Our Long-Term Chevy Tahoe Rides Off Into the Sunset

• We spent over a year with a 2022 Chevy Tahoe that we purchased with our own money.
• We added over 38,000 miles to the odometer, partly thanks to epic cross country-road trips.
• Here's what we will and won't miss now that the big guy is gone.

Interior space is a highlight

Say what you will about the Tahoe's seat and ride comfort (and boy, did our editors have differing opinions), one aspect was universally praised: the size and usability of the Tahoe's passenger cabin.

"The Chevy Tahoe is definitely a behemoth, which means it doesn't skimp on size," says Jodi Tourkow, senior director of written content. "There's ample cabin space, and the second-row captain's chairs made it easy for adults to access the third row. Everyone [in my group] had ample legroom — even the passengers in the way back. So whether you are 5-foot-2 or 6-foot-2, you don't have to worry about being the first to call 'shotgun.' You will be comfortable in any seat."

Supervising producer John Adolph noted his experience loading the Tahoe with little ones. "Need space for two kids and their awkward-to-handle-and-adjust car seats? Tahoe's got you covered. After loading and anchoring, I walked away thinking, 'That was insanely easy.' No stooping over or playing Tetris to get 'em in, and plenty of round-the-back space to adjust and tighten without playing backseat twister."

Cargo area is hit-or-miss

Reviews of the cargo area were more mixed. Video content manager Will Kaufman writes, "With all the seats folded, the cargo space is massive, but it's kind of a pain to use it all. The load floor is just above my hip point, so when I needed to scoot a box all the way back I had to jump up and crawl in. Just a couple inches lower so I could just sort of sit and scoot and it would have been so much easier."

Senior manager of written content Brent Romans rebuts, "I'll add on to what Will said about our Tahoe's cargo space. I agree that it is a bit of a challenge to load heavy items because of the high cargo floor relative to those found in three-row crossover SUVs (a Honda Pilot, for example). But the appeal of a big and boxy cargo area shouldn't be dismissed. I used our Tahoe for a family road trip during the holidays and found that, with the third row folded down, there was plenty of space for our luggage and gifts. (Chevy lists it at 72.6 cubes of space.) That's more than twice the amount of space in the back of a Chevy Equinox."

Infotainment system is a little wonky

The Tahoe is loaded with GM's latest infotainment system, with an interface that leans heavily on Google-powered applications (it's called Google built-in).

Brent offers his opinion: "I've tinkered around with Google built-in and found it to be interesting but not game-changing. Many of its features mirror those that are already on a smartphone. As such, I'm not sure how much Google built-in really adds if you're already plugging in your phone through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. I tried using the voice assistant feature for a few things. Some worked for me ('Set the temperature to 74 degrees') but others didn't ('Turn the driver seat heater on')."

Senior director of video content Brendan Thomas had a difficult time with smartphone integration. "For the life of me, I could not connect my cellphone to Bluetooth in the Tahoe. I followed instructions numerous times but had zero luck. I was able to connect my mobile phone to Apple CarPlay. However, the connection was spotty.

"Additionally, the user interface was a bit clunky. Besides not being able to connect my phone to the infotainment system unless parked, it was a bit slow and CarPlay would freeze at times."

Yeah, it's thirsty

A big truck plus a sizable V8 is never a recipe for success, but even with that in mind, our observed fuel economy was a little disappointing. The Tahoe is rated at 17 mpg in the EPA's combined cycle (15 city/20 highway), but not every Tahoe is created equal. Not every trim level needs to be evaluated by the EPA's standards, and the Z71 has all-terrain tires and a skid plate — rather than an air dam — on the lower front fascia. Both inherently make the Tahoe Z71 less efficient, and our 15.6 mpg average bears this out. Even after vehicle operations associate director Mike Schmidt's epic cross-country road trip that accounted for 7,600 miles on its own, the Tahoe eked out an overall average just above the city rating.

Service costs

The Tahoe required four service visits during its tenure, with the first provided free of charge by Chevy. The other three totaled $969.64 and primarily consisted of oil changes, engine and cabin air filters, and tire rotations.

Edmunds says

We're sad to see the big lug go, but with over 38,000 miles on the odometer, our time with the long-term Chevy Tahoe was well-spent.