2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

2007 CHEVROLET TAHOE – FULL-SIZE CAPABILITY WITH FULL-SIZE COMFORT

Chevrolet introduced the 2007 Chevy Tahoe in early 2006 as the next generation of the industry's best-selling full-size SÚV. It is comprehensively redesigned and delivers a sharper, more precise driving feel, more power with improved, segment-leading fuel economy, increased interior refinement and improved quietness.

Contributors to the 2007 Tahoe's segment-leading capability include:

Superior ride, handling and quietness
Improved efficiency
Refined interior with thoughtful conveniences built in
Distinctive, sporty exterior design
Enhanced safety and security
The 2007 Tahoe is built on GM's new full-size SÚV platform, which incorporates features such as a new, fully boxed frame, coil-over-shock front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and an all-new, premium interior that bolsters the vehicle's comfort, quality and capability. Wider front and rear tracks enhance handling and lower the center of gravity for a more confident road feel.

Returning to Tahoe for ‘07 is the popular Z71 Off Road appearance package. This optional package takes the vehicle's aggressive look to the next level, with larger recovery hook openings, larger, more prominent fog lamps and specific grille texture and platinum chrome grille trim. Eighteen-inch wheels and on-road/off-road tires also are part of the package.

Tahoe also adds power articulated running boards for '07. They blend smoothly with the vehicle's design, but automatically move downward and outward when the doors are opened, providing a lower step-in height.

Solid and quiet


Noise-reducing components and materials are used throughout the body structure, including the headliner material, door seals and front-of-dash area. The engine also features a quiet-tuned alternator and an acoustically tuned engine cover that dramatically reduces engine noise heard inside the vehicle. New door seals help reduce seal 'pull away' at highway speeds, which can cause wind noise. Also, Tahoe's more slippery shape, thanks to improved aerodynamics, streamlined exterior mirrors and roof rack, and tighter body gap tolerances, makes Tahoe quieter as it slices through the air.

Tahoe's quietness and smoothness are complemented by the Autoride suspension system, which is standard on LTZ. This segment-exclusive bi-state, real-time damping system provides an extremely refined ride with greatly reduced body motion. The system consists of a semi-active, two-position damping control system that responds in real time to road and driving conditions, based on body and wheel motion sensors.

Tahoe's quietness and smoothness are complemented by capabilities full-size SÚV customers depend on. Tahoe 4WD models offer up to 8,200 pounds (3,720 kg) of towing capability.

Features such as articulated running boards and the popular Z71 Off Road appearance package are available, enhancing the Tahoe's convenience and choices for customers.

Improved efficiency

A new Gen IV small-block V-8 family offers more power than comparable powertrains in previous models. Fuel-saving Active Fuel Management™ technology also enables better fuel economy. When combined with other vehicle-wide features, including improved aerodynamics, the small-block V-8 helps give the Tahoe the segment's best fuel economy. The 5.3L-equipped models feature 16/22 mpg for 2WD and 15/21 mpg for 4WD models. That's better fuel economy than any other full-size SÚV.

A Vortec 5.3L V-8 with 320 horsepower (239 kW)* and 340 lb.-ft. of torque (461 Nm)* offering Active Fuel Management technology and E85 capability is standard in 4WD models. E85 is a renewable fuel made of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. GM vehicles with E85 capability can run on 100 percent gasoline or on E85 or any combination of the two. A Vortec 4.8L V-8 is standard on Tahoe 2WD base models.

A more steeply raked windshield and smoother roofline improve the aerodynamics of Tahoe, resulting in a best-in-class 0.363 cd, which enhances fuel economy on the highway. Additional contributors to efficiency include a lower, wider front air dam, tighter tolerances and gaps between the fascias, lamps and grille openings, and improved front-end sealing that nearly eliminates air leak paths. These features all contribute to enhanced fuel economy and improved driving quietness, compared with previous models.

Interior refinement, distinctive design


The '07 Tahoe is available in three trim levels: LS, LT and LTZ, with the high-volume LT trim level offered with LT-1, LT-2 and LT-3 equipment groups. Two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models are available. All models come well equipped with enhanced safety, comfort and convenience features. New and substantially revised features include:

Power-release fold-and-tumble second-row seat
Remote vehicle starting system
First- and second-row heated seats
Últrasonic Rear Parking Assist
Rearview camera system
Touch-screen navigation system
DVD rear-seat entertainment system with larger, eight-inch screen and enhanced features
Refinements throughout Tahoe's spacious interior create an environment that exudes quality and precision, as well as comfort. A two-tone color scheme is executed with new, softer and low-gloss materials for the instrument panel and other trim pieces. Additional details include LED backlighting for the instruments and chrome accents on instruments and vents. Flush-mounted accessories and controls, such as the climate control/radio center stack, create a seamless, 'single unit' appearance. Also, there are almost no exposed metal hardware or latches, as all models feature enclosing 'close-outs' around the seat bottoms and door sill trim plates.

The amenities and performance features are wrapped in a stylish new package that conveys the sporty, ready-for-anything reputation of Tahoe. An all-new exterior design is leaner and more agile looking, with large wheels and the wider track enhancing Tahoe's powerful, capable stance. The improved aerodynamics also contribute to the sleek look, with a more steeply raked windshield and smoother roofline accentuating the exterior length.

Tahoe features the new face of Chevrolet with a large Chevy gold bow tie, centered on a twin-port horizontal grille. The body-colored grille surround is inset with an argent texture mesh. Fog lamps and headlamps feature jewel-like optics. The lower fascia, incorporating the front license plate holder and integrated tow hooks, is aggressively styled with a skid plate look that enhances Tahoe's rugged, off-road appearance.

Tahoe's front end reflects its sporty, outdoor character. It includes the fast-rake windshield; a bulging power dome hood; a prominent new fender design with integrated wheel flares; a distinctive new grille and headlamps; and a full-wrap fascia. The wraparound fascia, which eliminates the conventional bumper-to-body gap, is one of the numerous attributes that gives the Tahoe a more refined look. It also enhances aerodynamics.

Also complementing Tahoe's sporty appearance is a new family of 17-inch and 20-inch wheels. Seventeen-inch wheels and tires are standard, with 20-inch factory-installed wheels available (standard on LTZ). The larger wheels fill Tahoe's wheel houses, giving the vehicle a confident stance.

Tahoe is offered in nine exterior colors: Greystone Metallic, Dark Blue Metallic, Sport Red Metallic, Bermuda Blue Metallic, Black, Summit White, Gold Mist Metallic, Amber Bronze Metallic and Silver Birch Metallic.

Safety and security

These features are integrated into a stronger vehicle structure that is also designed for improved compatibility with other vehicles. The roof-mounted head curtain air bags include design features that provide increased rollover protection and occupant containment. Sensors located at the front of the vehicle, in the side doors and within the occupant compartment provide increased and more immediate crash detection. The vehicle's sensing system provides segment-exclusive capability to deploy front seat safety belt pretensioners during certain rear-end collisions, enhancing the belt system's ability to hold the occupants firmly in place.

The roof-mounted head curtain side air bag system incorporates one of the segment's first rollover indication sensors, which is located on the vehicle's center tunnel in the occupant compartment. The sensor monitors the vehicle's accelerations and roll rate. If these signals indicate an impending rollover, the roof-mounted head curtain side air bags deploy to provide an extra measure of occupant protection and containment. These rollover-capable head curtain side air bags stay inflated longer than air bags developed only for side impacts because rollover incidents can last longer. The deployment duration and other design features of the rollover-capable air bags combine to provide increased occupant protection and the ability to help keep occupants inside the vehicle.

Crash avoidance is bolstered through enhanced design and driver control dynamics, such as wider front and rear tracks, as well as more responsive suspensions – including a new coil-over-shock front suspension design and new rack-and-pinion steering. The vehicles are built on a stronger and stiffer, fully boxed frame that contributes to enhanced crash energy management. The front frame section has been designed to optimize crush progression, resulting in improved energy absorption efficiency. The improved crush performance, enabled by hydroformed frame rails and efficient chassis component packaging, also comprehends design provisions for improved vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility in the event of a frontal impact with a smaller vehicle.

Additional safety and security features include:

Standard StabiliTrak stability control system with rollover mitigation technology
Standard dual-stage driver's front air bag
Standard dual-stage outboard-front passenger air bag with Passenger Sensing System
Available roof-mounted head curtain side air bags for all seating rows
Standard front seat safety belt pretensioners with rear-impact deployment capability
Standard tire pressure monitoring system
Available rain-sensing wiper system
Available Últrasonic Rear Parking Assist that can detect certain stationary objects in the rearward path of the vehicle and send an audible warning sound and display via three LEDs on the right D-pillar
Available rearview camera system designed to provide the driver with a view of people or objects in the rearward path of the vehicle
Standard pull-up/push-down power window switches
All models come with the OnStar system (with a one-year Safe and Sound service plan). The system includes the General Motors Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system, making crash data available to emergency services to potentially dispatch the appropriate life-saving personnel and equipment to crash scenes faster. If the vehicle is in a crash that activates an air bag, the OnStar system automatically notifies an OnStar advisor, who will check on the occupants or summon emergency help if necessary. OnStar also can assist authorities in locating a vehicle if it is reported stolen (ability to locate stolen vehicles varies with conditions).

Source - GM

GM and Carnegie Mellon University Bring Self-Driving Chevrolet Tahoe to DARPA Urban Challenge Qualifying Rounds

The Carnegie Mellon Úniversity Tartan Racing Team, sponsored by General Motors and other partner companies, today enters the qualifying rounds of the DARPA Úrban Challenge, which features driverless vehicles that have to conquer a simulated mission in a mock urban environment.

The Úrban Challenge is a unique competition created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to help accelerate technology development in military transportation. During the qualifying rounds, 'Boss,' a self-driving Chevrolet Tahoe, developed by the Carnegie Mellon team in collaboration with General Motors and the other partners, will vie with 35 teams to earn the right to compete in the final event, which will be held Nov. 3 in Victorville, Calif.



'We think this is a remarkable and very exciting way to advance technology,' said Larry Burns, GM vice president of R&D and Strategic Planning. 'GM is privileged to be part of the competition and we're thrilled that our team has made it this far. The hard work of all the teams is moving us closer to fulfilling our vision for the automobiles of the future – vehicles that are electronically controlled, smart and connected.

'Technologies ranging from electronics, controls and software to wireless capabilities and digital mapping could ultimately change how people drive and use their vehicles, so the opportunity to work with the Carnegie Mellon team to accelerate their development is very important to us,' Burns continued. 'We are definitely in the competition to try to win it, but what we've already gained is worth significantly more than the prize.'



In addition to GM and Carnegie Mellon Úniversity, the Tartan Team is supported by the following sponsors: Caterpillar, Continental AG, Intel, Google, Applanix, TeleAtlas, Vector, Ibeo, Mobileye, CarSim, CleanPower Resources, M/A-COM, NetApp, Vector, CANtech and Hewlett Packard.

Source - GM