Back in The Day, "Muscle Cars" were all the thing. Big-engined Camaros, Mustangs, Dodges and….remember them…..Pontiacs and Plymouths?
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Blistering 0-60 times….room for 2 or maybe 4….and little else.
Now, we've still got Camaros, Mustangs and Dodges with more muscles than ever, plus world-class handling….but I wonder if vehicles like our test Tahoe Z71…and the pickups that share their "bones", haven't become the Muscle "Cars" of today?
They're big, strong and capable of so much more than transporting two or four folks down the road at high speed. Plus they've got both the altitude and attitude that America seems to want these days.
Perhaps that's why the Tahoe is America's best-selling SUV. It's also the most dependable, according to J. D. Power.
Starting in the high $40's, the basic Tahoe gives you 7-passenger / 3-row seating, a big 5.3 liter, 355 HP V-8 and a 6-speed automatic worth a class-leading 23 Highway MPGs.
But those are just the basics. Chevy gives you almost endless ways to trick-out your Tahoe straight from the factory via "Special Editions".
Their RST version, for example, heats things up with a 420 HP 6.2 liter V-8, a 10-speed auto, Brembo brakes, 22's, Magnetic Ride Control, and a performance-tuned exhaust.
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We had the "Midnight" Z71 4WD Special Edition, featuring black on black with black painted 18's, black roof rack…even black bowties….all mounted on off-road Goodyear Wrangler Dura Trac rubber.
Lest you think that our Midnight Tahoe was all beast, tho', think again.
Our 65K got us not only the heavy-duty stuff like an auto locking rear end, engine oil cooler and trailering package, but creature comforts like heated front and second-row seating, heated steering, power fold-down third row, Bose audio, rear-seat entertainment, sunroof, Chevy's mobile app with remote start / stop and lock / unlock + parking reminder, 4G LTE WiFi, wireless phone charger, Apple Carplay and Android Auto Connect…..plus front and rear parking assist, forward collision alert, and lane-keeping assist.
All this plus almost 95 cu ft of room with the second and third rows folded.
Doesn't this sound like today's "Muscle Car" to you?
(Bob Jackson – CBS Local)
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