2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid Review:

The good news: more American drivers want to "go green" when it comes to their transportation choices. However, they're not ready to give up driving SUVs. How to reconcile those vastly different missions?

GM's answer is the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. The 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid has all of the utility and advantages of the non-hybrid Tahoe - and a few drawbacks as well.

On the upside, the hybrid version offers the same muscle, the same cargo and passenger room and the same handling as its gasoline-powered counterpart. Towing capacity is an impressive three tons, and the vehicle can run on electric power alone at speeds up to 32 miles per hour. Most test drivers find the regenerative brakes (which, like those of the Toyota Prius, help charge the battery during application) superior to those of the gas-powered Tahoe.

While the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid may put out less in terms of emissions because of the amount of time that it is under electric power, fuel economy is not much better than that of the standard Tahoe when it comes to the open road. The 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid's gasoline engine is actually larger than that of the standard vehicle; a 6.0-liter, 332-horsepower V-8, rated by the EPA at 22 mpg on the highway. In comparison, the engine of the standard Tahoe gets about 20 mpg.

There's some compensation here, however; the hybrid's engine is substantially more powerful - and the mileage difference when it comes to city driving is 33 percent better than that of the gas-only model.

Those who are buying the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid for environmental reasons are making a reasonably good choice here, particularly if most of their driving is in stop-and-go city traffic. However, those who are simply hoping to save at the gas pump should reconsider; as mentioned earlier, highway mileage is not that much better, but the sticker price for the hybrid is a good $5000 more - which according to rumor is not covering GM's costs. Estimates are that at current gas prices, it would take 5 years or 75,000 miles before one actually realized any savings on fuel costs.

Read more on the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid over at the big review kahuna in our family, TheCarConnection.com.