2023 Chevrolet Suburban Review: Family-Friendly Road Trip Comfort

The Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe and GMC Yukon together dominate the large SUV segment. The Tahoe and Yukon are number one and two, with the Suburban coming in fourth behind the Ford Expedition. The reason these monstrous vehicles are so popular, especially the General Motors platform-sharing versions, is because they allow drivers to travel with as many people, or as much stuff, as they want. Big V8s, four-wheel drive and tons of towing capacity help.

The Chevrolet Suburban is the longer of the two Chevrolets, with an extra 15 inches, although both have three rows of seats. It is one of the oldest nameplates in the industry with the first “Carryall Suburban” introduced in 1935.

The twelfth-generation SUV debuted in 2021 with six trims starting with LS and ending with the High Country spec. Its maximum cargo capacity has grown by 23 cubic feet from the previous generation and a lower floor helps when loaded with cargo.

The Suburban is now available with a 15-inch head-up display, projecting speed, navigation and other relevant information on the windshield. A 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard on LT trims and up while navigation is optional. Wireless smartphone integration is optional, but wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. It also now has 13 available camera views for parking and towing.

The 2023 Chevrolet Suburban offers a choice of two V8s or a six-cylinder diesel. General Motors The 2023 Chevrolet Suburban is offered in rear- or all-wheel drive. General Motors The 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71 comes with a unique bumper and tow hooks for off-road and tow hitches. .General MotorsThe 2023 Chevrolet Suburban comes with a ten-speed automatic transmission.General MotorsThe 2023 Chevrolet Suburban can tow up to 8,300 pounds.General MotorsThe 2023 Chevrolet Suburban has 144.7 cars of 2G2 cubic feet of space. inch central touchscreen.General MotorsThe 2023 Chevrolet Suburban offers rear-seat entertainment for second-row passengers.General MotorsSeats in the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban fold down for more space.General Motors

Mechanically, the new Chevy Suburban is one of the most comfortable SUVs on the road with independent rear suspension, adjustable Magnetic Ride Control shocks and four-corner air suspension. A 355-horsepower (hp) and 383-pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque V8 is standard and a 6.2-liter V8 producing 420 hp and 460 lb-ft is optional.

New for the latest generation is a 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel engine that produces 277 hp but 460 lb-ft of torque. A ten-speed automatic transmission is standard, and it can tow 8,300 pounds when properly equipped. The Suburban comes standard with rear-wheel drive, but four-wheel drive is optional.

2023 Chevrolet Suburban 4WD Z71

The biggest news for 2023 is the addition of Super Cruise to the driver assistance technology. It is one of the few true hands-free systems available for sale today and is usable on most major highways in the US. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is now offered, as is Google Built-in on LT trims and up. Google Built-in combines Google Assistant, Maps and Google Play Apps, all of which can be permanently logged into the vehicle for ease of use.

The rear-seat media system ($1,995) is the star of the second row, especially for kids, and includes dual rear-seat-mounted 12.6-inch touchscreens, wireless Wi-Fi projection capability, two Bluetooth headphones and two HDMI -ports located at the rear of the center console. This means families can either plug in a DVD player or video game system, or just let the kids browse the YouTube Kids app, making hours-long road trips a breeze.

The 2023 Chevrolet Suburban offers rear-seat entertainment for second-row passengers.General Motors

As expected, there is a ton of room in the second row, especially with the captain’s chairs option. As expected, the kids were also reasonable, although drivers can tune in to what the kids are watching to keep track. The screens can also be swapped from side to side, so even less complaining. Those captain’s chairs make it easy to install the child seats, though it’s more difficult for a child in a booster seat to buckle the seat belt themselves since it’s further away than expected.

The Z71 package ($5,985) includes everything a driver needs for off-road driving, including an electronic limited-slip differential, the upgraded air suspension, magnetic ride control and more, in addition to luxury items like a 360-degree camera, heated second row seats and a heated steering wheel. The package also comes with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Side Blind-Zone Alert.

The luxury is key here, because that’s how the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban feels on the road. It absorbs road imperfections, no matter how horrendous, and does so with more stability than a pickup since the weight is more centered. Where a pickup would lose traction at speed on a bumpy and wet dirt road, the Suburban plows through it. It is impervious to Mother Nature.

The front seats are comfortable and adjustable and the wireless CarPlay only needed one setup, and it worked every time. The touch screen is in a comfortable position and it has permanent mode buttons to switch to different functions.

The 2023 Chevrolet Suburban has a 10.2-inch central touchscreen. General Motors

The climate and volume controls are all physical buttons, making for easy adjustments, even while wearing gloves. The steering wheel also has controls for volume and tuning, in addition to cruise control functions. The push-button transmission is located on the dashboard next to the touch screen and saves space, although it takes some getting used to.

The larger V8 is both excellent in both sound and power, although it is thirsty. The EPA says 16 miles per gallon (mpg) combined even though in the dash computer it was less than 15 mpg. The ten-speed automatic was perfect and the four-wheel drive system was left in Auto mode, sending power to the front wheels when needed. It does require a bit more brake pressure than expected and this is one of the few times where the vehicle shows its weight.

Chevy Safety Assist comes standard on all Suburbans with automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, Lane Keep Assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator, front pedestrian brake and automatic high beams. Available features include Adaptive Cruise Control, HD Surround Vision, 15-inch diagonal Head-Up Display, Rear Camera Mirror, Rear Camera Mirror Washer, Rear Pedestrian Alert and a few others.

This particular 2023 Chevy Suburban comes in at $77,195, including the Rear Seat Entertainment and Z71 packages. However, a base model with all-wheel drive starts at $57,700 (4WD is $3,000). The smaller Chevrolet Tahoe starts at $54,200. The GMC versions are more expensive. The Ford Expedition with its twin-turbo V6 starts at $57,655; all-wheel drive is $3,060. The Jeep Wagoneer, its next competitor, starts at $59,995.

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All three offer pickup truck capability with private jet-like amenities, but General Motors has been doing it the longest and feels the most refined. The Ford Expedition offers a bit more efficiency with 23 mpg on the highway as opposed to 19 mpg in the Suburban. That Ford Expedition will also need the MAX upgrade to come close to the cargo space of the Suburban.

A buyer in this market should definitely start at their local GM dealer before hitting up Ford and Jeep. The Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia also play in the segment. Or they could move the luxury end of the spectrum with the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7, but they both cost a bit more than the already expensive but extremely useful Chevrolet Suburban.