So I rented a 15i Tahoe for a week to drive from Charleston to Miami, and half way into the trip, and since this is the first time I’ve driven one for more than a dealer test drive, I thought I would share my thoughts and how the K2XX compares to all the GMT900s I had. Keep in mind I haven’t gone through all the options and personalizing the vehicle to me so perhaps some of the issues I encounter may be due to me not being in the right settings. I’m not going to speak of looks cause that’s subjective.
The good:
- Big improvement in comfort. The seats are nicer than in GMT900 Esky and the ride a lot smoother and quieter.
- Big improvement in interior finish and better ergonomics. That’s to be expected with a new gen model but they did a really good job … most impressive is the lack of rattles, especially since this is a rental truck which has been abused for 14K miles.
- Huge improvement in fuel economy. I did 300 miles straight with the cruise at 79mph and it got 21mpg. 21mpg was also the average for the whole trip down which included cruise at various speeds and some city driving.
- They seem to have resolved the slip yoke issues of the GMT900s … you can decelerate from highway speeds hit the throttle at 40mph without the the dreaded clank.
- The infotainment system is better, but I was familiar with it since it is similar to the one in the Vette … better, not great. For some reason it will only play my iPhone audio through bluetooth and not through USB, but I might be doing something wrong.
The not good:
- Transmission does not like stop and go traffic. Try to drive a little aggressively and it keeps bogging down and chasing gears … it basically takes it forever to compute what the driver is trying to do and select the appropriate gear, I would not want to try to do an evasive maneuver involving the throttle with this truck, it’s very prone to bogging down at slow speeds when you need quick acceleration.
- The ventilated seats are louder than a Motel 6 window AC unit, and not particularly effective.
- As expected, the cargo area has gone to shit all in the name of being able to say that they have the fold flat 3rd row. I am actually picking up some cargo on this trip and the amount of room is ridiculously small for a vehicle this size. At least in the GMT900 we had the choice of removing the 3rd row seats. They were heavy and a pita but without them in the truck and with the second row folded up we had way more room than in this truck. Let’s put it this way, this configuration only helps those who make use of the 3rd row on a regular basis, for all the others it reduces the U from the SUV.
- The distance/proximity control/sensors are all over the place. I’ve disabled lane departure, and I still sometimes get the seat vibrating even though I’ve stopped 20ft behind the car in front of me. And when the front or rear sensors are telling me I’m about to hit something when parking, I stop, I go outside and look, and I’m still feet away from the obstacle. The old beeps were a lot more intuitive to me.
There is one aspect that is both good and bad and that is the lighting. I’m impressed with the output of the halogen projectors. For not being HIDs they are exceptional. However the high beams are so poor that they are downright dangerous. If I owned one these trucks it would be the first thing I’d address.
Generally speaking it’s a good truck where it counts. The GM V8s are still the best and it will get you where you need to be with utility and comfort. Great vehicle for long road trips. One of the more surprising things about it is that notwithstanding official HP numbers, the gap seems to have closed between the 5.3 and 6.2 in the K2XX. In the GMT900s it was night and day. But I test drove an Esky a few weeks ago and it didn’t feel as exponentially more powerful than the 5.3 as in the previous gen. I would say that from a $ value pov, the current Tahoe is a better choice for the money than the current Denali/Esky, reversing what was the case in the GMT900s.
I’m sure others will have different opinions on this stuff, and mine would prolly be more refined if I had the truck for longer.
The good:
- Big improvement in comfort. The seats are nicer than in GMT900 Esky and the ride a lot smoother and quieter.
- Big improvement in interior finish and better ergonomics. That’s to be expected with a new gen model but they did a really good job … most impressive is the lack of rattles, especially since this is a rental truck which has been abused for 14K miles.
- Huge improvement in fuel economy. I did 300 miles straight with the cruise at 79mph and it got 21mpg. 21mpg was also the average for the whole trip down which included cruise at various speeds and some city driving.
- They seem to have resolved the slip yoke issues of the GMT900s … you can decelerate from highway speeds hit the throttle at 40mph without the the dreaded clank.
- The infotainment system is better, but I was familiar with it since it is similar to the one in the Vette … better, not great. For some reason it will only play my iPhone audio through bluetooth and not through USB, but I might be doing something wrong.
The not good:
- Transmission does not like stop and go traffic. Try to drive a little aggressively and it keeps bogging down and chasing gears … it basically takes it forever to compute what the driver is trying to do and select the appropriate gear, I would not want to try to do an evasive maneuver involving the throttle with this truck, it’s very prone to bogging down at slow speeds when you need quick acceleration.
- The ventilated seats are louder than a Motel 6 window AC unit, and not particularly effective.
- As expected, the cargo area has gone to shit all in the name of being able to say that they have the fold flat 3rd row. I am actually picking up some cargo on this trip and the amount of room is ridiculously small for a vehicle this size. At least in the GMT900 we had the choice of removing the 3rd row seats. They were heavy and a pita but without them in the truck and with the second row folded up we had way more room than in this truck. Let’s put it this way, this configuration only helps those who make use of the 3rd row on a regular basis, for all the others it reduces the U from the SUV.
- The distance/proximity control/sensors are all over the place. I’ve disabled lane departure, and I still sometimes get the seat vibrating even though I’ve stopped 20ft behind the car in front of me. And when the front or rear sensors are telling me I’m about to hit something when parking, I stop, I go outside and look, and I’m still feet away from the obstacle. The old beeps were a lot more intuitive to me.
There is one aspect that is both good and bad and that is the lighting. I’m impressed with the output of the halogen projectors. For not being HIDs they are exceptional. However the high beams are so poor that they are downright dangerous. If I owned one these trucks it would be the first thing I’d address.
Generally speaking it’s a good truck where it counts. The GM V8s are still the best and it will get you where you need to be with utility and comfort. Great vehicle for long road trips. One of the more surprising things about it is that notwithstanding official HP numbers, the gap seems to have closed between the 5.3 and 6.2 in the K2XX. In the GMT900s it was night and day. But I test drove an Esky a few weeks ago and it didn’t feel as exponentially more powerful than the 5.3 as in the previous gen. I would say that from a $ value pov, the current Tahoe is a better choice for the money than the current Denali/Esky, reversing what was the case in the GMT900s.
I’m sure others will have different opinions on this stuff, and mine would prolly be more refined if I had the truck for longer.
