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We Bought a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe

We managed to avoid mega markups but still paid $71,000

2022 Chevrolet Tahoe front three-quarters view
  • written by
    Associate Director, Vehicle Operations
    Mike Schmidt has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. He has written nearly a thousand car-related articles and has been responsible for the upkeep of countless test fleet vehicles over the course of his career. Mike is associate director, vehicle operations at Edmunds and got his start working behind the scenes on the car manufacturer side of the business. Mike spent many a weekend working on the family car with his dad and was promoted from flashlight holder to tool gopher at a young age. He's had an appreciation of cars ever since.
  • We bought a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe in the off-road-ready Z71 trim.
  • We spent just over $71,000, which included a $2,000 dealer markup.
  • This SUV fills the three-row family hauler void in our long-term test fleet.

Back in March 2022 we said goodbye to the most family-friendly vehicle in our long-term fleet, the 2021 Toyota Sienna. We opted against another minivan or a midsize SUV, setting our sights on a car we hadn't seen in our fleet for years: the classic truck-based SUV. These vehicles typically have a larger third row than a midsize SUV, towing capability beyond most crossovers, and true four-wheel drive. The search began to purchase our top-rated large SUV, a Chevrolet Suburban.

We had a realization just one day into the hunt: Dealer inventory shortages are a real thing, and substantial dealer markups meant a Suburban wasn't going to work into our budget like we wanted. That didn't slow our head of steam as we pivoted ever-so-slightly to the Tahoe. Heck, it's just a smaller version of the 'Burb and still one of our highly rated SUVs. And the market for a Tahoe was also more agreeable with our bottom line.

2022 Chevrolet Tahoe interior

Within a few days of wading through Tahoes that were still in transit, Tahoes that were the wrong trim level, and Tahoes with exorbitant markups, we found a match. It was a Z71 trim, with midlevel interior features, skid plates, a raked front bumper, low-range 4x4 and all-terrain tires. The Luxury package ($2,525) added comfort features like heated seats for the second row, power-folding seats in the third row, a 360-degree camera and a blind-spot warning system This example also had the panoramic sunroof ($1,500) stretching nearly to the third row and center-row bucket seats ($370). Before dealer inventory premiums, MSRP including destination was $69,090. After negotiations, the total cost for our Ash Metallic Tahoe Z71 was $71,049.

Why we got it

It's been a long time since our long-term test fleet has sampled a vehicle from the full-size SUV segment. With this test, we hope to speak to those with growing families who aren't willing to go the minivan route. And for those households that need a little extra space day-to-day, need to hitch up the boat, or perhaps traverse muddy or snowy roadways. Or maybe you just prefer a tall ride height and throaty V8. The Tahoe is seemingly the solution to all these situations, and that's why we bought one. Is this a viable alternative to the expanding field of midsize SUVs? Is the fuel economy disadvantage bearable? We have a lot of questions to answer and a full year ahead of us.

2022 Chevrolet Tahoe rear

Edmunds says

We will be on the road every day in our new Tahoe. So check in on Edmunds' 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe long-term test page for the latest updates.

Mike Schmidtby

Mike Schmidt has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. He has written nearly a thousand car-related articles and has been responsible for the upkeep of countless test fleet vehicles over the course of his career. Mike is associate director, vehicle operations at Edmunds and got his start working behind the scenes on the car manufacturer side of the business. Mike spent many a weekend working on the family car with his dad and was promoted from flashlight holder to tool gopher at a young age. He's had an appreciation of cars ever since.

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