After three years of absence - thank you Covid! - the Detroit Auto Show is making a comeback. Its first year back, however, it seems that the show is mostly about special editions. After Jeep, Chevrolet also announced the Tahoe RST Performance Edition - a model that has more power and is faster than the standard RST, but most importantly, it features a lot of cool features from the PPV police cars.
When it comes to the exterior and the interior look, there isn’t much that will distinguish the Performance Edition from other Tahoe RST models. It does feature a black “RST” badge on the rear tailgate, plus standard sport pedals inside. The model has a number of chassis, suspension, and other elements from the pursuit-rated Tahoe PPV package for the police forces. First on the list are the police-spec springs, retuned dampers, and police-spec chassis calibrations - changes that will lower the car’s ride by 0.4 inches (10 mm) in the front and 0.8 inch (20 mm) in the rear. It rides on specific 20-inch aluminum wheels finished in black and wrapped in Firestone Firehawk Pursuit 275/55R20 tires. From the PPV cars, it will also borrow the Brembo brakes with its unique Torch Red calipers, and it comes with the Luxury Package as standard.
Just like the 2022 Tahoe RST, the new Performance Edition is powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 engine rated at 433 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque. When compared to the RST, the Performance edition has an extra13 horsepower and 7 pound-feet, making it the most powerful Tahoe ever. It is also faster when compared to the RST: it goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.78 seconds - down from 5.9 - while top speed was increased to 124 mph on the test track. By comparison, the base RST can only hit 112 mph. Also, it runs the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 97 mph, while the base RST does it in 14.4 seconds at 97 mph. Braking time was also improved, so the Performance edition only needs 133 feet to go from 60 to 0 mph, while the RST needs 139.4 feet.
The new 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe RST Performance Edition made its world debut at the 2022 Detroit Auto Show and will go into production in the fourth quarter of 2022 at GM’s Arlington Assembly in Texas. The package will add another $8,525 to the 2023 Tahoe RST price tag, which starts at $67,415.