In larger, three-row SUVs, drivers often have the choice of having a bench seat in their middle row or two captain’s chairs—also known as quad bucket seats. Second-row captain’s chairs are highly sought after for their comfort and convenience, especially for families with children.
The Chevrolet Tahoe was awarded the Best Family Car of 2021 by Kelley Blue Book, so naturally, someone in the market for a new car may wonder if such an amazing vehicle might provide a luxury like second-row captain’s chairs.
This luxurious-style seating has been offered in the Chevy Tahoe for years, but only in certain trims of the vehicle. In this article, we go back throughout the years to see which Tahoes offer captain’s chairs (which they refer to as quad bucket seating) and which only offer bench seating.
2022 Chevy Tahoe
Chevrolet recently launched its 2022 Chevy Tahoe model. This year’s model offers some new customization options for the drivers, especially on higher trims. The Tahoe's interior has increased this year, making it the car’s biggest interior yet.
The Tahoe offers six different trim options: LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country. The LS is the only Tahoe trim that solely offers bench seating. The LT, RST, and Z71 trims offer quad bucket seats as an option, while the Premier and High Country make this seating standard.
2021 Chevy Tahoe
The award-winning 2021 Chevy Tahoe was a fully redesigned model after the 2020 Tahoe. This Tahoe boasts about its roominess compared to the interior of the previous generations of the vehicle, with a total of 122.9 cubic feet of space with the second and third-row seats folded down.
Similar to the newly released 2022 model, the Tahoe’s middle three trims—the LT, RST, and Z71—begin offering quad bucket seating. The Premier and High Country trims standardized this seating.
2020 Chevy Tahoe
The 2020 Chevy Tahoe is the last one in its generation. It can seat up to eight individuals if bench seats are elected for the second and third rows. If the driver selects quad bucket seats rather than a second-row bench, the seating capacity also decreases from eight to seven.
This generation of Tahoe has three available trims: LS, LT, and Premier. The LT has a quad-bucket seat option, while the Premier standardized this option.
2019 Chevy Tahoe
In 2019, Chevy added the Premier Plus package to the Tahoe as the biggest upgrade for the year. This offers a new interior option, a heads-up display, and other cosmetic features.
Of the three available trim options, the LT and the Premier both offer the captain’s chair - the LT once again has this as an optional seating arrangement, while the Premier puts them as the standard.
2018 Chevy Tahoe
The 2018 Tahoe introduced the RST edition on LT and Premier trims - we now have the RST trim on current models instead. The LS model got a Custom Edition as well. Other cosmetic changes included two new exterior colors and standard daytime LED driving lamps.
The LT model in 2018 had an optional captain’s chair feature, and the Premier once again had standardized captain’s chairs in the second row.
2017 Chevy Tahoe
The 2017 Tahoe ditched the top LTZ trim name and replaced it with Premier. For this year, they also standardized the Teen Driver and Rear Seat Reminder safety features in all trims. The Premier trim comes with some exclusive features, such as adaptive cruise control and an entertainment center in the back seat that includes HDMI ports.
Another Premier-only feature is the standardized quad bucket seats in the second row. The LT trim also offers these, but only as an option for a higher expense.
2016 Chevy Tahoe
In 2016, Chevrolet standardized the 8-inch touchscreen on each Tahoe trim, making Apple Carplay available. New safety features included lane-keep assist, auto high beams, and a new heads-up display.
Captain’s chairs for the Tahoe were optional on the LT trim and standardized on the LTZ trim(which we now know as the Premier trim).
2015 Chevy Tahoe
The 2015 Chevy Tahoe was the fourth generation of Tahoe, meaning the car underwent a complete redesign. The new frame derived from that of the 2014 Silverado, and the engines and interior also underwent upgrades.
Both the LT and LTZ trims offered optional second-row captain’s chair seating, while the LS only offered bench seating.
2010-2014 Chevy Tahoe
This is the third generation of the Chevrolet Tahoe, which was continually rated one of the best SUVs on the market for those years. With a high-powered engine, it still maintained great gas mileage and could easily maneuver around town. The Tahoe truly lived up to its hype with all of its incredible features; during this generation, it received backup cameras and an updated navigation system as well.
For all five years, the LT trim offered optional second-row quad-bucket seating, while the LTZ standardized this seating for every year except 2010 (this year it was optional as well).
Visit Powers Swain Chevrolet Today
If you are in the market for a new Chevrolet Tahoe, Powers Swain Chevrolet in Eastern North Carolina is one of the leading dealerships in the area. We have been operating with a continually great selection of vehicles since 1961 and pride ourselves on our caring customer service and low prices. Please contact us today or visit our dealership to see what we currently have available and take home the perfect next vehicle for you and your family.