King of the Hill

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good Looking, Roomy, Interior Storage

Cons: Fuel Economy, Price w/ Options

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
A great all around vehicle with loads of interior space. This is the SUV that will get car people into SUVs - it's that good.

Author's Review
The Chevrolet Tahoe is still king. Lets face it, a Suburban is just too big, besides the only thing more cliché than driving around Southern California in a black SUV is…, well I guess there is nothing more cliché than that. SUV’s are so passé, and yet the Tahoe seems to have carved out a nice niche for itself in the world of full size family haulers.

At a recent press event, General Motors wanted members of the media to compare the Cadillac Escalade (which is based on the Chevy Tahoe) to the Lincoln Navigator. Granted, neither is going to win a beauty contest – both look as if they have just been exiled from a bad rap video. And yet once behind the wheel, it was painfully obvious how the Escalade was superior in almost every way. After this experience, I couldn’t help but think what a waste of money it would be to spend $50,000 on a truck. More than being impressed with the Escalade, I began to kindle a new appreciation for the Tahoe. If you could spend $12,000 less on a car, and yet get the same basic vehicle, wouldn’t you do it? I know I would. Sure, sure, many people may chose a Cadillac over a Chevrolet simply to impress others, but those folks have bigger issues than just not knowing what car to pick. Let them wallow in their “style over substance” world while the rest of us save some of our hard earned money.

Pricing for the Tahoe starts at a mere $27,000, but that figure is misleading. Equipped as most owners would want, a Tahoe can easily exceed the $35,000 mark. For your money you will get one of the quietest, smoothest, and most versatile SUVs at any price.

Inside the Tahoe are plenty of storage spaces and cubby holes to keep your life organized. A huge storage bin the center is most useful and will swallow a small purse as well as a fair number of CD’s. It also locks. Seats are comfortable, although I am not generally a big advocate of leather (it often feels too much like I just spent a thousand bucks for Vinyl), the leather seats in the Tahoe are softer and more comfortable than the cloth. Cloth seats in the Tahoe LS are rather grabby and cause the occupant to constantly re-adjust his or her pants, this is especially true when wearing shorts. Rear seats convert quickly and easily. The optional AM/FM stereo/ cassette / CD player sounds very good, although a few extra speakers would make it even better. Preset equalizer controls are a mixed bag, sometimes enhancing the sound quality while at other times seeming to do noting at all. Rear seat cup holder are a great idea, but are oddly placed. The LS package gives the passengers their own heat and A/C controls, this is great when traveling with kids. Overall the interior of the Tahoe is well thought out with gauges for most engine functions, and storage spaces galore.

On the road, the Tahoe is decidedly truck like, yet doesn’t suffer from the ill handling effects of being a truck. Unlike the more expensive Navigator, the Tahoe has little body roll in the corners. Handling is certainly not sports car like, but the Tahoe’s passengers will not get seasick like in some other truck based SUVs. Acceleration is somewhat leisurely, but when the pedal is really pushed the 5.3 liter V-8 comes to life, kicks the transmission down a notch, and responds with a pleasant exhaust rumble. OK, that little stunt probably cost $3 in gas, but it was worth it. Speaking of gas, fuel economy is HORRID in this sucker. Even the window sticker rates the Tahoe at a fossil fuel gulping 14 mpg city and 17 mpg highway – this is no Hyundai Accent. Chevrolet trucks have always had a little extra travel in the brake pedal. While the Tahoe is not as bad as other GM trucks, it still lacks the firm, high feeling you’d get from most cars.

Little has changed for the 2001 model year in the Chevrolet Tahoe and there is a good reason for that – don’t mess with success. The redesigned 2000 Tahoe was a 100 fold improvement over the 1999 which was very rough and sloppy by comparison. The Tahoe is at the top of its game and will remain so as long as gas prices don’t knock this king of the hill down.

If you are in the market for a Tahoe and want to save money, knock some of the options off. Items like a trailer hitch platform and wiring harness ($285) and 6-way power seats ($855) jack the price up so high that it is an easy jump to the $40,000 neighborhood - at that point you might as well spring for the LT and get what you really want.