The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Big but not boatlike
- Seats up to nine
- Good standard safety tech
- Good convenience tech
- Independent suspension
Dislikes
- Measure the garage first
- Limited option availability
- Efficient V8s are still inefficient
- Adaptive cruise control option
Buying tip
features & specs
The largest passenger vehicle on the market gets more people friendly with the 2022 Chevrolet Suburban.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Chevy Suburban? What does it compare to?
The 2022 Chevy Suburban is a full-size SUV that can seat nine passengers. The largest passenger vehicle on the market dwarfs the related Chevy Tahoe, as well as rivals such as the Lincoln Navigator, Nissan Armada, and the Jeep Wagoneer that’s new for this year.
Is the 2022 Chevy Suburban a good SUV?
For decades, the Suburban has been the benchmark targeted by all other truck-based full-size SUVs. Its roominess for people and gear, standard safety and convenience features, and capable V-8 engines offset its poor safety and efficiency ratings to earn a TCC Rating of 6.3 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2022 Chevy Suburban?
Following last year’s redesign, Chevy opened up the largest engine on its largest vehicle to other trims. Sold in LS, LT, Z71, RST, Premier, and High Country trims, the 6.2-liter V-8 can be optioned on RST, Z71, and Premier trims this year, in addition to High Country. Off-road adjacent Z71 trims can be equipped with an electronic limited-slip rear differential this year, for better traction on pavement and off-road. Chevy’s advanced trailering system with 13 different camera views, including a transparent trailer view projection, can be ordered.
All but the base LS comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with four layouts and personalization options. Google built-in makes inroads on all but the LS, with Google Assistant handling voice commands, Google Maps taking over native nav, and Google Play for your mobile jukebox. It works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can still have your phone paired for calls and text or music, and use the Google suite to avoid interrupting smartphone projection. Active lane control and front and rear parking sensors now come standard on all Suburbans.
Other than that, the 2022 Suburban carries over in its G-man suit, with big blocky shoulders and a face so steep the hood is afraid of falling off. Inside a pushbutton gear selector offsets a standard 10.2-inch touchscreen, but the interior has as much personality as a government agent in a black suit and tie.
Three powertrains paired to a 10-speed automatic with rear-wheel drive or available four-wheel drive provide a capable range. The standard 5.3-liter V-8 gets the job done, but the 6.2-liter V-8 adds more power off the line and a top tow rating of 8,200 lb with rear-wheel drive. Despite cylinder deactivation, neither exceeds 17 mpg combined. The 3.0-liter turbodiesel tops the efficiency charts on the highway with a max 28 mpg, and with its 460 lb-ft of torque, it tows nearly as much as the biggest V-8. An independent suspension cushions the ride, and available air springs divorce it even more from its truck partnership.
The Suburban can be had with three roomy bench seats, but the common configuration is two rows of bucket seats followed by a third row that fits two adults in comfort. Behind it is nearly 42 cubic feet of storage space, and once you start folding down the rows you pull back the veils on the Suburban’s massiveness.
Chevy equips the Suburban with standard safety features such as automatic emergency braking to offset a four-star crash-test rating from the NHTSA that’s critical of the large barge’s rollover risk.
How much does the 2022 Chevy Suburban cost?
The base 2022 Suburban LS costs $54,045, including destination. In addition to the standard safety features mentioned above, the Suburban LS comes with an available front bench seat to fit three across (or nine passengers total), cloth seats, wi-fi hotspot, a 10.2-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and power front bucket seats. The loaded High Country and its standard 6.2-liter V-8 with an adaptive suspension costs more than $77,000; slap on a couple packages and it gets uncomfortably close to $90,000.
Where is the 2022 Chevy Suburban made?
The Suburban is manufactured in Arlington, Texas, alongside the Tahoe.
2022 Chevrolet Suburban Styling
From the Secret Service to airport liveries, the Suburban defines the full-size SUV.
Is the Chevy Suburban a good-looking car?
Given its size and purpose, the squared ends of this people mover balance the look of a pickup truck with the interior spaciousness of a maxivan. It takes on the big and bold proportions of the Silverado pickup truck to earn a point, but its interior is equally uninspired. It’s a 6.
The broad, vertical grille hates bugs as much as it does wind but the C-shaped daytime running lights and bowtie crossbar bring it out from the country into the land of manicured lawns, sidewalks, and grand garages. GM’s longest running nameplate dates to 1935; it is nothing if not prescient. The high sides and long slabs honor its past as a wagon, built up over time like so many suburbs.
Inside, the cabin doffs a 10.2-inch touchscreen high up in the dash, and a 12.3-inch digital cluster illuminates gauges on all but the base LS. Chrome-like plastic interrupts wide swaths of black, and the pushbutton gear selector integrated on the dash between the steering wheel and touchscreen hasn’t grown on us yet. It opens up the stack for climate buttons and a wireless phone charging or storage area, but otherwise the Suburban opts for functionality over flair.
2022 Chevrolet Suburban Performance
The Suburban’s engines prove that size matters.
The Suburban uses the same roster of engines as its pickup truck counterpart, except it lacks the base turbo-4 that powers the entry-level Silverado 1500. The largest offering, a 6.2-liter V-8 that makes 420-hp and 460 lb-ft is the only one of three engines we’ve tested in the latest Suburban, and its prodigious power and towing capacity of 8,200 lb earn it a point each to a 7 here.
Is the Chevrolet Suburban 4WD?
Rear-wheel drive comes standard with a two-speed transfer but four-wheel drive is a popular option that costs $3,000 extra except on the Z71, where it is standard along with a 2-speed transfer case and hill descent control. A new electronic limited slip differential on the Z71 sends torque to the rear wheel with better traction, and could be used off-road to dislodge from mud or muck.
Last year’s redesign introduced an independent rear suspension for the first time on a Suburban, improving the ride quality to soften the bouncy tendency of its predecessor. The top High Country trim adds an adaptive air suspension with auto leveling that further smooths out the ride and dislocates it from its truck-based roots. It takes the big out of GM’s biggest, not only soaking up the road but limiting the body roll endemic to a vehicle this size on cloverleaf ramps and other turns.
How fast is the Chevrolet Suburban?
The Suburban can be quick like a lineman in football; witnessing the big fella off the line and in a straight line impresses, as long as you’re not looking at it next to a running back. It’s athletic for its size nonetheless, thanks in part to the largest engine on offer in the 6.2-liter V-8. Chevy expanded its availability from the High Country to RST, Z71, and Premier models, but the surcharge was not listed at publication time.
Based on testing it in other GM applications, the base 5.3-liter V-8 won’t shuck the husk of its 6,000-lb average curb weight as well as its larger cousin, but its output of 355 hp and 383 lb-ft keeps it moving with plenty of muscle. It’s standard on LS, LT, Z71, RST, and Premier trims.
The optional engine on all but the Z71 is the most efficient: a turbodiesel 3.0-liter inline-6 that makes 277 hp and 460 lb-ft. It can tow 8,100 lb with rear-wheel drive, coming up just short of the 6.2-liter’s 8,200-lb rating.
The three engines come with a 10-speed automatic transmission that shifts effortlessly through its low gears.
2022 Chevrolet Suburban Comfort & Quality
In the land of Big, the Suburban rules.
Roomy seats and space for the extended family and all its gear earn the 2022 Chevy Suburban an 8.
The Suburban allows seating for nine passengers across three benches, or eight, or, most commonly, seven with front and second-row bucket seats. There’s room to road trip in any configuration, with 42.0 inches of leg room in the second row and 36.7 inches in the third row, which is more than most crossover SUVs have in the second row. At nearly 226 inches, the Suburban is nearly a foot longer than its nearest rival in the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer, and longer still than the Tahoe. The Wagoneer is 2.5 inches wider for slightly better shoulder and hip room in all three rows. Only the long-wheelbase Cadillac Escalade matches the Suburban’s length.
Fold flat the third row and the cargo volume expands to 93.8 cubic feet; do the same to the second-row buckets or the 60/40-split bench seat and it expands to a whopping 144.7 cubic feet, which is 28 more cubic feet total than the Wagoneer. The Suburban outsizes some garages, too.
The third row fits two adults or three kids for carpool duty, and the vents in the ceiling circulate air better than on the side or from the floor. All the seat bottoms tend to be shorter and not as fully supportive for taller folks. Power seats covered in cloth come standard, but leather and heated front seats are just one step up from the base model. The top High Country trim adds a heated steering wheel, cooled front seats, and heated second-row seats, but we’re not sold on the big price jump.
2022 Chevrolet Suburban Safety
Standard safety features offset the Suburban’s rollover crash risk.
How safe is the Chevrolet Suburban?
The Chevy Suburban gets a four-star safety rating from the NHTSA due to its middling rollover rating. That costs it two points on our scale, but its standard safety features, good options, and good outward vision each earn a point. It’s a 6.
Standard equipment includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, automatic high beams, a rear-seat reminder, rear parking sensors, and a Teen Driver app that lets owners monitor teen driving behavior and limit distractions.
Adaptive cruise control isn’t standard even on the near $80,000 High Country trim but it is available, along with blind-spot monitors, front parking sensors, a rear camera mirror, and a surround-view camera system with up to 13 camera views.
2022 Chevrolet Suburban Features
Good standard features and extensive options serve Suburban customers.
The Suburban earns a point each for its good standard features, large but simple touchscreen infotainment system, and extensive options list. It’s an 8 here.
The base LS costs about $55,000 and comes well equipped with a 10.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wi-fi hotspot, power front seats, remote start, satellite radio, USB ports, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The Suburban comes with a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty, one maintenance visit, and a 5-year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty.
Which Chevrolet Suburban should I buy?
If price were measured in square feet as it is in real estate, the base Suburban would do the job. But the LT makeover attracts us with its 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charger, 9-speaker Bose sound, heated front power seats wrapped in leather, power liftgate, and a suite of Google apps such as Google Maps, Assistant, and Play so you can text and navigate without disturbing smartphone projection. It’ll add about $5,000 however, which makes it a degree less comfortable.
How much is a fully loaded Chevrolet Suburban?
The loaded High Country with its standard 6.2-liter V-8 and air suspension costs more than $77,000. It comes with all the leather, heated and cooled front seats, rear camera mirror and washer, surround-view camera system, 15.0-inch head-up display, and 22-inch wheels. Add a Premium Package or two, a Secret Service black paint, and the price tips $90,000.
2022 Chevrolet Suburban Fuel Economy
The Suburban’s turbodiesel option returns the best fuel economy.
Is the Chevrolet Suburban good on gas?
This large barge is built for capacity more so than economy, despite fuel saving tricks employed by Chevy. The volume model with the 5.3-liter V-8 and 10-speed automatic nets 15 mpg city, 20 highway, 17 combined, according to the EPA. Four-wheel drive costs it 1 mpg. Either way, it’s a 3 on our scale.
The larger 6.2-liter V-8 with cylinder deactivation that cuts fuel to four cylinders while cruising has a 14/20/16 mpg combined rating, while 4WD with either V-8 rates at 14/19/16 combined mpg.
The most efficient engine is the turbodiesel with a 21/27/23 mpg combined rating.
