The 2020 Chevy Tahoe Is Most Affordable SUV to Own in Its Class
The venerable Chevy Tahoe has been in service transporting young sports teams, large families, and DIY projects for 25 years. Over the years, the Chevy Tahoe has won numerous awards from Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, and J.D. Power and Associates.
These accolades include J.D. Power and Associates’ Highest Ranked Large SUV in Initial and Long Term Quality, Edmunds’ Buyers Most Wanted Large SUV, and Kelley Blue Book’s Best Full-Size SUVs for Families, Best Resale Value: Full-Size SUV/Crossover, and 5-Year Cost to Own Full-Size SUV for five years in a row.
KBB’s 5-Year Cost to Own award
Calculating how much it actually costs to own a vehicle over its life or even for the amount a time someone will keep it is a difficult task. Some people may consider a vehicle’s purchase price minus its value at trade-in time but few people factor maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs into the equation. Others will only look at the monthly expenses they incur and never even consider how much their vehicle could depreciate in just a few years.
Luckily, Kelley Blue Book does all these calculations and more to determine a 5-year cost to own value for a wide variety of vehicles. Some of KBB’s key considerations are in areas where the 2020 Chevy Tahoe shines. The Chevy Tahoe is consistently on or near the top when considering large SUV models for the past several years. This trait is largely driven by lower maintenance costs, decent fuel economy, and excellent safety ratings, which leads to retaining a higher than average resale value.
Why is the Chevy Tahoe so affordable to own
According to Kelley Blue Book, the 2020 Chevy Tahoe has a “Predicted 5-Year Cost to Own” value of $65,178. In second place is the Toyota Sequoia, which will cost you $68,955 and in a not-too-distant third place, the Ford Expedition comes in at $69,724 over the same 5-year period.
The single largest factor in keeping the cost of owning a Chevy Tahoe lower than the competition is maintaining high resale values. KBB praises the Chevy Tahoe’s rugged construction as the main reason it continues to be such a durable, reliable full-size SUV.
What KBB liked about the Chevy Tahoe
In addition to the Chevy Tahoe’s rugged construction, KBB’s expert reviewers also liked the available 95 cubic feet of cargo space located behind the front seats, the 8,600 pounds of towing capacity, genuine off-road capability, and the availability of V8 engine choices.
With seating for up to nine people, the Chevy Tahoe is a great choice for long road trips or weekend getaways towing a boat or camper to your favorite destination. An available Custom Edition has two rows of seats if more cargo space is desired.
Driving on the highway proved smooth and the 5.3-liter V8 coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission was ready to tackle any task. The Chevy Tahoe comes with an infotainment system that features 4G LTE Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto with a 10-inch touchscreen capable of displaying large, colorful graphics.
What KBB did not like
Among the drawbacks to the Chevy Tahoe is the fact that it is a large, truck-based SUV that still utilizes body-on-frame construction. While the 2020 model is an improvement over previous years and an available upgraded suspension on the top of the line Premier trim helps, there is no denying that it is a large truck.
Maneuvering in tight parking lots can be an issue. And due to the Chevy Tahoe’s width entering and exiting the vehicle is challenging when parked between other cars.
The only other complaint KBB has is the lack of adaptive cruise control on base Tahoe models.
