2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST review | Car Reviews

Auto123 reviews the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST.

Likelihood are that if you’ve at any time pushed wherever, watched any political drama, seen any rap video or had a seem at the livery car lineup at the airport, you’ve seen a Chevrolet Tahoe. It has grow to be a person of the most recognized motor vehicles on North American roadways – particularly parked just on the shoulder, with a press bar on the front – which is a feat for the reason that it is and has often been a pickup truck-primarily based, ladder-framed essential two-box condition. And till the latest design you see listed here came out, it’s had rather tame styling.

The Tahoe has legions of focused admirers, having said that, and these admirers have lent a amount of manufacturer equity to its name that you definitely just can’t buy or pay out for.

For 2021, even though, the Tahoe is all-new with a host of new features, the intention of which is to make this well known SUV even much more appealing to buyers.

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST, profile

The exterior
It commences with the styling – really, much more specially, it commences with that grille and these headlights. The headlights themselves are trim to the stage they really form of remind me of these on the Chevrolet Camaro, even though the DRLs are boomerang-formed, and in tandem with the grille the entire shebang is really shared with the Silverado 1500 pickup. The rear fascia, in the meantime, is dominated by substantial TAHOE scripting, which operates very well and is on-pattern when it comes to SUVs these days.

Other awesome aspects contain my tester’s 22-inch wheels (foundation Tahoes get eighteen-inchers twenty-in wheels are also obtainable). The correct design seen listed here is conventional on the RST, and they seem great.

There are also some awesome “Easter Egg”-type aspects as very well, this sort of as the Chevrolet scripting built-in into the remaining brake mild, even though the right mild assembly features a delicate Bowtie symbol. That tailgate, by the way, is a two-part affair in that you can either open up the full doorway, or just the rear window so you really don’t possibility shedding things on opening the hatch.

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST, inside

The inside
Inside, the truck’s RST trim means a black and purple (formally referred to as “Victory Red” – all right, then) leather-based. It is eye-catching to be positive, and it does form of deliver to thoughts much more functionality-oriented Chevys this sort of as the Camaro or Corvette, even if the “red” part of the equation doesn’t increase much previous some stitching.

The massive 10.two-inch infotainment display, in the meantime, is all aces and it’s appropriate with Android and wi-fi Apple CarPlay, which is right on and backed up by a significant wi-fi charge pad that looks huge ample for a pill, not just a smartphone. Chevy’s native interface isn’t too negative, even though I utilised CarPlay most of the time.

The gauge cluster is a little tame-on the lookout, but the TFT exhibit among the two most important gauges shows the most pertinent details succinctly and sharply, and can be quickly navigated with steering wheel buttons. Which, alongside with your cruise controls, voice activation controls and heated steering wheel button, is all you’ll come across on the uncluttered wheel.

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST, third row

For 2021, the third row has grow to be a little much more habitable many thanks to a different massive innovation for the ’21 Tahoe: unbiased rear suspension, a thing the Tahoe’s most important Ford Expedition competition has had for quite some time now.

The new suspension is packaged much more compact than the aged reliable-axle setup, so it doesn’t infringe as much into the cabin, producing for a lot easier loading and much more rear-seat legroom. The outcome is really a fairly usable third row many thanks to the place presented, as very well as features like two USB-C ports, cupholders and storage bins. The seat cushions are still a little on the skinny aspect but that is commonly the situation when it comes to three-row SUVs. They are also straightforward to obtain many thanks to a slide-and-tumble next row, as very well as the passage among the next-row captain’s chairs.

Not only does the new suspension make for much more area inside, it also tends to make for a much smoother ride. The Tahoe is still a physique-on-frame truck, but you really don’t get wherever near the shuddering by the chassis in excess of bumps that you utilised to. The bottom line is the ride in listed here is thoroughly luxurious-spec.

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST, motor

The powertrain
Although the massive new incorporate in the electrical power section for ’21 is the availability of a 3.0L Duramax diesel motor, which my tester featured. Which I do come across a little odd, given that the RST is the “sporty” edition of the Tahoe, and I really don’t automatically affiliate sporty with diesel.

Nonetheless, electrical power is rated at 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, but many thanks to a close-ratio 10-speed computerized transmission (your only selection for 2021), it feels almost much more potent than that. I under no circumstances identified myself wanting for much more electrical power, but even though commonly I’d say “if you want to tow, get the diesel” that is not so evident listed here. This version’s 7,600 lb. tow ranking isn’t that much much more than what’s sent by the five.3L gas V8, which you can also get in the RST.

Of class, given that it’s a torquey motor that reaches peak torque at a lowly one,500 RPM so coupled with that great transmission, I was capable to attain 6.2L/one hundred km on the freeway. That is darn spectacular for a two,500-kg three-row physique-on-frame SUV. Furthermore, it’s got a throaty growl that can help boost the sensation that this is a powertrain that will previous a superior, lengthy even though.

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST, three-quarters rear

The cost
It does occur at a bit of a charge, even though.

At its foundation, the RST commences at almost 70 grand for the five.3L V8 – about twenty grand much more than what the 2WD Tahoe commences at – so these gasoline financial savings shine that much brighter.

Then, of class, you start incorporating packages: $3,255 for the Luxury Deal that adds a electrical power-adjustable and auto-heated wheel, electrical power-folding next- and third-row seats, electrical power-adjustable mirrors and memory seat options, or the $695 max trailering package with its two-speed transfer situation, or the gloss black wheels (that is an eye-watering $four,a hundred sixty five much more, remember to), or the $two,865 rear media package, and so on. Before you know it, you are knocking on the doorway of $85,000 for your Tahoe RST, and it’s not even the highest trim.

The flip aspect of that, having said that, is that finished right, the RST is in a bit of a sweet spot in the lineup, particularly if you want your Tahoe to be a bit of a muscle truck. Just after all, it has the styling for that. Most are most likely going to choose for the Z71, but the RST presents a tarmac twist on the Tahoe that presents a powerful different to the Z71’s off-highway perspective.