Testing On Road The Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Denali

There were Chevrolet Suburbans since America invented the suburb, and maybe before. However, in its 80th model year and 12th generation, the truck-chassis SUVs from GM and GMC have never been more dominant. Now, that does not mean more popular-while GM/GMC has owned this segment for decades, the segment itself has contracted since the late 1990s, when the General was selling Hummers. But there’s still plenty of dough to made here, and GM is which makes it. Natural competition in terms of full-size SUVs barely exists, since GM controls more than 70 % of the market.

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Buyers in the shorter-wheelbase Tahoe and Yukon aren’t all that distinctive from a 5 Series buyer, in fact, depending on income or on the point that they don’t go off-road and they don’t tow. So just why drive a 5600-pound vehicle as an errand doer? Because nearly all customers are by using these gentle beasts instead of minivans, and they come equipped with far nicer digs than any van you could buy. The GMCs, in particular, deserve praise for additional finely grained plastics, and for the use of top-shelf leather, wood, and metallic trim. Throughout the board, thicker glass and triple door seals mute wind noise, and redesigned second-row doors are larger, so both kids and adults can clamber aboard more easily. New retractable running boards (an option) fold flush, both easing step-in and providing outboard protection.

Beyond cosmetic upgrades, GM’s done superb work with handling. These are generally still very large vehicles, but they’re easy to pilot. Particularly, since we got to test both long- and shorter-wheelbase trucks over mountain passes as well as in rain and snow between Nevada City, Calif., and Napa, Calif., we’d call out GM’s effort on chassis stiffness, ride control, and steering rigidity.

To achieve these gains, GM added bracing under the hood, an additional instrument-panel support beam, and an enlarged steering-column jacket. Engineer Michael Symons, who focused on handling for the SUVs, said these changes improve the ability to tune the trucks’ suspensions, but he also highlighted a clever detail in the electronic steering control, which “”senses”” when a driver has to dial in extra effort to combat a crosswind or an uneven grade (we encountered both during testing). The steering system will prove to add a hint of boost to reduce driver fatigue in such cases, making it easier to gobble within the miles.

We saw decent fuel economy from both the 5.3- and 6.2-liter V-8s (the latter is exclusive to Yukon Denali editions). Because of significant retooling on these engines for the brand-new Silverado pickup, both now feature direct fuel injection and active fuel management (by which half the cylinders are deactivated on level or downhill grades). Our test trial was over mostly lightly traveled highway-speed tarmac, but we did our share of full-throttle blasts and yet still returned 20 to 22 mpg over 200 miles.

Both engines are smooth and quiet except if you punch it. And then there’s plenty of muscle on tap. Even though fuel economy is up roughly 10 percent versus that of the outgoing V-8s, the 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque from the new 5.3-liter V-8 represent improvements of 11 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

We tested models with magnetic ride control, gifted from decades-long Corvette and Cadillac development. Here its presence is less about sportiness plus more about quelling body roll and head toss. It’s only accessible on LTZ-edition Chevys but comes standard on the Yukons. While we’d suggest opting in for this excellent suspension tech, the 6.2-liter V-8 is likely overkill unless you do need to tow, especially now that the 5.3-liter has grown thriftier and more muscular.

Read more: 2015 Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Denali Test Drive – Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and GMCit will debut its new CarPlay operating system at the Geneva Motor Show later in the week.

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