Tag Archives: outsized

Automotive Reviews

The 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe RST Performance Edition: A Review on its Fast and Furious Look

The Chevrolet Tahoe comes with a larger-than-life presence, and to enhance its appearance, Chevrolet has added some sleek details. The black grille complements the LED headlamps and split-pin daytime running lights. For an additional $8,875, the RST Performance Edition package includes 20-inch high-gloss black wheels with 275/55R20SL blackwall Firestone Firehawk Pursuit all-season tires, which perfectly match the glossy exterior trim.

While the Tahoe features a power tailgate, it’s surprising that a 360-degree camera isn’t a standard feature across all trims of this SUV. This SUV comes with it, but other Tahoe trims do not. Similarly, Adaptive Cruise Control, which is a standard feature on a $24,100 Honda HR-V, is only included in the Chevy as part of the RST Performance Edition package. The outstanding hands-free Super Cruise system is not available at all.

Tahoe front 3/4sChris Davies/SlashGear

However, the Tahoe does offer blind spot warnings, lane change alerts, rear cross-traffic alerts, and enhanced automatic emergency braking in addition to standard front pedestrian braking, lane-keep assist, forward collision alert, front and rear parking sensors, and a following distance indicator. When you accelerate, the indicator will flash rapidly as you approach the vehicle in front.

Cars

Toyota’s Mega Cruiser: Challenging the Hummer in Size and Capability

The Mega Cruiser, with its oversized dimensions and rear-wheel steering, holds its own against AM General’s SUV, the Hummer. Both vehicles share similar features, such as an engine mounted farther back in the chassis, portal axles for increased ground clearance, an onboard tire inflation/deflation system, and full-time all-wheel drive.

To achieve its impressive ground clearance, the Mega Cruiser elevates its drivetrain, resulting in a substantial transmission tunnel that divides the passengers. Unlike the Hummer, the Mega Cruiser’s transmission hump ends before the rear seat, allowing for a spacious four-across bench seat.

Beneath the Mega Cruiser’s expansive hood, we discover an interesting engine choice: a 4.1-liter four-cylinder turbocharged diesel. While the engine’s displacement is relatively large for a four-cylinder, it still falls short in terms of power for such a massive and heavy vehicle. With a horsepower rating of 153 and a torque rating of 282 pound-feet, it is understandably underpowered.

Just how underpowered is it? According to a test conducted by Road & Track, the Mega Cruiser took a whopping 20.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH. In a recent altitude test in the Colorado Rockies, a Mega Cruiser struggled to even reach 60 MPH, maxing out at 50 MPH with the throttle wide open.

On the bright side, the compact diesel engine managed to achieve a combined city/highway fuel economy of 13 MPG, which, considering the size and weight of the vehicle, is not terrible. However, it doesn’t quite reach the fuel efficiency levels of a Prius, as stated by Slashgear.

[Featured image by Hunini via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]