2009 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 4WD

Full-sized sport-utility vehicle with off-road capability

By Nina Russin

2009 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ

General Motors’ forte is full-sized trucks. Engineers on the Chevrolet Tahoe melded Corvette engine technology with a robust body structure.  As a result, the truck handles like a passenger car, but is durable enough to tow trailers and go off-road.

Although Chevrolet is a value brand, the Tahoe is an expensive truck. The LTZ grade tested starts at $50,900. But buyers get a lot for their money: a 5.6-liter V8 engine, six-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive, two-speed transfer case, and 8200-pound towing capacity.

The test car comes with an optional 395-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 that is flex-fuel capable. Average fuel economy is 14 miles-per-gallon: about what one would expect from a 7300-pound truck. My highway fuel economy was substantially better than the EPA estimate of 19 miles-per-gallon. Read the rest of this entry »