To think the Tahoe is merely the XXL version of the XXXL Suburban is mind-boggling. Trying to get this big mountain of an SUV

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into a camera lens can be tough enough, but doing likewise for a clean shot of a Suburban would require a number of large paces rearward and quite possibly a wide-angle lens upgrade for the camera.

This is why the Tahoe is most large SUV buyers’ first choice, at least amongst bowtie models. The Suburban deserves our utmost respect because it’s the octogenarian of the General’s full-size SUV family, the great grandpa of the bunch, having been redesigned 12 times since inception in 1933 – yes you read that right. The Tahoe is a mere whippersnapper in comparison, just 20 years old and only on its fourth generation, but GMC’s Yukon clearly outsells Chevy’s alternative while the long-wheelbase Yukon XL almost doubled the Suburban’s total last year.

What

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these two sets of fraternal twins do to the rest of the mainstream industry’s full-size truck-based SUVs is downright mean-spirited, the Tahoe singlehandedly blasting Ford’s Expedition and long-wheelbase Expedition Max right off the sales chart, never mind with any help from big old gramps. Altogether GM’s four body-on-frame SUVs accounted for more than 6,500 Canadian sales in 2014, a total that was almost four times greater than the two Expedition models combined, while Toyota’s Sequoia was outsold nine times over and Nissan’s Armada by a shocking 14 times. There are others that might be deemed competitors, but they’re offered by premium luxury brands and therefore compete more directly with Cadillac’s Escalade, also based on Tahoe/Yukon underpinnings.

If

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you’re still thinking that these numbers are insignificant overall, or if you’re of the belief that large truck-based SUVs are anachronistic beasts of past burdens and tiny city cars are what Canadians really want, consider for a moment that four times as many new vehicle buyers purchased one of these fantastic four than Chevy’s thrifty little Spark sub-subcompact last year, while this quartet of GM SUVs also outsold the Fiat 500, Mini Cooper, Smart Fortwo, and Scion iQ, not to mention all Mini, Smart and Scion brand sales completely. Big SUVs are far from dead. Rather, BIG business is booming in the auto sector, and GM leads the way.

This

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is good news for the General, as big SUVs mean big profits. The Tahoe’s base price is a hefty $50,900 plus $1,795 for freight and pre-delivery prep, and if you want yours with four-wheel drive it’ll set you back $55,895. Add freight to that latter tally and you’re fast approaching $60k, and we haven’t even included any options yet. With the outgoing base Tahoe all you got for your fifty-to-sixty large was the swagger of a plainclothes police cruiser and formidable size, but along with some unique styling updates that really set the 2015 Tahoe apart from the Yukon and anything else on the road, specifically its unorthodox scalloped headlights, a love it or hate it design element, the new 2015 model adds a 100-percent love it interior.

Chevy’s

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swathed many of the Tahoe’s cabin surfaces with oh-so-nice soft leather-like padded and stitched synthetics befitting an SUV that not only starts at $50k but stretched past $75k for my Crystal Red Tintcoat painted LTZ tester. And that’s not even fully loaded. Add on all the options available for the Tahoe LTZ and you’ll quickly pass $80,000 before adding on freight charges, but you’ll be driving a full-size ute fit for a prince – we’ll leave the GMC Yukon Denali for kings, queens and other magistrates, and Cadillac’s new Escalade for any of Bay and Wall Streets’ top money managers, as well as real estate developers and government contractors, where true power lies.

The LTZ isn’t without its fair share of power, mind you. Behind its less assuming grille is a lot of V8 hustle, although not as much as the standard mill in the Yukon Denali

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or Escalade. That big 6.2-litre V8 would be a nice option but alas its 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque are exclusive to the upper-half of the world’s top one-percent, the Tahoe’s 5.3-litre V8 making do with 355 horsepower and 382 lb-ft of torque. The larger engine also comes mated to an eight-speed automatic, two cogs more efficient than the Tahoe’s six-speed automatic. The latter is smooth and seems to work effortlessly behind the scenes, a nice match to the 5.3’s performance. I certainly never felt hard done by with this powertrain combination, and with a claimed rating of 15.1 L/100km in the city, 10.4 on the highway and 13.0 combined I wasn’t exactly stomping my foot down on the accelerator every time I left the stoplight as it was, and would have been even more conservative with the larger engine. The rear-drive Tahoe does a little better with a 14.9 city, 10.1 highway and 12.7 rating, but I’m going to guess the majority of Canadians order their rigs with four-wheel drive.

Either

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way, the Tahoe’s mileage isn’t all that bad compared to rivals, thanks in part to the engine’s cylinder-deactivating Active Fuel Management system. Competitors in mind, the regular wheelbase version of the Ford Expedition I mentioned earlier can only manage 16.2 city, 11.8 highway and 14.2 combined, and that’s with its new 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 that I’ll be testing soon, and what about the comparatively slow selling Sequoia? Ugh! At 18.8 city, 14.0 highway and 16.6 combined I was forced to go a lot lighter on the throttle when driving the latest 2015 model recently, while the Armada sucks back a whopping 19.2 L/100km in the city, although its 13.4 highway rating makes its combined mileage of 16.5 a hair more efficient than the Sequoia. Just the same, the Tahoe 4WD’s 13.0 L/100km combined rating makes it look like a hybrid right about now, don’t you think?

If

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the Tahoe couldn’t pull away from stoplights like the police pursuit vehicle it is (that in mind it’s pretty obvious cops don’t pay for their own gas), wasn’t able to tow up to 3,856 kilos (8,500 lbs) – 3,765 kg (8,300 lbs) in 4×4 trim – and haul a payload of up to 813 kilograms (1,792 lbs) – 796 kg (1,755 lbs) with 4WD – (and do so with grace and composure thanks to 50 percent greater torsional rigidity than the previous model as well as grade braking and tow/haul mode, plus an optional trailer brake controller and hill-hold feature when fitted with the towing package) then its great fuel economy wouldn’t be worth a pound of pennies (unless of course you’ve got a pound of 1944 Steel Wheat US pennies and 1943 Copper Wheat pennies, which are worth about $100k apiece). My point is that the Tahoe lets you have your cake

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and eat it too, delivering great efficiency without giving up much in performance to its main competitors.

What’s more, it’s ride is exemplary and handling pretty decent for such a big rig. A good ride is nothing new for a GM product, and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the new Tahoe’s compliant yet firm grip of the road. When you take in the Tahoe’s 2,515-kilo (5,545-lb) mass its road-holding capability is quite shocking actually. All that weight seems to keep its tires planted squarely within its lane amid corners, no doubt helped along by its full array of standard electronic driving aids such as traction and stability control and my LTZ model’s standard magnetic ride control suspension with road-sensing, electronically controlled shock absorbers, all making

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sure its tail remains in place even on wet road surfaces. I’ve driven Tahoes in truly inclement weather and they’re ideally suited to the task, fabulous at tracking along snow-strewn highways where that aforementioned weight creates its own path even when slush buildup might otherwise pull at the tires and commensurately tug on the steering of lesser vehicles. The Tahoe is a bull. It just plows right through everything, nobody inside the wiser other than its calm, cool, smiling driver.

There are a lot of other reasons to like big SUVs and the Tahoe in particular. Along with that imposing size, which incidentally measures 5,182 millimeters (204.0 inches) in length with a 2,946-mm (116-inch) wheelbase, 2,045 mm (80.5 inches) in width and 1,890 mm (74.4 inches) tall, allows for near minivan-like roominess in the passenger compartment. The two up front have plenty of room to move around

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no matter their size, while second-row occupants are treated to limousine-like legroom and more hip, shoulder and headroom than they’ll likely experience in a Town Car. A third row allows generous space for three more adults, a total of seven capable of riding comfortably over long distances, or a maximum of eight when the optional second-row bench seat is ordered.

All the while a mid-size car’s trunk-load of gear can be stowed behind the third row, 433 litres (15.3 cubic feet) to be exact, while 1,461 litres (51.6 cubic feet) can

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be made available if you drop that third row into the cargo floor, which was a power-release process in my LTZ model. Power all the seatbacks down and there’s a total of 2,682 litres (94.7 cubic feet) of gear-toting capacity at your beck and call, not as much as a minivan but a lot more than most SUVs. And remember, if you need more room there’s always the Suburban with its 1,102 litres (38.9 cubic feet) of cargo volume when all seats are in use, 2,172 litres (76.7 cubic feet) behind the second row and 3,430 litres (121.1 cubic feet) when all rear seats are laid flat.

I’ve mentioned LTZ enough times that you’re probably wondering what else comes with this top trim level and what additional trims are available. Base models are dubbed LS, while mid-grade Tahoes get the LT designation; LTZ left for top of the line as stated. The LS gets everything you might expect in a base model

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vehicle, although for $50k my expectations are somewhat higher than if it started at $30k. For instance, it will make you feel as if you’re riding high with standard features like the 10-way powered driver’s seat with two-way lumbar adjustment, leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, heated power-adjustable body-coloured side mirrors, great looking primary gauge package with an integrated multifunction information display, intermittent rain-sensing wipers, rear parking sonar, backup camera system, tri-zone automatic climate control, six-speaker audio system with AM/FM/CD/MP3 and satellite capability plus aux jack, two USB ports, and SD card reader, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, three-prong 110-volt power outlet and five 12-volt outlets, but you might have expected standard leather upholstery with heated front seats for the price point, or at the very least telescopic steering to go along with its standard tilting column.

For

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telescopic steering and leather appointed seats that are heated up front you’ll need to upgrade to the Tahoe LT, which starts at $58,700 in rear-drive or $63,695 with four-wheel drive. Additional features include an auto-dimming rearview mirror, power adjustable pedals, a 10-way powered passenger seat with two-way lumbar adjustment (yes, the base LS has a six-way manually adjustable front passenger’s seat), two-position driver seat and power-adjustable pedal memory, a universal home remote, a nine-speaker Bose audio upgrade with a subwoofer in the centre console, OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot capability, the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system with an eight-inch colour touchscreen display, three more USB ports, Bluetooth streaming audio and voice activation, plus a powered liftgate, lane departure warning, forward collision alert, and to warn you of a potential problem,

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a Safety Alert driver seat that vibrates when it wants your attention.

Previously mentioned standard LTZ features aside, additional standard kit on this model include fog lamps, HID headlamps, power-folding side mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators, ground illumination and driver-side auto-dimming, body-colour side mouldings, a chromed roof rack, 20-inch polished aluminum alloys on 275/55R20 all-season tires, chrome assist steps replacing the standard black ones, proximity sensing access with pushbutton ignition, a heated steering wheel, power-adjustable steering column, additional memory functions for the side mirrors and steering wheel, perforated leather upholstery, 12-way driver and front passenger seats with four-way powered lumbar adjusters, heated and

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cooled front seat cushions, heated second-row outboard seats, 10-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound premium audio, navigation and SiriusXM NavTraffic, wireless peripheral charging, and front parking sonar, plus the second-row bucket seats with the powered release feature I mentioned earlier, as well as the aforementioned 60/40-split power-folding third-row bench.

LTZ options that were on my tester included a handy set of $1,920 power retractable assist steps with perimeter lighting and a $1,325 powered tilt and slide glass sunroof (no panoramic sunroof is available), while additional options that could have otherwise been added include adaptive cruise control with Crash Imminent Braking, a rear seat entertainment system, various sets of 22-inch alloys with 285/45R22 all-season tires, and the Z71 Off-Road Package.

On

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that note, simply buying a Tahoe with four-wheel drive doesn’t mean you’re set to go bushwhacking. It’s fine for getting to the ski hill or light-duty 4x4ing to the summer cottage, but nothing serious. Fortunately all you need to do is check off the “2-Speed Electronic Autotrac Transfer Case” option, which for a mere $125 (ridiculously inexpensive for what you get) adds a two-speed transfer case with low-range gearing, a nice big rotary controller located to the left of the steering column, which incidentally includes a neutral position for dinghy towing. LT and LTZ trims come standard with a locking rear differential, so keep that in mind when outfitting your Tahoe for off-road adventures. My Tahoe LTZ had the Autotrac upgrade

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installed, and while I tested it for ease of use I wasn’t able to get out on the trail this time around. Previous experiences with Tahoes off the beaten path have made me a believer, however, so I’m guessing this new much more rigid model should be an even better 4×4.

As equipped my Tahoe LTZ tester was an impressive SUV that borders on premium, but items like fabric-wrapped pillars and real wood interior trim are left for Cadillac Escalade buyers to enjoy. A few problems I experienced included HVAC switchgear that was a tad wiggly, the infotainment system’s cool powered interface (which when raised up reveals a large cubby in behind featuring a lone USB plug) not lining up at its top edge, and some digital dysfunction on the infotainment screen itself. Generally speaking Chevy’s MyLink system is good and fairly

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easy to use, but it glitched out amid functions a few times, which is highly unusual and likely specific to this particular example.

All in all the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ is a full-size SUV worthy of your attention despite its high price. It comes pretty close to delivering premium level luxury while maintaining the approachably understated persona of the bowtie brand, much more conducive to making locals agreeable when pulling up at small town gas bars – they’re usually not as open and talkative to those driving full-size Infiniti and Lexus SUVs, which means you’re more likely to find out about the best fishing holes when arriving in a Tahoe. All the while you’ll be enjoying the best fuel economy in the full-size SUV class, something to consider now that fuel prices are now right back where they started despite January’s significant drop in oil prices (at least in Vancouver, which is saddled with the highest gasoline prices in all of North America). I doubt this issue will cause buyers to forgo their love of big SUVs, mind you, as I’m still seeing a lot more new Tahoes on the road than tiny little city cars.
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