GMC Yukon Hybrid a gas saving ride

Published Sunday, May 4, 2008

By Roy Eaton

I celebrated Earth Day this year by borrowing a 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid from my friend Carey Williams at James Wood Motors in Decatur. We drove it for a week and were pleasantly surprised at the fuel mileage.

For a long time, a Chevrolet Suburban has been my company car of choice with an occasional Ford Expedition thrown into the mix. It's no secret that "the way I drive" my Suburban gets 13-14 miles-per-gallon.

Perhaps, I thought, the Yukon or Tahoe Hybrid, would be a way to enjoy the comfort and convenience of a full-sized SUV and get better fuel mileage at the same time - in other words to "have my cake and eat it too."

I had read magazine and on-line reviews of the Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids and most of them reported combined city and highway fuel mileage of about 20 miles per gallon. In our week behind the wheel of the Yukon, we averaged 19.8 miles per gallon.

To give the vehicle a "real-world" test, I loaned it to our photographer Joe Duty for a day, to reporter Mandy Bourgeois for her commute home to Aurora and back, to Ken Roselle for a similar commute to his home in Hudson Oaks and to my son Brian and his wife Felecia, who live in Fort Worth, for the weekend.

Honestly, all of our "testers" were as impressed with the comfort, performance, luxury and ride of the Yukon as they were with its Hybrid powertrain. The fact that it gets six miles per gallon more than my Suburban is what impressed me.

"The technology, which began with a clean sheet of paper, is impressive," wrote Bob Knoll in The New York Times. "It's called a two-mode hybrid system because it offers two types of operation, one intended for city driving and one for highway."

For those who don't need a full-sized SUV, Chevrolet will soon introduce the hybrid system in the new Chevrolet Malibu. These two-mode hybrids should not be confused with the Toyota Prius. The Malibu will not be capable of running on electricity alone; instead, it uses an electric motor that gives an assist to a small gasoline engine when more power is needed.

The GM two-mode system was designed from the start to preserve the heavy-duty qualities of the Tahoe and Yukon. The system consists of a 300-volt nickel metal hydrive battery; two variable transmissions, each with a 60-kilowat electric motor; and a 6-liter 332 horsepower V-8 engine. Like my Suburban, the gas engine can operate as a V-4, shutting down half the cylinders when they are not needed to save fuel.

Our Experience

"It only took about 30 miles to completely spoil me - 15 miles to my house after work, then 15 miles the next morning back to the office," said Mandy. "I joked that I was going to run away with the Yukon to Canada, a trip that surely would have benefited from the hybrid's more efficient gas mileage as well as the many, many perks that came from the loaded model.

"While the gas mileage isn't up there with the latest Camry and Accord, it's a start. In a few years when I can afford to buy a used hybrid Yukon, the vehicle will probably be more efficient."

Joe Duty, who took the Yukon on a photo assignment to Nocona, talked about the "zoom factor" with "nice even power all the way through." Using a 1-10 scale, he rated the comfort level of the Yukon a nine plus. "It handles very nicely for even a vehicle half its size. It holds the road very well, responsive to the feel of the road. Would I own it, oh yeah. Except for the price, I was very impressed."

Actually the price is interesting. Our Yukon Hybrid had an MSRP (window sticker price) of $53,235. That compares to a GMC Yukon Denali (with a similar six-liter engine) at $52,405 and a comparably equipped regular Yukon with a 5.3 V8 at $50,937. So at the most, using this comparison of apples-to-apples equipment, you would be paying $2,300 more for the hybrid over the regular Yukon or $830 more than the Denali.

My son Brian and his wife Felecia are considering "downsizing" into a Mercury Mariner Hybrid, after seeing one at the Fort Worth Auto Show and talking to my friend Dennis Hooks at Hooks Lincoln-Mercury in Weatherford.

"I currently drive a Yukon XL, and the first thing I noticed when I saw the Yukon Hybrid is that you do not have to sacrifice any of the comforts of the gas-only Yukon for the Hybrid," wrote Felecia. "The size of the seats and legroom are just as ample and comfortable in the less-green versions. In fact, from a performance standpoint, there was no tell-tale giveaway that you were driving a Hybrid."

Felecia mentioned the screen in the center of the dash that constantly gives you a visual report on your current gas mileage and from which systems (engine, hybrid, battery) the Yukon is currently drawing power.

We did notice a slight "whine" in the power train which was more noticeable in city driving. In fact, my wife asked at one point when we were driving in downtown Fort Worth if that was a siren in the distance. Several also mentioned wind noise that seemed a little higher than my Suburban.

Felecia, who has her sights set on the Mercury Hybrid with 30-35 MPG, said she was "underwhelmed" with the 19 miles per gallon on the Yukon. "However, it beats the 13 MPG I'm now getting with my gas-only Yukon XL.

"So, would I recommend it? If you are a Suburban, Tahoe or Yukon fan, I would recommend it. I think you will enjoy the increased gas mileage, the new technological whistles and the comfort and solid feel you get when you drive this greener incarnation of those big boys," Felecia said.

The bottom line is that many people, me included, want and need a full-sized sport utility vehicle. As I have grown older, it is more difficult to get in and out of regular cars, but the Suburban/Tahoe/Expedition are very comfortable and the Yukon Hybrid is one of the most fuel-efficient full-sized SUVs on the market.

There have been published reports that in a year or two Ford is going to offer a V-6 diesel engine in the Expedition. But with diesel prices soaring, that might not be such a great solution after all.

Edmunds "Inside Line" recently compared a Tahoe Hybrid with a Mercedes-Benz GL 320 diesel SUV. Both are about the same size, and on what the tester called a 130 mile "highway loop" the Tahoe got 21.9 mpg and the Mercedes diesel got 26 mpg. Put them on a "city loop" and the Benz got 22.1 MPG and the Tahoe 20.1.

In summary, the Yukon Hybrid will definitely provide a gasoline mileage advantage over the regular Yukon/Tahoe/Suburban and if you are buying "loaded" versions of those vehicles, the extra cost for the Hybrid is almost insignificant.

For me, it would definitely be "having my cake and eating it too."