2021 Chevrolet Tahoe First Ride: Chevy’s Plan to Beat Ford in Ride & Handling

IRS+leap-frogging air suspension option

General Motors owns the large SUV space with Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban, which are by far the market share leaders—and if you add their brand siblings, the company can claim way over half of all sales. But the impressive new Ford Expedition, with its long-wheelbase Max variant and Lincoln Navigator sibling, has started eroding that market dominance over the last year. Their independent rear suspensions have afforded a more comfortable ride and roomier third row and cargo area for some time now, their feature content and fit/finish took a recent quantum-leap forward in the latest redesign, and the twin-turbo V-6 EcoBoost/10-speed automatic powertrains motivating the FoMoCo entries represent stiff competition for the GM brands.

Chevrolet is readying its response, which at long last features an independent rear suspension, revised gas V-8 engines, and a segment-exclusive inline-six diesel all mated to a 10-speed automatic (that shares its essential design with Ford's 10-speed), plus a spanking new electrical architecture that should future-proof the Tahoe, Suburban, and its siblings for all foreseeable technologies likely to appear during its lifetime. I've just had a quick test-ride in a prototype T1 generation Tahoe kitted out with its top-shelf full air suspension, and I can tell you it's poised to defend its high (sales) ground. Here's why:

Different/Better (?) Independent Rear Suspension Design

Ford employs a five-link rear suspension comprised of two trailing links and three lateral links per side. Chevy has gone with a four-link design using one very long trailing link and one equally long (approximately 29 inches by my tape measure) lower lateral link that carries the spring/damper mount, plus two upper lateral links. That super robust long trailing link is said to afford better ride isolation, thanks to a huge and squishy bushing where it mounts to the body. (It also packages conveniently out of the way outboard of the frame rails.) The lateral links, by contrast, all employ harder bushings to resist cornering loads and provide sharper handling response.

Air Springs+Magnetic Shocks+IRS=Better Ride

Three suspensions will be offered on the Tahoe and Suburban—a base variable-rate steel spring coil-over-shock setup using passive hydraulic shocks; a mid-level one pairing the same springs with magnetorheological dampers; and a top offering with air springs and the MR dampers. These are fourth-generation MR dampers that feature lower internal friction and a change away from position-sensing to accelerometer sensors at each corner. This plus the vastly quicker processing speed enabled by the robust new electrical architecture greatly increase the performance of these shocks. Meanwhile, the air springs provide load-leveling, can raise 2 inches for off-road ground clearance, lower 2 inches for passenger/cargo loading, or duck down 0.8 inch for improved aerodynamics. They allowed the engineers to spec a lower primary spring rate for improved ride quality, knowing that simply by increasing the air pressure (to level the load) the spring rates increase to handle that load.

Improved Powertrains

While the displacement, power, and torque specs haven't changed for the 5.3- and 6.2-liter V-8 engines, they're significantly revised to include the Dynamic Fuel Management cylinder deactivation (which can selectively turn off between one and seven cylinders during any particular revolution as dictated by power demand). Our ride was in a top-shelf Tahoe with the 6.2, and I can confirm that this burly V-8 makes a much more joyful noise than the somewhat guttural bark of the EcoBoost six when all eight are pulling. GM's tune of this co-developed 10-speed automatic seems every bit as savvy as Ford's—at least from the passenger seat.

How It Rides

Chevy shuttled us around a familiar ride road that's frequently used for evaluation drives at its Milford Proving Ground. We started out riding in a brand-new Ford Expedition Limited, and then ran the same loop of mixed road surfaces, rail-crossings, washboard, expansion joints, and the like in a top-trim Tahoe with the air/MR setup. We ran the route twice in the Tahoe—once in the comfort-biased default "normal" mode at the same speed we'd experienced in the Expedition, and again at higher speeds in "sport" mode. On the expansion joints it was difficult to tell much difference between the two. When crossing bumps and dips affecting only the left side of the vehicle, the Expedition tossed my head pretty violently while the Tahoe induced just the merest hint of a bobble in either mode. Chatter bumps in a corner sent the rear of the Expedition skittering outboard slightly while the Tahoe tracked through unfazed in both modes. And on the whoop-de-doos the Expedition often experienced a second or third up-and-down motion after the main event, while the Tahoe settled right down. I sensed remarkably little ride degradation in sport mode. We'll be eager to sample the more mainstream suspensions closer to the Tahoe/Suburban's mid-2020 on-sale date, but the MR shocks should be able to deliver many of the above attributes on their own.

How It Sits

While the Suburban only grows 1.3 inches (ending up 3.8 inches longer than the Expedition Max), the Tahoe is 6.8 inches longer (0.7 inch longer than Expedition). As a result, along with the more compact IRS that lowers the rear load floor by up to 5.3 inches, the Tahoe delivers darned near the same third-row seating comfort as the Suburban—certainly enough for this 5-foot-10-inch adult to ride in total comfort (which was not the case in the old knees-up Tahoe way-back.)

Potential Downsides

Official curb weights have yet to be disclosed, but we're told to expect the new trucks to gain "between 50 and 200 pounds." We'll be eager to see if aero improvements, skip-fire engines, and the 10-speed can claw back the fuel economy penalty that additional weight would otherwise cause. Likewise, towing capacities have yet to be divulged and we'll be interested to see how those air springs affect max towing. And finally, the IRS means there will be no more 2500 or 3500HD variants. No great loss as those have only been available to commercial and government buyers for some time, but those folks will be out of luck in 2021.

Second Drive: Hyundai Veloster Mid-Engine Supercar Concept Shows Great Potential

After an update, we drive Hyundai’s mid-engine supercar prototype, again! (Please, oh please, oh please, build these!)

The invitation was cryptic. Hyundai public relations offered "an ultra-performance prototype drive for a select group of media," at its California Proving Ground just outside of Mojave. Gosh, would that be the Veloster N-based racing midship RM19 prototype that our tame racing driver, Randy Pobst, drove at the Nürburgring? He loved the car despite a couple of quibbles. Well, sign me up!

I arrived at the proving ground we happen to use to evaluate and test cars during our annual Car of the Year program, where Hyundai had set up four stations. The new Palisade SUV and its chief competitors were to be driven on an off-road course. Several stock Veloster Ns were gathered on the vehicle dynamics area (VDA) for an autocross challenge. Two Veloster N TCR race cars with their regular drivers were prepped with an extra front seat for ride-alongs. And the actual point of our being there, the main event, was not one but two Veloster N RM19 prototypes ready for us to drive on the proving ground's winding-road course. One had come from Korea, the other from Germany—the actual car Randy drove, including, as I was about to find out, what he described as a soft long-travel brake pedal and low-rpm turbo lag. More on this later.

Background

A little background first: The RM19 is what Hyundai calls a rolling test bed, brand shaper, or halo car. It is a blend of the Veloster N street car's passenger compartment and the TCR (Touring Car Racer) running gear with one main difference. They've moved the turbocharged 2.0-liter TCR-based race engine to where the back seat would be in a Veloster N, thus converting it from front- to rear-wheel drive. Also, while the front suspension maintains struts, the rear suspension is proper control arms. The RM19 gets the TCR's splitter, side skirts, and rear wing, but because it doesn't have to comply with any racing series rules, the RM19 gets an enhanced ground-effect aero package (a giant diffuser). Collectively, this adds up to 420 pounds of downforce at 125 mph with a 62 percent rear aero balance.

Also, its TCR-sourced engine is turned up from the BOP or "balance of performance"-mandated 340 horsepower to an unrestrained 385, and torque output goes from 332 to 350 lb-ft. The TCR's racing Xtrac six-speed sequential manual gets bolted between the rear wheels. Hyundai fitted much wider and more aggressive tires to the RM19: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo Rs, 245/30R20 front and 305/30R20 rear, that necessitated those honking box fenders that account for the 5-inch increase in width. Interestingly, the RM19's wheelbase is nearly an inch longer, and overall length is greater by about 2 inches compared to a stock Veloster N.

A stock Veloster N tipped our scales at 3,052 pounds (60/40 percent front/rear), so at 2,650 pounds the RM19 shed some 400 pounds and now has a likely 45/55 weight distribution. In terms of weight to power, the RM19 moves just 6.9 pounds with each horsepower, putting it between a 2020 Corvette Z51 (7.3 lb/hp) and a Porsche GT3 RS (6.3 lb/hp). But because first gear is so tall, it would be difficult to launch with any sort of snap, hence the barely sub-4-second 0-60 estimate.

The Drive

The RM19 is not meant for drag racing. It's meant for track use and as a test bed for a possible production (oh, please!) mid-engine Hyundai hot hatch. In the first RM19, the car from Germany, I cinched the racing harnesses down with Yeo Hoon Yoon, senior research engineer/total chassis concept test team, beside me. To get the car rolling required a huge amount of clutch slip as first gear felt an awful lot like a second gear. Underway, the clutch wasn't required at all; just bang off up/downshifts by pulling the appropriate paddle. Oh, the sound of straight-cut gears is marvelous, like a kid in the back seat screaming gear noises, "Nyaaaaaaaa-nyaaaaaa!" As I've been around Hyundai Proving Ground's winding road course literally hundreds of times, I was immediately comfortable putting a good pace down. Soon, I discovered the turbo lag Randy complained about. There's really nobody home below 3,000 rpm, then torque comes online with a vengeance, peaking rapidly at 4,000 rpm and gradually tapering off. The close-ratio sequential gearbox is quick to react, but the 7,000-rpm rev limiter is also quick to arrive. The barely visible shift light needs to be made larger and more evident to help the driver work with the peaky power curve.

The first lap was essentially an out lap, waiting for the tires to come up to temperature, with little slides and drifts here and there. On the second lap, the tires really began to work, and so I could really push the car's limits. The overall balance and grip were remarkable. In many ways, the RM19 reminds me of how well the mid-engine McLaren 600LT responds to weight transfer, and because of that I could easily exploit the prototype's inclination to rotate gently, predictably at will. The front end was so trustworthy and hooked up, the rear end so hooked up, that the RM19 never felt edgy or erratic. It was pointy, fun, carries speed well, but not quite as quick off the corners as I had hoped/imagined it would be. As the lap went on, things began to change. Although the six-piston front/four-piston rear braking capabilities remained, the brake pedal grew longer and I felt less confident about the brakes. I backed up my braking zone to compensate for it. Yup, that's the one thing keeping it from being entirely trusty.

RM19 #2

Sitting beside me this time was Mason Filippi, currently driving for Bryan Herta Autosport in a Hyundai Veloster N TCR. After Randy's drive in RM19 #1, engineers in Korea worked on the brake feel in the RM19 #2. Mission accomplished. The pedal was much firmer, less apt to develop that squishy feeling, and so I drove it deeper and deeper into the braking zones, repeatedly. This meant I wasn't adding throttle to come up to the maximum cornering speed; I was maintaining it and looking for the right moment to go back to wide-open throttle. Sure, the turbo lag was still there. I was driving around it, riding the peak above 4,000 rpm, and suddenly the entire car was working. I felt like I could just drive it harder into and off of the corners. Apparently, Mason noticed this, too, and on my cool-down lap, he suggested we turn up the car to full power and go for another lap. Wait, what? We weren't at full power? He reached over and twisted the "Map" controller to its fourth position, or 390 PS (385 SAE horsepower) and said, "Do another lap." Now we're cookin'! Wow, the way it came off the corners was what I expected from a car with this weight-to-power ratio. I could drift and catch the car on corner exits with the quick ratio steering. It was alive and wonderful and what I had hoped it would be. Now I could see why Randy was so enthusiastic.

On the real cool-down lap, I asked Mason what I did right and wrong. "Well, you're very smooth," he said, "but the car can handle more aggressive input—like your transition from braking to power could be faster." He added, "Also, those high-speed esses? Yeah, you could've taken those 'flat' [full throttle]." And there's the thing. I was driving this pseudo race car with real downforce like a street car, nudging up to what I imagined to be its limits but leaving a whole lot on the table. Like I said, having driven dozens of street cars around that track, including the 2020 C8 Corvette and 911, I had in the back of my head the speeds those corners and esses could sustain—but without true aero. Damn. Real downforce is tricky and hard to trust. Can I go again, please?

Looking Back/Looking Forward

What an absolute treat it was to drive Hyundai's mid-engine prototype rolling test bed. Great car, and rumors persist that Hyundai is actually considering a production version. They did reveal that the next RM (20?) will feature a version of the turbocharged Smartstream 2.5T production inline-four engine and an equally production-ready eight-speed twin-clutch automated manual—both said to be headed into the next Veloster N. "Electrification seems inevitable," said Albert Biermann, head of Hyundai's research and development as well as the company's performance division. So perhaps the RM20 will supplement internal combustion with electric motors? We'll have to wait and see.

N Is Expanding

In the meantime, expect N Performance versions of other Hyundai products, starting with an SUV (Kona) and sedan (Elantra) in 2020 and 2021, plus the next-gen Veloster N mentioned above. Also, there will be N Performance and Design parts available "for every model." In a recent interview, Biermann said a mid-engine Hyundai production car may be a few years off, though he admits there isn't yet a large enough N presence, hence the roll out mentioned above. Further, he admitted that the mid-engine 2020 Corvette C8's $59,995 base price presents a considerable challenge for Hyundai to bring a similar sports car to the market. One can hope and dream, but oh how far Hyundai has come.

Tested: This 1969 Toyota Corolla Has a Lexus V-8-Sized Secret

We track test this custom-built vintage Corolla, powered by a 416-hp V-8

What is this thing?

I ask myself this as I deliberately drive the speed limit in an immaculate 1969 Toyota Corolla up Interstate 15 toward Victorville, California. From the outside, this looks to be a perfectly restored vintage Corolla. But a closer look reveals so much more.

The first clue are the wide fender flares that give it a more muscular look. Toyota connoisseurs with eagle eyes will then notice that this Corolla is a bit wider and longer than when it rolled out of the factory. Peering inside, its push-start button, Lexus infotainment system, and sporty seats are by no means from the year of Woodstock.

Then, from under the vintage sheetmetal, comes the deep, throaty note of a V-8 engine and the swift shifting of a modern eight-speed automatic. This car has definite head-turning appeal.

So, what is this thing?

Its official name is the 1969 Toyota Corolla IS F V-8. The more complicated answer is that it's a restored first-generation Corolla with a 2010 Lexus IS F powertrain and chassis.

That alone should arch your eyebrows. But it's the story behind it that truly matters.

Racer and tuner Ryan Millen, whose brother Rhys is known for being a top competitor in drifting, built this piece of art for Javier Quirós, a well-known Costa Rican businessman whose father, Xavier Quirós Oreamuno, started Toyota's fourth-oldest distributor in the world. That's where the back story starts.

Xavier started his business importing American Motors and Toyota cars into Costa Rica. Back in the 70s, Costa Ricans enjoyed racing around a soccer stadium, but Toyota cars were always left in the dust. Having access to both automakers, Xavier had the brilliant idea of putting a Rambler American Scrambler V-8 in a 1967 Corolla. The engine swap didn't help Toyota at all, and after the car was retired Javier bought it and drove it every day on the streets of San José when he attended college.

"It was the worst!" Javier told MotorTrend. "The cabin smelled like fumes all the time, and it was really uncomfortable to drive." After three years, the car was sold.

Over the past few years, a nostalgic Javier had been looking to retrieve his father's car from the junkyard of history.

Unsuccessful in his quest, Javier decided to create his own version—this time with Millen's help, and with a different approach. Millen didn't want to re-create the exact same vehicle, given its high costs and hard-to-get-parts. Quirós also wanted the car to be as reliable and as easy to fix as possible. And because the Lexus IS F came with a reliable V-8, Millen proposed to have a 1969 Corolla body married to a 2010 IS F chassis and powertrain. What started as a dream for both quickly became a 12-month project for Millen.

The result is this one-of-one 1969 Toyota Corolla with a 5.0-liter engine that sends an eye-popping 416 hp and 371 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic. Even today, a modern-era, top-spec Corolla doesn't make even close to half that kind of power.

Road test editor Chris Walton was pleased with the way the engine behaved: "Once underway, the engine really comes alive and roars. Upshifts were very smooth and slowish by today's standards. In the end, the acceleration was right on top of an IS F. Fun!"

The lack of ABS, however, made the Corolla a bit difficult to control when entering the corners, causing the rear to fishtail a little bit. "It's OK to deal with that in an open parking lot, but on a narrow road it could get dicey,"  Reynolds said.

Millen assures us the car will have full ABS before the car is shipped to its owner in Central America. But when I got a chance to get behind the wheel on the freeway, I was extra cautious with my speed, lest I have to give more than moderate brake pedal pressure. Its 5.0-liter engine responds well to all throttle inputs, and I was particularly impressed by the deep growl of the IS F engine in this application. Press on the throttle, and its profound sound will turn heads around you. Even when going up the demandingly steep Cajon Pass, the Corolla was happy to pass the lines of struggling 18-wheelers and delivery vans.

But besides its handling, what impressed me the most was the bizarre juxtaposition between the interior and exterior. Although the exterior is vintage and well restored, the interior feels modern and contemporary. Its sporty bolstered seats, infotainment screen, shifter, and instrument panel came from the Lexus IS F.

As such, it felt peculiar to drive, especially as you're grabbing onto an Alcantara-upholstered steering wheel while looking out and seeing the old-school sideview mirrors mounted on the hood.

This unique approach is what distinguishes this Corolla. What Millen was able to do, and with such attention to detail, is impressive.

Besides getting tested by MotorTrend, the Corolla has already seen some action. The car was shown at Toyota's dealer meeting earlier this year, and before it makes its way to Central America, it will be driven from Southern California to Dallas, where it will be driven by Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales at Toyota North America. Asked whether the car will be on display at the enormous Toyota Campus in Plano, Quirós said he hadn't thought about it, but it might be a good place to reside while he waits for the export permits.

So, you might ask, what does it cost to have Ryan Millen transform an old Corolla into a modern-era, tire-melting, supercar-abusing, drag-strip demon? A cool quarter-million bucks. Quirós and Millen are not done yet. They're starting to work on a new project that involves a 1967 Corolla two-door, similar to this one. If this Corolla IS F serves as an example, you can bet the next one will be just as good or even better. Get out your checkbooks.