Rental review - 2016 Chevy Tahoe

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
That is a low line rental, not even close to what is available to the public at a dealer. Likely even made to order to be extra cheap.

Regular Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Escalades etc. are a fantastic vehicle for those that can utilize their combination of truck capability combined with lots of passengers. Fantastic utility and flexibility, just like an Expedition, etc.

We have an older Yukon, it is still our "go to" vehicle when the whole family wants to go somewhere in one vehicle.


Originally Posted By: GMBoy

All the trucks are built the same, no difference for Rental or Fleet vehicles other than trim levels. Most Rentals and fleet orders are LT level trim which is a mid level.


So, I just checked. The trim-level for this vehicle is "Premier", making it a 2017, not 2016 like I thought it was. Base MSRP is $63,225.00 according to this:

Chevrolet - Build your own - Trim selector

So definitely far from low line; it is the highest trim level they offer.

Some additional pictures from today, after I realized I included no exterior pics:







That is impressive that a rental is a Premier. You are correct, that is the top trim level for Chevy Tahoe and Suburban for 2017 - it just replaced the LTZ from 2016 and earlier. I don't know why they did that but it is the same for cars too. Just when everybody knew LTZ was top trim - the change the name. Note - there are still a few options you can add to a Premier so they don't automatically have everything, just most of it.

 

[deanm11]

We are original owners of 2002 Tahoe, LS trim. Seats 9, not much too fancy about it but it does/did everything we want. I feel the entry trim level is the compelling choice, then and now. I see $10k off list on 2016s in LS trim that list for either side of 50k (4x4.) Pretty sure we will always have one too. Now that isn't getting as many miles, it may take some time before we replace it.. but I could see this one going 20yrs and the next one hopefully the same. I'm pretty sure that the only non-maintenance item we've had is a couple of starters. I keep up on the underside like every other year with POR-15 or just spray bomb over some of the rusty bits.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
So, whaddaya think of the seats?


Last October I bought a brand new 2016 Tahoe LT. After a week of getting it I drove it from Miami-NYC. The normally 24 run ended up being 32 hours because of gridlock in Virginia,Maryland and in New Jersey. Coming back the trip was 29 hours due to more issues in Virginia. IMHO the seats were very comfortable during the entire trip. The seats have awesome back support as after only 90 minutes in my Panthers I would be looking for a rest top for a break as my back would start hurting.

When I was in the NYC area I went out with a lot with friends in New Jersey. They were all amazed how comfortable the Tahoe was. One of my friends has a lot health issues and can barely walk and had zero issues getting in and out of the Tahoe. He said the Hoe was the easiest vehicle he ever got in and out of. He said he can barely get into and out of the Santa Fe he presently owns.

Got between 23-26 mpg on regular fuel. I leave the climate control on all the time as I hate riding with the windows down or cracked. I can run about 500 miles on a tank of fuel with it's 26 gallon gas tank. The Tahoe handled better then my previous vehicles which were 5.0 and 4.6 Panthers.

Since Ford stopped making the Town Car,Grand Marquis and Crown Vic [which were awesome vehicles] I had to find a replacement. Ford had nothing I wanted. I did NOT want Turbos so that knocked out the Expedition and Navigator. I did not like the Explorer with the 6 banger. Did not come across any other SUV'S out there I wanted even though there is a lot of others out there.

Before I bought the Tahoe I rented a 2016 Tahoe for several days and put close to 400 miles on it. I was very comfortable and had a very good ride for a SUV. I really was impressed with the interior. The 2016 rental had 40K miles on it. Enterprise was getting ready to retire it. I also rented a 2015 Suburban back in 2015. The Suburban was just as nice.

Cabin Technology in the Tahoe,Suburban,Yukon and Escalade seem to be ahead of the curve. Just IMHO..

Before a bought my Tahoe I spoke to at least a dozen owners of the 2015 and 2016 Tahoe and Suburban and none of them had anything negative to say about it.

The 5.3 V8 has more then enough power for me.

As far as Direct Injection goes...I know several people who own 2009 and up GM vehicles with DI with way over 100K miles on them and they have no issues with them.

Thanks to the projection headlights I can see really good when I come back from Key West late at night in the monsoon rain.

IMHO it is...

Pros everything

Cons nothing

I have no idea why anybody would want to buy a sedan anymore with the selection of all those sizes of SUV'S available these days. In most cases you need to be a contortionist to be able to get in and out of most sedans these days. Just IMHO.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
I have no idea why anybody would want to buy a sedan anymore with the selection of all those sizes of SUV'S available these days. In most cases you need to be a contortionist to be able to get in and out of most sedans these days. Just IMHO.


Parking. And purchasing.

Although I'm jealous of the 23-26mpg. I'm only getting 29 right now in my Camry. Hardly seems worth it at times.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
So, whaddaya think of the seats?


I don't think they match the price tag.


Let me elaborate on this:

The seats were very comfortable, and as another poster above noted, I could easily see myself sitting in them for a long drive without discomfort. While I may have not been a huge fan of the amount of bolstering, I'm not the sole target audience for this vehicle, so I must take that into account when reviewing, which I have.

However, two things:

1. At this price point, for this trim level, I would have expected (and I fully cede that others may disagree with my expectations citing them as unreasonable, and will acknowledge that here at the onset) a slightly higher grade of material. Why? Well, my reference point is, as I am sure would be the case for people in the market doing a test drive review, vehicles from other brands. The seat material in my wife's Durango has a similar feel to it, but hers is only the 2nd trim level up from base and carries a significantly lower price tag. Higher trim commands higher expectations. I voiced even greater dissatisfaction in the Expedition review I penned quite a while back, a vehicle whose seats I was wholly unsatisfied with.

2. The issue with the seat cooling. I'm not sure what's going on here, but we rent frequently and subsequently have had quite a few vehicles from this family. That includes the Escalade and the Suburban. All have had the cooled seat feature and this is the third one where I have witnessed issues with that feature. That is, in my opinion, unacceptable. This is a feature that works perfectly in the Durangos and Expeditions. It really causes me to take pause and question the long term reliability of something that is showing issues at such low mileage.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


2. The issue with the seat cooling. I'm not sure what's going on here, but we rent frequently and subsequently have had quite a few vehicles from this family. That includes the Escalade and the Suburban. All have had the cooled seat feature and this is the third one where I have witnessed issues with that feature. That is, in my opinion, unacceptable. This is a feature that works perfectly in the Durangos and Expeditions. It really causes me to take pause and question the long term reliability of something that is showing issues at such low mileage.


I finally tried my seat cooling for the first time yesterday while the temperature was in the upper 80's here. Worked perfectly. While I was in the NYC area the temperature got down to the low 30's with high winds. The heated seats also worked perfectly.

The cooling and heating system in the Tahoe is powerful enough to heat and cool a 7 room house. Plus it works quietly.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


2. The issue with the seat cooling. I'm not sure what's going on here, but we rent frequently and subsequently have had quite a few vehicles from this family. That includes the Escalade and the Suburban. All have had the cooled seat feature and this is the third one where I have witnessed issues with that feature. That is, in my opinion, unacceptable. This is a feature that works perfectly in the Durangos and Expeditions. It really causes me to take pause and question the long term reliability of something that is showing issues at such low mileage.


I finally tried my seat cooling for the first time yesterday while the temperature was in the upper 80's here. Worked perfectly. While I was in the NYC area the temperature got down to the low 30's with high winds. The heated seats also worked perfectly.

The cooling and heating system in the Tahoe is powerful enough to heat and cool a 7 room house. Plus it works quietly.


To clarify my issue with the seat cooling, please go back to the original post. It functioned quite well for a while until it suddenly got loud and started vibrating the seat. It was still working but I chose to shut it off because it was driving me nuts. No issues with the heat function or the main HVAC. On the Suburban (two of them) the vents that are in the back of the front seats, one of them would pop out when somebody sat in the passenger seat. The feature still works properly but the seat coming apart because the feature is present is hardly confidence inspiring.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

To clarify my issue with the seat cooling, please go back to the original post. It functioned quite well for a while until it suddenly got loud and started vibrating the seat. It was still working but I chose to shut it off because it was driving me nuts. No issues with the heat function or the main HVAC. On the Suburban (two of them) the vents that are in the back of the front seats, one of them would pop out when somebody sat in the passenger seat. The feature still works properly but the seat coming apart because the feature is present is hardly confidence inspiring.


OK my bad. Do not have the vibrating issue with the seat cooling in my Tahoe. I used the seat cooling in my rental 15 Suburban. No vibration in that one.