TAHOE TEETERS ON TOP; NEW SUV SHOWS THE GENERAL MAY YET REMAIN THE KING OF THE FULL-SIZE SUV MOUNTAIN.(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

Among the many attributes that Chevy listed for its 2007 Tahoe full-size SUV was "Tasteful Styling.'' As if that might not have been important before. What were previous Tahoes? Tacky? Tartars? Tasteless?

With its GMT900 line of full-size SUVs and pickups, of which we have driven the first, the Chevy Tahoe, GM is fixing a large number of things that it might not have previously considered broken.

Take that mushy brake pedal that has been a fixture on GM SUVs since Mr. G and Mr. M first went into business. The last few GM sport/utes we tested at the track had middle pedals about as firm as a senior GM exec's abs. Step on the brakes and wait for the car to eventually slow down. It was like giving a foot massage to a circus tent.

The fix was ridiculously easy. Instead of a floppy hydraulic line between the pedal and the remotely located master cylinder, the new lineup has a rod going straight from pedal to relocated master cylinder. With total swept area of the disc brakes going up, and 50 percent stiffer calipers, too, the better brake feel is immediately evident to anyone who has driven an older model GM SUV.

Other fixes abound. To meet frontal crash standards that went from 30 mph to 35 mph, engineers reformed the front end of the frame rails, making the frame rails themselves fully boxed front to rear. In doing this, they replaced the torsion bars with coil springs and relocated the steering rack to the front crossmember, where it is bolted solidly in place.

Also, the new frame is 35 percent stiffer in bending resistance and 50 percent stiffer in torsional rigidity. Front track is three inches wider, rear is one inch, and the five links holding the rear solid-beam axle in place were revised, too. Aluminum lower control arms save about 20 pounds of unsprung weight. All of which puts steering response and handling, in general, miles ahead of the old SUVs. Not like a Corvette Z06, mind you, but an improvement that GM full-size SUV buyers will like nonetheless.