On more than one occasion, I have wondered: What is Chevy? What’s their identity? What are they even doing that GMC, Buick, or GMC, or Cadillac, or GMC, or maybe GMC aren’t doing significantly better? The 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe is the first really compelling answer I’ve seen to that question in a long time.
General Motors is and has always been famous and infamous for its badge-engineering and platform-sharing long before everyone else started doing it. With the notable exception of the Corvette, which is now largely removed from the rest of GM, there is and has always been multiple versions of what are effectively the same car or truck at your local GM dealer. Think Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire; Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon.
In the case of the Tahoe and Yukon, they are the same trucks at their core. They share their bones and components, like the accomplished chassis and the venerable-ish 6.2-litre V8. But, unlike what was the status quo years ago, they’re now more different than just headlights and badges. GM has gone to some lengths giving these trucks different identities, instead of just making the GMC the same-but-nicer version.
What’s new for 2025?
Both the GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe/Suburban have been subject to updates for 2025. I think Chevy is the more handsome of the two, with its smaller, tidier LED lighting elements and less-huge-but-still-beef-tacular grille. Our Cypress Grey (which is actually quite green) Z71 Off-Road tester looks especially rugged with its bespoke front bumper and chunky Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires wrapped around 20-inch machined-face wheels.
Style is always a matter of taste, but my taste vastly prefers the new dashboard layout of this Tahoe. It’s the same as we’ve seen in every other recent Chevy, with a digital gauge cluster leading into a wide, tapered-edge touchscreen spanning across the dash. A large volume knob and shortcuts sit on top, and climate control knobs are on the bottom. Like the Yukon, the infotainment is now powered by Google’s Android Automotive software. This mean’s built-in Google Maps and even Google’s voice assistant. It actually works brilliantly.
What’s the new interior like?
It all works very well. The display is bright, crisp, and large enough across its 17.7-inch span that it’s easy to see and reach. It’s slickly animated and immediately responsive to inputs, with no hanging, waiting, or wondering if it registered what you poked. I personally prefer the Tahoe’s smoother, wide-format interpretation of this system; the Yukon’s blocky dash and portrait format made it feel a little too screen-centric to me, even if it’s the same very effective software. Unlike some Chevrolet products, this 2025 one does have wireless Apple CarPlay, too.
There’s piles of space front and back, charge ports for everyone, and plenty of space for storage. The seats are a touch on the flat side but comfortable enough for long hauls, and while this one doesn’t have SuperCruise, its adaptive cruise control system works well and will dutifully suit in long weekend traffic for you.
How does the new Tahoe drive?
When the traffic does clear up, the Tahoe rides and drives wonderfully. Our tester was equipped with height-adjustable air springs and GM’s still-genius Magnetic Ride Control adaptive shocks. When combined with new suspension calibration and rolling stock with generous sidewalls, the Tahoe (along with its GMC counterpart) stands out as one of the best-riding trucks I’ve experienced in a long time. The chunky Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires don’t seem to have any negative impact on comfort at all, or road noise for that matter. It’s exceptionally quiet in all conditions.
Not only does it ride lightly, the Tahoe is easy to drive. Its steering is softly weighted, but precise enough for you to place the truck confidently. It handles itself very effectively, as all that suspension trickery works just as hard to keep the huge body under control. And with 420 horsepower from its lovely V8 and expertly dialed 10-speed transmission, the Tahoe hustles itself very effectively and sounds excellent doing so.
Fuel economy takes an absolute beating in city driving and slow traffic. I was averaging 21 L/100 kilometres before a long highway jaunt dragged it down to 16.3 L/100 km. It’s worth noting you can easily achieve thrifty, single-digit figures on the highway, and the gentle-giant character of the mighty V8 is always a winner. My only gripe is that the throttle feels a touch too eager on tip-in; it almost feels like GM is a tiny bit insecure about the torque advantage of their turbocharged competitors. Towing capacity on this Z71 with the 6.2 is 8,300 pounds.
Final thoughts
At the end of the week, I found myself feeling far more fond of the 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe than I would’ve guessed. It drives beautifully, has all the capability and cavernous accommodation to do just about anything you could ever want, and following this latest refresh, it’s decidedly the most handsome one in GM’s truck family. Plus, Chevy’s interpretation of the same infotainment interface is a lot easier on my eyes, at least, and everything works together to deliver a charming and seamless experience. After I didn’t come away in love with the Yukon AT4, I was worried that GM had lost their mojo with the Unofficial Favourite Truck around the office. Turns out, that favour just moved over to Chevy.
