Chevrolet Suburban

Overview

Large SUVs may seem excessive. But nothing comes close when you need to move a large family with their luggage while hauling large equipment on long trips in comfort. Tailor-made for Americans, these boxy trucks act as luxury yachts for the road. On the back of which you can attach an actual yacht. Yes, there are some compromises to be made with a vehicle like this. But the advantages surpass all of them. This honest approach to practicality and versatility has allowed the Chevrolet Suburban to enjoy many years of successful operation in the US. Here in the Philippines, the Suburban is sold in two different variants powered by the same 5.3 L V8. The 4X2 variant is sold for Php 4852888, and the 4X4 variant is sold for Php 5338888. Both are loaded to the brim with modern features that raise its practicality and comfort quotient even higher. The Chevrolet Suburban faces direct competition from the Ford Expedition and the Lexus GX while the Toyota Land Cruiser is also a constant threat. So, is the Chevrolet the best SUV for your suburban life? Let’s find out.

Interior & Features

Move inside, and the purpose of this excessive size is evident. There are acres of space inside thanks to the 3302 mm wheelbase. Seating configuration is 2-3-3 in the 4X2 and 2-2-3 in the 4X4. But frankly, there should be no problem seating 9 or even ten people in complete comfort in the 4X2 with its bench seats. The 4X4 however, gets bucket seats. The seat controls are manual, and the seats themselves are heated for the 4X2. The 4X4 gets electronic seats which are both heated and cooled for the second and third row. The front row seats for the 4X2 are 10-way adjustable with 6-way cushions and 2-way power lumbar. The ones on the 4X4 are 12-way adjustable for the driver with 4-way power lumbar and wrapped in perforated leather.

The interior too is wrapped in leather (jet black on the 4X2 and cocoa brown on the 4X4). The cockpit is a nice place to be. The steering comes with controls for audio, cruise control and driver information centre (DIC). The DIC itself is a 4.2” multifunctional display that shows every kind of information imaginable. The infotainment display is equally well equipped with aux, 5 USB ports, Bluetooth and supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay through Chevrolet MyLink. It is backed by an equally good speaker setup (Bose Premium 9 speaker setup for the 4X2 and Bose Centerpoint surround sound ten speaker setup for the 4X4) and four sets of headphones if you want your music. There is even a wireless phone charging enabled centre console.

And of course, there is plenty of storage. And plenty of cargo space. To the tune of 3500-litre. It goes without saying that a power liftgate is standard on both the variants.

Exterior

The Chevrolet Suburban is significant and makes no effort to hide it. It is 5649 mm long, 2000 mm wide and 1951 mm high. The design can be summarized in one word – boxy. The ruler saw a lot of use during the design phase of this car. There are some bold lines on the hood and the multi-layered chrome grille flanked by high-intensity discharge headlamps. The 10 spoke polished aluminium wheels are equally large at 20” and come fixed with wide 285/50 all-season tires. These give the Suburban a ride height of 227 mm making it very handy for wading through considerable depths. This also makes the presence of a step assist (fixed and black on the 4X2 and power retractable with lighting on the 4X4) essential. Large extended windows characterize the side. And that’s about it. And this is not a bad thing. Lack of styling is, in fact, a good thing for something this large. You are not going to miss it on the road anyways. Despite the three shades of grey that it comes in – black, tungsten metallic and summit white.

Ride & Handling

The top of the range 4X4 comes with a Corvette-inspired magnetic ride control that uses real-time damping for a smooth ride. Constantly monitoring the road and driving conditions and changing the suspension settings, the ride remains supple and comfortable. For a 3.3-ton vehicle, the handling is quite good, This, is thanks to the SUV’s wider track. Body roll is minimal, and steering is sharp. But considering its size, it is certainly less suited for certain tasks. Like parking in tight spaces.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Powering both the variants is a 5.3-litre EcoTec3 aluminium block V8. It comes equipped with active fuel management, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. The active fuel management shuts off four cylinders when the power is not needed. The engine switches back all eight cylinders when there is a need for the power, and the changeover is barely noticeable. This allows the engine to achieve decent fuel economy figures of 9 kmpl on the highway and up to 7 kmpl in city driving. These numbers might not sound like much, but with the kind of bulk this beast is supposed to be moving, this is quite remarkable. With a 117-litre fuel tank, it should not pose much problem on long hauls either. The engine produces a maximum power output of 355 hp at 5600 rpm along with 516 Nm of torque at a lowly 4100 rpm. The transmission uses a 6-speed automatic with electronic overdrive and tow/haul mode. For hauling purposes, the Suburban comes with a trailing hitch platform, a 7-way sealed connector and a 2 -inch trailing receiver. This setup allows it to tow up to 3765 kg.

Braking & Safety

Both the variants are equipped with nearly every kind of safety equipment and then some additional ones just because of how big it is. Driver and front passenger get frontal and side-impact airbags. All rows get seat-mounted side impact and head curtain side impact airbag. This brings the airbag count to almost a dozen. ABS and Stabilitrak aid disc brakes on all wheels with brake assist and traction control. Sensor package includes parking sensors (rear for the 4X2 and front and rear for the 4X4), forward Collison alert, rear cross traffic alert (only on 4X4), lane departure warning and side blind zone alert with lane change alert. And this is just breaking the surface of the safety features on this car.

The car scores decently on safety ratings too except for rollover where it scores below average. Other crash scores are also average. The 4X4 also comes with a very well appointed anti-theft protection system that monitors everything from vehicle tilt to the condition of the glass.

Verdict

With so much equipment, so much towing ability and so much space and comfort, the Chevrolet Suburban is indeed a lot of car for the money. For some, this may be too much car. While for others it may not be enough. Thankfully, people looking for a large SUV have no shortage of choice. And the Chevrolet is right there among the best of them.