Ace of Base: 2017 Chevrolet Suburban LS

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Full-size, body-on-frame, real SUVs are in some circles (not mine, thankfully) about as politically correct as a Monsanto home fracking kit. Thing is, though, if a person wants to transport nine people while towing an 8,000-pound trailer, there are few options other than the Suburban and its fraternal twin, the GMC Yukon XL.

The Suburban is a nameplate that’s been around since 1935, unabashedly truck based and powered by a 355-horsepower V8 engine which may or may not run on ground-up bicycles. Since the last time we looked at the Beast from Chevy, the bowtie brand has introduced a Tahoe Custom that was received warmly at TTAC HQ. Can the ‘burb retain its spot on the Ace of Base board? Let’s find out.

In the base model LS, which displays a price of $49,915 on its Monroney, tri-zone climate controls are standard, as are a host of gadgets like a backup camera and a quintet of USB ports. Auxiliary oil and transmission coolers help keep the drivetrain from bursting into flames while driving the Magruder Corridor, so named for Lloyd Magruder, whose 1863 pack train fell to mutiny when Magruder’s hired hands robbed and murdered him along the trail. The corridor sits near the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, from which we can assume that at least Frank returned. Anyway.

The LS has durable cloth seats and an available front bench seat, an option sorely lacking from far too many well-equipped trucks these days. GM will actually give buyers $250 if they opt for the front bench seat, making this one of the few occasions when a manufacturer will pay buyers to make their vehicles more useful. Cargo space in the Suburban is best measured in acres.

In its $0 Black finish, other drivers will think you’re with the Secret Service, scattering as you fill their rearview mirrors with 92 yards of chrome grille. A very nice Blue Velvet Metallic hue, shown above, is new for this model year and is also offered gratis.

To top it off, the Suburban has a 31-gallon fuel tank and gets mid-20s on the highway, meaning you can drive out of the assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, and make it to the outskirts of Atlanta before you run low on fuel.

It’s worth noting here that, for 2018, GM has decided to grant one of my three wishes and plug the fantastic 420 hp 6.2-liter V8 into the Tahoe/Suburban, creating the RST trim. I know, I know — it’s far from a base model. However, I’ll take any opportunity to mention that fantastic motor.

But back to base models. You see, the Blazer Tahoe Custom didn’t exist one year ago. It does now. The $6,200 price difference is just too much to ignore if one is searching for a base model body-on-frame SUV from The General. The Tahoe Custom replaces the Suburban LS on my Ace of Base list this time around.

Seriously, though… get the 6.2-liter.

[Image: General Motors]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments. Naturally, feel free to eviscerate our selection.

The model above is shown in American dollars with American options and trim, absent of destination charges and available rebates. As always, your dealer may sell for less.

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Newenthusiast Newenthusiast on Sep 22, 2017

    At 224 inches, Wikipedia says that it's shorter than any of the full size vans and pick ups currently for sale. Its also shorter than the Rolls-Royce Phantom, although that's a rare car to actually see. If none of those require a CDL, why would the Suburban?

  • "scarey" "scarey" on May 09, 2018

    If I had to have just ONE vehicle, it would be a Suburban. They are so useful- for me more useful than a pickup. If I hadn't gotten such a great deal on my F-150, I would have bought another Suburban. Next time, I will look at Suburbans first, and compare everything else to them. I will probably get another Suburban though.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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