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"  Detroit now produces some of the largest passenger vehicles in history, among them the Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans. These SUVs are for people interested in hauling kids and cargo comfortably. In our survey, owners cited roominess as their primary reason for buying a Suburban. And for many of our respondents, this Suburban wasn&amp;#039;t their first. Nearly a third owned Suburbans before. These derivatives of Chevrolet and GMC full-size pickup trucks can carry up to nine adults on three rows of bench seats. Front buckets are optional. Take out the third bench and you end up with nearly 150 cu. ft. of cargo space. To get at that space, you can specify (at no extra cost) either a tailgate/liftglass or double doors that open to the sides. The seatbacks of the two rear benches in upmarket series fold flat, and the third seat has quick-release latches that let you slide it out. Unfortunately, when it&amp;#039;s in place that third seat tends to be a struggle to get into and out of, according to the owners we surveyed. You&amp;#039;ll find relatively few differences between Chevrolet&amp;#039;s version of the Suburban and the one offered by GMC. Both versions offer a choice of three V8 engines, which run from big and strong to huge and super-strong. The engines are a 5.7-liter (350 cu. in.), 6.5-liter (395 cu. in.) turbodiesel and 7.4-liter (454 cu. in.). Horsepower ratings are 255, 195 and 290, respectively. The sole transmission is an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic, and you can order any Suburban with or without 4-wheel drive. The 4wd system is called AutoTrac. AutoTrac normally stays in 2wd until it senses wheelspin. It then instantly and seamlessly engages 4wd and delivers power to the front and rear axles in a suitable torque split. The AutoTrac wheel sensors are the same used for the Suburban&amp;#039;s standard antilock braking system. Nearly 54% of the owners we surveyed had 4wd, but fewer than 10% opted for the 454 V8 (available only in Chevrolet C/K 2500 models), and a mere 2.6% ordered the turbodiesel V8. No one expected the Suburban to be a fuel-economy champ, yet we noted that 26.6% of our surveyees complained about mileage. And nearly half rated fuel mileage &amp;quot;fair.&amp;quot; On the good-news side, all Suburbans come with a 42-gal. fuel tank. Performance and acceleration received strong endorsements, but we again heard a few grumbles about Suburbans being &amp;quot;hard to park&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;susceptible to crosswinds.&amp;quot; Both are functions of the Suburban&amp;#039;s size which, of course, was also its biggest plus. The loudest gripe had to do with factory wheel alignment. Seems some 27% of all early 1998 Suburbans needed to go back to the dealer for realignment. Later vehicles didn&amp;#039;t have that problem. The second most common mechanical complaint had to do with the brakes, which some owners described as &amp;quot;spongy,&amp;quot; others as &amp;quot;low-pedal&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;weak.&amp;quot; A number of owners suggested that Suburbans get 4-wheel disc brakes, not rear drums. All Suburbans come with power steering, power door locks, 8-wire trailering harness and AM/FM stereo. Down-market versions have vinyl upholstery, but cloth and leather are available, as is nearly every imaginable luxury option, including heated seats, front and rear air conditioning, GM&amp;#039;s OnStar GPS and cellphone-based help system and HomeLink remote controller. The majority of owners rated workmanship &amp;quot;excellent,&amp;quot; and dealer sales and service got high marks also. Fully 86.5% of those who responded to our survey said they&amp;#039;d buy a Suburban again, meaning that this is a highly satisfied group of owners. EDITORS REPORT Size Does Count Suburbans are well-suited to their stated milieu\u2014the suburbs&amp;#039; urban sprawl, with a dozen places to go, a dozen Little Leaguers to ferry, a dozen grocery bags to schlep. Well, almost. Unfortunately, many contemporary garages are just too small. And thus is writ the &amp;#039;Burban&amp;#039;s most compelling feature and its fatal flaw wrapped up into one: Size counts. Okay, before the phone starts jingling with calls from half of GM&amp;#039;s Tech center and a hundred satisfied owners\u2014yes, it will fit into most garages, clearing most garage doors vertically by scant inches. In fact, it&amp;#039;s shorter and narrower than this season&amp;#039;s trendy Urban Assault Vehicle, Lincoln&amp;#039;s Navigator. But it&amp;#039;s also a good 15 in. longer, a 15 in. that will crowd a lot of garbage cans and bicycles out into the backyard. I recommend premeasuring your garage and deciding whether you really want to squeeze out of the door into a space between the garage wall and the truck&amp;#039;s side that&amp;#039;s narrower than your waist size. This may not be an issue if you&amp;#039;ve got a thin backside, a very large garage, or routinely park outside in the driveway. And don&amp;#039;t forget the 2wd versions are an inch or two shorter than the 4wd, depending on equipment and tires.On the road, things are different. While the &amp;#039;90&amp;#039;s buzzword in trucks is carlike, Suburban remains deliciously trucklike, with firm springs, firm damping and a solid impression of road-hugging weight. The incredible bulk is easy to carve up traffic with, and the steering and suspension give a mild understeer and excellent grip around sweeping freeway entrances. Parking is simpler than I expected, due to a small turn circle and good visibility of all four corners. Interior amenities are terrific, although not as plush as a few other, higher-priced SUVs. And as a platform for towing a boat or RV trailer, there&amp;#039;s nothing even close.\u2014Mike Allen &amp;amp;gt; SUMMARY OF CHEVROLET/GMC SUBURBAN OWNERS REPORTS*Total miles driven:967,995 Average miles driven:5728 Purchase price: Average Chevrolet$33,294 GMC$35,477 Range Chevrolet$31,000-$40,234 GMC$30,000-$41,500Nameplate frequency: GMC51.7% Chevrolet48.3Series frequency: 150092.9% 25007.1Model frequency: Chevrolet Suburban LT33.3% GMC Suburban SLT29.4 GMC Suburban SLE19.0 Chevrolet Suburban LS16.3 GMC Suburban SL2.0Engine frequency: 5.7-liter89.6% 7.4-liter7.8 6.5-liter turbodiesel2.6Options and accessories: Rear climate control97.6% Electronic active transfer case (4x4 only)95.3 Bench second, third seats90.6 Runningboards76.7 4-wheel drive53.8 Bench front seat16.7Why did you choose the Suburban? Roominess38.0% Past experience32.3 Size22.8 Towing ability14.6 Price/value13.9 Comfort13.3Average miles per gallon, city/hwy: 5.7-liter14.1/17.3 6.5-liter turbodiesel16.0/16.0 7.4-liter11.6/13.7Specific likes: Roominess45.3% Comfort40.7 Overall size31.3 Riding qualities26.0 Handling20.0 Safety14.7Specific dislikes: Poor fuel mileage26.6% Price too high10.2 No complaints7.8 Third-seat access7.0 Brake problems4.7 Wind &amp;amp;amp; road noise4.7 Difficult to park4.7 Large size4.7Suggested changes: Improve fuel mileage10.1% Better rear-seat access9.1 More power/performance8.1 Greater silence6.1 Better workmanship5.1 Update exterior styling5.1 Add childproof locks4.1Performance opinion: Power/acceleration Excellent47.6% Good48.2 Fair4.2 Poor0.0Braking Excellent43.3% Good45.6 Fair7.6 Poor3.5High-speed maneuverability Excellent51.5% Good42.1 Fair5.3 Poor1.2Parking ease Excellent30.8% Good52.1 Fair14.2 Poor3.0Crosswind stability Excellent34.5% Good52.4 Fair11.3 Poor1.8Overall performance Excellent44.4% Good52.7 Fair1.8 Poor1.2Driving convenience: Driver sightlines Excellent51.8% Good45.1 Fair3.0 Poor0.0Layout of controls Excellent58.6% Good37.3 Fair2.4 Poor1.8Cargo area roominess Excellent72.0% Good24.4 Fair3.6 Poor0.0Cargo area access Excellent64.9% Good36.8 Fair6.0 Poor2.4Spare tire access Excellent53.9% Good39.5 Fair5.4 Poor1.2Inside storage Excellent46.4% Good43.5 Fair9.5 Poor0.6Overall convenience: Excellent55.4% Good43.4 Fair0.6 Poor0.6Workmanship opinion: Paint quality Excellent64.8% Good33.3 Fair1.2 Poor0.6Body fit and finish Excellent63.1% Good33.3 Fair1.8 Poor1.8Mechanical Excellent59.3% Good35.1 Fair2.4 Poor3.0Interior fit and finish Excellent62.7% Good35.5 Fair1.2 Poor0.6Interior materials Excellent61.1% Good34.1 Fair3.6 Poor1.2Noise isolation Excellent51.2% Good38.7 Fair7.1 Poor3.0General comfort: Front seats Excellent65.7% Good29.0 Fair3.6 Poor1.8Rear seats Excellent47.6% Good44.0 Fair7.1 Poor1.2Ride Excellent64.1% Good32.4 Fair3.5 Poor0.0Roominess Excellent82.5% Good15.8 Fair1.2 Poor0.6Entry and exit Excellent55.6% Good39.2 Fair5.3 Poor0.0Had any trouble, mechanical or otherwise? No59.1% Yes40.9What type of trouble? Front-end alignment27.1% Brakes spongy and noisy12.9 Window adjustment8.6 Noises and rattles8.6 Air conditioner5.7Were repairs done under warranty? Yes100.0% No0.0Were dealer repairs satisfactory? Yes76.5% No23.5Warranty service opinion: Excellent50.4% Good36.3 Fair7.1 Poor6.2Dealer sales policy: Excellent59.1% Good29.3 Fair9.1 Poor2.4Number of vehicles owned: This vehicle only8.2% Two vehicles49.1 Three vehicles23.4 Four or more vehicles19.3Principal driver: Female41.2% Male40.0 Both equally18.8Age distribution of owners: Under 303.8% 30-4961.8 50-plus34.4Based on your experiences, would you buy a Suburban again? Yes86.5% Maybe11.1 No2.3* Percentages might not equal 100% due to rounding or insufficient data. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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