Verdict
I’ve lengthy maintained that, on the earth of full-size SUVs, the Chevy Tahoe hits the candy spot for most individuals. If you think about its base value of $56,095 (that’s $54,200 for the truck and $1,895 supply and vacation spot juice), inside house for passengers and cargo, energy, and towing, the utility per greenback score is off the charts.
There are additionally loads of drivers who just like the 2023 Chevy Tahoe not for any sensible purpose a lot as, properly, it’s sort of a vibe. In case you grew up within the corn-fed areas of the higher midwest as I did, the Tahoe nameplate means one thing to you. And this fifth-gen model (GMT1UC if you wish to sound good) has the sq. jaw and towering street presence to attraction to long-time Chevy patrons.
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Every little thing about this high-spec Tahoe RST Efficiency – a stealthily rolled out trim for the ‘23 mannequin yr – performs up that ethos properly. Although it’s not evident simply by the trim identify “Efficiency” right here signifies that the SUV comes packing many of the finest stuff from the Tahoe Police Pursuit Automobile (PPV) that’s bought on to regulation enforcement companies. (Okay, you don’t get the lights and sirens, however it’s nonetheless fairly cool.)
On the danger of sounding like your annoying uncle quoting The Blues Brothers, the spec sheet does learn uncannily near Akroyd’s most well-known traces: police-spec springs, retuned dampers, police-spec chassis calibrations, and police-spec lowered experience peak (down 0.4 inch within the entrance and 0.8 on the again). The Efficiency truck additionally will get a Brembo braking bundle with rotors upsized 25 % within the entrance, and 275-section Firestone Firehawk Pursuit tires strapped round 20-inch wheels.
So, it’s a Camaro that may tow a ship, proper? Not precisely. On the freeway, the extra stiffly sprung Tahoe confirmed me quite a bit much less brake dive when coming down from pace, and the general dealing with traits on my curvey drive route felt nice for a GMT product… however you’re not going to confuse this for a Cayenne S.
That mentioned, the 6.2-liter V8 engine is a gem. The Efficiency bundle ups the horsepower from 420 to 433 and the torque from 460 pound-feet to 467 – not sufficient to note a dramatic distinction however loads to offer you bragging rights. The engine sounds superb while you step on the throttle, and the attending to 60 miles per hour in a Chevy-estimated 5.8 seconds is each plausible and depraved enjoyable.
In fact the worth to play cop does undercut Tahoe’s innate worth proposition considerably. The RST Efficiency Version bundle (solely accessible on 4×4 variations) is labeled as a $8,875 choice group, however Chevy forces you to bundle within the Luxurious and Driver Alert packs as properly, making the entire invoice $11,370 for an MSRP of $79,060 all-in. That value isn’t a deal-breaker the high-dollar panorama of at present’s massive SUV phase, however can I at the least get a coupon for a light-weight bar?