Driving The Chevy Tahoe | Roaming in Chevrolet’s Family SUV
We visit the UAE’s first UNESCO site in a Chevy Tahoe
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Imthishan Giado
I’ve always liked secrets.
Not the gossipy kind; I mean the idea of a hidden world beneath the surface, the idea that behind every corner there’s a world of wonder, just waiting to be discovered for the kind of person who’s willing to stand out from the crowd and peer behind the looking glass.
So when I learnt that the well-known Jebel Hafeet mountain actually had a secret side, only accessible by 4×4 that led to the UAE’s first UNESCO heritage side, I knew I had to get there. Even if it was summer, and 45 degrees in the shade!
First things first: the car. Considering the 155km distance from my comfortable villa in Mirdif to the road to the tombs, the choice was easy: Chevrolet’s new Tahoe. All-new for 2015, we’ve driven it and found it the perfect car for the impromptu road trip, making it an ideal family SUV. Able to seat nine adults easily and with switchable four-wheel drive, it’s the new benchmark for the large SUV segment.
Having lived in the UAE for more than 30 years, I can remember when the annual trip to Al Ain was an arduous affair. Taking more than three hours on a poorly lit dual carriageway, it was made even more dangerous by the lack of fences, making hitting an errant camel a very real danger!
Today, it’s much safer and much quicker, taking a snip over an hour to reach the outskirts of Al Ain via the thoroughly modern E66 road, using the MyLink navigation system to plot our course. Cruising in the Chevy Tahoe is much like travelling business class; there’s ample space to stretch out in the plush front seats and tons of compartments to store your iPads and water bottles.
No roadtrip is complete without tunes, and it takes just a few taps to pair my iPhone to the MyLink system via Bluetooth. Don’t have to worry about the battery running out either – with six USB charging points, I can charge everyone’s devices continuously And if you really get bored, Bluray entertainment in the back seat, complete with wireless headsets. One thing the kids will not be, is bored. Chevrolet has put everything you would expect from a family SUV in the Tahoe.
And even with temperatures soaring past 40 degrees, the big Chevy keeps things as cool as a cocktail bar inside with dual-zone climate control. One thing you can’t beat GM is on their A/Cs: for this region with our conditions, they’re the best in the business.
Getting to Al Ain is uneventful, and neither is the trip through the town of the base of the mountain. Known as the Garden City, Al Ain has largely been spared the intense modernisation of the rest of the Emirates and remains a sleepy green town with none of the neon blaring signage that characterises this fast changing country.
The exception is the famous mountain 4049-foot Jebel Hafeet mountain, which now boasts a hotel, an adventure park and hot springs with more attractions to follow soon, making this place great for families. The road up Hafeet is one of the world’s great drives, 11.7km of sharply rising, twisting and turning tarmac, offering thrills to the speed enthusiast and stunning views to those who seek it.
But we’re not here for the commonly trod trail and the tourist traps. Instead, I point the prow of the Chevy Tahoe to the E7 truck road, taking us to the little-seen Eastern slop of this great mountain. The scenery is absolutely incredible: great jagged spurs of rock roar up from the landscape, threatening to pierce the sky. There’s a reason this area has been recognised as a heritage site; dating back to 2500BC, it’s one of a kind in the region.
Don’t go too far on the E7, which leads to the suburb of Al Dhahir. Take the turn at this co-ordinate point (24.101229, 55.789629); you’ll pass through a gate and enter a road that leads on a vast plain.
The road’s rough and strewn with pebbles, but there’s no need to worry; simply turn the knob to 4H and after a brief pause, the Tahoe activates its full time four wheel drive, becoming as sure footed as a mountain goat. We’re off!
The road carries for a brief distance; it’s best to leave it at this point (24.093583, 55.793575) and make your own way south from there, keeping the mountain always on your right. If you keep left, the road is solid and flat; bear right and you’ll have to cross some steep washouts and ditches, filled with big, undercarriage unfriendly rocks. Be careful! When in doubt, remember that you can always go back and around an obstacle.
Not that we have to go around much with the family SUV It’s really amazing how this truck can be so confident and surefooted. Taking hills in its stride, the powerful Ecotec3 5.3-litre 355bhp V8 makes offroading in the slippery, shale-encrusted rocks absolutely effortless. No matter how hamhanded my approach angle, the Tahoe from Chevrolet never bottoms out or even comes close to being stuck, always finding grip even when there seems none.
Amidst all this stunning scenery and fun clambering-on-rocks, I very nearly drove past the tombs! Located at (24.045333, 55.800694) they blend well into the landscape. Dome shaped, they resemble rocky igloos randomly strewn on the slopes of the mountain. More than 500 in number, little is known about them, except that they are well over 5,000 years old. Up to ten individuals were buried inside each structure – one presumes that most remains have long since been removed.
Each structure stands approximately six feet high and has a narrow entrance through which you can enter. When I say narrow, I mean it – the gap is so tight you’ll be on your hands and knees. Once inside, an average man can stand up easily, though there’s not much else to see inside.
Behind the tombs, there’s a giant hole in the ground which is even more mystifying. With smooth, clean walls, it’s almost as if some enormous giant stuck his finger into the mountain, as you would stick your index digit into beach sand. Very peculiar indeed. You can hike up to the summit of this ridge, but be careful – the ground is loose, the rocks are slippery and a fall would be very painful indeed. There are no barriers!
Once you’re done exploring the tombs (and don’t wander too far south – the border with Oman lies nearby) it’s remarkably easy to get back to civilization. With the tombs at your back, use this coordinate (4.044694, 55.842167) as your reference point and head straight toward it as the crow flies.
The rocks and washouts will disappear, the sand becomes softer and deeper (still no trouble for a decent 4×4) and eventually – after passing a field of wild mangoes! – you’ll find a road that traverses a massive berm and deposits you near 137th Street, only a few minutes away from Al Ain town. For those who don’t want to offroad, this coordinate point are also a super-easy way to get to the tombs.
Living in a country where convenience is so effortless, it’s easy to forget that there’s a vast treasure trove of history buried between the sands. That’s why trips like this one are so valuable – it’s only a few hours journey, skips the usual tourist traps and gives you the kind of photographs that status updates were made for! And the Tahoe was a perfect companion – well behaved, poised and comfortable throughout.
What more could a man ask for?
Our review of the Chevrolet Tahoe
The Tahoe that covered more than half a million kilometres!
