1997 Chevrolet Tahoe SS Preview Test Drive

In concept, the Tahoe SS remained very close to the original prototype shown at the 1995 SEMA automotive trade show. Revisions were made to add luxury to the interior (including a new Bose stereo system), the “ground effects” bodywork was revised, and the big 17-inch wheels were restyled, but the truck was still a two-wheel-drive, four-door Tahoe. What’s significantly different is that, unlike the first prototype, this one was built atop the mechanical bits of the Tahoe POC police package. That included oversize brakes, specific performance suspension calibration with large anti-roll bars and Bilstein shocks, and the rear axle from the three-quarter-ton Suburban. Powering the Tahoe SS was the familiar and adored 5.7-liter/250-horsepower Vortec V-8 backed by the 4L60-E four-speed automatic transmission.That the Tahoe SS shared its chassis with the POC is significant because all the mechanical parts for the truck are already in the Arlington, Texas, plant where it could have been produced. Arlington was the same plant where the Impala SS was built-a car based on the police-package Caprice. Because of Arlington’s capacity, Chevy will be able to almost double production of the in-demand Tahoe.

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