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.
This was really my first experience towing any substantial load any substantial distance. The wife loved hearing that as we pulled out of the U-Haul store in Ventura, and when I realized the weight I was towing (approximately 6,000 lbs) eclipsed that of the Tahoe (5,500 lbs --without passengers or cargo) I got a little worried myself. Did I really want to start my towing education by piloting six tons of American iron?
The Chevy's power and handling seemed up to the task overall, but I did notice some sway from the car's rear end while braking or going over certain types of bumps at highway speeds. Initially this kept me from going much over 50 mph, even on the open stretches of freeway between L.A. and Vegas. But over time I realized these minor vehicle motions were just that, and the Tahoe never actually felt out of control in any way. The vehicle's maximum towing capacity is listed at 8,200 lbs, so what could go wrong, right? By the time we cleared Barstow I was regularly hitting 60-65 mph with no issues; obviously every input (steering, braking, throttle) was executed as smoothly as possible while keeping a large cushion of space around both vehicles at all times.
While climbing the long grades in the high desert outside of Baker, California the exterior temperature read 107 degrees, yet the Tahoe's engine temp gauge rarely moved off midway. This was with the tri-zone air conditioning cranked up and at least 600 pounds (four passengers and cargo) inside the vehicle itself. Braking was similarly worry-free, though this car transporter was equipped with hydraulic brakes that tapped into the Tahoe's via a $15 adapter I bought at the U-Haul store.
Originally I planned to drop the trailer in St. George, Utah and drive the GTX behind the Tahoe the remaining 600 miles. It was really just the desert heat I wanted to avoid in the non-air-conditioned GTX (and those triple-digit temps confirmed my decision). But everything was going so well I kept on truckin' (after checking in with the friendly St. George U-Haul folks) all the way to Grand Junction. This shot was taken near the Utah/Colorado border on I-70.
Over the 747.5 miles spent towing the GTX the Tahoe managed 13.8 mpg, though the initial tank (when I was too scared to go over 55 mph) saw an impressive 15.01 mpg. The cost of renting the trailer was $360, and the 54.148 gallons used would be $162.44 at $3 a gallon (the Tahoe requires only regular fuel).
That's roughly $525, which probably would have gotten the GTX shipped to Grand Junction if I wanted to deal with (and trust) a shipping company. But remember, that amount shipped both the car and my family (and all their stuff) 750 miles -- much of it spent watching Pixar movies in the back seat while listening to Big Tracks on XM 49 up front. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Maybe this whole SUV thing has some merit.
More on the Denver to Los Angeles return trip in our Long-Term Tahoe coming up.
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com
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Pretty decent mileage considering the load--definitely a full-size SUV advantage. Beautiful Plymouth, Karl. Barely fits on the trailer, though!
Wow, that Plymouth is as long as the chevy.
Wonder what mileage would be like if we could fast forward a couple of years and the Tahoe was equipped with the 4.5L diesel and a 6 speed transmission.
Looks like the Tahoe stayed level and didn't sag in the rear. Do you know what the tongue weight of that trailer was?
You mentioned on the other blog that it has the load leveling suspension, is that the Auto-Ride air suspension, or just the standard "load leveling" suspension?
That GTX looks awesome. I can understand why you didn't want to drive it in 100+ weather. Did the Tahoe have the tow-haul option? If so, did you use it?
Very cool and informative long term update post Karl!
sweet post indeed. Very logical.
The Tahoe has Autoride. I can't remember what the tongue weight was on the trailer, but the wife was dutifully reading all the U-Haul Car Trailer documentation as we pulled out of Ventura. As you probably know, the calculations for tongue weight aren't the most straightforward. Ultimately I just told Stacie - "I became a journalist so I wouldn't have to do math."
But I always made sure the "Tow/Haul" mode was engaged while towing. It definitely kept the transmission from upshifting too soon, and it downshifted to help slow things down on steep hills.
"I became a journalist so I wouldn't have to do math."
Quote of the day! =Þ
How far away did you have to go to get the shot on the highway shoulder?
Not too far. We were driving along on 70 and I was looking at the light and the background and a potential shot started forming in my head, but I need to get some elevation and distance from the road. Luckily, there were these periodical "berms" or small hills just off the right shoulder, so I pulled up in front of one, jumped out and ran up the hill. The whole thing probably took less than a minute from the time we stopped until we were rolling again.
But I do sorta pride myself on getting decent photography with minimal time impact.