What would you do? I can either drop 55K on a Tahoe Hybrid, and get just over 20mpgs, or I can buy a minivan for half that and do even better on fuel. Financially, the minivan makes sense, but there aren’t any that we like or that have the room of an SUV.
There are too many differences to make a judgment on one factor alone.
The Tahoe will get better gas mileage in the city, but you’d have to drive 271,800 miles to make up the difference in price between a Tahoe Hybrid and the top-of-the-line Town and Country. The top choice in the category is the Honda Odyssey, which has more interior room.
And you are wrong about the interior room. The EPA rates the Tahoe at 109 Cubic Feet of cargo room, and the Town and Country has 140 CF (Honda: 146). That’s because the minivan has a more efficient shape, and doesn’t spend interior volume on the space underneath an SUV that gives it its ground clearance.
Another difference in favor of the Tahoe is towing capacity. The Tahoe is rated at 6200 lbs, while the T&C only tows 3600 lbs. If you need to tow a trailer, the Tahoe is the way to go.
I suspect you are looking for validation of a decision you’ve already made. Go for it!
Good Luck and Good Motoring
I would say that the cost is more affective on the minivan, but the Hybrid is more earth friendly. Good luck choosing your car.
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a tahoe hybrid gets more than 20 mpg you idiot.
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hybrid SUV
pros;
-all wheel drive
-looks wayyyyyyyy more atractive!
cons;
-crappy gas milage even for hybrid
-cost more
-higher rollover risk
minivan
pros;
-better practicality/interior room
-lower purchase price
cons;
-soccer mom image
overall I’d say the van.
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This is a decision that you are going to have to make as you will be the one driving it everyday. I would recommend going to a dealership and test driving both. There really isn’t a nice looking minivan out there in my opinion. The Tahoe Hybrid is going to be high priced and not qualify for discounts or great financing.
There is a website, I’m not sure what it is, that tells you how long it takes to make back the initial cost difference when buying a hybrid. I know the Prius and Escape were the two better ones. Google the website.
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There are too many differences to make a judgment on one factor alone.
The Tahoe will get better gas mileage in the city, but you’d have to drive 271,800 miles to make up the difference in price between a Tahoe Hybrid and the top-of-the-line Town and Country. The top choice in the category is the Honda Odyssey, which has more interior room.
And you are wrong about the interior room. The EPA rates the Tahoe at 109 Cubic Feet of cargo room, and the Town and Country has 140 CF (Honda: 146). That’s because the minivan has a more efficient shape, and doesn’t spend interior volume on the space underneath an SUV that gives it its ground clearance.
Another difference in favor of the Tahoe is towing capacity. The Tahoe is rated at 6200 lbs, while the T&C only tows 3600 lbs. If you need to tow a trailer, the Tahoe is the way to go.
I suspect you are looking for validation of a decision you’ve already made. Go for it!
Good Luck and Good Motoring
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Professional Automotive Consultant for 20 years, and author of "Car-ma; Why Bad Cars Happen to Good People."