You know how sometimes the planets just align and everything goes right? Kismet. That’s exactly what happened when we ordered our 2015 Tahoe. Somehow, uncharacteristically for us, we exercised almost unprecedented restraint on the order sheet. Rather than grabbing the shiny, pretty top-shelf LTZ model ($62,280 to start, $78,025 fully optioned!), we opted for a sensible mid-grade $51,950 LT and then added just $3,930 in very carefully selected options.
In another remarkable twist of fate, for once none of those options upsized the wheels. Our downright petite 18-inchers were wrapped in tall, 65-series, squooshy-sidewall tires that paid equally big dividends in ride quality and likely buzz/squeak/rattle abatement. Another surprisingly bold sacrifice: $3,000 worth of mass-, friction-, and inertia-adding four-wheel-drive. We figured we’d never need it in Southern California, and we ended up not needing it in Michigan, either, where a $745.20 set of Bridgestone Blizzaks got us through the deepest snow with no trouble. We’re told most of the Tahoes, Suburbans, and Yukons used for Metro Cars and Uber Black duty here in southeast Michigan are also rear-drivers, owing to their superior fuel economy.
This big red rig has proven the wisdom of saying ‘no’ to 4WD, 22s, rear entertainment, and other non-essential frippery.
On that front, our Tahoe aced its Real MPG test, scoring 15.9/22.6/18.4 mpg city/highway/combined—rounding to precisely the EPA’s 16/23/18 rating. And then, somehow the truck’s three different official chaperones and myriad photo-crew drivers managed to average 18.2 mpg over 36,685 miles in 15 months under conditions ranging from scorching deserts to frigid winters. That’s a strong testament to the efficiency of the cylinder-deactivating EcoTec3 5.3-liter small-block V-8 and two-wheel drive. (Expect even better results when the six-speed automatic gets upgraded to eight or 10 ratios.) Scanning our long-termer back catalog, the closest full-size competitors were all 4x4s, and their economy shows it: our 5.6-liter V-8 2011 Infiniti QX56 averaged 15.3 mpg, and the Tahoe’s Yukon forebear (5.3-liter, four-speed auto) managed just 13.9 mpg. A 2013 Mercedes GL350 BlueTec diesel averaged 21.1 mpg, which would save you about $200 in fuel over 36,000 miles of driving (using the national average prices for regular unleaded and diesel), but the AdBlue emissions-control fluid consumed over that period would cost considerably more than that. And if global warming is your fetish, the 16 percent fuel-economy savings with carbon-rich diesel boils down to just 1.3 percent CO2 savings.
Our Tahoe’s maintenance was dirty cheap—$142, thanks to Chevy’s complimentary scheduled maintenance, which covers the cost of scheduled oil and filter changes, tire rotations, and multipoint inspections during the first two years or 24,000 miles. (They don’t cover the $70 cost of a recommended cabin air filter change at 22,500 miles, so that’s included in our official tally.) But even if we’d paid retail for the first three stops, the total for the first four scheduled maintenance stops would have been $299.11, with a fifth $127 service coming due at 37,500 miles. That’s still a tiny fraction of the GL350’s $1,466.97, the QX56’s $686.00 (will this drop when the mechanically identical 2017 Nissan Armada arrives?), and even that 2007 Yukon’s $587.51 (adjusted from our 20,076-mile service life to 30,000 miles to match the others and to 2016 dollars). A final cost point worth noting: Our truck’s ALG projected three-year residual value of 49 percent is closing in on the Infiniti’s 52 percent and the Mercedes’ 54 percent—a huge improvement over our last-gen Yukon’s 42 percent. Oh, and had we opted for a base LS the residual would have been 50 percent.
OK, enough calculator play. What was it like to live with the Tahoe? Its high mileage accumulation attests to its popularity, and many staffers praised the ride quality of its non-magnetic suspension and tall tire sidewalls. Nobody expects a truck like this to corner like a Porsche Cayenne, and it doesn’t, but neither does it wallow, pitch, or roll much. It’s pretty well buttoned-down and gives plenty of warning when its limits of adhesion are impending, which builds driver confidence. Its interior has withstood the rigors of sharp photo-gear transport with minimal scarring, though a heavy cargo item managed to break a bezel that retains the handle for the far aft under-floor compartment. (Replacing the whole cargo lid would have cost us $359, so we epoxied it for free.) That compartment proved useful for carrying two trailer hitch ball mounts and their retainer pins, and the power-folding third-row seats were great for quickly converting from passenger to cargo hauling duties. Our Chevy dealers treated us well, always performing only the manufacturer-recommended services and returning the truck clean.
There’s virtually no better place in which to spend 11 hours traveling than the thrones of a big GM truck or ute with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot. The huge center console bin can hold lunch or laptops, and additional pockets on the doors and center console easily swallow all the stuff passengers surround themselves with on a road trip. Road and wind noise are well-hushed, the seats are supportive, there are plenty of places to plug in your arsenal of personal electronics, and the standard Bose premium audio sounds great. Fold all the seats, and there’s room for a full-size air mattress for secure onboard camping. Hitch up your camper, boat, snowmobiles, or quad-runners, engage tow-haul mode, and it’ll happily haul them to wherever the family fun is scheduled. Throw in remote start (from your cellphone app or fob), heating for the steering wheel and the front and middle-row seats (part of the $2,940 lux-pack), and winter tires, and you’ve got a perfect winter warrior.
Even with the cushier tires, spending more than 36,000 miles on dilapidated California and Michigan roads left the Tahoe with a few occasional creaks and groans, but no buzzes or rattles, and even NPR chatter at reasonable levels tended to drown them out. It’s no mystery why this vehicle (and its Suburban and Yukon brethren) account for three-quarters of the mainstream large-SUV market—they do the big jobs their owners assign them at a per-mile price that’s hard to beat. But order wisely for best results.
More on our long-term 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LT:
- Arrival
- Update 1: First Service and a Wonky Nav
- Update 2: The Electric Chair
- Update 3: Best Seats Available
- Update 4: Changing Gears
- Update 5: Moving to Michigan
- Update 6: Time to Tow
| Our Car | |
| SERVICE LIFE | 15 mo / 36,685 mi |
| BASE PRICE | $51,950 |
| OPTIONS | Luxury package ($2,940: passive entry, heated 2nd-row seats, front and rear park assist, side blind zone and lane departure alert), Crystal Red metallic paint ($495), Chevrolet MyLink audio system ($495) |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $55,880 |
| AVG ECON/CO2 | 18.2 mpg / 1.07 lb/mi |
| PROBLEM AREAS | OnStar module (GPS vehicle position inaccuracy) |
| MAINTENANCE COST | $142 (4-oil change, inspection, tire rotation; 1-cabin air filter) |
| NORMAL-WEAR COST | $0 |
| 3-YEAR RESIDUAL VALUE* | $27,381 |
| RECALLS | New interior fuse block decal |
| *Automotive Lease Guide data | |
| 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LT | |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS | |
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT | Front-engine, RWD |
| ENGINE TYPE | 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads |
| VALVETRAIN | OHV, 2 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT | 325.2 cu in/5,328cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 11.0:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) | 355 hp @ 5,600 rpm* |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) | 383 lb-ft @ 4,100 rpm* |
| REDLINE | 5,800 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER | 15.0 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO | 3.08:1/2.06:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR | Control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; live axle, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| STEERING RATIO | 17.3:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK | 3.4 |
| BRAKES, F;R | 13.0-in vented disc; 13.6-in vented disc, ABS |
| WHEELS | 8.5 x 18-in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES | 265/65R18 112T M+S Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max |
| DIMENSIONS | |
| WHEELBASE | 116.0 in |
| TRACK, F/R | 68.7/68.7 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 204.0 x 80.5 x 74.4 in |
| GROUND CLEARANCE | 7.9 in |
| APPRCH/DEPART ANGLE | 15.5/23.2 deg |
| TURNING CIRCLE | 39.0 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT | 5,338 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST., F/R | 50/50% |
| TOWING CAPACITY | 6,600 lb |
| SEATING CAPACITY | 8 |
| HEADROOM, F/M/R | 42.8/38.7/38.1 in |
| LEGROOM, F/M/R | 45.3/39.0/24.8 in |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R | 64.8/65.1/62.6 in |
| CARGO VOLUME BEH F/M/R | 94.7/51.6/15.3 cu ft |
| PAYLOAD CAPACITY | 1,762 lb |
| GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING | 7,100 lb |
| GROSS COMBINED WEIGHT RATING | 12,000 lb |
| TEST DATA | |
| ACCELERATION TO MPH | |
| 0-30 | 2.2 sec |
| 0-40 | 3.3 |
| 0-50 | 5.0 |
| 0-60 | 6.7 |
| 0-70 | 8.7 |
| 0-80 | 11.4 |
| 0-90 | 14.4 |
| 0-100 | 17.7 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH | 3.4 |
| QUARTER MILE | 15.1 sec @ 92.0 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 125 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.77 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 27.9 sec @ 0.72 g (avg) |
| TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH | 1,300 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO | |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL | Yes/yes |
| AIRBAGS | Dual front, front side, f/m/r curtain |
| BASIC WARRANTY | 3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY | 5 yrs/100,000 miles |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE | 5 yrs/100,000 miles |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 26.0 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON | 16/23/18 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY | 211/147 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 1.05 lb/mile |
| REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB | 15.9/22.6/18.4 mpg |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL | Unleaded regular |
| *SAE Certified | |
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Source: Motor Trend
