Chevrolet Tahoe vs. Ford Expedition: The Three-Row Throwdown

• The Chevrolet Tahoe is the benchmark for large SUVs, but the Ford Expedition has something to say about that.
• We compared the two SUVs to find out which is the better buy as a family hauler.

Interior escapades

The Chevy Tahoe was recently refreshed for the 2025 model year, and there are a few key changes inside. It now sports a new column-mounted shifter.  We prefer this to the old push-button shifter, and we're glad Chevy swapped things around, mostly because the column shifter is just downright easier to use. There is a mix of good and bad interior materials here, from leather seats to open-pore wood to plastic buttons that feel more at home in a rental-spec Tahoe from 10 years ago than an SUV that starts at around $65,000. 

While the Tahoe has the largest touchscreen in the segment (including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), we found it to be buggy at times. The system is easy to use and nicely configurable, but it seems like Chevy hasn't worked out all the kinks just yet.

Ford does a much better job with the Expedition's interior, at least when it comes to making it feel nice. There is a large digital gauge cluster that sits up on the dash near the windshield and a center touchscreen to handle most of the commands. It's a somewhat strange layout that mimics what we just tested in the new Lucid Gravity SUV. But Ford executes things well here and we like how easy to use the Expedition's tech is.

More importantly, the materials are all higher-quality with well-crafted leather, slim buttons and wood trim. Where plastic is used, it has a nice texture and doesn't look or feel cheap. The front row also feels more spacious than the Tahoe's, and the seats in the Expedition are more comfortable, too. Bonus points for the motorized center console that can slide backward to create more space for storing things.

The Ford also has a more comfortable second row, and while it's easy enough to get into the third row in both vehicles, the Expedition adds a reclining function to the third-row seats — so even those in the wayback row can get nice and comfy. You will find charging options and cupholders in the second and third rows in both vehicles and easy access to LATCH attachments for child seats. 

There might just be a replacement for displacement

Behind the wheel, we love the sound and feel of the 6.2-liter V8 in the Tahoe. Floor it and the nose rises up a bit, accompanied by quickness that will put a smile on the face of any young car enthusiast on board. It gets terrible gas mileage, but those looking for fuel economy can option a diesel powerplant in the Chevrolet for an EPA estimate of 24 mpg combined. 

The ride quality is good too, with the optional air suspension and magnetic dampers soaking up most of the bumps. However, the brakes feel kind of spongy, and the throttle can be a little jumpy at slower speeds. Super Cruise hands-free driving is available on the Tahoe but comes at an extra cost of $2,800.

The Expedition goes a different route with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 in standard or high-output form. As much as we love the Tahoe's V8, the forced induction here is a treat, with plenty of torque that seems to never end. It fares a bit better in terms of fuel economy than the Tahoe, but not by much. It’s tough to overcome physics as these are both essentially 6,000-pound boxes. If you want efficiency, you're looking at the wrong vehicles.

The Ford doesn’t have any air suspension, but it does have an adaptive suspension that manages to keep the big lady planted over undulations both big and small. The brakes feel strong and the steering is easy to manage. It's not a sports car by any stretch, but the Expedition is more refined and less truck-like in how it drives compared to the Tahoe.

Which one should you buy?

In today’s world, the Expedition and Tahoe are both expensive vehicles, even at their base prices. These two giants start between $60,000 and $65,000, and that's before we start adding on options. For this test, we selected higher-end Tahoe High Country and Expedition King Ranch models, which brought the prices way up. 

But the Expedition is a better value, checking in at $86,645 as-tested, while the Tahoe is an astonishing $93,130. Big money for big family SUVs. It's not just the lower price that works in the Expedition's favor, though. Going through our Edmunds Expert Rating system, the Ford scores a very good 7.7 out of 10. With its less elegant interior and inferior driving experience, the Tahoe gets a 6.2 out of 10. In this case, we think the Expedition is the better overall product for a multitude of reasons and the one you should buy for your family.