2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid Wins Green Car of the Year®

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Now in its third year, Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year® program has previously tapped the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid and the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid as winners in their award years. For 2008, Green Car staff evaluated dozens of new vehicle models that were deemed to have raised the bar in environmental performance and narrowed the field to five nominees. They include the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and Saturn Aura Hybrid. While all technologies and fuels are considered, the fact that all 2008 nominees are gasoline-electric hybrids reflect the significant investment of time and resources the auto industry has focused on hybrid vehicles, and just how far this technology has come in recent years.

Weighing these choices was a jury comprised of four Green Car Journal editors and six invited outside jurors, among them leaders of some of the nation’s top environmental organizations. Invited jurors included automotive icon Carroll Shelby; car collector and television talk show host Jay Leno; Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; and Jonathan Lash, president of World Resources Institute.

As jurors considered the achievements of the 2008 nominees, one stood out as a clear leader in this field: the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. This breakthrough hybrid SUV received a majority vote from jurors and has earned the distinction as the 2008 Green Car of the Year®.

The 2008 Tahoe Hybrid brings significant improvement in environmental performance to the market. Its two-mode hybrid system makes this model 30 percent more fuel efficient than a standard Tahoe with a smaller V-8 engine. Importantly, it allows a 50 percent increase in city fuel efficiency, and city driving is where SUVs like the Tahoe spend much of their time. A 50 percent improvement in efficiency in any consumer product is a notable accomplishment by any measure, and especially so in the automotive field where efficiencies are not easily attained. For perspective, the Tahoe Hybrid’s EPA estimated 21 mpg city fuel economy rating is the same as that of a Toyota Camry with a much smaller four-cylinder engine. Emissions are also reduced when the Tahoe Hybrid is stopped since its engine shuts off at a standstill under specific conditions, which means no emissions at all are being created at the time.

GM’s breakthrough two-mode hybrid system was initially applied in transit buses four years ago to make these people movers much more fuel efficient. Now, as a result of a continuing joint two-mode hybrid development program between GM, BMW, Daimler, and Chrysler, the two-mode hybrid system is being commercialized in other vehicles as well. With the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe, it’s being used to make a popular full-size SUV a more environmentally positive choice today. GM is further scaling the hybrid system down to make V-6 powered models much more efficient as well.

THE GCOY PROGRAM

We are heading toward a future where increasingly more efficient vehicles are not only desired, but necessary. The journey may involve hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, plug-in hybrids, or battery electric cars…super-efficient vehicles to a one. But these are conveyances of future years since none are presently mass-produced or available to consumers everywhere in significant numbers. So what can we drive to make a difference today?

This question reflects Green Car’s mission and purpose. As an auto enthusiast publication, it has always been the editors’ philosophy that a love of cars and care for the environment are not mutually exclusive. We can make a difference with the vehicles we choose to drive, and in recent years the auto industry has begun to make these better choices possible.

It wasn’t always so. When Green Car Journal first began publishing in 1992, few vehicles achieved high fuel economy, and if they did these smallish models were generally not attractive choices for most people. Now we have an array of high efficiency gasoline-electric hybrid models, a new generation of efficient small cars, and a new vanguard of high fuel economy diesels coming in just another model year.

This is a reflection of our times. Fuel efficiency no longer represents just an abstract concept that we may, or may not, embrace. It is now our reality. While fuel economy has appealed to a select group of buyers for years, it was lost on most new car buyers who exclusively focused on the traditional touchstones of safety, comfort, performance, quality, and value. This has changed dramatically. High gas prices are prompting a major shift in the way that drivers look at their cars and their operating costs. It’s hard to escape this when gas prices are over $3.00 per gallon and a fill-up for many costs $50 to $70, or more.

The Green Car of the Year® program’s goal is to recognize environmental achievement in the auto industry that will bring more efficient and lower emission vehicles to our highways. It is not a competition of vehicles to determine which gets the highest fuel economy. Anyone who wants to make a personal impact on lessening tailpipe emissions, greenhouse gases, and dependence on imported oil has the ability to buy a super high efficiency hybrid like a Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, or Ford Escape Hybrid today. What people don't have is widespread availability of other models offering significantly higher fuel efficiency than the status quo. For 16 years, Green Car Journal's philosophy has been that this must change. Efficiencies must be applied across the board to all models, not just smaller or mid-size vehicles.

We look for vehicle models that move the bar forward in real-time and will be widely offered for sale to the general public by January 1st of the award year. Over the years, we’ve learned many times over that some of the most amazing technologies invented, and the vehicles that seek to commercialize them, never quite make it to commercial sales. To recommend such a vehicle by prematurely declaring it the “Green Car of the Year®” would be irresponsible. If everyday consumers can’t buy it, then its chances of making a quantifiable and real-time difference in emissions and overall fuel efficiency is nil.

Newness is a factor in our evaluations, as well as the impact that a vehicle and its environmentally positive technologies are likely to have in the marketplace. Choosing a vehicle that raised the bar in environmental performance some model years back but has not achieved new milestones is not our goal. These vehicles are readily available and already present a high efficiency option for buyers. What we do look for in the Green Car of the Year® is a vehicle that brings new or important innovations to consumers now and moves the bar forward in meaningful, synergistic ways. Vehicles that incorporate environmentally positive technologies that are likely to make their way to additional models and platforms are especially important.

The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, with its all-new technology and notable efficiency for a full-size SUV, deserves to be recognized for its considerable achievements and is a fitting selection for Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year®.

2008 CHEVROLET TAHOE SPECIFICATIONS

AND THE NOMINEES, PLEASE… While these four finalists may not have emerged the top pick in the 2008 Green Car of the Year program, they definitely represent a “win” for consumers who are looking for stylish, capable, and more environmentally-conscious choices. Each offers fuel efficiency gains and low emissions as a matter of course. They also incorporate advanced technologies to enhance their environmental performance while achieving “firsts” in specific ways. Mazda’s Tribute Hybrid is this marque’s first-ever gasoline-electric hybrid model and exemplifies the continuing evolution of fuel efficient hybrid technology shared with related brands. The Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura hybrids showcase affordable hybrid technology and the efficiencies this technology brings to mainstream, mass market sedans. Nissan’s Altima Hybrid represents this brand’s first-ever use of hybrid technology in blending higher efficiencies and performance in its popular sport sedan. All are deserving of consideration the next time you’re in the market for a new vehicle. CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID Chevy is offering a hybrid-electric version of the Malibu for the first time. It uses a version of the GM hybrid system that also powers the Green Line versions of Saturn’s Vue and Astra. The system pairs a 36-volt electric motor/generator with a 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine. Drivetrain Front-wheel-drive Base Engine 2.4-liter inline-four, gasoline-electric hybrid Emissions, EPA/CARB Tier 2 Bin 5/LEV Horsepower @ rpm 164 Torque, lbs-ft @ rpm 159 Transmission Four-speed automatic Fuel Economy City/Hwy, mpg 24/32 Base MSRP $22,790 (includes destination) MAZDA TRIBUTE HYBRID Mazda’s first-ever gasoline-electric hybrid offers a cumulative 155 horsepower. Acceleration is brisk and cornering well-handled. Suspension is tuned more for performance than luxury, perfect for those who want to be more at one with the road than isolated from it. Drivetrain Front or four-wheel drive Base Engine 2.3-liter inline-four, gasoline-electric hybrid Emissions, EPA/CARB Tier 2, Bin 4/SULEV Horsepower @ rpm 133@6000 Torque, lbs-ft @ rpm 124@4250 Transmission Continuously variable Fuel Economy City/Hwy, mpg 34/30 (2WD), 29/27 (4WD) Base MSRP $25,945 (includes destination) NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID Nissan’s first gasoline-electric hybrid competes directly with the Toyota Camry Hybrid. It has a continu¬ously variable transmission and a 40 hp electric motor/generator mated to a refined version of Nissan’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, offering a combined 198 hp. Drivetrain Front wheel drive Base Engine 2.5-liter inline-four, gasoline-electric hybrid Emissions, EPA/CARB Tier 2 Bin 5/LEV 2 Horsepower @ rpm 159@ 5200-6000 Torque, lbs-ft @ rpm 162@ 2800-4800 Transmission Continuously variable Fuel Economy City/Hwy, mpg 35/33 Base MSRP $25,695 (includes destination) SATURN AURA HYBRID The Saturn Aura Hybrid offers 25 percent better mileage and lower emissions than the traditionally-powered Saturn Aura XE and is one of the lowest-priced hybrids on the market. It uses an electric motor/ generator mated to a 2.4-liter Ecotec DOHC four cylinder. Drivetrain Front-wheel drive Base Engine 2.4-liter inline-four, gasoline-electric hybrid Emissions, EPA/CARB Tier 2 Bin 5/LEV Horsepower @ rpm 164 @ 6400 Torque, lbs-ft @ rpm 159 @ 5000 Transmission Four-speed automatic Fuel Economy City/Hwy, mpg 24/32 Base MSRP $22,790 (includes destination)