Hi Ferrari,

I was in a very similar situation to yours, but I had a 2004 Escalade ESV. I was getting about 10 to 12 MPG in combined driving.

I decided to purchase an 09 Yukon Hybrid. It was a "used" one with 900 miles on it. The dealer purchased it at auction from another dealer, so no rebates, no 0%, but at 42K I thought it was a good deal. It had not been titled, so I will get the $2,200 back from uncle Sam, which will bring the final number closer to $40K.

I went on trip from Miami to Naples, FL over the Labor Day weekend. Drove about 280 Miles during the two-day round trip and averaged a little bit below 18 MPG driving at about 85MPH on I-75.

It is no the 20-22 advertised, but I'm still happy with the improvement over the Escalade.

I don't miss any of the "luxury" items in the Escalade. I would have been nice to have the Memory Seats and the Automatic Lift Gate (I didn't have it in the Escalade). The Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids are very well equipped to start with. I think the only option available is the Rear Seat DVD.

I will be happy to answer other questions that you may have. Just sent me a message to pacheco at homemail dot com.

Regards,
APM

 

It is also easier to live without the power liftgate and other motorized items when you remember they were removed because they are heavy. The rear liftgate is now aluminum, instead of the normal steel one. The hood is also aluminum. It would be tough to justify spending that money saving a few pounds and then throwing in 20-lbs of motors, gears and whatnot just to open the liftgate for you.

 

One more thing about the liftgate... since it is lighter now because it is made from aluminum, it requires more force to properly shut. I took it to the dealer after I owned mine for a few days, because it would not shut properly. The mechanic told me that it was aligned properly. Later I found on the internet about the liftgate being made out of aluminum.

Also the glass in the liftgate is fixed. Another minor inconvenience.

Thanks,
APM

 

Thank you for the input and advice guys. I will keep you posted. APM, sounds like you got a good deal on your Yukon.

 

Ferrari, if your Lade is an EXT you are in the exact same predicament I was in 3 months ago. My 07 EXT was getting 9-11 mpg but I expected it when I bought it so it didn't really bother me. The EXT only comes in AWD so that explains the crappy mpg's, again I knew that going in and wasn't surprised. At any rate, I switched to a 09 Tahoe Hybrid and am happy with the change. For me part of my decision to switch was the addition of our son, the enclosed cab of the Tahoe is much more usable with a toddler than the bed of the EXT.

The ride in the Tahoe is actually better than the EXT. The Hybrids come pretty much fully loaded so you'll still have leather, wood, most of the power amenities, DVD and so on. Few of the things I miss are the rainsense wipers, auto hi-beams, memory seats, AC seats (option I had on my EXT), and the larger cargo capacity (Tahoe won't carry a full sheet of plywood, EXT will). I do like the front of the Lade better than the Tahoe but that's purely subjective. If you have a regular Lade, the differences are very minor, a few luxury touches is about it....and of course the "look".

As others have mentioned, don't change vehicles if you think you can recoup your money in fuel savings. Depending on your driving habits you could end up with 16 mpg like me, not the 20-21 mpg that's advertised (still better than what I was getting with the EXT though). I'd bet you could get mpg's that are close to a Hybrid with a normal gas only 5.3L Tahoe. Good luck with your choice and feel free to keep asking questions on this board, the guys here are VERY helpful.

 

Ferrari,
I'm 6'5" myself and have found my Yuke to be very comfortable....at least after I adjust the seat, steering wheel and pedals after my 5'2" wife drives it.

For a 50k vehicle, you would think GM would put in memory settings.