2020 Chevrolet Suburban Review
The 2020 Chevrolet Suburban carry-all continues to amaze us. You can transport family, friends, and luggage across the US in comfortable style.
2020 Chevrolet Suburban – media.chevrolet.com | Shop 2020 Chevrolet Suburban on Carsforsale.com
What’s New for the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban
Even though the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban seems to like gas stations more than we like Cheetos, this carry-all SUV continues to amaze us. The 2020 is a carryover model from 2019 that’s waiting for an updated 2021 interior and rear suspension. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be the highlight of your trips should you decide to buy one. Let’s see what you can get to carry your family and friends in abundant room and luxury.
The Breakdown
Great exterior design
Plenty of interior space
Nice ride and handling
Gas mileage isn’t great
Wait for some 2021 updates
2020 Chevrolet Suburban Specs
- 355 horsepower from base engine
- 383 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 3 available trims
- 39.3 cu-ft. of cargo capacity
- 121.7 cu-ft. of cargo capacity with seats down
- 4G LTE mobile hotspot
- 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty
2020 Chevrolet Suburban Powertrain
We’re happy that Chevrolet gives us a choice of engines for the 2020 Suburban, but neither one is going to be a gas-mileage champ. Both engines are potent V8s, and you can choose powerful or extra powerful. The LS and LT come with the 355-horsepower 5.3-liter V8 that won’t disappoint you in everyday driving. Even though the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban’s weight is shy of 5600 pounds, this 5.3-liter will take you to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds. Not shabby for a heavy-weight. The big 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 does the dash to 60 in 6.2 seconds. Is it worth the extra money? Maybe the very smooth 10-speed transmission attached to it will change your mind.
The transmission and standard suspension setup are very smooth, but we’d recommend picking up a Suburban with the active suspension. If you do any off-road, curves, or hauling, the control of the magnetic ride will keep you from being car sick. We think that, as smooth as the standard suspension is, it gets floaty and out of control at times.
You’ll especially appreciate the suspension when it comes to towing, because it will keep everything controlled. The 2020 Chevrolet Suburban is able to pull 8300 pounds with the optional tow package. As nice as big 22-inch wheels look, they’ll be harsher riding than the 18-inch ones since the sidewalls won’t flex – so be warned. You’ll feel some jitters here and there, but the steering is tight and communicative, so there are no complaints. It’s an SUV built on a truck chassis, after all, and not a sports sedan. If you need to stop, you have no worries there thanks to its massive brakes, and the suspension keeps the front and rear end under control even in panic stops.
2020 Chevrolet Suburban Fuel Economy & MPG
When it comes to fuel economy, it’s not going to matter which engine you choose. You won’t think you’re in a Prius every time you fill up that 31-gallon gas tank. Neither engine has a leg up on the other with mpg since each engine is within an EPA estimated 1 mpg of each other. The 5.3-liter gets 14 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway. The 6.2-liter gets 14 mpg in the city 20 mpg on the highway. Both engines have GM’s cylinder deactivation technology to save fuel, but you’re still pulling a heavy SUV. And that V8 is has a very fun loud pedal, so depending on your personality, you’ll be wanting to push it. The truth is, like any car, your mileage will vary depending on how you drive, and you could get better gas mileage if you try.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
We’ve written more than enough about Chevy’s need for interior updates on all their pickup and large SUV models. For 2020, they’ve dropped in a new dash design that helps. So, rather than criticize what isn’t there, let’s look at the positives.
The dash looks like it fits into an SUV of this size. Knobs are large, and most of the controls are logically placed. You can reach numerous places to store things from the driver’s seat, including the still cool hidden compartment behind the LCD screen. Near your right elbow is the end table sized center console that can swallow up even more things like snacks for the family and maybe even a full day of food – it’s crazy big. Depending on your trim, there’s a perfectly placed wireless charger on the center of the armrest, and it doesn’t intrude on elbow space.
The second-row captain’s chairs have business class legroom and a drop-down screen for videos and such. You can always opt for the 2nd-row bench seat if you need the extra 9th seat for your entourage. The rear bench has good legroom, but the seat cushion was close to the floor. Our knees were at a higher than normal angle which wasn’t as comfortable. Kids wouldn’t have issues in the back on longer trips.
And no one will have issues finding cup holders and storage throughout the Suburban – we counted at least 12 cupholders. And you have multiple 12-volt outlets plus 5 USB connections. No one should be complaining about comfortability.
With every seat filled, you’ll have 39 cubic feet of storage behind the third row and a room-sized 95 cubic feet when you fold down the 2nd and 3rd rows. Chevy says you can put 44 carry-on bags in that space – that’s a lot of luggage. On our model, the two rows had power-operated folding, which was nice.
And speaking of convenience, the very helpful foot-activated power-operated liftgate was an excellent feature when our hands carried grocery bags.
Entertainment & Technology
Today, almost every vehicle provides you with your own 4G LTE mobile hotspot, and the Suburban does the same. It gives you mobile access in the car and within a 50-yard radius outside. If you think it’s worth paying AT&T the $20 a month, then you’ll be everyone’s friend at the soccer game. You’ll also get the 8-inch touchscreen with a fairly responsive interface that provides non-wireless Apple CarPlay and Auto access. You can hook up 5 of your mobile devices to USB ports and the five 12-volt outlets. Most models also offer an upgraded Bose sound system, rear-seat entertainment system, and wireless charging.
Safety Features
With the base LS trim, you’ll get rear parking assist sensors and a rear camera, but no standard driver-assistance features. We think that’s unacceptable for an SUV that costs as much as the Suburban does. Even a Nissan Versa gets a lane-departure warning system and emergency automated braking. Forward collision mitigation with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane following assist, high beam assist, driver attention warning, and others are optional. If you’re willing to pay for it, or you can move up to the LT version to get some of them as standard.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2020 Chevy Suburban an overall safety rating of four out of five stars. It received five stars in the side crash test, four stars in the frontal crash test, and three stars in the rollover test. Of course, the best safety equipment is paying attention behind the wheel.
2020 Chevrolet Suburban Trims & Pricing
LS – $52,995
Chevy got rid of some trim levels, and the LS benefitted. We appreciate the 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, even though they look a little small. Keyless entry was unexpected but welcome in the LS. Chevy goes one step further by allowing keyless entry on any door and not just the passenger or driver side.
Inside, you’ll get a premium cloth interior and lumbar support for the driver and passenger seats. The base infotainment system sounds better than you would expect, and you have standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay plus SiriusXM if you choose to pay after the trial period. Even though the LCD screen is smaller than we would like, it works well and is bright with excellent contrast. The rear passengers will appreciate the third-zone rear a/c and cooling vents in the ceiling, and you’ll find a dual-zone system in front. Chevy also includes their rear parking assist as a standard feature to keep your behemoth from bumping into friends.
LT- $57,795
The LT trim gives you leather upholstery with heated front seats plus Chevy’s worthy Bose premium infotainment system. You’ll also get added convenience features like driver’s seat memory settings and a power liftgate. With the LT, Chevy includes their safety features suite that includes forward collision mitigation with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assists, and automatic high-beam headlights.
Premier- $66,795
The Suburban Premier has a powerful 6.2-liter V8 engine sending power to a very smooth 10-speed transmission. You’ll also get Chevy’s excellent active suspension with multiple driving modes. Proximity keyless entry is standard, and you get to sit in driver and passenger 12-way power-adjustable heated and ventilated leather seats. The Premier includes the upgraded 10-speaker Bose surround-sound stereo with wireless device charging and adds heated seats for second-row passengers. Chevy’s full active safety assistance suite is included, which adds rear cross-traffic alerts and other enhancements.
Warranties
The Suburban has a 3 years/36,000 miles and powertrain coverage for 5 years/60,000 miles. Every Suburban also gets a year’s worth of scheduled maintenance – so get in those miles quickly. We should note that more and more manufacturers like Toyota and Hyundai are giving two and three-year scheduled maintenance, so Chevy has some work to do in this area.
What we think
2020 Chevrolet Suburban – media.chevrolet.com | Shop 2020 Chevrolet Suburban on Carsforsale.com
Even though the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban could use some interior updating, it’s the best vehicle for comfortably hauling large groups or families over long distances. The power plants under the hood aren’t too shabby and the available cargo space is great. There’s a reason it’s been around since 1936.
