{"id":49331,"date":"2023-05-10T09:03:36","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T13:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=49331"},"modified":"2023-05-10T09:03:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T13:03:36","slug":"2023-chevy-tahoe-rst-performance-edition-road-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=49331","title":{"rendered":"2023 Chevy Tahoe RST Performance Road Test: The (sort of) Tahoe SS you\u2019ve been waiting for"},"content":{"rendered":"

TROY, Mich. — Few brands are better than Chevy<\/a> at taking something unassuming, even boring — and making it go faster and feel special. Following in the lineage of things like the 1990s Impala SS<\/a>, the Bow Tie dips into a familiar playbook — increased V8 power and police-style chassis enhancements — to create the 2023 Tahoe<\/a> RST Performance Edition.<\/p>\n

A word of caution: the RST Performance<\/a> only adds 13 ponies to the already-potent 6.2-liter V8. But that doesn\u2019t tell the whole story. Chevy borrowed heavily from the Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle<\/a>, which is fortified for turning quickly and taking off fast, to give the family hauler a new edge.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking bigger brakes<\/a>, Torch Red Brembos that are 25% larger in diameter and improve stopping distance by more than 6 feet, Firestone Firehawk police-spec tires, a 10-mm lowered ride height, and tighter spring and damping tuning. A performance intake and catback exhaust are where the extra power comes from, lifting the V8 to 433 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque. This model also has the Hydra-Matic 10-speed automatic, four-wheel drive and mechanical limited-slip differential. All told, it will hit 60 mph in 5.8 seconds (the base RST is 5.95 seconds) en route to a top speed of 124 mph (+12 mph), which would come in handy in pursuit. It can run the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds. Despite all of the changes, towing<\/a> remains the same at 7,600 pounds.<\/p>\n

A bit reminiscent of the mid-90s Impala<\/a> SS (and even the later 2000s edition,<\/a> which still has its supporters due to that 5.3-liter hearty aluminum small-block V8<\/a>), Chevy designers used color<\/a> and trim to dress up the already-beefy Tahoe. Building on the Rally Sport Truck lineage (RST), the Performance trim adds black 20-inch aluminum wheels and black badging.<\/p>\n

I tested a Tahoe RST Performance Edition that stickered for $81,305, including destination charges. Technically, the Performance Edition is a $8,875 package exclusive to the RST trim level consisting of the performance-oriented upgrades described above as well as the automatically added Luxury package that includes driver memory settings, a heated power-adjustable steering wheel, heated rear seats, blind-spot and cross-traffic warning, and adaptive cruise control. Basically, it’s a loaded Tahoe that’s been tuned for performance. Don\u2019t be confused, there\u2019s also a Tahoe Sport Performance<\/a> that slots below the RST version. That\u2019s essentially a way to upgrade to the 6.2-liter V8 with dual exhaust for $3,820 without the rest of the police running gear. Most people would likely choose that path.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The RST Performance is for Tahoe owners who want a little something extra in their daily drivers and perhaps have an old SS-badged<\/a> creation in the garage. I don\u2019t have an Impala in a shed, but I did use the RST Performance for its intended purpose, running around town with a bit more verve than necessary. The catback exhaust sounds good, rumbling at idle and feeling the part of a large displacement American V8 upon hard acceleration. I noticed the performance-tuned brake pedal feel, though it\u2019s subtle. With the improved stopping power thanks to the large Brembos, this sportier Tahoe offers better dynamics and more confidence for the driver. I felt that vibe in the steering and handling. The lowered ride height helps. The hulking, truck-based Tahoe can be a lot to maneuver, but the Performance Edition\u2019s enhancements actually made it a little easier and more fun to drive.<\/p>\n

So why would you want this? You can step up from the base 5.3-liter V8 to the 6.2-liter unit for less money. You can certainly get the safety and premium features without signing up for all of the cop stuff. Do you want your Tahoe to ride a little lower and look a little flashier? It\u2019s ironic that the most eye-catching Tahoe is loaded with police running gear. You can also get a lot of Yukon<\/a> for the RST Performance\u2019s 81-grand sticker.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s put it a different way. You\u2019ve already made the decision to get a Tahoe. Cool. You\u2019ll like it. If you\u2019re thinking base Tahoe, this isn\u2019t for you. But if you\u2019re already planning on checking a lot of the option boxes, money is a little looser and you’re cross-shopping with things like the Jeep Grand Wagoneer<\/a>, well, the RST Performance edition could be for you. The tipping point is where the logical decision of buying a family hauling SUV can merit the slightest whiff of emotion. That\u2019s where this flavor of Tahoe comes in. It\u2019s not the \u201890s Impala SS, but if that car conjures a hint of nostalgia and you want something sportier for Target runs, the RST Performance offers a unique proposition that\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TROY, Mich. — Few brands are better than Chevy at taking something unassuming, even boring — and making it go faster and feel special. Following in the lineage of things like the 1990s Impala SS, the Bow Tie dips into a familiar playbook — increased V8 power and police-style chassis enhancements — to create the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design-concepts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}