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Where was the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban on my last road trip? After a week behind the wheel of this colossal SUV, I’ve come away convinced the Suburban is the automotive equivalent of the Swiss Army knife. Whatever you need, it’s got. Just flip one thing down, pull that one up and you’ve got all situations covered. Traveling with four...




Where was the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban on my last road trip? After a week behind the wheel of this colossal SUV, I’ve come away convinced the Suburban is the automotive equivalent of the Swiss Army knife. Whatever you need, it’s got. Just flip one thing down, pull that one up and you’ve got all situations covered.



Traveling with four adults? No problem. The four captain’s chairs with armrests help backseat passengers feel all grown up. Traveling with children? No problem. The separate chairs also do a marvelous job of keeping kids from acting like kids. No more listening to, “He/she is in my space.” What a godsend!



A third-row of seats is standard for even more wee ones or a seatbelt-secured pet carrier. The storage space behind the third row is about the same as many other SUVs offer behind their second row. Remove the third row and the space is cavernous. It’s all up to you.



The Suburban is king when it comes to offering passenger and cargo versatility, making this full-size SUV a longtime favorite with families. We can even argue that today’s jack-of-all-trades SUVs owe their start to iconic American vehicles like the panel wagons and the Suburbans of yesteryear.



The 2011 Suburban, though, is eons away from the wagons of long ago. Available DVD players for both second- and third-row passengers, turn-by-turn navigation system to get you from coast to coast without having to stop for directions, StabiliTrak with traction control, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, available Bose stereo system, heated second-row seats – all help to make this the best-equipped Suburban ever.



All Chevy needs to do is throw a corkscrew in the glove compartment and the competition with the Swiss Army knife will be history.

Actually, what would win it would be the Suburban’s ability to tow. No Swiss Army knife can tow up to 8,100 lbs. (that’s 9,600 lbs. on the three-quarter-ton Suburban).



“Customers like the Suburban because it’s one of few vehicles that can seat eight people, carry a lot of luggage and tow a boat” all at once, said Keith Henry, general sales manager at Robert Levis Chevrolet Cadillac in Slidell.



The 2011 Suburban comes standard with front bucket seats; but if you’d like to have the option for an additional passenger, opt for the 40/20/40-split front bench seat. The front bench seat option actually saves you $250 off the MSRP and if you don’t need that third passenger up front, just put the wide center armrest down and you’ve each got your personal space.



By selecting a combination of front, second and third-row seating options, drivers have the option of seating from seven to nine passengers in sizable comfort. Select the mid-level LT trim and seats now come standard in leather. Move up to the top-of-the-line LTZ trim and all four bucket seats are covered with perforated leather and heated. The front buckets are also cooled.



The standard third row can seat three passengers; but because of its theater-seating height, it’s best if the passenger in the middle be a child or short adult. The second-row bucket seats tumble forward at the tug of a lever, making access to the third row much more civilized.



As mentioned by Henry, one of the reasons drivers opt for the Suburban over its competitors is for its ability to provide lots of cargo space even with the third row in play. The space behind the third row in the Suburban is about as big as many car trunks, making simple work of stowing three or four suitcases.



With the third row removed and the second row seats collapsed, the Suburban boasts of more than 137 cubic feet of cargo spa

Tags: Chevrolet

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Chevy Suburban: A versatile family vehicle was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Chevrolet. Read the full story by clicking here.