Last year, GM debuted a pair of full-size sports utilities – the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe – with gas-electric hybrid powertrains that offer all the expected capabilities in a more efficient package. The Yukon Hybrid model gets 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway – figures that represent a 31% improvement over non-hybrid versions.
In a recent test, the Yukon Hybrid towed a 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 approximately 200 miles from Indiana to Ann Arbor, Michigan. GM calls its hybrid a “two-mode hybrid,” which means the truck can run purely on electric power or a combination of gas and electric propulsion. The trailer used was a wood-deck, open, single-car hauler with long aluminum ramp. The combination of the Z28 and the trailer weighed about 5,000 pounds. This was under the Yukon Hybrid’s 6200-pound tow rating.
I imagine that it would sure be nice to transport my vehicle across country using only the bare minimum of fuel consumption.
A backup camera comes standard and makes the task of hooking up the trailer an easy, one-person job. The Yukon performed smoothly with the gas engine shutting off at stoplights and staying off for the first dozen feet as the truck moves forward. At times, the vehicle speed rises but the engine rpm remains flat. The 200-mile route was mostly on two-lane, 55-mph country roads and pulling the trailer the Yukon got 14.14 mpg – a 20% improvement. The system has a positive effect on fuel economy.
