I have a co-worker with a family of 7 and they have one of those huge Chevy vans and one econo-box. Probably the best combination they could go with as far as carbon footprint. It’s a 3500 so it can out tow the Tahoe and riding in the very back is lots of fun over speed bumps!

I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when that 7th kid comes along and my family outgrows a minivan (you can still get one with 8 seats, right?). But, as much as it pains me to say this, I guess I’ve been proven wrong by both you and Axel. No one really does need a Tahoe.

When I’ve got 12 kids (they’re cheaper by the dozen, you know) I’ll make sure to keep my house as “green” as fits my philosophical views.

This was a hilarious exchange! I have a co-worker with a family of 7 and they have one of those huge Chevy vans and one econo-box. Probably the best combination they could go with as far as carbon footprint. It’s a 3500 so it can out tow the Tahoe and riding in the very back is lots of fun over speed bumps!

Regardless, there are a lot of people out there who actually DO need vehicles like this.

No one, not anyone, nobody needs a Tahoe. Give me a break. I’d think with 8 children you’d learn the difference between need and want.

If styling circa 1995 is modern and clean, then so be it. To me, the Tahoe’s styling looks woefully dated. Clean, but very dated. The Sequoia by far is the more modern looking of the two, and even the Expedition is slightly more modern-looking than the Tahoe.

William C Montgomery:
And while the Tahoe’s heavy third row seats must be manhandled and removed to create a suitably cavernous load space, the four wheel-drive SUV can thusly carry a large, heavy load AND tow a boat AND retain plenty of off-road capability.

The Sequoia can tow *more* than the Tahoe AND has more interior space to carry more stuff and more people AND still retains great off-road capability AND has a much more powerful powertrain combination (6 speed + 5.7L) with comparable fuel economy to the Tahoe’s 5.3L + 4 speed AND the Sequoia has a more accomodating and comfortable third row that also has fold flat seats.

I respectfully fail to see how the Tahoe is the best out of the crop of SUVs you mentioned and disagree with your conclusions.

I would gladly do a “take two” or counter-point review, if I had the time.

The Earth offers very little but what we make of it. And without the inclination to consume, there’d be no incentive to make anything – tennis rackets or Tahoes or Gulfstreams. And we are far better off for our having developed the ability to make.

What? I’m not entirely clear on how all this misery is generated. Somebody made this car. Hell, LOTS of people designed, marketed, produced, and processed this car. I bet they’re just crying every time one drives off the lot.

People want to buy these things. People can buy these things. CAFE standards are a fine idea but as long as the average allows for them, people will still buy Tahoes and Sequoias and Expeditions. They’ll still buy Astons and Ferraris and Porches and BMWs.

This country makes money on a massive scale. Discounting basic survival, that still leaves a lot of money for massive consumption. Maybe you’re the kind of person who likes swimming through a pool of your own cash a la Scrooge McDuck? The rest of us prefer to spend and invest our money according to our desires.

Gotchya.

When I’ve got 12 kids (they’re cheaper by the dozen, you know) I’ll make sure to keep my house as “green” as fits my philosophical views.

I totally respect those who believe in allowing God to bless them with however many children He chooses to bless them with. I do think, however, that those who choose to have, say, more than three kids should also take special care to lessen the per-child ecological/resource footprint, and instill conservationist values in those children so they carry them into adulthood.

I take exception to those who just CONSUME on massive scales, as if it is their God-given right to take whatever this earth has to offer, without any regard to how their actions increase the misery of others. And if one finds he needs a full-size SUV, it might be time to step back and ask if he needs to have a massive boat or RV, or all the other trappings that make such a vehicle “necessary.”

I don’t want to get into a religious debate here, but I will just say that it’s not about NEEDING to have a lot of kids but accepting the children God blesses you with. Besides, I can’t imagine growing up in a family with only one or two kids; that must be really boring.

I agree with you, though, there are a lot of people out there who buy these and don’t really need them and those people disgust me. On the other hand, there are others out there who see this as a car that they wouldn’t mind driving and they can utilize it to its potential on a regular basis. Although, if they’re buying it to schlep kids, tow, and haul gear/luggage they’d probably skip the Diamond Edition, or whatever it’s called. I know I would.

Ok, yeah, yeah, assuming a family needs to have 6 kids (no disrespecting certain religious sects), and needs to have a boat, and/or needs to own an RV rather than do tent camping, then you could argue that said family needs a large SUV.

However…

A) There’s no need to spend $59K. You could probably get by with one of these unless your boat/camper is truly, epically massive. A passenger van can probably accommodate all but the most Vatican-compliant clans. It’s just not “cool.”

B) 99.9% of the people who buy these aren’t 8-person families with boats. 99.9% of people who buy these could get something safer (for themselves and others), more comfortable, better accelerating, better handing, less thirsty, and better quality, for less money, getting all the “utility” they really, actually need. That’s half of the tragedy of the SUV craze. The other half is that a lot of the vehicles that families actually need (say, Accord and Camry wagons) were pushed out of the North American market thanks to the SUV craze.

Perhaps, but if your goal is a vehicle that can carry four people in comfort and has a decent amount of cargo capacity (what attracts most people to behemoth SUVs in the first place), your $59K gets you a hell of a lot more quality, refinement, comfort, handling, and performance.

Spending $59K on a vehicle is dumb in and of itself, but if someone gave me $59K to buy a car, I wouldn’t blow it on a freakin’ Tahoe.

davey49
You can buy a decently equipped Tahoe for under $45K, under $40K if you’re OK with cloth seats and a “luxury sports wagon” still won’t tow a 30 foot RV.

Even better: why not rent a vehicle to tow your 30-foot RV when the need arises? How often are you towing the RV? A couple of week-long vacations per year? Does that justify a $1000-1500/mo car payment, and suffering through miserable gas mileage when not using it for its supposed purpose?

If you are retired and always have the RV on the road, you probably could do with a Silverado for under $30K, since you don’t have kids to schlep around.

With respect,

Bunter

Wait, I got one: In the coming Zombie Armageddon I’ll be sure to snag one of these. Those undead suckers ain’t gettin’ MY brain!

GS650G yeah there was the 90’s Ram Charger from Mexico.

The closest thing we will see from Dodge in a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton SUV is the Ram Megacab. That had developement work done to the ride/body mounts etc to make it more like an SUV. Standard ABS with 14 inch discs, heavy duty 3/4 ton frame but with softer ride tuning etc.

No kidding. What can one get in a luxury sports wagon for 59 large, and exactly why would I choose a pig of a full-sized SUV instead?

My 2007 Denali XL with the sunroof and no navigation was $43k out the door. Comes with a 6.2L variable valve timing aluminum engine, six speed tranny, and at around 80mph I can get 17 mpg in a full time 4wd vehicle.

Of course, if you do not drive it for seven days the vehicle’s computers will completely drain the battery, 3.3 days if I leave my Valentine One on…

Is it therefore safe to say that minivan drivers are the best endowed?

Absolutely.

Is it therefore safe to say that minivan drivers are the best endowed?

would make sense if there was ever, ever, ever more than ONE person in these huge things. EVER.

But alas no. So quit with the santimonius “but i use it for its intended purpose” nonsense, Say you like it because it is big and brassy and its for men with small weenies and move forward. That’s the truth anyway. Fess up!!!

No.