2016 Chevy Tahoe cylinder deactivation shakedown

[kafer65]

We have a new company car that has cylinder deactivation on the already thrifty for its size V8. I used to own a 2000 model that would get 18.5 mpg without doing any eco-driving hwy. I have a service route that is 74.4 miles round trip and includes a long climb with 500 foot elevation change but is mostly highway. I thought I'd try to drive this rig much like I drive my Mazda to see what it would do. DFCO and selective AC use but try not to be in the way. I managed to keep the "4V" deactivation mode at hwy speed and even in moderate climbs maintaining indicated 22mpg most of the time. Where my Mazda gets 22 mpg in the hard climbing sections it would revert to V8 mode and get 14. FLat sections where my Mazda gets 50 mpg the Tahoe is managing mid 30s. Whats notable is that the first 1/3 of the throttle is programmed to be super sensitive which makes it feel gutless from a stop but makes for great ecosensitivity once up to speed. Much easier to drive it like an egg is under the pedal. Its surprisingly seamless going from V8 to V4 because the engine is so quiet and the engine vibration is so minimal you have to concentrate to feel the difference. I think this technology will be a boon to even us 4 cylinder and 3 cylinder folks if the manufacturers follow through in the years to come

[Hersbird]

I've noticed on my 2008 Chrysler Hemi with cylinder deactivation I can't get a good economy reading when in 4 cylinder mode. It will go own to 7-12 mpg when it kicks in. In my mind I just double the reading but that's probably not right as the volumetric efficientcy probably isn't as good in 4 cyc mode compared to 8 cylinder. At least at the end of the day when filling and hand calculating mileage I always beat the indicated average on both the torque app and the onbaord computer. Have you checked the computer vs actual?

[kafer65]

If I get another chance to drive it over a longer distance I'll see about hand calculating the mileage. The info center has a current mileage progress bar with landmarks to show averages for last 25,50..mile trip you can choose among. I can see the appeal of many of the aspects for this vehicle if you're needing a tow vehicle / people hauler without the complexities of a smaller turbo engine but much of this thing is just double overkill status icon stuff. The lack of interior room and cargo space is alarming to me. I can't believe how hard it is for me to get in and out of this thing

[Hersbird]

We rented a new Ford explorer and thought the thickness of the doors was ridiculous. You had to open the door almost a foot before there actually started to be a gap. So in a tight parking lot forget about it. I wanted a hybrid Tahoe when i got the Aspen but the Aspen rode better and was less then 1/2 the cost. I would have never recovered the extra cost in a few more MPGs.

[kafer65]

That Aspen is a sweet rig from what I picked up on The efficiency difference between 4 cylinder mode on the Tahoe and mine was surprisingly close in my estimation. In the situation where its pulling a moderate hill at indicated 22 mpg mine would be difficult to maintain 26. Take into account that half of the V8 would be more than 30 percent bigger than my 2 liter engine and it seems to do very well. I'd bet yours isn't doing bad either.