WHO TO CALL: Auto Editor Andrew McCredie beatles (147) LET’S SAY that Goldilocks grew up, got married, raised a young family and decid- _ed to buy a full- size sport-utility vehicle.. Which one would she choose? Well, she'd proba- bly find the 18-foot- long, nine-passenger, four-door . - ChevroleyGMC ; Suburban a little too big. Definitely a cumbersome vehicle to drive in the city, and difficult to park. The two-door Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon, on the other hand, would be a little too small — getting the kids in and out of the back - seat would be awkward and inconvenient. Consider the new four-door, six-passenger Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon - particularly if she was fond of travel- ling into the woods on a regular basis. _ . The new four-door Tahoe (formerly K-Blazer), and GMC Yukon are all-new vehicles from General Motors. They're basically identical, except for badging and colour \ choices. The four-door Tahoe/Yukon is 50 cm (20 in.) shorter than a Suburban and 28 cm (11 in.) longer than a two-door Tahoe/Yukon. It seats five or six adults, has lots of cargo space (up to 123 cu. feet with the split rear-seats folded), available part-time 4WD, and a hefty towing Greg Wilson ms eee Ewe photo Bred Ledwloge SMALLER THAN a Suburban and bigger than a two-door Tahoe/Yukon, the new four-door Tahoe/Yukon offers _ capacity (up to 7,000 Ibs/3,150 kg)). As such, the four-door Tahoe and Yukon are well-suited for growing families with a recreational lifestyle. People who tow trailers and boats ‘will find this vehicle particularly attractive. ‘The four-door Tahoe/Yukon is available with two- wheel-drive (rear-wheel-drive) or four-wheel-drive (a part- time, shift-on-the-fly system). At the moment, the 4WD shifter is on the floor, but I’ve been informed that a dash- mounted pushbutton system will be available next year. The only engine offered is GM’s tried-and-true 5.7-litre pushrod V8 with 200 horsepower. This engine has Ioads of low-end torque for climbing steep inclines and pulling trailers. The engine is relatively quiet at highway speeds, loafing along at,1800 rpm at 100 km-h (62 m.p.h.) in fourth gear, but there is some fan noise when accelerating from a standing Start. i The tradeoff for good towing performance is $ poor fuel ~ economy. Fuel consumption figures were not available when I tested these trucks, but two-door, 4WD models con- sume 18.8 litres per 100 km (15 m.pg.) in the city and 13.6 ‘1/100 km (21 m.p.g.) highway. I would expect four-door : ‘models to be worse. Remember, a four-wheel-drive * Fahoe/Yukon weighs 2,449 kg (5,412 Ibs.) — unloaded. If you're towing a heavy trailer, fuel consumption will be “* even greater. Fortunately, th the Tahoe/Yukon has a big 114 " liter fuel tank. seating for six, a 200 horsepower 5.7-litre V8 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, é ewD. or awn, and a new interior with a driver-side airbag. Prices start at $32, 875. . : ‘By the way, GM’s 6.5-litre turbo-diesel engine is not offered on four-door models, but it is offered on two-door models. One transmission is available: a four-speed auto- matic with a column-mounted shifter. It performed well during my tests though it is reluctant to shift down quickly, and doesn’t offer an on/off overdrive button. Step-in height is high, particularly on the 4WD madel, but running boards are now offered as an option to make step-up easier. Inside, an all-new interior features rounded comers and improved easier-to-see-and-use controls. I had one beef —— the rear side windows only roll down only a couple of inches. All Tahoes and Yukons come well-equipped - there are no base models. Standard equipment includes driver-side ’ airbag, air-conditioning, AM/FM cassette player with six speakers, three-person split front bench-seat and split fold- , ing rear-seats, intermittent wipers, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power windows and door locks, tachometer, seven- . wire harness for trailers, dual outside mirrors, roof tack, and a single key for all locks. The 2WD model features 15-inch radials while 4WD ‘ models have 16-inch radials mounted on alloy wheels. * Brakes are front disc/rear drums with standard ABS. Two rear cargo doors are offered: a : tailgate/liftglass setup, or two swing-out rear doors. The twin rear doors make loading easier but they hinder rear visibility because of the centre divider. In addition, the twin rear doors are not offered with a rear wiper to remove road grime, - snow, and rain, further imped- : ing rear visibility. 2WD Tahoe/Yukons start at $32,875 and 4WD models at $35,645. That’s cheaper than many mid-sized sport-utility | . vehicles. Interestingly, neither Ford... or Chrysler has a comparable ‘full-size, four-door sport-utility vehicle in their lineup. The closest comparable vehicle would be a mid-sized Jeep Grand Cherokee V8. * “Add freight ~ sht= Subject to availabiin to aay) § i 5, \ Dick Irwin, what @ great, great guy-y- ay! THE ONLY AWD 8 Pi esencen PEOPLE MOVER 887-5231. MSRP (4X4): $35,645. “Base price (4X2): $32, 875 Type: four-door, six-Passenger ' full-size sport utility >: ~, Engine: 5.7-lite V8, OHV, two» valves. per cylinder, single-poin fuel injection: ;. - - Horsepower: 200 @ 4, 000 rp.m - Transmission: four-speed auto ‘Tires: P245/75R-16 all-season : radials © 8 Curb weight: 2,449 kg (5,412 Ibs, GVWR: 1,499 kg (6,800 lbs.) | Payload: 760 kg (1,676 Ibs.) Fuel consumption: n/a)" * Cargo capacity: Wiseats up — 1,982 litres (70 ‘ cu. ft.)! ‘Whseats* ‘down — 3,398 litres (123 cu. ft.)° Warranty three yts/60,000 kms jours: : 9-5 Mon-Thurs 9-6 Fri-Sat." (Closed Sunday)