2012 Chevrolet Tahoe

Smooth, Quiet Ride
With its boxed frame, high-tech suspension and precise steering system - plus additional sound dampening - the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe offers a luxury-car-like ride.

Active Fuel Management
Helping you have your cake and eat it too; the 2012 Chevy Tahoe SUV's Active Fuel Management system, which cuts the operation of four cylinders when they are unneeded, enhances fuel economy.

The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe may be GM's least-expensive SUV, but its interior sure didn't get the memo. While it's true there are more hard plastic surfaces than we'd care for, given the Tahoe's vast interior expanse it's kind of hard to avoid. We like the seat sew patterns, the soft leather seating option and the elegant dash with its blue-backlit controls and white-backlit instruments with glowing red indicator needles. Accessing the Tahoe's third-row seats is made simple, either via the pass-through walkway between the available captain's chair seats, or by activating the power release fold-and-tumble mechanism on the second-row seats. Heated second-row seats are also available, as well as driver aides, such as sonar-based rear parking assist, rearview camera parking assist and a touch-screen-operated navigation system.

With its somewhat conservative but stylish slab sides, the brightest spot on the 2012 Chevy Tahoe SUV is its expressive twin-port split grille separated by a big gold Chevy "bow-tie" badge. The power-bulge hood and big wheel and tire combo (up to 20 inches in diameter) give the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV a substantial road presence, an attitude that becomes particularly CIA-like when covered in gloss black paint. The Tahoe's flush headlamps, smooth wrap-around bumper and lower air dam, and steeply-raked windshield all contribute to its low 0.363 coefficient of drag, a number that lets this big rolling brick of a vehicle slip through the wind almost like a streamlined jet.

Chevrolet has simplified the Tahoe's engine choices to just two: A 5.3-liter V8 with your choice of aluminum or cast-iron block. Both engines feature variable valve timing and can run on E85 (a blend of gasoline and 15 percent ethanol). They offer significant power and torque with very little penalty in fuel economy. When running on E85, however, fuel economy drops measurably, although both horsepower and torque see a modest increase. The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid has a 6.0-liter V8 attached to a 2-mode electric motor/generator transmission.


5.3-liter V8 FlexFuel, iron block
320 horsepower @ 5,400 rpm
326 horsepower @ 5,300 rpm (E85)
335 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
348 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm (E85)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/21 (2WD, gasoline), 11/16 (2WD, E85), 15/21 (4WD, gasoline), 11/16 (4WD, E85)

5.3-liter V8 FlexFuel, aluminum block
320 horsepower @ 5,400 rpm
326 horsepower @ 5,300 rpm (E85)
335 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
348 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm (E85)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/21 (2WD, gasoline), 11/16 (2WD, E85), 15/21 (4WD, gasoline), 11/16 (4WD, E85)

6.0-liter V8 Hybrid
332 horsepower @ 5,100 rpm
367 lb-ft of torque @ 4,100 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/23

The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe LS Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starts around $39,000, which includes a long list of standard equipment. The Hybrid Tahoe starts in the low-$50,000 range, with the top-of-the-line four-wheel-drive LTZ model starting slightly above that. We advise that you check the Fair Purchase Price on kbb.com to see the typical price consumers in your area are paying now for the 2012 Chevy Tahoe, to make sure you get the best deal. As the segment sales leader, the Tahoe offers good projected residual values, slightly better than those of the Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition and Nissan Armada, but below the values held by the Toyota Sequoia.

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