The Chevrolet Tahoe is Chevrolet’s full-size SUV, sold since the 1995 model year as the successor to the K5 Blazer. It shares its body with the Suburban in shorter-wheelbase form and has regularly been the best-selling full-size SUV in the United States.
Chevrolet Tahoe at a glance
| Marketed since | 1995 model year |
|---|---|
| Class | Full-size SUV |
| Replaced | Chevrolet K5 Blazer |
| GMC version | GMC Yukon |
| Named after | Lake Tahoe |
| Body styles | Three-door at first, five-door from 1995 |
| Related | Chevrolet Suburban as the shorter-wheelbase version |
| Basis for | GMC Yukon Denali and Cadillac Escalade since 1998 |
| Markets | North America, Middle East, Russia and parts of Asia and South America |
| Sales | regularly the best-selling full-size SUV in the United States |
History of the Chevrolet Tahoe
The Tahoe was introduced for the 1995 model year as the successor to the Chevrolet K5 Blazer, and the GMC Yukon replaced the full-size GMC Jimmy. Both names come from western North America: the Tahoe from Lake Tahoe and the Yukon from the Canadian territory. The first Tahoe was produced as a three-door SUV wagon, and a five-door wagon introduced for 1995 eventually replaced the three-door entirely.
The five-door Tahoe shares its body with the Chevrolet and GMC Suburban, the latter now sold as the GMC Yukon XL, as a shorter-wheelbase variant of the same design. Since 1998 the Tahoe has been the basis for the standard-wheelbase GMC Yukon Denali and the Cadillac Escalade luxury SUVs, which turned the same body into premium vehicles for two other brands.
The Tahoe is sold in North America, in parts of Asia such as the Philippines, and in the Middle East, Russia and several South American countries including Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Angola, always as a left-hand-drive vehicle; the Yukon is sold only in North America and the Middle East. It has regularly been the best-selling full-size SUV in the United States, often outselling its competition by two to one.
Design and features
- Blazer successor: the Tahoe replaced the K5 Blazer in 1995.
- Suburban link: the same body as the Suburban on a shorter wheelbase.
- Three brands: the basis of the GMC Yukon Denali and Cadillac Escalade.
- Market leader: consistently the best-selling full-size SUV in America.
Chevrolet Tahoe versions
- Three-door Tahoe: the first body style, dropped as the five-door took over.
- Five-door Tahoe: the lasting body style, shared with the Suburban.
- GMC Yukon: the divisional version.
- Yukon Denali and Cadillac Escalade: the luxury versions based on the Tahoe.
The Tahoe replaced the Chevrolet Blazer and shares its underpinnings with the longer Chevrolet Suburban and the Chevrolet Silverado.
Video: 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban first drive
Video by The Fast Lane Car on YouTube.
Sources
- Chevrolet Tahoe, English Wikipedia: introduction, bodies, related models, markets
