The Chevrolet Tahoe SUV: America's Green Car Of The Year 2008

[david dissadent]

 

[T & P]

Nonsense, that nice Mr Brown has seen to it that motoring is inexorably reverting to being the pastime of the wealthy as fewer and fewer can afford his stratospheric levels of fuel tax and VAT on top of fuel tax.

Now if only we could get rid of all those horrid bus lanes that would free up the traffic pro tem......

It'd be nice if instead of building strawmen you would admit that buying an overpowered and oversized gas guzzling vehicle is stupid, selfish and pointless.

In fact, as a driver you should be endorsing that view with open arms. If everyone in the UK who uses the car mainly for commutting and does not need the extra space or off-road capabilities were to suddenly go American and buy oversized monstruosities like this Chevvy, your driving experience would be made a lot worse.

Not to mention the fact that one day oil will start to run out, and since there is no mass-market substitute available and won't be for a while, we should try to preserve the stuff, not waste it on vehicles that use too much of it for no practical reason whatsoever (unless they're actually being used to carry 6-8 passengers or negotiate hard terrain, which the most of them are not).

 

[ExtraRefined]

That story's almost a year old.

 

[editor]

Nonsense, that nice Mr Brown has seen to it that motoring is inexorably reverting to being the pastime of the wealthy as fewer and fewer can afford his stratospheric levels of fuel tax and VAT on top of fuel tax.

Traffic levels are rising, not falling, you clueless buffoon.

Motorists are using cars more and more despite record fuel prices, higher vehicle taxes, and entreaties by the Government for greater use of public transport. Traffic has risen sharply in the past decade in almost every part of England except Inner London, despite the Government’s pledge for a greener transport system, figures today reveal.

In many areas the country’s roads are at saturation point, with drivers now overloading rural routes as they attempt to escape jams.

The number of licensed cars in Britain has grown by 5.5 million to 26.5 million since 1997. In 2006, 60 per cent of cars on the road had only one occupant – its driver. A quarter of all car trips were less than two miles long.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article3200991.ece

 

[moose]

On the other hand, traffic levels are falling in the US

 

[Detroit City]

most american cars are pieces of junk, thats why they've been steadily losing market share for 30 years

 

[Cobbles]

It'd be nice if instead of building strawmen you would admit that buying an overpowered and oversized gas guzzling vehicle is stupid, selfish and pointless.

Quantify "overpowered" - it takes a lot more power to get 2 tons to accelerate to 60 in a reasonable time (sub 8 seconds) than it takes a ton to achieve the same, therefore vehicles like the Tahoe are hardly overpowered.

There was an interesting item on last week's Watchdog - bearing and con-rod failures on Nissan 4x4's - no surprise there as the biggest seller in the UK is a version with a pitiful 2 litre diesel. Buy the same vehicle in South Africa and you get a 3 litre V6. The woefully overstressed UK unit fails as people try to wring any semblance of performance out of it - QED.

In fact, as a driver you should be endorsing that view with open arms. If everyone in the UK who uses the car mainly for commutting and does not need the extra space or off-road capabilities were to suddenly go American and buy oversized monstruosities like this Chevvy, your driving experience would be made a lot worse.

Even if every Micra owner in the UK traded up to a Tahoe, the roads would still be clear as they wouldn't be able to drive anywhere due to the situation whereby the same $85/barrel (or whatever the price is this nano-second) oil ends up in the Tahoe's tank in Moose Suck Nebraska at half the cost of filling the same tank in the UK. It's strange that the US can sustain such a large and high tech military without their equivalent of Gordo and the Badger raping the mororist's wallet at every opportunity.

Not to mention the fact that one day oil will start to run out, and since there is no mass-market substitute available and won't be for a while, we should try to preserve the stuff, not waste it on vehicles that use too much of it for no practical reason whatsoever (unless they're actually being used to carry 6-8 passengers or negotiate hard terrain, which the most of them are not).

Who is this "we" that you mention?

Does it include the Chinese? They seem to be hell bent on becoming the world's biggest nation of petrolheads, followed closely by India - 'awa and bleat at them about "preserving" fuel. Even if every UK motorist was forced to swap their car for a pair of wicker sandals, it won't make the slightest change to the global situation. Party on! V8's rule!

 

[T & P]

Quantify "overpowered" - it takes a lot more power to get 2 tons to accelerate to 60 in a reasonable time (sub 8 seconds) than it takes a ton to achieve the same, therefore vehicles like the Tahoe are hardly overpowered.

Bollocks they arent.

Remember, we're talking about people who don't need a massive SUV for their driving needs. And no, if you don't carry 6-8 people regularly or if you don't have to go off road and negotiate hard terrain, you don't need such vehicles.

So yes- massively overpowered. An engine half that size would be more than most US drivers would need.

Even if every Micra owner in the UK traded up to a Tahoe, the roads would still be clear as they wouldn't be able to drive anywhere due to the situation whereby the same $85/barrel (or whatever the price is this nano-second) oil ends up in the Tahoe's tank in Moose Suck Nebraska at half the cost of filling the same tank in the UK. It's strange that the US can sustain such a large and high tech military without their equivalent of Gordo and the Badger raping the mororist's wallet at every opportunity.

Are you ignoring the evidence posted on this very thread, and much available just a Google search away?

Car use in the UK continues to go up. Since the UK is not growing in size to match it, the situation is pretty grim as it is.

If everyone traded their normal cars for SUVs, the roads would be far worse. Fact.

Who is this "we" that you mention?

Does it include the Chinese? They seem to be hell bent on becoming the world's biggest nation of petrolheads, followed closely by India - 'awa and bleat at them about "preserving" fuel. Even if every UK motorist was forced to swap their car for a pair of wicker sandals, it won't make the slightest change to the global situation. Party on! V8's rule!

Oh dear dear dear...

And what would happen, pray tell, if those Chinese and Indians were to embrace your approach to life to trade their cars for V8s? Have a guess.

 

[co-op]

Traffic levels are rising, not falling, you clueless buffoon.

And that's also because the relative cost of driving is falling not rising.

Cobbles's ability to condense the largest amount of bollocks into the smallest amount of words is impressive.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

The thing about the Tahoe, is they drive like a freaking boat.

 

[T & P]

The thing about the Tahoe, is they drive like a freaking boat.

I was under the impression that with a few honourable exceptions, American cars handle like a drunken cow.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I was under the impression that with a few honourable exceptions, American cars handle like a drunken cow.

It's not as bad as it used to be.

 

[Oswaldtwistle]

And that's also because the relative cost of driving is falling not rising.

Can I ask for some stats on that, please.

 

[editor]

Can I ask for some stats on that, please.

Allow me:

Official figures for September show that plummeting used car prices brought down the overall cost of motoring, while pump price cuts gave much-needed relief to drivers suffering rising costs elsewhere. The only notable increase felt by owners this month is a rise in insurance premiums.

Car buying

Secondhand car values continue to tumble as dealers slash prices in a bid to tempt hard-up buyers to part with their cash. Prices have fallen 2.1 per cent since August and a whopping 8.9 per cent in a year. This means that in relative terms, the cost of buying a vehicle is at its lowest for more than 20 years - good news for buyers, bad news for owners looking to sell.
Fuel

Drivers also benefitted from cheaper fuel at filling stations in September, prompted by the cheaper price of oil on the world market. The average price of petrol decreased by 1.7 pence in a month, while the cost of diesel fell by 2.3 pence.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/news/Motoring-Costs/The-cost-of-motoring-falls-in-September/

 

[DownwardDog]

So yes- massively overpowered. An engine half that size would be more than most US drivers would need.

The Tahoe Hybrid does 0-60 in a ball aching 9 seconds. It needs more power if anything.

 

[T & P]

The Tahoe Hybrid does 0-60 in a ball aching 9 seconds. It needs more power if anything.

Seeing as there are hundreds of cars that can do 0-60 in less than 9 seconds with engines half the size and much lower fuel consumption, the solution is clear: don't buy the useless piece of crap and get yourself a decent car instead.

 

[Cobbles]

Seeing as there are hundreds of cars that can do 0-60 in less than 9 seconds with engines half the size and much lower fuel consumption, the solution is clear: don't buy the useless piece of crap and get yourself a decent car instead.

There's just no room for a decent sized shotgun rack in a piece of tat like a Ka or a G-Whizz.

 

[DownwardDog]

Seeing as there are hundreds of cars that can do 0-60 in less than 9 seconds with engines half the size and much lower fuel consumption, the solution is clear: don't buy the useless piece of crap and get yourself a decent car instead.

I agree, but you said it was overpowered, I was just pointing out that it isn't. It's underpowered if anything.

 

[obanite]

There's just no room for a decent sized shotgun rack in a piece of tat like a Ka or a G-Whizz.

Ho, ho, twat.

 

[Bob_the_lost]

There's just no room for a decent sized shotgun rack in a piece of tat like a Ka or a G-Whizz.

There is really, although the point of a shotgun rack is a bit moot.

 

[Cobbles]

Bigger is better.

I think I'll nip out and buy a (smelly and underpowered but plush if well loaded) 520 or A5 just to confound the badger.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...ll-car-is-not-always-the-greenest-option.html

 

[berniedicters]

Be reasonable, apart from the odd sleb who might buy one and then inflict it on their assistant's assistant or their nanny, nobody in the states is going to put up with the embarrassment of driving a Prius.

In that context, if a manufacturer of a popular vehicle that sells in droves manages to reduce its fuel consumption by 50% then they ought to be applauded more so than a toy maker whose products have no potential to reach the general driving population.

I wondered if you'd post on this thread. And I wondered just how far you'd have to torture logic and reason to make this into a petrolhead win.

You haven't disappointed, Cobbles. Well done!

 

[berniedicters]

I was under the impression that with a few honourable exceptions, American cars handle like a drunken cow.

A "pig on stilts" is the way I'd always heard it...

 

[paolo]

The irony here is that in some of the more remote areas of Britain, the Tahoe could actually serve a useful purpose as a bus, a form of transport (i.e. public) that Cobbles despises. I often sense that Cobbles arguments are in reality rooted more in his perception of people that use shared transport, than any question of appropriateness.

 

[spring-peeper]

I think it's nice that they named an American car as the "green car of the year". I interpret it as they were trying to get Americans to buy from American companies.

It didn't work, though. A couple of days ago, GM announced temporary shutdowns and plans to indefinitely lay off about 3,600 workers at 10 plants beginning early next year. Their next step is to apply to the govt for some of the bailout money to help keep the other plants going.

 

[paolo]

GM are saying they've got enough cash to last until the end of the year, then they'll go bust without a government baillout.

It's not a very compelling backdrop to Cobbles 'Big Car is King' proposition. I'd reckon the Indians and Chinese are in a better position in the near term. Small, economical, affordable cars.

 

[Cobbles]

I'd reckon the Indians and Chinese are in a better position in the near term. Small, economical, affordable cars.

They only want a small economical car as the next step up from a bicycle, bus, moped or bullock cart.

As soon as they can, they want to upgrade to a Merc or a Beemer (preferably with a driver as well).