cars news 10: 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LT Long-Term Update 4

By the time you, fair reader, er, read this, the Chevrolet Tahoe LT will have moved 2,300 miles northeast to its new home at the Motor Trend satellite office in Michigan. The eight-passenger, full-size, body-on-frame SUV will spend the later part of its life under technical director Frank Markus’ care. Our long-term 2015 Truck of the Year Chevrolet Colorado is coming out west from Michigan for its victory lap in rain-allergic Southern California after enduring Polar Vortex 2015. Former photography editor Julia LaPalme, now popping wheelies as an associate editor for Motorcyclist magazine, did the heavy lifting moving both Chevys across the U.S. Now it’s time to close out my obligations to the big Crystal Red Metallic Tahoe.

Markus will notice that the navigation system works perfectly (or it should still be working). This was not always the case when the Tahoe was in Cali. Early on when I first took over the SUV, the nav was in a vegetative state, the OnStar readiness indicator in the rearview mirror housing always lit red. The problem was diagnosed as a faulty OnStar module. It was replaced under warranty, but if you ever find yourself in this situation, don’t try and wait out the repair at the dealer. You’ll have to wait a few days for the part to come in the mail then earmark another full day for a total center stack disassembly to access and reinstall the module. The wait time was worth it in the end, unsurprisingly. The navigation map no longer erroneously locates the SUV in the Pacific Ocean, and the onboard Wi-Fi hot spot once again spreads the sweet, sweet 4G LTE love around.

By 23,330 miles, right before departing for the Wolverine State, the Tahoe had been serviced thrice—three oil changes, inspections, and tire rotations—under Chevrolet’s two-year/24,000-mile gratis maintenance program. The services have a street value of about $252 in SoCal.

At 18.1 mpg observed thus far — just 0.3 off its combined Real MPG rating — there’s only one word for the Tahoe’s fuel economy: acceptable.

The SUV has been mostly well-received thanks to its comfortable ride, helpfully large interior space, and handling responsiveness that’s pretty confident for a vehicle with a a 116-inch wheelbase and 74.4-inch height. Sore spots include creaky cabin trim pieces that will inevitably be more thoroughly tested in Michigan’s winter clime; an entry height not favorable to all members of the mobility challenged, even with the Tahoe’s standard side assist steps; and an automatic transmission whose time has come.

The six-speed tranny’s shortcomings, headlined by an inescapable feeling of lethargy as noted during our 2015 SUV of the Year deliberations, would likely be better tolerated if not for the corporate eight-speed unit waiting in the wings. Assuming identical tire size and rearend ratio (3.08:1 on this Tahoe) we’re looking at shorter steps between gears with the two additional cogs. According to my handy calculator of all items automotive, the eight-speed’s gear ratios would yield about 25 percent shorter steps throughout the spread. The benefits would be tremendous. The transmission would be more willing to downshift, and there’d be fewer significant aural cues and dramatic jumps in engine rpm accompanying the driver’s desire for a bit more (but not too much) acceleration. How do I know this? I got behind the wheel of a 2016 Silverado equipped with the 5.3-liter V-8 and eight-speed auto, and day-to-day traffic was an all-new experience.

More on our long-term Chevrolet Tahoe LT here: