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A generously sized flat-top for making smashburgers, a light and grippy pair of trailrunners for a challenging hike, an upright beach cruiser for pedalling along a shoreside bike path—it makes a difference to have the right tool for the job. In a lot of driving situations, the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 would not be that tool. These full-size SUVs are enormous, thirsty, and ostentatious, yet we frequently see them carrying just a single occupant. But for a 1,400-mile road trip from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe that included traversing three national parks, tackling gnarly off-road terrain, and shuttling around an entire bachelor party, we can't think of a single vehicle that would have performed better than the Chevy Tahoe Z71.
It's shocking how well this behemoth drives. There's little to no play in the accurate, well-weighted steering, and although the heavy wheels clunked over large impacts, the Tahoe largely irons out minor road imperfections. The Z71 off-road package adds magnetic ride control dampers and air springs that effectively eliminate body roll, too. It makes for an SUV that's surprisingly at home on the mountain roads of northern California.
The Tahoe Z71 is exclusively offered with Chevrolet's 5.3-liter V-8 and 10-speed automatic transmission—you can't opt for the 6.2-liter V-8 or the 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-six. This engine sounds fantastic, delivering a throaty, naturally aspirated snarl you just won't find with the Ford Expedition's twin-turbo V-6. That said, with only 355 hp to motivate the Z71's nearly 6,000 pounds, the smaller V-8 is adequate but not exciting. (Come on, Chevy, give us the Z71 with the 6.2-liter and the diesel!)
This transmission deserves special praise. The 10-speed automatic (co-developed with Ford) is wonderfully tuned in this application, happily dropping three or four gears to get the V-8 spinning near its 4,100-rpm torque peak for ascending steep mountain roads throughout the Sierra Nevadas, including the stunning 9,943-foot Tioga Pass east of Yosemite. Heading down the pass, the 10-speed cleverly held revs around the 3,000-rpm mark to provide sufficient engine braking. The push-and-pull selectors for Park, Drive, and Neutral took some getting used to, but we didn't mind.
Another bragging point? If you find yourself nodding off on a long drive and don't want to chug coffee, you can just pull over and take a nap. With both rows of seats folded down—achieved via a pair of switches in the cargo area—the Tahoe provides a perfectly flat surface larger than a queen-size bed. Seriously. We slept in it one night camping, and the cabin was wide enough for two people taller than six feet to sleep with more than a foot between them, and long enough that we could fully extend our arms over our heads without touching the front seats.
One area that could use improvement is the Tahoe's driver-assist systems. It's a shame Chevrolet doesn't offer this car with GM's fantastic SuperCruise semi-autonomous driving system. In fact, you can't buy a Tahoe with any adaptive cruise control system. Lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert are included in the Z71 Off-Road package ($5,735), but the lane-keep system tends to bounce between the lines, and the forward collision alert seems overly sensitive. As for cruise control, the standard non-adaptive system is a bit troublesome. It will maintain speed on flat roads no problem, but it fails to brake the vehicle when coasting downhill. In one instance, we had the cruise set at 60 mph as the big Tahoe barrelled down a mountain at 72 mph.
"Somewhere between the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, we spotted a stretch of ""narrow, winding, and steep road"" that would take us to the firewatch tower at Buck Rock. Having rolled through Hungry Valley OHV park the day prior without challenge, we set out on our little detour assuming it would be no problem."
That was almost a big mistake. What we found on our way to Buck Rock was indeed narrow, winding, and steep. It was also littered with sharp rocks threatening to pierce the Tahoe's underbelly and multiple foot-high ledges just begging to rip off the front bumper or stop the Chevy in its tracks with no way to turn around. Scouting our route on foot, we saw rocks wearing the rubber of those who had come before us, and a pair of mountain bikers dismounting because the terrain was too difficult.
We selected the Z71's off-road drive mode, engaged 4WD low, and elevated to maximum ride height, affording our rig an impressive 10 inches of ground clearance. I crawled forward, heart racing, the truck nearly as wide as the trail itself.
As the Tahoe slowly made its way past the first obstacles, I learned to trust in the 34.9-degree approach angle that comes as a result of the Z71's trim-specific front bumper, realizing the machine could climb higher step-ups than I'd ever imagined. (For context, the most capable Ford Bronco Sport has a 30.4-dgree approach angle, and a Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro comes in at 33.0 degrees.)
That's not to say our ascent was without drama. Even with the powertrain and suspension in all the right settings, the Tahoe's 275/60 R20 Goodyear Wrangler TrailRunner AT tires scrambled for grip, leaving rubber marks on the rocks and spraying the silty trailbed into the air. Harder obstacles required a few tries and a disconcerting amount of throttle input, and there wasn't quite enough axle articulation to keep all four wheels on the ground at once. The Z71's nine high-def camera angles were supremely helpful off-road, but there's no way this Tahoe would have made it up the trail unscathed without a spotter directing us.
While we can think of one vehicle that could have driven the 700-mile journey up to Lake Tahoe with equivalent comfort and off-road capability (looking at you, Land Rover Defender), only the Tahoe could do all that and what came next. The reason for driving up north was to meet a bunch of old friends and throw a bachelor party for my college roommate.
A few of those fellas had rented a last-gen Nissan Pathfinder for the weekend but although that SUV has the same seven-passenger seating capacity of our Tahoe, the Chevy was far better at accommodating a crowd. We filled all the seats including three in the third row. A note on that third row: Even with three six-foot adults in the rearmost seat, no one's knees were crammed against the seatbacks. And the way-back bench is wide enough that their hips weren't even touching. One of my favorite things about cars is being able to share them with friends, and you can share the Tahoe with a whole lot of them.
The gang was impressed with the accommodations, as well as the rear entertainment system with twin 12.6-inch screens that's included in the $2,390 Rear Media and Nav package. Bose supplies a nine-speaker audio system that, although it's boomy with overboosted bass and mids (songs didn't sound quite right until we adjusted the bass to its lowest setting). Still, it provides a level of volume and punch strong enough to hype up even an exhausted, sunburned, post-hike crowd. Even at three quarters volume, there was no distortion.
The Z71's 360-degree-view camera earned oohs and ahs, too. But even with the cameras, parking such a large vehicle is a serious challenge—I would never recommend someone buy a Tahoe without them. Every time we pulled into a space, though, we had to swipe through the infotainment display to find the camera app. Give me a physical button on the steering wheel or the dash, please and thank you.
Our test vehicle rang in at a hefty $68,940 including the Z71 Off-Road package, Rear Media and Nav package, second-row bucket seats, and power sliding center console. After six days and 1,400 miles of highway driving, canyon carving, camping, off-roading, and shuttling an entire bachelor party around Lake Tahoe, we can say the Tahoe Z71 is absolutely worth it.
A great minivan could have carried the passengers, but couldn't tackle the trails or boogie in the mountains. A Cadillac Escalade or GMC Yukon might offer more luxury, but they lack the Z71's impressive approach angle and 10 inches of ground clearance. A Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class would have driven better and had more prestige, but its third row is cramped and difficult to access.
No vehicle could have made the trip this one did. It was the right tool for the job.
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