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2013 Chevrolet Suburban: What Is It?

Suburban is Chevrolet’s flagship SUV. Longer and with more cargo room than Chevy’s Tahoe SUV, Suburban seats up to 9 passengers, though most offer seating for 7 or 8. This report covers the 1/2-ton Suburban 1500 and 3/4-ton 2500. It lends its basic design to the GMC Yukon XL 1500 and 2500 and Cadillac Escalade ESV. It’s made in the USA and primarily competes against the Ford Expedition EL. Other large SUVs, such as the Dodge Durango and Nissan Armada do not offer an extended-length body style.

2013 Chevrolet Suburban: What’s New

Nothing, or at least nothing important. A redesigned, or at least significantly freshened, Suburban will likely come online for the 2014 model year.

2013 Chevrolet Suburban: Model Lineup, Features, and Options

Per Chevrolet convention, Suburban 1500 and 2500 come as the LS and LT. A top-end LTZ is only offered on the 1500.

LS features most of the stuff you would expect from a vehicle of this size and price. Rear-obstacle detection, power-adjustable pedals, and remote engine start are optional on the LS and standard on the LT and LTZ.

LT includes leather upholstery and heated front seats. Optional on the LT and standard on the LTZ are 2nd-row heated seats, driver-seat memory, power-folding mirrors, a rearview camera, and a navigation system.

LTZ standard features include blind-spot alert, heated and cooled front seats, a power tailgate, and a load-leveling suspension.

2013 Chevrolet Suburban: Engines, Transmissions, and Drive Wheels

Rear-wheel drive is standard and 4-wheel drive is optional across the board. The 4WD system can be left engaged on dry pavement, and on some models includes low-range gearing for off-road use.

Standard on the 1500 is a 320-horsepower 5.3-liter V8 engine while the 2500 uses a 352-horsepower 6.0-liter V8. A 6-speed automatic is the sole transmission.

Maximum towing capacities are 8,100 and 8,000 pounds for the rear- and 4WD Suburban 1500, respectively. The 2500 rates 9,600 and 9,400 pounds for the rear- and 4WD 2500.

2013 Chevrolet Suburban: Fuel Economy

The EPA rates the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 at 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway with the recommended regular-grade gas and 11 city/16 highway with E85 ethanol. With 2WD, the 2500 gets a score of 12 city/16 highway and with 4WD that drops to 12/15.

2013 Chevrolet Suburban: Safety Features

The 2013 Chevrolet Suburban has the expected set of safety features. Blind-spot alert is an LTZ-exclusive standard feature.

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