2023 Chevy Suburban LT Ride Report
Aug 11, 2023, 12:12 pm
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 3,706
2023 Chevy Suburban LT Ride Report
I don't have any pictures, so this thread will not be as good as some others, but I was looking forward to trying the current model Suburban. I hadn't driven one since the last model and remembered it being laborious to drive. This one was no better.
I had the LT trim which was pretty basic for such an expensive vehicle. The larger screen is nice and GM's infotainment has gotten better, but the rest of the interior left a lot to be desired. There are big chunky controls underneath the screen, which are certainly better than capacitive controls, but they feel cheap. The audio system is Bose-branded and extremely boomy and bass-heavy, even with the equalizer settings on neutral. The instrument cluster is all-digital. This Suburban had heated seats but not cooled seats. It lacked a sunroof.
The push-button gear selector is just hunks of plastic. If car companies insist on this, they should at least make the buttons interesting with some attention to detail.
It had lane-keep assist and what I thought was adaptive cruise - when I pressed the distance button on the wheel it gave me an indicator on the instrument cluster, but then charged right up to cars and didn't keep distance. I guess the button is just to set the emergency braking sensitivity.
The V8 does provide some good power, but the vehicle is not nimble at all and made it tiresome to drive. The Ford Expedition is light years ahead of the Suburban. I have driven the Expedition many times on mountain roads and enjoyed the effortless power and great handling for a vehicle of that size. The Suburban was difficult to drive even on flat highways. The Expedition's interior is also just so much better, even in base trim.
I ended up exchanging the Suburban for a Pacifica and the difference was night and day even though the latter is FWD. When a minivan has better driving dynamics than a flagship SUV, GM has some problems.
I had the LT trim which was pretty basic for such an expensive vehicle. The larger screen is nice and GM's infotainment has gotten better, but the rest of the interior left a lot to be desired. There are big chunky controls underneath the screen, which are certainly better than capacitive controls, but they feel cheap. The audio system is Bose-branded and extremely boomy and bass-heavy, even with the equalizer settings on neutral. The instrument cluster is all-digital. This Suburban had heated seats but not cooled seats. It lacked a sunroof.
The push-button gear selector is just hunks of plastic. If car companies insist on this, they should at least make the buttons interesting with some attention to detail.
It had lane-keep assist and what I thought was adaptive cruise - when I pressed the distance button on the wheel it gave me an indicator on the instrument cluster, but then charged right up to cars and didn't keep distance. I guess the button is just to set the emergency braking sensitivity.
The V8 does provide some good power, but the vehicle is not nimble at all and made it tiresome to drive. The Ford Expedition is light years ahead of the Suburban. I have driven the Expedition many times on mountain roads and enjoyed the effortless power and great handling for a vehicle of that size. The Suburban was difficult to drive even on flat highways. The Expedition's interior is also just so much better, even in base trim.
I ended up exchanging the Suburban for a Pacifica and the difference was night and day even though the latter is FWD. When a minivan has better driving dynamics than a flagship SUV, GM has some problems.
