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Want to thumb your nose at the environmental elitists? Buy Chevrolet’s Tahoe Hybrid, the most fuel-efficient full-size SUV on the planet.

It still only gets 22 mpg highway, you say. But according to the EPA, the Tahoe actually saves more fuel compared to a similar vehicle than a Toyota Prius does compared to a vehicle its size. It’s city mpg rating (21) is just one below that of a nonhybrid Toyota Camry. That’s quite an accomplishment.

But here’s my issue with the Tahoe Hybrid. There is only one reason to buy one of these big rigs — towing. Anyone who regularly tows a large trailer and needs three rows of seats would love to have a full-size sport ute. But the Tahoe Hybrid’s towing is limited to 6,200 pounds (6,000 for a four-wheel drive model.

It would seem to me that there is a better choice and you don’t even need to leave the Chevrolet showroom to find it. A Chevy Traverse is rated to tow 5,200 pounds. On top of that, the Traverse’s unibody design means that it actually has more interior space, despite its smaller footprint. It’s highway gas mileage (24 mpg) is actually better than the Tahoe, even without the high-tech hybrid powertrain. That it has a base price that is some $21,000 less than the Tahoe makes it even better.

Remind me exactly why we were buying the Tahoe Hybrid? Oh, right, because it seats seven and its mileage is close to a much smaller Camry. The problem with that line of thinking is that city driving is not the  forte of these big cruisers. They are in their element on the freeway heading up north pulling a camper.

If the hybrid version could match a regular Tahoe’s 8,400-towing capacity (2WD), then a case could be made for buying it over the Traverse. But the hybrid system limits the truck’s towing capacity.

In use, GM’s hybrid system is a real marvel. GM developed the technology in conjunction with Chrysler, Daimler and BMW and was the first to bring it to market. GM’s “Two-Mode” hybrid integrates an electric motor with a four-speed transmission that also utilizes a continuously variable system.
In practice, the system masks gear changes. It essentially feels like a CVT because gear changes are rarely noticed. At the same time, it doesn’t have the droning effect that is so annoying in most CVTs.

Around town and in neighborhoods, the Tahoe Hybrid is able to cruise at up to about 30 mph with the gas engine off. It’s one thing to see a little Prius gliding along silently, but a nearly three-ton truck?

Like other hybrids, GM’s system uses regenerative braking to recharge the drive batteries. Brake feel is still an area where GM needs to further refine the system. The brakes can be grabby, particularly at slower speeds.

Beyond the hybrid system, criticisms I have offered in previous reviews regarding the Tahoe still stand for the hybrid version. The front seats seem remarkably cramped for such a massive vehicle. Headroom is less than it should be. The middle-row seats are difficult to fold for access to the third row. Not that anyone will really want to sit back there. The cushion is so low that even my 13-year-old complained. It doesn’t have to be this way. Third-row passengers have plenty of headroom. GM needs to raise the seat cushions so the third row isn’t a penalty box.

Other than the touchy brakes, the Tahoe drives beautifully. There’s no denying that it is a massive vehicle and it will never be a lot of fun to drive. But it tracks like a train on the freeway and it rides comfortably.

Why do people love these things? People tell me that they like being surrounded by all of that metal. Plenty also tell me that they want the high seating position that only a big SUV, pickup truck or semi can provide. Since semis are generally out for daily commuting, drivers who want that high seating position plus three rows of seat gravitate to the Tahoe.

Until GM can boost the towing capacity, the brand’s own Traverse crossover makes more sense to me.