2021 Chevrolet Suburban review, reviews, specs, prices and photos (2023)

Brian Wong West Coast Publishing House

March 10, 2021

Likes

• modern look
• best interior
• 10.0 inch standard touch screen
• Automatic emergency braking as standard
• independent suspension

do not like

• All aboard the U.S.S. On site
• It doesn't fit in many garages.
• Many standard security features are missing
• Tahoe looks so capable right now
• Third row does not sit back

Purchase advice

The Suburban is gigantic, which is good for space, but also means it might not fit into your life (or garage). If you don't need that much space, Chevrolet also offers the slightly smaller Tahoe.

Features and Specifications

What type of vehicle is the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban? What is it compared to?

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is the latest in a long line of full-size family battleships whose name dates back to the early 20th century when people weren't necessarily smaller, maybe they just needed less stuff. Compete with other large SUVs like the Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe, Nissan Armada and GMC Yukon.

Is the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban a Good Vehicle?

The redesigned 2021 Suburban earns a TCC rating of 6.0 out of 10 due to strong standard equipment and a comfortable cabin. A poor crash test rating and lack of standard safety features, along with a (unsurprisingly) poor fuel economy readout, lowered those scores . (read more about ithow we rate cars.)

What's new in the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban?

In short, almost everything. The redesigned 2021 Suburban is more spacious for passengers and cargo, adds a new turbocharged diesel engine option, and updates its multimedia and safety technology that bring it up to date with the modern age. It got big, too: 225.7 inches long with a wheelbase that's over 11 feet, more legroom in the second and third rows, and cargo space that's now at 144.7 cubic feet.

The Suburban is closely related to theChevrolet Tahoe 2021, which also received a makeover, which we'll cover separately. Both ride on the same platform that carries the half-ton Silverado, and the styling is heavily truck-biased, which also gives the Suburban a huge mouth. The grille with the daytime running lights pushes towards the middle, but is just as vertical and imposing. -as previously. On the sides, the Suburban's creases and curves play with available daylight, at least when it's not blocking the sun.

Under the hood you can choose between two V-8 engines: a 5.3-liter or a 6.2-liter with 355 and 420 hp respectively. For the first time in two decades, a 3.0-liter inline-6 ​​turbocharged diesel engine with 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque is available in the Suburban. A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard on all models and can drive the rear wheel or all four wheels as an option. (also with rear wheel drive).

The Suburban has four-wheel independent suspension for the first time this year, which helps the Chevy ride smoother on pavement. An optional adaptive air suspension also spoils the passengers with a load-levelling rear end for frequent lifting.

All Suburbans come standard with Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Monitors, Active Lane Control and an optional Surround View Camera System. The Suburban received a four-star crash test rating from NHTSA, but has yet to be tested by IIHS at this time.

How much does the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban cost?

The 2021 Suburban is available in LS, LT, Z71, High Country, Premier and RST trim levels. All trim levels except the Z71 have standard rear-wheel drive, and adding all-wheel drive costs an additional $3,000 on the other trim levels. The LS starts at $52,995 (including a $1,295 target fee), followed by the LT at $57,795 and the RST at $61,095. The Z71 retails for $63,195, so we come to the more luxurious Suburban, Premier ($66,595) and High Country ($73,595) models.

The LS comes standard with a 10.2-inch touchscreen, automatic emergency braking, three-zone climate control, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Each cutout above connects to a wireless phone charger. High Country models have most of the standard features with leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, and standard adaptive suspension.

Where will the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban be made?

The 2021 Suburban will be built next to the Tahoe in Arlington, Texas.

Chevrolet Suburban 2021

Style

Is the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban an attractive car?

The redesigned Suburban gets a point for exterior design, but the less outlandish interior design is average across all trim levels, giving us a 6 for style.

The Suburban shows off its prodigious size, rather than trying to scale it down, with square corners and a massive front grille at the front. The style borrows heavily from Silverado, giving high-side uts the necessary shaping to make them look less flat. The high sides also feature large side windows that create excellent sightlines for passengers in all three rows and allow more light into the cabin. The off-road oriented Z71 models look more aggressive, with a unique front fascia offering a steeper departure angle.

The interior design isn't groundbreaking, but the new standard 10.2-inch touchscreen is well placed in the dashboard where it's easy to see and the rest of the controls are intuitively positioned. A top-of-the-line High Country model liberally smears leather around the cabin as if there were excess cowhide, but the lower panels swap it for cloth.

Chevrolet Suburban 2021

Performance

Switching to independent rear suspension improved the Suburban's ride quality, especially when equipped with optional magnetic dampers. The larger 6.2-liter V8 has more than enough power to move the Suburban with relative ease. We'll have to test the other two engines to see if they offer the same satisfying power delivery. The Suburban's light power and smooth ride earns it a 7 in this category.

Ist der Chevrolet Suburban 4WD?

Rear-wheel drive is standard on all but the Z71 model, which has four-wheel drive as standard. All-wheel drive is available with all engine options in all other five trim levels.

How fast is the Chevrolet Suburban?

The three engines available offer enough power to keep this big ship at a good pace, but not too fast. The base engine is a 5.3-liter V8 that makes 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque and is standard on all trim levels except High Country. The High Country is the only model to get the larger 6.2-liter V-8 engine with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque that comes standard.

New for 2021 is a 3.0-liter inline-6 ​​turbodiesel producing 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque to match the larger V-8. In the High Country, this engine, while optional, is actually $1,500 cheaper than the larger (and also more efficient) V-8. This engine is available for all models except the Z71. A 10-speed automatic transmission is the only transmission option, and all models have two-wheel drive as standard, with all-wheel drive optional, except (again) for the Z71, which only has four-wheel drive. Towing capacity is 8,300 pounds.

For the first time, the Suburban features four-wheel independent suspension that helps improve ride quality. The High Country also uses adaptive air suspension with self-levelling, giving it an impressively calm and balanced position on the road. It's a vehicle that can drive for hours without complaint, eating up potholes and expansion joints in the road with ease. The suspension also helps the Suburban feel balanced through corners. There's some body roll, but the SUV never feels sloppy or out of control unless you toss it recklessly.

Chevrolet Suburban 2021

comfort and quality

With comfortable seating for eight adults (or nine on base fleet models), the largest cargo space of any SUV and roomy rear seats, the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban deserves an 8th.

The Suburban's extra 4.1-inch wheelbase pushes the wheels even further, adding more than two inches of legroom in the second and third rows, which expand to 42 and 36.7 inches, respectively. That gives the third row more legroom than some compact sedans, and unlike the cramped third rows in mid-size SUVs, this also feels like a legitimate living area with plenty of headroom.

Seating capacity is up to nine passengers in the LS, which offers bench seats in all three rows. All other models seat a maximum of eight people, with a second row bench seat or middle row captain's chair available for a total of seven people.

The third row isn't wide enough to fit three adults on anything longer than a short ride, but it's plenty of room for two. Vents are also well positioned on the roof and help keep air circulating for everyone in the cabin. All seats could use more thigh support, with slightly shortened lower bolsters for taller passengers.

Behind the third row, the Suburban has over 41 cubic feet of cargo space, more than almost any two-row crossover on the planet. With the seats folded forward, the 2021 Suburban's cavernous 144.7 cubic feet is 23 cubic feet up from last year and more room than most in Rhode Island.

Cloth seats are standard, with leather upholstery on RST and higher trim levels. On higher trim levels, the tacky center console controls don't keep up with the Suburban's rising price.

Chevrolet Suburban 2021

Security

How safe is the Chevrolet Suburban?

NHTSA gave the Suburban a four-star overall rating, and the SUV performed well in most crash tests but earned a three-star rollover rating. These low scores, along with the limited availability of advanced safety options, bring the Suburban's safety rating down to an average of 5, despite its great exterior looks and standard automatic emergency braking.

The standard safety functions are limited to automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and rear parking sensors on basic models. The standard automatic emergency braking system only works at speeds below 80 km/h and a more robust system is only available on Premier and High Country models. This is a common theme for the Suburban, with safety features that are standard on competing base models and not even higher trim levels. Adaptive cruise control, for example, is not standard on any Suburban trim but is found on all Ford Expeditions and Nissan Armadas.

Front parking sensors, rear view camera, active lane control, blind spot monitors and a surround view camera system are also available.