2019 Chevy Suburban Review

These days, it seems like just about every vehicle is a SUV-this or crossover-that. Yet some of these so-called SUVs are little more than front-wheel-drive hatchbacks styled to look a little more aggressive. Keeping it real, however, is the 2019 Chevrolet Suburban. It's about as traditional a SUV as you'll find.

The big Suburban offers three rows of seating to accommodate up to nine passengers, or you can fold down the rear seating to get up to 120 cubic feet of cargo space. Under the hood is a brawny V8 and available four-wheel drive with low-range gearing. For 2019, the Suburban also gets an injection of even more power. A new optional 6.2-liter V8 provides 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.

Whether you go with the standard V8  or upgrade to the optional 6.2-liter V8, the Suburban has plenty of thrust for daily driving, even when fully loaded. Unfortunately, all that power and the significant weight it's pulling means that fuel economy suffers. Many modern three-row crossover SUVs will do much better at the pump. The Suburban is comfortable and quiet, sure, but it's also harder to maneuver in town and significantly less comfortable on the highway than those similarly priced crossover (car-based instead of truck-based) rivals.

You might also want to take a look at the Ford Expedition, which is the Suburban's main rival. It's similarly capable, but benefits from a fresher design and a more comfortable ride quality. Still, there's still a place in the world for a big and capable SUV, and the Suburban definitely gets the job done.

The 2019 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 an 8-inch touchscreen interface, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a USB port and aux audio input, 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 power-folding mirrors, auto-dimming driver-side mirror, foglights, front and rear 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.

At the top of the Suburban lineup, there's the Premier trim, which 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.

Only on the Premier can you get the RST Performance Edition package which includes a 6.2-liter V8 (420 hp, 460 lb-ft) paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission and some unique exterior trim.

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 non-magnetic suspension vehicles.

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 and rear 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 in 2015, 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.