It seems just a short time ago that GM was saying their new full-size truck/SUV platform would save the company. We're sure their tune has changed slightly, but GM's new 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe is quite attractive. While the exterior is really no surprise, the apparent quality and attention paid to the interior is impressive. It seems GM has finally lain to rest the blocky dash design that harked back to the late Seventies. Many of the technical changes may also find their way into redesigned full-size pickups, which should make Ford sit up and take notice. Overall, the Tahoe is an impressive redesign and the vehicles based on this new platform should be popular, although we suspect the popularity will be tempered by steadily increasing gas prices. Check out the pictures and the press release at the jump.   

DETROIT ? Chevrolet has announced the debut of the 2007 Chevy Tahoe, the next generation of the industry?s best-selling full-size SUV. The new Tahoe is comprehensively redesigned and delivers a sharper, more precise driving feel, more power with improved, segment-leading fuel economy, increased interior refinement and improved quietness.

The new Tahoe takes over at the top of the segment in sales, quality and comfort ? Tahoe has been the best-selling full-size SUV since 2001. The outgoing model (along with its longer sibling, Suburban) has ranked first in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Survey for five years, topping all import and luxury models. Engineers built on Tahoe?s established credentials with a ?no compromises? mantra that realized improvements in many areas of performance, quality and comfort.

Contributors to the 2007 Tahoe?s segment-leading capability include:

    * Superior ride, handling and quietness
    * Improved efficiency
    * Refined interior with thoughtful convenience built in
    * Distinctive, sporty exterior design
    * Enhanced safety and security

?Tahoe is known for delivering whatever its customers want, whenever they want to do it ? a hard-earned reputation reflected in countless independent quality studies, buying guide recommendations and customers who have returned to buy another vehicle,? said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. ?The ?07 model enhances the attributes that have made Tahoe the industry?s best-selling full-size SUV and improves them with dramatically increased attention to detail in smoothness, quietness and refinement. We believe it is simply the best Tahoe yet.?

Superior ride, handling and quietness

The 2007 Tahoe is built on GM?s new full-size SUV platform, which incorporates features such as a new, fully boxed frame, coil-over-shock front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and an all-new, premium interior system that bolster the vehicle?s comfort, quality and capability. Wider front and rear tracks enhance handling and lower the center of gravity for a more confident road feel.

Extensive attention to detail was paid by Tahoe?s engineers to ensure a quiet driving experience. It starts with a new, stiffer frame, which reduces vibrations transmitted to the passenger cabin. The strength and accuracy of the full-boxed frame also enables more precise mounting and tuning of chassis and suspension components, which also helps reduce vibration. Even the tires on the large, 17-inch standard and 20-inch available wheels, were designed to reduce noise.

Noise-reducing components and materials are used throughout the body structure, including the headliner material, door seals and front-of-dash area. The engine also features a quiet-tuned alternator and an acoustically tuned engine cover that dramatically reduces engine noise heard inside the vehicle. New door seals help reduce seal ?pull away? at highway speeds, which can cause wind noise. Also, Tahoe?s more slippery shape, thanks to improved aerodynamics, streamlined exterior mirrors and roof rack, and tighter body gap tolerances, makes Tahoe quieter as it slices through the air.

Tahoe also features details such as spray-in expanding foam, which helps reduce noise by filling in space to eliminate sound paths. The foam, located mostly in the A-pillars, expands to fill the void of a space. Tahoe?s quietness and smoothness is complemented by the Autoride suspension system, which is standard on LTZ. This segment-exclusive bi-state, real-time damping system provides an extremely refined ride with greatly reduced body motion. The system consists of a semi-active, two-position damping control system that responds in real time to road and driving conditions, based on body and wheel motion sensors.

Tahoe?s quietness and smoothness are complemented by capabilities full-size SUV customers depend on. Tahoe offers up to 7,700-pounds (3,492 kg) towing capability (4WD models).

Improved efficiency

A new Gen IV small-block V-8 family ? the newest chapter in the small-block?s 50-year history ? offers more power than comparable powertrains in previous models. Fuel-saving Displacement On Demand technology also enables better fuel economy. When combined with other vehicle-wide features, including improved aerodynamics, the small-block V-8 helps give the Tahoe the segm