Smart storage space abounds. The huge console has deep storage and a tray on top. The glovebox is 25 percent larger than on pre-2007 models. There are two cup holders in a removable tray forward of the console, and one in each wide door pocket. There's a slot in the dash just left of the turn signal, perfect for coins or tickets.
Suburban offers a choice of two or three seats in the first two rows. With a middle-row bench seat the right third of the seat folds independently of the left, easing curb-side entry to the third row or allowing skis or boards on the right with two passengers on the left. With bucket seats in the second row you can climb back from either side, and those middle buckets can be released at the touch of a button or heated if you option right. Only full-size utilities and crossovers, minivans, and Ford's Flex offer the kind of room you find in these first two rows.
In the third row things get interesting. The seat has three belts but just two headrests, and it splits 50/50 right down the middle where a center passenger would go. If you want to slide a long item inside the third-row gets cut to one person; an offset split would allow long items and four passengers in back. These third-row seats do not fold flat with the floor, so if you want a long flat load deck to camp, carry building materials or hound crates, you have to haul the third-row seats out and leave them home.
Third-seat room is good compared to most three-row SUV and crossover vehicles which aren't as long, as wide or both. In full-size utes the Toyota Sequoia third row measures a fraction of an inch superior in head and legroom and an inch larger in shoulder room, but it's almost 15 inches shorter outside so cargo space behind all the occupants is half the Sub's at 20 cubic feet. However, Ford's Expedition EL, which has independent rear suspension like the Sequoia, is an inch shorter than a Suburban but offers 42.6 cubic feet of space behind the third row, one-eighth-inch less headroom, and almost three inches more leg and shoulder room, and the floor shape is more comfortable. If we're being relegated to back of the bus we prefer the Expedition EL.
Cabin materials and style show the greatest gains from earlier Suburbans with pleasant feel and appearance more car-like than utility appliance; with woodgrain trim and leather in the upper models the only reason to upgrade to an Escalade ESV would be more power but you'd lose 4WD trail ability in the process.
Analog instruments are more responsive than in any other (non-GM) big SUV, clearly labeled and nicely lit, as easily read at night as in daylight; gauges include a voltmeter, oil pressure and transmission fluid temperature. Steering wheel buttons handle audio and cruise chores, plus the message display panel on most models and the interface is fairly intuitive. Upper trims have adjustable pedals and the steering wheel tilts but it is offset and angled slightly to the right of the driver seat centerline.
The navigation system and audio system is easy to operate. It includes a touch-screen monitor. We set the programs we liked, and could switch from an XM to AM to FM to digital file with one finger push. OnStar has been further refined for 2009, XM real-time traffic data is available, and if you choose a rear camera without navigation the image is displayed in the inside mirror.
The driving position offers a good view over the low dash, perhaps the best visibility in truck-dom. Seats are designed for American comfort rather than European firmness, and can be ordered with heat and cooling on some models. Next Page