2018 Chevrolet Tahoe

2018 sits mid-way through the fourth-generation (2015–2020) Tahoe. The volume LS/LT carry over the 355 hp 5.3L L83 V8. New for 2018, the 420 hp 6.2L L86 became available through the RST Performance Package alongside Premier, but most Tahoes sold have the 5.3L.

The 5.3L makes 383 lb-ft at 4,100 rpm, adequate for a ~5,350 lb body-on-frame SUV but delivered fairly high in the rev range. The 6.2L's 460 lb-ft is limited to Premier and the RST Performance Package.

Instrumented tests of the 5.3L fourth-generation Tahoe fall between 6.7 and 7.1 s, so ~7.0 s is used for the volume configuration. A 2018 Premier with the RST Performance Package ran 5.7 s.

The naturally aspirated direct-injection small-block responds immediately with no turbo lag and pulls cleanly from low rpm. It stays below the top tier because Active Fuel Management's V8-to-V4 transitions can be heard and sometimes felt at light throttle, and the 5.3L sounds busy when pushed hard.

The volume 5.3L keeps GM's 6L80 six-speed automatic, which is smooth but slow to kick down because of its wide ratios. The 10L80 10-speed, new for 2018, is paired only with the 6.2L (Premier/RST Performance Package).

Properly equipped (2WD 5.3L with the Max Trailering Package), the 2018 Tahoe is rated at 8,600 lbs, above the 8,000 lb SUV band ceiling. The 6.2L tops out at 8,400 lbs.

Four-wheel drive is offered on every 2018 trim (LS, LT, Premier) through a two-speed transfer case with low range and an available Autotrac automatic mode. It falls short of the top tier because no locking differential or torque-vectoring axle is offered.

The LT Z71 package gives the Tahoe real light-duty off-road ability: off-road suspension, all-terrain tires, skid plates, hill descent control and a two-speed transfer case. With ~8 in of clearance, no locker and Z71 offered as a package rather than a dedicated trim, it stays mid-band.

The 2018 Tahoe offers two naturally aspirated gas V8s from the same family, plus an E85 flex-fuel version of the 5.3L. There is no diesel, hybrid or electrified option.

EPA rates the volume 5.3L 4WD Tahoe at 18 MPG combined, near the floor of the gas-SUV band. Its only efficiency aid is cylinder deactivation; it has no stop/start and just six gears.

At 16 MPG city for the volume 5.3L, this is the weakest driving cycle. With no automatic stop/start, the V8 idles at every stop.

Cylinder deactivation helps most on the highway, but the 4WD 5.3L still manages only 22 MPG, two points above the band floor.

The 26-gallon tank and 18 MPG combined give the volume 4WD Tahoe about 468 miles per tank, slightly above the middle of the band.

On EPA's current fuel-price basis, the volume 4WD 5.3L costs slightly more to fuel than the top of the SUV cost band, even on regular. The premium-fuel 6.2L adds about $1,150 a year.

The volume 5.3L V8 runs on 87-octane regular and is also sold in E85 flex-fuel form. Requirements are mixed only because the 6.2L (Premier/RST Performance Package) requires premium.

NHTSA rated the 2018 Tahoe 4 stars overall in both drivelines. It earned 5 stars in frontal and side crashes. The 3-star rollover rating (22.2–22.9% risk) pulls the overall down, which is typical for a tall body-on-frame SUV.

IIHS published no crashworthiness ratings for the 2015–2020 Tahoe: no small-overlap, moderate-overlap, side or roof-strength result, and no TSP award. None of its crash protection was confirmed by IIHS.

For 2018, forward collision alert, low-speed AEB, lane keep assist and IntelliBeam came bundled in the Enhanced Driver Alert Package rather than standard across the range. Sources suggest that content was standard on Premier and common on LT. Adaptive cruise and full-speed AEB were Premier-only options, so the volume trim leaves most of the suite on the option sheet.

The AEB in the Enhanced Driver Alert Package works only at low speed and has no pedestrian detection. Full-speed braking comes only with adaptive cruise on the Premier. IIHS never tested the autobrake.

Side Blind Zone Alert with Lane Change Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard on LT and above, and absent on the base LS. They only warn, and there is no trailer-aware coverage.

Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning gives a corrective nudge at the lane edge and comes only with the Enhanced Driver Alert content. No 2018 trim offered lane centering.

Adaptive cruise was an option on the top Premier trim only. LS and LT got conventional cruise, and no trim had highway-assist steering.

No hands-free driving was offered. Super Cruise didn't reach the Tahoe until MY2023, in the next generation.

LS and LT use halogen projector headlamps, and HID headlamps are on the Premier. IntelliBeam auto high beams come with the Enhanced Driver Alert content. IIHS published no headlight rating for the 2018 Tahoe.

The tall seating position and upright glass give a good forward view, but thick rear pillars and the vehicle's length leave large blind zones. The rear camera is standard, while front/rear park assist and Surround Vision are reserved for upper trims.

IIHS rated the LATCH hardware Acceptable. There are three full LATCH positions plus tether-only positions, and the roomy second row with wide rear doors makes installs practical, though the anchors take some digging.

The volume LT seats eight with the standard second-row bench. The Premier's second-row buckets drop it to seven, and the LS front-bench option allows nine.

Generous front headroom. The 2018 Tahoe carries over the fourth-generation (2015–2020) body unchanged.

Front legroom sits at the top of the SUV band.

Second-row headroom is good, slightly behind the longer Suburban's 39.1 in.

Second-row legroom is adequate for a full-size SUV, but the solid-rear-axle packaging leaves less room than the 2018 Expedition, which was redesigned with an independent rear suspension.

The third row has only 24.8 in of legroom and a high floor forced by the solid rear axle. Reviewers call it fit for children, not adults, and getting in means tumbling a heavy second-row seat. It is far behind the Suburban and the 2018 Expedition, so it lands in the token-seating band.

Cargo space behind the second row is only mid-band for an SUV. The third row folds onto a raised floor, and just 15.3 cu ft remains with all three rows up.

Maximum cargo volume is large, though well short of the Suburban's 121.7 cu ft and the 2018 Expedition's 104.6 cu ft.

A big center console, a hidden storage cubby behind the motorized touchscreen, door pockets and a three-prong household outlet make for competitive everyday storage. The raised load floor and fold-on-top third row eat cargo depth.

The wide front buckets and the second row are comfortable over long stints; LT front seats are power-adjustable with driver memory. The knees-up third row pulls the overall rating down.

On 17- and 18-inch wheels it is a stable, comfortable highway cruiser that soaks up big bumps. But the solid rear axle leaves it stiff and jiggly over small, low-speed imperfections. Magnetic Ride Control is Premier and RST-package content, not on the volume LT.

Acoustic laminated glass, triple door seals and an unstressed V8 keep the cabin quiet at highway speed for a body-on-frame SUV.

Tri-zone automatic climate and remote start are standard, and the LT adds heated front seats. Heated second-row seats and a heated wheel need the LT Luxury package, and ventilated front seats are Premier-only.

The 2018 Tahoe, a mid-cycle year of the fourth generation (2015–2020), opened with the LS 2WD at $47,500 before the $1,295 destination charge.

LT 4WD is the volume configuration: $55,600 + $1,295 destination = $56,895, and common packages (Luxury, Z71, RST, 20-in wheels) put a typically equipped example around $60K.

The proven 5.3L V8 and parts commonality with Silverado/Suburban/Yukon keep parts and labor cheap, but full-size consumables, AFM lifter exposure and the 6-speed's age put projected costs above the SUV midpoint; sources diverge widely, so a midpoint is used.

KBB's residual projection for the 2018 Tahoe was the best in its class — it won KBB's 2018 Best Resale Value award for full-size SUVs — but class residuals are low in absolute terms; realized resale was later lifted by the 2021–22 used-vehicle price spike.

GM's standard 3/36 basic coverage — the segment floor, same as Expedition and Yukon.

Standard GM 5/60 powertrain coverage — the bottom of the band.

Chevrolet Complete Care for 2018 covered two complimentary scheduled maintenance visits (oil/filter, tire rotation, inspection) in the first 2 years/24,000 miles, plus 5yr/60k roadside assistance and courtesy transportation and OnStar/4G Wi-Fi trials — a short included-maintenance period with basic perks.

$60,000 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (41.3% retained, or about $24,780) leaves about $35,220 in depreciation. Add the projected $7,000 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $42,220 in total.

The sources disagree. J.D. Power rates the 2018 Tahoe 82/100 for Quality & Reliability and named it Best Large SUV for 2018. Consumer Reports' owner surveys, though, call it less reliable than other 2018 vehicles. 2018 is the mid-cycle year of the 2015–2020 fourth generation, so its known weak spots (AFM lifters, transmission, electrical) apply in full. Mixed signals put it in the lower half of the middle band.

Around 2017–2018, Chevrolet sat in the bottom third of Consumer Reports' brand reliability rankings and close to the industry average in J.D. Power's VDS. It improved later in the decade, so the 2018 standing sits a little below the 2020 Tahoe's 47.

NHTSA's feed lists three campaigns covering the 2018 Tahoe. Two of them concern the brake-assist vacuum pump: one very large (about 3.46M GM trucks and SUVs from 2014–2018) and one 2018-specific follow-up. Loss of power-brake assist is a safety-system defect, and it took two campaigns to resolve. The third is the EBCM driveline-protection software reflash. With the generation's AFM lifter and transmission bulletins on top, the record sits just below typical.

The volume 5.3L L83 V8 belongs to a small-block family with a long high-mileage record, and it is paired with the mature 6L80 six-speed. However, the L83's Active Fuel Management lifter failures and oil consumption are a widely reported weak point for this generation. Owners also report transmission problems at 54k–110k miles. 2018 also saw the 6.2L/10-speed arrive on the RST performance package (not the volume trim), and that combination later drew shudder complaints. The record is mixed.

The fourth-generation cabin has a stitched soft-touch dash on LT and above and looked upscale for its time. The volume LS/LT trims mix in hard plastics in lower areas, and the cabin trails the Yukon Denali and Escalade. It was still competitive with the 2018 Expedition, which was redesigned that year. It is competitive, but not class-leading.

The Tahoe was built in Arlington, Texas on a generation that was mature by 2018, and J.D. Power's owner-reported quality score is strong (82). Owners do report squeaks and rattles, such as from the front sway bar, along with electrical gremlins. These are scattered rather than systemic.

Chevrolet's roughly 3,000 US dealers are one of the two largest networks in the country, giving dense coverage that includes the rural markets where the Tahoe sells heavily. Brand-level service satisfaction was only around average.

The Tahoe shares the K2 platform, 5.3L V8 and 6L80 with the Silverado, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade, so parts are cheap and abundant and the aftermarket is huge. Annual repair costs run above the all-vehicle mean, and AFM lifter jobs are expensive. That puts it in the normal band.

Every 2018 Tahoe uses the same 8-inch MyLink touchscreen. The 10.2-inch screen arrived with the 2021 redesign.

MyLink is easy to use, with large graphics, quick responses and physical knobs below the screen. The small screen and dated menus trail the 2018 Expedition's SYNC 3.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but wired only. GM's wireless projection rollout began with MY2021 vehicles.

Voice recognition handles basic phone, audio and navigation commands but is not natural-language. Embedded navigation is standard on the Premier and optional below it.

The volume LT gets a 9-speaker Bose system as standard, and the Premier upgrades to a 10-speaker Bose surround system. Both are well regarded for the segment, but neither is a true premium-brand flagship setup.

The volume trims have analog gauges with a small driver information center. An all-video 8-inch DIC is an extra-cost Premier option bundled with the head-up display.

This generation has no meaningful whole-vehicle OTA program. Connectivity is OnStar telematics, and software updates go through the dealer.

The myChevrolet app offers remote start, lock/unlock, vehicle locate and diagnostics through OnStar. Full remote functions need a paid plan after the trial, and there is no digital key.

Up to seven USB ports, a three-prong household outlet and an available wireless charging pad give good device power for the era. There is no USB-C, and wireless charging needs the LT Luxury package or Premier.

Remote keyless entry and remote start are standard, and a power liftgate is standard on the LT. Keyless entry/ignition and the hands-free liftgate need the LT Luxury package or Premier, and there is no phone-as-key.

A rear camera is standard and rear park assist is on the LT. Front park assist comes with the Luxury package, and Surround Vision is Premier content. A factory rear-camera mirror was offered on 2017–2020 GM full-size SUVs, but no automated parking was available.

A head-up display is an $850 Premier-only option paired with the 8-inch digital DIC. That is narrower availability than a typical top-trim option.

Tall doors and a roomy second row make car-seat installation easy, and IIHS rates the LATCH Acceptable. But the cramped third row and only 15.3 cu ft of cargo behind it make a stroller plus kids in all three rows a squeeze.

Forward collision alert, lane keep assist and low-speed AEB come only in the optional Enhanced Driver Alert package, and adaptive cruise is Premier-only. NHTSA rates it 4 stars overall with a 3-star rollover score, and IIHS never crash-tested it. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts come on LT and up.

A quiet cabin, comfortable front rows, tri-zone climate and an available rear-seat Blu-ray system suit four or five people well. With the third row in use, luggage space and third-row legroom both shrink sharply.

The smooth V8 and commanding view make it easy to drive for its size, and at 204 in it is far handier than the Suburban. But the 6-speed, the low-speed ride jiggle, heavy steering and Premier-only adaptive cruise add daily friction.

At 16 MPG city and 18 combined with no stop/start, it costs about $3,700 a year in fuel. Regular fuel on the 5.3L and cheap GM parts soften that only slightly.

At 204 in long and 80.5 in wide it is still big for urban garages, but its 39.0 ft turning circle is notably tighter than the Suburban's 43 ft. A rear camera is standard; front sensors and Surround Vision cost extra.

Up to 8,600 lbs of towing and standard trailering hardware handle most campers and boats, and the body-on-frame V8 tows comfortably. The cargo area is carpeted, not a pickup bed.

The proven body-on-frame architecture and small-block V8 have long police (Tahoe PPV) and fleet service behind them, plus the biggest service network in the segment. Documented AFM lifter and 6L80 transmission complaints keep it out of the top band.

Standard trailering hardware, a three-prong 110V outlet and a deep police and fleet upfit ecosystem through the PPV and SSV give it a usable work base. The interior is carpeted, and tie-downs and onboard power are basic.

It is a quiet, stable highway cruiser with about 468 miles of range from the 26-gallon tank. The lack of adaptive cruise below Premier and the solid-axle jiggle keep it out of the top band.

The Z71 package (two-speed transfer case, hill descent control, skid plates, all-terrain tires) and the 116-in wheelbase make it a capable trail and towing tool. It has no locking differential, and Z71 is an option most Tahoes don't have.

94.7 cu ft of maximum space and a standard hitch receiver handle bulky gear. But the third row folds onto a high floor, leaving 15.3 cu ft with all seats up. Power-folding rear seats need the Luxury package or Premier.

Reviewers call the handling ponderous but composed in turns. The new-for-2018 RST Performance Package and Premier Magnetic Ride Control sharpen it considerably, but neither is on the volume LT.

The electric power steering is accurate enough to place a big SUV but offers little feedback, and some testers find it heavier than it needs to be. That puts it at the floor of the 'precise but numb' band.

Four-wheel discs stop the roughly 5,400 lb Tahoe strongly and stably, with an unremarkable pedal. No instrumented 2018 stopping distance for the volume trim was located.

The volume LT's 355 hp 5.3L V8 is smooth and unstressed, but its 6-speed automatic is slow to kick down and Active Fuel Management transitions are noticeable. The new 10-speed comes only with the 6.2L.

The V8 is quiet and pleasant in a well-isolated cabin. Highway driveline vibration complaints on the 2015–2020 Tahoe/Suburban and occasional AFM drone are a modest discount.

The 116-in wheelbase gives a much tighter circle than the Suburban's 43.0 ft, but it is still large against the all-SUV band.

A commanding seating position, power-adjustable pedals and memory on the LT, and well-placed physical controls. The tall hood limits close-in visibility, and the column shifter draws some complaints.

The V8 rumble and the new-for-2018 RST Performance Package (420 hp 6.2L, 10-speed, 5.7 s 0-60) add real character. The volume 5.3L LT is a pleasant hauler, not an enthusiast pick.

The LS came with the 355 hp 5.3L V8, three rows, 8-in MyLink with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 4G LTE Wi-Fi and a rear camera, but cloth seats; active safety (forward collision alert, low-speed AEB, lane keep) was optional on LT and standard only on Premier — sparse next to the redesigned 2018 Expedition at similar money.

Strong V8 capability, class-best projected resale and broad dealer discounts earn fair value, but the solid rear axle, tight third row and small cargo area behind it give less space per dollar than the new aluminium-bodied 2018 Expedition.

Three trims (LS, LT, Premier) in 2WD/4WD spanning $47.5K–$65.2K, with a deep package menu — Custom (fleet/value), Z71, Midnight, and the new-for-2018 RST package whose Performance option added the 6.2L V8 and 10-speed automatic — though there is no true budget work trim.

The Tahoe was America's best-selling full-size SUV in 2018, outselling the Expedition, Suburban and Yukon, with roughly 100K US deliveries.

The Tahoe nameplate has a loyal, durable following and the class's strongest resale halo, though Chevrolet is a mainstream rather than aspirational brand.

Steady customer cash plus GM Financial allowances were available through the model year and into the 2019 run-out, typically $3,000–$5,000 off without fire-sale pricing.

2018 was the fourth model year of the fourth generation (2015–2020) — mid-cycle, refreshed only by the RST package and 6.2L/10-speed option, and up against an all-new 2018 Expedition and Navigator with the Tahoe's own redesign three years out.

Reviewers praised the V8, towing and quiet ride but generally ranked the Tahoe behind the redesigned 2018 Expedition for space and refinement; its notable 2018 honor was KBB's Best Resale Value award rather than a comparison-test win.