The Chevy Tahoe: The Best SUV on the Market

The number of SUVs on the road these days are staggering. Just look around – we guarantee that if there’s not an SUV parked in your driveway, at least one of your neighbors owns one. In fact, SUVs have become so popular and so varied that there are now several classes of SUVs: subcompact, compact, mid-size, crossover, luxury… it’s no wonder that people dread car shopping – it’s overwhelming to be faced with so many decisions (and pricey decisions at that!). How are you supposed to know which SUV is the best SUV for you?

Well, one place to start is by looking at accolades. For instance, if you’re interested in the SUV that was named the most dependable large SUV by J.D. Power & Associates, one of the twelve best family cars by Kelley Blue Book, the best large SUV for Families by U.S. News & World Report, and given KBB’s  5-year cost to own and best resale value awards – and is also part of the most awarded car company three years in a row – then you’re looking at the Chevy Tahoe. Keep on reading to find out why the Chevy Tahoe is one of the best SUVs on the market.

Powerful Performance

The 2017 Chevy Tahoe is powered by a beastly 5.3-liter V8 that’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission to generate up to 355-horsepower and 383 pounds-feet of torque. The Tahoe is a workhorse of an SUV and its powerful engine coupled with rear-wheel drive gives the SUV a max towing capacity of 8,600 pounds. Opt for the four-wheel drive option and you don’t lose much in the way of towing as you can still tow up to 8,400 pounds. Want to hitch a boat, a trailer, or an RV to the Tahoe? You should be just fine.

The Tahoe is unquestionably a large SUV – it’s 6.2 feet tall, 17 feet long, and 6.7 feet wide (without taking the mirrors into account). You will know that you are in a big car when you’re trying to maneuver around parking lots and tight spaces, but that’s only because of the size, not the handling. The Tahoe is actually a smooth ride with pretty good pickup as well. According to Edmunds, the “four-wheel-drive Tahoe in Premier trim accelerated to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, and a two-wheel-drive LT reached 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.” While it may not be best-in-class, those are still very respectable times for the large SUV class.

If you’re considering purchasing a large SUV, then you’ve already taken into account that you just aren’t going to find the same fuel economy that you would in a Toyota Prius. The Tahoe weighs more than 5,000 pounds, so it’s going to take some serious fuel to get it (and keep it) going. That said, the 2017 Chevy Tahoe gets pretty good fuel economy for an SUV of its proportions with an EPA-estimated 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. Believe it or not, those are better fuel economy estimates than you’ll find in most of the other class competitors.

Well-Appointed Interior

The eight-passenger 2017 Chevy Tahoe comes in three trim levels: LS, LT, and Premier. If you opt for the base model LS, you’ll be getting a nicely equipped Tahoe that comes standard with Bluetooth, five USB ports, a six-speaker sound system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, an eight-inch touchscreen, a 110-volt power outlet, 18-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, cruise control, a trailer hitch receiver with wiring harness, roof rails, tri-zone climate control, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, satellite radio, HD radio, an auxiliary input, remote start and the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment interface. Additionally, the Tahoe now comes standard with Chevy’s Teen Driver safety system. While that’s definitely pretty well-loaded for a base model, Tahoes also don’t come particularly cheap. The 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe LS has a starting MSRP of $47,125.

If you’re looking to splash out a little more, then you should move up one trim level to the LT. In the 2017 Chevy Tahoe LT, you’ll get luxuries like leather upholstery, a nine-speaker Bose audio system, heated front seats, a power liftgate, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic high beams, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and low-speed forward automatic braking. They say you can’t put a price on safety, but for all of these extras, you’ll be looking at a starting MSRP of $52,345.

Of course, if you just want to drive the best trim of the best SUV, then you’ve got to spring for the 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe in Premier. Go Premier and make all the neighbors jealous with your 10-speaker Bose premium surround-sound system, hands-free tailgate opener, fog lights, front parking sensors, keyless entry and ignition, heated second row seats, wireless charging pad, heated steering wheel, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, ventilated front seats, a real-time traffic navigation system, 12-way power front seats and Magnetic Ride Control suspension. One thing to be aware of is that the Premier trim swaps out the second row of seats for bucket seats, so you’ll reduce your passenger capacity down from eight to seven. The starting MSRP of the 2017 Chevy Tahoe in Premier is $62,030 – serious money for a seriously loaded large SUV.

Of course, there are also several packages that you can add to any of the trims if you feel the need to customize (or show off) your Tahoe further.

Smart Safety

The Tahoe is certainly a safe car, so you won’t have to worry about loading it down with your most precious cargo. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given the 2017 Chevy Tahoe four out of five stars for overall crash protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has yet to test the Tahoe.

One safety feature that is worth noting is the Rear Seat Reminder which comes standard in all trim levels of the Tahoe. The Rear Seat Reminder is a fantastic feature that reminds drivers that they may have an infant or an animal in the backseat. It may sound unnecessary, but according to GM “Thirty-nine children died from heatstroke [in 2016]  as result of being left in vehicles or gaining access to an unattended vehicle, a 60 percent increase over last year’s figure.” While this technology is great no matter which car you drive, it’s especially useful in a large three-row SUV, such as the Tahoe.

Test out a Tahoe

While the Tahoe may not be the cheapest SUV on the market, it certainly comes with everything you could possibly want in an SUV. If you’re in the market for a large SUV that can seat up to eight people without sacrificing performance, you should take the time to check out the 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe – after all, it may just be the best SUV out there.

2020 Update

The All-New 2021 Chevy Tahoe Looms Large on the Horizon

It’s been a few years since we took a good look at the Chevy Tahoe, and we thought it was about time we gave it another going over. We wondered, “How much can really change in just a few years?” The answer: almost everything! The upcoming 2021 Chevy Tahoe is not simply a minor update or slight revision; it’s a whole new generation with some of the most incredible features we’ve ever seen on an SUV, reminding us once again that it is the best SUV on the market.

A New Generation

When we last looked at the Chevy Tahoe, we were checking out the 2017 model, which was a fantastic example of what the fourth generation for the Tahoe had to offer. We saw powerful engines, a roomy interior, and terrific features inside in terms of both technology and comfort. It really did have everything we could ask from a large SUV, and yet, now, the Tahoe is going even further, with Chevrolet offering the best model we’ve ever seen.

The 2021 Chevy Tahoe is the first model for the all-new fifth-generation and will set the stage for what we expect from a large SUV for years to come. Alongside a new generation for the Suburban, the 2021 Chevy Tahoe has all of the features we could ask for, building on the legacy of the Tahoe name without trying to make it something it isn’t meant to be. That’s the key to a great transition into a new generation for a vehicle: keeping what works, building on it, and innovating in ways that get us excited to see new technology and features introduced.

Bigger than Ever Before

One of the biggest (pun intended) improvements we’ve seen on the 2021 Chevy Tahoe is an increase in overall size. Sometimes, when we see a new generation of a vehicle, the outside might have a new style to it, but in a lot of ways, it will look just like what we’ve seen before. And while the 2021 Tahoe still feels like its namesake, the larger size is not a slight or minor difference: it is significantly bigger than the Tahoe we looked at in 2017.

The 2020 Chevy Tahoe, which is part of the same generation as the one we checked out before, measures 204 inches in length and has a wheelbase of 116 inches. That was then, and the 2021 Chevy Tahoe is now. This new generation adds 6 inches to its length, making it one of the biggest SUVs on the market. The wheelbase has been extended to 120.9 inches while utilizing an independent rear multi-link suspension that allows the floor of the vehicle to be lower than before. What does all of this mean?

The net result of these design changes is an increase of 11 cu.ft. of cargo space behind the third row of seating inside the 2021 Chevy Tahoe. In addition to that, your passengers in the third row will enjoy up to 10 inches of additional legroom in the 2021 model. So Chevy didn’t just make the Tahoe bigger for the fun of it – they utilized that extra size to give you more room for your passengers and your cargo.

Powerful Engine Options

Although the engine in any vehicle is important, when you’re looking at something like a large SUV, it becomes even more so. You need an engine that is powerful enough to handle the size and weight of the 2021 Chevy Tahoe, to make driving it as fun as it should be. Fortunately, Chevrolet has really come through in this department and delivered some of the most impressive engines we’ve ever seen for a full-size SUV.

There is a 6.2L V8 engine available, which is no surprise since that’s currently available on the 2020 model. On the 2020 Tahoe, however, this engine is only available on the highest trim, while most models come with a 5.3L EcoTec3 V8 engine. Those are the only two engine choices for the fourth-generation Tahoe, but the all-new 2021 Chevy Tahoe takes things one step further.

On the 2021 model, you’ll be able to choose a 3.0L I6 Duramax diesel engine that is rated to provide up to 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Best of all, this diesel engine should be available on almost every trim for the Tahoe, so you can pick the features that work best for you, and still get the engine you want. Although a diesel engine isn’t right for everyone, having it as an option for a full-size SUV certainly has us excited, and we can’t wait to see how it feels to get the 2021 Chevy Tahoe out onto the road.

Amazing Technology Inside

Sometimes you’ll see a new generation of a vehicle and think to yourself, “Really? That’s it? That deserves a new generation?” But the 2021 Chevy Tahoe is not one of those times – in addition to being larger and giving you more room inside, with a new diesel engine, the all-new Tahoe has some of the best interior features we’ve ever seen. While some of these will be based on the trim you choose, there are plenty of improved standard features to get excited about with the new generation of the Tahoe.

One of the first things you’ll notice when you sit inside the 2021 Chevy Tahoe, in addition to the incredibly rich and luxurious interior details and styling, is the bold infotainment center. The all-new Tahoe has a 10-inch infotainment screen, which is standard on every model regardless of trim and substantially bigger than the current 8-inch display. There is also an available 9-camera viewing system to give you unbeatable views of the area around your vehicle, and 12-inch rear-seat displays are available to keep your passengers entertained on long road trips.

There is also an available 15-inch full-color head-up display that projects information onto the lower area of your windshield while you’re driving. This includes turn-by-turn directions from the Tahoe’s navigation system, safety alerts based on traffic around you, and your current speed and other information. So you can safely keep track of everything that’s going on, without taking your eyes off the road.

Six Trims to Choose From

We love seeing as many trims as possible offered on a vehicle because it makes it easy for our customers to get exactly what they want on a car, truck, or SUV. Currently, the 2020 Chevy Tahoe has just three trims available: the standard LS, the LT with additional features, and the luxurious Premier. This is fine, but there’s always room for improvement, and Chevrolet seems to agree.

There are six trims available for the 2021 Chevy Tahoe, starting with the LS, and then stepping up to the LT with some additional features. The Z71 is changing from an available package, as it currently is, to a fully fleshed out trim level with an off-road focus; similarly, the RST is going from a package to a trim with terrific style and functionality. While the Premier will remain as one of the nicest trims available, the High Country will be the top-of-the-line option for unbelievable comfort, luxury, and sophistication.

While we’re sure all of this sounds nice, you really need to see the 2021 Chevy Tahoe for yourself to fully appreciate it. Call or visit us at McCluskey Chevy today to learn more and see if the Tahoe is right for you.