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re: Suburban owners- do you like it?

Posted on 2/19/24 at 8:25 am to
Posted by goofball
Member since Mar 2015
16928 posts
Posted on 2/19/24 at 8:25 am to
Suburban is an excellent choice. It's expensive though, especially if you want the air suspension, adaptive cruise control, and the most powerful engine.

We recently bought a full sized GM SUV and considered the Sequoia, Wagoneer, and Expedition.

Here's how I'd grade them based on the 2023 models:

Suburban/Yukon/Tahoe: A+ These are venerable nameplates that are popular for a reason. General Motors dominates this market and they invest a lot into these trucks. Even the shorter wheelbase Tahoe and Yukon are extremely roomy - moreso than the standard length expedition if you put a lot of taller people in the 3rd row. They have a very nice off road model with air suspension. The manetorological shocks they've been using for 25 years now are available in the higher end models and they are worth it - they make these things ride super well. The 6.2L V8 and 5.3L V8 sound the same and they can both tow very well, but the 6.2L model is legitimately fast. The 3.0L diesel is an excellent option if you put a lot of miles on them (a lot of Suburban owners go for the diesel). The Yukon is tied with the Sequoia as having the best resale in this class, and the Suburban is pretty close to it.

Jeep Wagoneer: B The Jeep has a very well designed interior combined with very smooth riding suspension and the proven Ram 1500 chassis. It rides as well as the Suburban, but I think the Suburban might handle slightly better. The Jeep we drove was a 5.7L V8 model, which is not in production anymore but they still exist in inventory if you want to buy one. Problem here is that the Wagoneer isn't selling very well, and Jeep is offering a lot of cash on the hood. I think people are reluctant to spend this kind of money on a Jeep (even though it's a Ram underneath), and I think they are even less excited about doing so when the only option is an unproven 3.0L six cylinder turbo engine. Resale value and long term reliability are both big question marks here.

Ford Expedition: C The Ford is a solid option if you can get it on sale. Otherwise I wouldn't bother. The best thing about it is the powertrain. The high output turbo 3.5L V6 is actually powerful and the Expedition models with that particular engine are pretty quick. Ford's big issue here is the interior design and the ride quality. The space utilization isn't as good as the Wagoneer or Tahoe/Yukon especially in the third row. They make a longer version though that probably solves most of those issues and helps it compete with the Suburban and Yukon XL. The ride is pretty choppy compared with the other models. Resale isn't as good as the Toyota or the GM models, but I'm sure it's better than the Wagoneer. I don't really understand the appeal unless you are a Ford guy and refuse to consider better options.

Toyota Sequioa - D - At the time, this was the most difficult one for us to find and test drive. There are plenty of them available in inventory now though. We are big Toyota fans, but this one was a huge disappointment and a rare miss for the company. The biggest issue is that just isn't enough space in this truck to compete with the Tahoe or Expedition - much less the Suburban, Yukon XL, or Wagoneer. The third row is the most cramped, and there is the least amount of cargo space. The interior quality is not bad, but the competitors are all as good or better. The inside felt like it was designed to compete with the aging Ford Expedition, but with less interior space - except that the Ford is about to be redesigned completely while the Toyota's is brand new. It's miles behind the Jeep and GM products in ride quality, but a little better than the Expedition. The powertrain is excellent though. I wouldn't be concerned at all with the V6 hybrid powertrain, especially with this kind of power. I'm sure it can tow as well as the others without breaking a sweat.

As far as reliability - I've read about issues with all of them. With the exception of the Wagoneer, I wouldn't really be concerned owning any of them long term. I think the Toyota turbo waste gate issues, GM's lifter ticks, and Ford's transmission and cam phaser problems are all overblown and amplified by social media. I'd probably be most confident owning the Toyota and General Motors trucks long term. Ford is kind of a risk for me, but it's an old design and most of the quirks have probably been addressed. The Wagoneer I think is probably the biggest question mark.

Even on their worst days - all of them are probably far superior to anything you can get from Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Genesis. But none of them are going to be a 1980s Land Cruiser that can just run forever.
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