We can expect the new 2018 Chevy Tahoe RST to be very fast with the 6.2L V8 and the 10-speed automatic transmission. General Motors and Ford co-developed this new transmission to offer better performance and efficiency improvements. So, how efficient is the new 10-speed in the latest GM SUVs? Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently released the MPG rating for the 2018 GMC Yukon and the 2018 Chevy Tahoe.
Take a look at the GMC Yukon for a more direct comparison (see image above). The short answer is – the new 10-speed automatic in the 2018 Yukon produces the same combined-cycle EPA rating as the 8-speed did in the 2017 model. However, it does behave differently in the city and on the highway. The 10-speed is more efficient highway cruiser, but does worse in the city. The highway MPG improvement is more dramatic when you consider the 4WD models (see image below).
The 2017 Chevy Tahoe was not offered with the 6.2L V8, but the 2018 Tahoe RST 10-speed rating is (not surprisingly) identical to that of the 2018 Yukon. One could only get the 2017 Tahoe with the 5.3L V8.
Still, 22 MPG rating on the highway in a full-size body-on-frame 4×4 SUV is not a bad result. We will have to test this for ourselves as soon as we can get our hands on these. We wonder how quick these will run 0-60 MPH and how they will perform when towing heavy trailers.
Here is a first look at the performance Chevy Tahoe RST.