Used 2018 Chevrolet Suburban SUV

The 2018 Chevrolet Suburban is a vehicle with a very broad set of skills. With three rows of seating and a massive interior, it can fit up to nine passengers or carry more than 120 cubic feet of cargo. Its traditional trucklike construction and beefy V8 engine help it tow as much as 8,300 pounds in the right configuration. It's also a quiet, comfortable and relatively well-equipped vehicle. All of this means that the Suburban is a prime candidate for large families with a taste for adventure.

That utility does come with some drawbacks. The Suburban's XL size means it's a handful in tight parking lots, and its truck-based suspension can't deliver the carlike ride comfort of a crossover. Poor fuel economy means you'll be paying a lot at the pump, too. But if you're looking for a rig that doesn't compromise on size, utility or power, the Suburban is tough to beat.

The 2018 Chevrolet Suburban is a full-size SUV with seating for up to nine passengers. It is offered in three trim levels: LS, LT and Premier.

Standard feature highlights for the LS include a 5.3-liter V8 engine (355 horsepower, 383 pound-feet of torque), a six-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels, seating for eight passengers (a front-row three-passenger bench seat is optional), automatic wipers, remote start, rear parking sensors, tri-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable front seats, a leather-wrapped tilt-only steering wheel and a household-rated power outlet.

On the technology front, you get Chevy's MyLink infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen interface, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, five USB ports, and a six-speaker audio system with satellite radio. Also included is OnStar communications (with a 4G LTE connection and onboard Wi-Fi) and the teen-driver system (limits certain settings for young drivers).

The optional Enhanced Driver Alert package adds forward collision alert with automatic low-speed braking, a vibrating safety-alert driver seat, automatic high beams, lane keeping assist and power-adjustable pedals.

The LT trim includes all of the above, along with a power-operated liftgate, leather upholstery, heated front bucket seats (thereby reducing passenger capacity to eight), a telescoping steering wheel, driver-seat memory functions, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a nine-speaker Bose audio system.

The optional Luxury package adds a power-operated tailgate, power-folding mirrors, auto-dimming driver-side mirror, foglights, front parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, keyless entry and ignition, heated second-row seats, power-folding second- and third-row seats, a heated and power-adjustable tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. The Texas Edition package is equipped identically but adds badges, plus crossbars for the roof-mounted cargo rails.

The Premier trim includes the Luxury package and adds 20-inch wheels, xenon headlights, an adaptive Magnetic Ride Control suspension, ventilated front seats, a navigation system, upgraded power-adjustable front seats, a wireless charging pad and a 10-speaker premium Bose surround-sound audio system.

The LT and Premier trims are eligible for second-row bucket seats (thereby reducing seating capacity to seven). You can also get the Sun, Entertainment and Destinations package on these trims. It includes a sunroof, a navigation system (LT trim) and a rear-seat entertainment system. Adaptive cruise control with enhanced automatic emergency braking, power-retractable rocker-sill passenger steps and a head-up display are available only on the Premier trim.

Many of the standard features offered by the top trim levels of the Suburban are available as options for the lower trim levels.

Offered on all trims are 22-inch wheels. The Max Trailering package, available on all trims, includes a special rear-axle ratio, electronic two-speed transfer case (for four-wheel drive models), a trailer brake controller and an auto-leveling suspension for nonmagnetic suspension vehicles. This year's new RST (Rally Sport Truck) package adds some special exterior styling details.

The Z71 Off-Road package is available only on the LT trim, and it includes all-terrain tires, unique cosmetic elements, tubular-type rocker-sill passenger steps, underbody skid plates, an off-road suspension calibration, the electronically operated two-speed transfer case, hill descent control, front parking sensors and rubber floor mats.

Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the Chevrolet Suburban LT (5.3L V8 | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | Z71 Off-Road Package).

NOTE: Since this test was conducted, the current Chevy Suburban has received some revisions, including the addition of optional safety features such as forward collision warning and a teen-driver system. Overall though, findings remain broadly applicable to this year's Suburban.