Buying a used 2009 tahoe hybrid
July 5th, 2012, 8:19 PM
#11
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The transmission may last the lifetime of the vehicle, but the battery module I am sure is a different story....I would check to see what the warranty period is for it....
October 29th, 2012, 2:36 AM
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I think it's funny that this forum has a lot of opinions not based on referenced facts. Even funnier is the picture of the Tahoe Hybrid in the upper right corner of the website 
I want to clear the air on a few things and offer up my (and other) opinions. My background is SAE so I'm a little biased towards the science and engineering perspectives.
First things first, this nonsense about cradle to the grave is silly. Read this to understand where it all went wrong: Is it possible that a Hummer's better for the environment than a Prius is? - Slate Magazine
The advantages of the Hybrid is that it IS complex, that's what it takes to reclaim energy on such a small scale and bring remarkable increases in efficiency. The 22mpg city is rather great, it's increased weight is bad. Performance hurts with the low rolling resistance tires not gripping like a standard tire but that's the trade-off. They are also more expensive to replace. Before I forget, the Tahoe Hybrid's big battery is NiMH, not lead-acid.
Something to consider: Tahoe hybrid engine turns off often so is running fewer hours per mile than a non-hybrid version. Hybrid has regen braking which takes some of the burden off of the hydraulic brakes. Transmission/EVT has 2 electric motors which if you know about electric motors they produce torque from just off idle... 4 gears vs 6 gears has virtually no relevance and if anything saves on slip-losses that would occur with excessive shifting.
All in all I think the Tahoe Hybrid is an excellent product, sure it doesn't tow as much, yes it is slower and braking distance is increased slightly, but the beauty is that it comes loaded like the LTZ (minus a/c seats and bucket middle options) for less $$$ and saves you at the pump. I don't see where the hate is coming from except maybe jealousy. I would also point out that I am VERY jealous of the standard Tahoe... they have a roof rack which would be awesome for my canoe.
Edit: Forgot to mention that the batteries are kept around 50% charge to increase their life expectancy by a LOT. Also, when shopping, look at the miles but also look at the gauge information that reports hours. When I did this I found that my 09 has 79k miles but was averaging 71mph! This was a highway machine which ment the battery and electric motors are not being used as much which should mean they have extra life
I want to clear the air on a few things and offer up my (and other) opinions. My background is SAE so I'm a little biased towards the science and engineering perspectives.
First things first, this nonsense about cradle to the grave is silly. Read this to understand where it all went wrong: Is it possible that a Hummer's better for the environment than a Prius is? - Slate Magazine
The advantages of the Hybrid is that it IS complex, that's what it takes to reclaim energy on such a small scale and bring remarkable increases in efficiency. The 22mpg city is rather great, it's increased weight is bad. Performance hurts with the low rolling resistance tires not gripping like a standard tire but that's the trade-off. They are also more expensive to replace. Before I forget, the Tahoe Hybrid's big battery is NiMH, not lead-acid.
Something to consider: Tahoe hybrid engine turns off often so is running fewer hours per mile than a non-hybrid version. Hybrid has regen braking which takes some of the burden off of the hydraulic brakes. Transmission/EVT has 2 electric motors which if you know about electric motors they produce torque from just off idle... 4 gears vs 6 gears has virtually no relevance and if anything saves on slip-losses that would occur with excessive shifting.
All in all I think the Tahoe Hybrid is an excellent product, sure it doesn't tow as much, yes it is slower and braking distance is increased slightly, but the beauty is that it comes loaded like the LTZ (minus a/c seats and bucket middle options) for less $$$ and saves you at the pump. I don't see where the hate is coming from except maybe jealousy. I would also point out that I am VERY jealous of the standard Tahoe... they have a roof rack which would be awesome for my canoe.
Edit: Forgot to mention that the batteries are kept around 50% charge to increase their life expectancy by a LOT. Also, when shopping, look at the miles but also look at the gauge information that reports hours. When I did this I found that my 09 has 79k miles but was averaging 71mph! This was a highway machine which ment the battery and electric motors are not being used as much which should mean they have extra life
Last edited by jonprevost; October 29th, 2012 at 2:39 AM.
December 4th, 2012, 1:16 PM
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Don't do it. I considered a 2012 hybrid. The salesman who I've delt with for 20 yrs talked me out of it. Battery and tranny costs are high. There are overheating issues if you drive in stop and go traffic. You will not get the mileage advertised. The best mileage is in the city other than that its the same. If you ever have an issue. You will need a dealership mechanic to fix almost every issue. Nothing works like a conventional car
Last edited by blueinterceptor; December 4th, 2012 at 1:31 PM.
January 15th, 2013, 7:07 PM
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2009 tahoe hybrid
My wife and I own matching 2009 Tahoe hybrids. We have 55k and 53k miles respectively. We pay for maintanence per Chevy and got new tires last year. I am not sure where all the discussion on extra costs come from but we have not seen it. We have been driving "real" (eg full size) blazers since 1979. I write this from Florida at the end of an 1100 Mike run from CT that averaged 21.6 MPG. That is at least 4 better than any of the full gas models. Hybrid ids definately the way to go if you drive more than 10k a year
January 15th, 2013, 7:17 PM
#17
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Gualjohn welcome to the forum...
What is your city MPG looking like... 21.6 on the highway is good, but that is approachable with the regular 5.3L flex gas engine....
Its my understanding the the Hybrid is pretty normal on the highway, but does better in the city...
What is your city MPG looking like... 21.6 on the highway is good, but that is approachable with the regular 5.3L flex gas engine....
Its my understanding the the Hybrid is pretty normal on the highway, but does better in the city...
January 16th, 2013, 8:24 AM
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We regularly average 20+ around town. I spend Christmas week in Burlington VT in 5-20 deg weather. I was down in the 18 range, but that was becuase I kept using the automatic start to warm up the car before going outside. The biggest mielage killer is driving above 65 MPH, when you get to 75 we get intothe high teens range. Normally, city driving is at least as good as highway, espeically stop and go.
My wife is anxiously waiting for the 2014 info, as we have heard rumors that Chevy will stop the Hybrid option on the Tahoes. She wants a new viehicle, but doesnt want to go back to gas only.
My wife is anxiously waiting for the 2014 info, as we have heard rumors that Chevy will stop the Hybrid option on the Tahoes. She wants a new viehicle, but doesnt want to go back to gas only.
January 16th, 2013, 8:29 AM
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Great quesions, I wish I knew the answers....here is the best available info I have based on talking to the dealer salesman, and repair managers, who both seemed fuzzy: Expect 7 years or 100K miles on the batteries and expect ot pay $5K to replace them.
The economics ar edebatable, Kelly Blue book seems to have a higher resale on the hybrids that almost offsets the price. Without determining the cost of money for 5 years, the differental in gas costs (which I put at 4 MPG average better combined over the life of the viehicle) and selling the viehcle before havingto replace the batteries, or optionally going for another 3-5 years with it after replacing the batteries, its pretty much a toss up on whether or not your saving money vs. a gas engine....I figure the only place the new technology really undisputably makes sense is in the new lower cost Volt.
The economics ar edebatable, Kelly Blue book seems to have a higher resale on the hybrids that almost offsets the price. Without determining the cost of money for 5 years, the differental in gas costs (which I put at 4 MPG average better combined over the life of the viehicle) and selling the viehcle before havingto replace the batteries, or optionally going for another 3-5 years with it after replacing the batteries, its pretty much a toss up on whether or not your saving money vs. a gas engine....I figure the only place the new technology really undisputably makes sense is in the new lower cost Volt.