LexFather

Great review once again!

mmarshall

You can find most (not all) of my past reviews by just going to "Search" and typing in

Review: year/vehicle

For example: Review: 2008 BMW 335i (my last one)


You can usually pick it out of the search results that come back. Or just PM me, ask for it, and I'll find it and send it to you.

mmarshall

Thanks.

Yes, if you don't need a 400 HP, stump-pulling, people mover/tow machine, there ARE better ways to spend $50,000....yet you would be amazed at how many single people trot around in big gas-guzzlers like this just so they can sit up high and see over roofs in front of them or because they just want three tons of metal around them.

In fact, with 13/18 EPA figures, I don't know why my test vehicle didn't have the Federal Gas-Guzzler tax.....unless some SUVs are exempt.

mmarshall

With a Sequoia and all of its cupholders, you can take PLENTY of coffee breaks.

mmarshall

That would have to be a major change in the GX design criteria. Previous GX designs were based off the Toyota 4Runner...a smaller, narrower platform than the full-size Sequoia.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

My bad.

I thought the LX/GX shared the same platform as the Land Cruiser and Tundra...

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Great review as always.

I hope Toyota has developed this new behemoth with a hybrid option coming. I think the Tahoe hybrid is going to have a lot of people interested.

While not much of a fan of hybrids I think they work best in large vehicles like SUVs.

On Chevrolet's home page they say: "In fact, 2008 Tahoe Hybrid 2WD offers the same EPA estimated city fuel efficiency as a four-cylinder Toyota Camry" rofl

http://www.chevrolet.com/hybrid/inde...008.SWF_HYBRID

lexusrott

Hi mmarshall

Colossal review.

Thank you.

mmarshall

I'm not sure that even the Tundra and Land Cruiser share completely the same platform. The Tundra, of course, is a full-size pickup, and its SUV spinoff is the Sequoia. The Land Cruiser/LX series is a different puppy.....it is a hard-core off roader (one of the world's best) designed to ford deep creek beds and jungle trails, crawl over large rocks, and scale the side of cliffs like a mountain goat.

mmarshall

Thanks.

I'm not sure I buy that claim either. The last-generation GM SUV "Hybrids" weren't real hybrids either like the Prius....they were essentially just engine-stop mechanisms that shut the gas engine off now and then at idle to save a little gas. The new GM systems are a little more sophisticated but still not complete "parallel" hybrids like the Toyota/Lexus and some of the Honda systems.

mmarshall

Thanks.

More of them coming up........as long as my computer keeps working.
The Infiniti EX35, by request is next...then the Smart for Two and BMW 135 as they become available. I also am eagerly awaiting the first Chinese Chery cars to gauge their build quality.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

half of the minuses can be said for most large SUVs

mmarshall

Yes and no. Large SUV's, in general, tend to be sub-par in handling, acceleration, braking, and gas mileage, but their build quality, features, and fit/finish differ quite a bit from model to model. The Sequoia was especially good in ride-comfort and especially poor in steering feel/response. Its interior, while better than the Tundra it is is based on, also needs a little more plushness and finish to justify its 50K price tag.

rosskoss

What are you talking about??

The BAS (belt alternator start) system is not a hybrid at all. It's just a start-stop with an oversized starter motor that GM advertised as mild hybrids.

The new 2-modes are not just full parallel hybrids, they're incredibly sophisticated technology (not just "a little more sophisticated" as you put it), more so than the hybrid synergy drive technology that Toyota uses. It allows for a much larger spectrum to choose from in terms of pure mechanical torque versus torque coming from the electric motors. Based on your required application, you can tune the system to a much greater extent because of the multiple modes available. So the system is much more scalable in terms of size and application. MB and BMW will be using the same 2-mode system for their products soon.

While the 2-mode is incredible technology, I'm not sure if it is cost efficient because of its huge level of complexity. So much so that GM may never recover their money on any of these cars sold with a 2-mode hybrid powertrain. However, since GM already had the 2-mode technology for their large hybrid buses, they just had to scale it down for consumer application and that was a way for them to get into the hybrid market. There are no series hybrids on the market right now. The only series hybrid on the market will be the Chevy Volt if/when it debuts some time in the future.

mmarshall

I was comparing the first-and second-generation GM systems. Sorry if my wording was a little unclear. The "first-generation" system I was referring to was indeed the BAS system you described...better known as "start-stop". As you and I both noted, it was marketed as a "hybrid" but was in fact not a true hybrid at all.

I guess when I say the second-gen system is "a little more sophisticated", it is a just a matter of how each of us views it. I haven't actually tested or revied the new GM hybrid......I'm going by how it was described and displayed at the auto shows and how the GM product people described it.

Toyota also does not just use one system....again, sorry if my wording was unclear on that. The Prius uses a one gas motor/one electric system under the hood with a conventional CVT hooked to it. Larger Toyota and Lexus systems use a similiar underhood layout, plus individual electric motors at each rear wheel to form an AWD system (that's one reason why they are so expensive).