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Tahoe Hybrid 4x4s and others

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PaulZ

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Well I've cooled off on my idea of a 2 door Tahoe as a second vehicle since the '90s Vortecs don't get substantially better mileage than my K5. I need 4x4 to get to my cabin, would like to take something that gets 20+ mpg for times when I don't need the K5s might.

I see 2005 era hybrid offerings from GM, Ford and Toyota. Friend has a Highlander, gets about 25. I've always been a GM man with the occasional Ford or Mopar thrown in. Talked to a lady with a 2006 Ford Escape, likes it and also gets mid 20s. GM made some Tahoe and pickups but don't see them around. So what's the deal with these hybrid 4x4s, any good? Too much to worry about going wrong with a used one? The Escapes can be had for 3-6K depending on mileage.

The other option is a foreign 4 banger something or other, CRV, Rav4, gets probably 20 or better but again I prefer American.

Whatdya think?
 
I think that the term mileage and term 4x4 generally don't work together well....

I would stay away from the shitbox SUVs and just buy a 1/2 ton Tahoe. The hybrid are hard to find it seems.
Maybe just buy a car and leave the k5 at the cabin.
 
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I know its a four letter word around here but JEEP. If you don't get a wrangler they can be had for a decent price and can deliver 20+ mpg while still having some cargo room. I had several classic Cherokees as my 2nd vehicle and got about 20mpg. My wife has had a Grand Cherokee for over a decade. My mom has a new Cherokee, its the road trip vehicle and my parents love it. At least its not the real four letter word, FORD.
 
Before I bought/built my K5 I did use two trucks, the S10 2wd we still have to get to the property, then a beat up un-roadworthy Ranger 4x4 to get up the hill to the cabin. That had two downsides, one my wife is wheelchair bound so had to transfer her, then all the crap I bring back and forth. The K5 was a blessing, drive it there, stick it in 4WH and drive right up to the cabin. I've tried many times to get the S10 up the hill, it has posi but still slips easily. I've put weight in the bed, even put some 31" off road tires in back, that got it up there but not easily. The K5 climbs it like it's nothing.

I do like the Jeep idea, have been poking around at those. Which ones get 20 mpg?
 
You are just looking at this from an MPG/Economy standpoint?

I like numbers, what can I say.

Assume the new rig gets 25MPG, K5 gets 15MPG. New rig cost of $3000.

At $3/gallon, you'd save money (gas alone) after ~40,000 miles. Obviously the closer the MPG numbers are, the lower gas price, or the higher the acquisition cost of the new vehicle, the longer it will take to break even.

Additionally, you have to factor in doubling the cost of owning another vehicle...licensing, insurance, tires, oil changes, etc.

Unless you go with an econobox getting 35+ MPG (which doesn't sound like it's even an option for you) that you put a lot of miles on, from *strictly* a cost standpoint, it really doesn't make any sense.
 
Hey thanks for running those numbers. I used similar logic when I bought the K5 (it only gets 10-12), figuring it wouldn't cost that much more in gas. I'm considering replacing the S10, so insurance etc. would be a wash, also part of the purchase price of the new 4x4. Figuring I could get 20mpg and drive it 10K a year in place of the K5 means I would save about $1,500 a year if I have the math right. I guess that's what the S10 does now, except it won't climb that damn hill. I tend to keep vehicles a long time (bought the S10 new in '96) so whatever I would get would likely be around for a long time.
 
My last Tahoe 4-door with 256k on it got 15-16. Mix highway and city, and highway far from flat. And wasn't even running 100%. I had a 92 2-door and that got pretty good mileage.
 
Yes, the hybrid models are out there. But put this into perspective. The technology is dated. The battery bank in those could be up to 12 years old (2007 was the first year of the hybrid) and as we know batteries don't ask forever. You do not want to have issues with that setup for the expected radically high repair costs on it.

Besides the crazy repair costs you'd have, a newer Tahoe with the DI 5.3 gets better highway fuel mileage than the older Hybrid did.
 
The hybrid Tahoes have a low front bumper and a low lip, bumper setup looks like it would be no good offroad.

I don't know about the Escape, but I know some people who push Rav4's in Europe and they look like they can get the job done

Here in america I use Nissan G35 for 99% of my driving, it gets 25 mpg. Nissan Pathfinder for 4x4.

Heres my $1000 Nissan daily driver, 25 mpg. I have taken this on mild off road trips. At $1000, what can you lose?
infiniti l bvefore.jpg
 
Around here Subaru's are popular ,and they are about the only 4x4 vehicle that'll get over 20 mpg except maybe some Jeeps and Suzuki Samari's ,GEO Trackers...
 
When did the DI 5.3 come out?

Yeah Subarus are big here too, and pretty cheap on the used market. The old guy in me is still apprehensive about foreign stuff. All my tools are American (which I guess doesn't help much anymore on anything), my hands were too big to fit in the last foreign car I had. Not just the engine compartment, ever time I steered the thing I put on the window wipers. I finally cut half the stalk off. I wish they made a pickup, like the old Brat.

Guy down the street has a Jeep in the driveway that hasn't moved in I don't know how long. Going to talk to him.
 
diesel4me said:
Around here Subaru's are popular ,and they are about the only 4x4 vehicle that'll get over 20 mpg except maybe some Jeeps and Suzuki Samari's ,GEO Trackers...
Click to expand...

Was gonna say this. Not sure just how much 4x4 you need, but we have a Crosstrek with decent (for a station wagon) ground clearance that averages for us about 33mpg. I've had it in a few places I probably shouldn't have, but even when I started to get that "maybe I shouldn't be here" feeling it still made it through.
 
PaulZ said:
The old guy in me is still apprehensive about foreign stuff. All my tools are American (which I guess doesn't help much anymore on anything), my hands were too big to fit in the last foreign car I had.
Click to expand...

Let's be honest there- American car companies have produced a ton of absolute shit cars over the years. Some good ones, too, but more garbage than good. Plenty of garbage to be had in the import group, too, but there are a lot of good cars out there, regardless of where they're built. The perception of American cars as all around superior is outdated by about 40 years. It all depends on the individual model.

And your second concern will apply to any car built since 1990. Trucks will be fine (mostly), but cars are just built a little more compressed. I will say, I'm not a fan of working on anything FWD. Transverse mounted engines suck for access.
 
I agree....after I had to replace a clutch in an '86 VW Jetta diesel,I had,I felt it was easier to do a clutch replacement in a GM 4x4 square body,it was a suck pill the whole job--every bolt was a metric allen head or torx that had been boogered up by previous "mechanics",and taking the transaxle out sucked,you needed two people to thread it out of the area its planted in,and to put it back in was even harder,and the lower a frame & bushing was right in the way..

With no lift ,it was a miserable job.--even with one it still sucks.
I had to get someone to help me hold the transaxle up by a strap,while I fumbled around under it trying to wrestle it past all the obstructions,they give you like 1" of clearance ,when I've done many 4x4 clutch jobs alone with a floor jack or transmission jack by myself in only 2-3 hours in the past..

I have no love for anything FWD or with a computer..didn't like the "torque steer" if you floored it either,especially on a slick road..
 
Subarus have longitudinal configured boxer engines, so they're relatively easy to work on. I just picked up a 2013 legacy for my wife, it got 34mpg on a recent trip to Pennsylvania. If it helps, my legacy was built in West Lafayette Indiana!
 
arcansawdave said:
Subarus have longitudinal configured boxer engines, so they're relatively easy to work on. I just picked up a 2013 legacy for my wife, it got 34mpg on a recent trip to Pennsylvania. If it helps, my legacy was built in West Lafayette Indiana!
Click to expand...

This. Most of the "foreign" cars popular in this country are now built in the U.S.A. And a growing number of "domestic" cars are built in Canada or Mexico. Things are a lot more mixed up than 40 years ago. And expect to use your metric wrenches regardless of brand.
 
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