and I agreed on the confident handling, even over the high-speed hilly and twisty sections of Interstate 70 as it crosses the Rockies.

Continue reading 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Loose Mirror, Nav Nitpicks.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

It seemed fitting that, on the cusp of popular culture deciding to hate SUVs, I take our long-term 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe on a 2,000-mile trip from Los Angeles to Denver and back. And rather than just load it up with myself and a couple bags of Dorritos from the local AM/PM (the manner in which for too many SUVs travel our roadways) I decided to bring the wife, both kids, a couple hundred pounds of payload and three tons of muscle car and U-Haul trailer. 

And, well...yes, a couple bags of Dorritos.

Continue reading 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Hmm...maybe SUVs are Cool.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

This is not a feature unique to the Tahoe, but I really appreciate the ability to fold in the side mirrors with the touch of a button.

Sometimes, maneuvering around California's beach town roads can be a bit difficult. There is a two-lane stretch along Vista Del Mar that is more like a lane and three-quarters. The right lane is very narrow and lined with dry brush...

Continue reading 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe - Side Mirrors.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

Recently I praised the Tahoe's performance during a recent Oldham family road trip, but I forgot to mention something. The Tahoe's navigation system, while it got us to a Big Bear Lake, was adamant that the particular address we were heading for did not exist. The street was in there, but the house number was not.

I dismissed this as the norm, after all Big Bear Lake is a tiny town in the middle of the mountains...

Continue reading 2007 Chevy Tahoe: Navigation Blues.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

The other day I noticed this sticker in the driver's door jamb of our Chevy Tahoe. My father always told me to take pride in my work and the people that built the SUV obviously do. The fact that our Tahoe has proven to be bulletproof after almost 17,000 miles in just eight months is further proof.

Sadly they're probably Ranger fans...

Continue reading 2007 Chevy Tahoe: The Pride of Texas.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

After almost a week and several hundred miles of life with our Chevy Tahoe, I'm sold. This is a great vehicle. And I owe it an apology.

You see I've never really spent any time in the Tahoe...

Continue reading 2007 Chevy Tahoe: Road Trip Changed My Tune.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

A family road trip to Big Bear Lake 115 miles northeast of Los Angeles seemed to be the perfect opportunity to try out our Chevy Tahoe. Regular readers of this blog know I usually commandeer the Audi Q7 for such duties, and the Mercedes R500 before that.

But the Tahoe deserved a shot, so this Saturday I packed it up and it swallowed luggage, wife, kids and dog like the full-size SUV that it is. Of course I had to utilize Chevy's innovative Hernia N' Go third-row-seat system first...

Continue reading 2007 Chevy Tahoe: Hernia and Go.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

The Big Tahoe LT and I are at a crossroads. After a disappointing first drive on Thursday that left me wondering how The General could sell some million of these things annually, I requested a weekend of quality time just me, the Tahoe and a few hundred miles of open road, to try to answer that very question…

Continue reading 2007 Chevy Tahoe LT: "getting it".

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

Last week, in a Chevy Silverado post, I mentioned how OnStar's personal calling just doesn't work as a substitute for Bluetooth.

But OnStar's other features may make it worth the $17 per month it costs to maintain the Safe and Sound plan.

I recently signed up for OnStar's Vehicle Diagnostic service for our Long Term Tahoe. Singing up was easy, I did it by pressing the blue button inside the car and giving the operator my email address. Within 48 hours, I received an update on the mechanical and electrical systems of the Tahoe...

Continue reading 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: George Jetson Would Love This.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

This was my first time driving the Tahoe, and as someone who drove a little roadster for a couple of years, I felt like I had hopped onto an aircraft carrier on wheels.  My main impressions were that it had reasonably good power and an overall comfortable interior. 

There were a couple of things I noticed though.....

First off, though the thing is a behemoth, when it comes time to try to haul  stuff, the cargo area is not all that big.  I had grand visions of moving a not-so-large desk for someone, but when we had a look at the desk and then the cargo area, it felt a little iffy.  We ultimately decided to hold off.  It's people hauling strengths definitely outdo its stuff hauling skills.




Also, though I liked certain parts of the navigation and audio system just fine, when it came time for us to enter the address of our destination, the interface was pretty clunky.  With three graduate degrees between the two of us,  it shouldn't be that hard, and honestly, we did figure it out, but they seemed to go out of there way to make the nav interface non-user-friendly.



Don't get me wrong; the Tahoe did its job as a big mondo SUV just fine.  If a tree fell on my family and I wanted to wreak revenge on Mother Nature, I might consider it as my gas guzzling tool of choice, but it definitely has its weaknesses...

Continue reading 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Godzilla Doesn't Like Giving Directions.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

Lately, when given a choice between vehicles, my first question is "Which one has an AUX IN jack?"



My drive home has been averaging about an hour and a half, so hooking up the iPod has been a high priority. As seen in this previous post , I use a FM transmitter, but I also carry a Stereo Mini cable just in case. The iPod won't charge this way, but the sound is MUCH cleaner, and I don't have to fiddle with finding an unused frequency or lower an antenna to help reception.

So tonight, by making my shuffled songs and Audio books possible, the Tahoe gets a thumbs up...

Continue reading Chevy Tahoe LT: Audio Jack Device Connected.

Categories: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe