The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Midnight Edition Suburban looks great
Package includes black 18-inch wheels, pushes base price above $60K.
Chevrolet’s cool-looking Z71 Midnight Edition package is offered on Tahoe and Suburban sport utilities, as well as on the Silverado pickups.
Over the past year, I’ve tested Silverado 1500 and Tahoe models with the Midnight package, and this past week, I also got to spend time in the Suburban version, which is 20.3 inches longer than the similarly equipped Tahoe.
The Suburban is Chevrolet’s original sport utility vehicle, introduced in 1935 and a star of the Chevy lineup ever since.
Like its siblings, the Suburban has great road presence, and is quite hard to ignore. That’s made even more so by the Midnight Edition’s jet-black exterior color, along with blacked wheels and body trim.
The Suburban essentially is the same vehicle as the Tahoe, except at the rear. The cargo compartment is extended, giving the Suburban 39.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seat — 24 cubic feet more than the Tahoe, at 15.3 cubic feet.
The Tahoe/Suburban and its siblings received their last full makeover for 2015, and the Midnight Edition package was added a year later. It’s also available on the Silverado Crew Cab pickup, which is almost the same vehicle underneath as the Suburban and Tahoe — it just has the cargo area turned into an open truck bed.
Our Suburban tester was the fourwheel-drive LT trim level, with a base price of $58,280 (plus $1,295
freight) before adding the Z71-Midnight Edition Package ($2,285). With the package came the 18-inch blackpainted aluminum wheels, blackwall all-terrain tires, black tubular assist steps, black roof rack, tow hooks, underbody skid plate package, 3.42 rear axle ratio, Autotrac active two-speed transfer case, hill-descent control, front and rear black Chevy bowties, Z71 grille decals, high-capacity air cleaner and Z71 rubber floor mats. The vehicle came with a black interior, too.
Our Suburban was powered by a 5.3-liter Ecotec3 V-8 engine with 355 horsepower and 383 footpounds of torque. It was paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, although Chevrolet now offers a 10-speed automatic with the optional 6.2-liter V-8.
With three rows of seats, the Suburban can carry up to eight passengers — two up front, and three each in the middle and third rows. But our tester came with power second-row bucket seats ($795), which replaced the second-row bench seat, and cut the passenger capacity to seven.
The 39.3 cubic-foot cargo area behind the third row is big enough for luggage and sports gear for a long family trip. With the third row folded, it expands to 76.7 cubic feet; and with middle and rear seats folded, there is 121.7 cubic feet of cargo space.
For 2018, Suburban prices begin at $50,200 (plus freight) for the base rear-wheel-drive LS model. It’s available with four-wheel drive at all trim levels. There is a rotary dial on the dash to the left of the steering column that has setting for 2WD, Automatic, 4WD High or 4WD Low, which is a low-range setting for serious off-road driving.
The Suburban is a very pleasant highway vehicle, with a quiet cabin, smooth ride, and a moreefficient powertrain than the previous generation.
It has a 31-gallon fuel tank, compared with 26 gallons for the Tahoe. EPA ratings for our four-wheeldrive tester were 15 mpg city/22 highway/18 combined. During our week in the Suburban, with about a 60-40 mix of highway-city driving, we averaged just over 18 mpg.
Inside, the heated leather front bucket seats were quite comfortable, with power adjustments for driver and passenger. There were poweradjustable pedals, with memory for the driver’s seat and the pedals.
There was plenty of power from the 5.3-liter engine, and with the four-wheel drive, the Suburban can tow trailers weighing up to 8,000 pounds.
To help boost fuel economy, the engine has technologies such as direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and an advanced combustion system.
Among other suspension and mechanical features are a coilover-shock front suspension, fivelink/coil-spring rear suspension, a wide rear track, electric power steering, and standard automatic-locking rear differential.
Included on all models is a fourwheel antilock disc-brake system featuring the GM Dura-life brake rotors, designed to last twice as long as conventional rotors.
For connectivity, the Suburban has a 4G LTE Hot Spot (built-in Wi-Fi) that’s active when the ignition is on, allowing everyone in the vehicle to connect to the Web. Our vehicle also had GM’s OnStar system and SiriusXM satellite radio.
G. Chambers Williams III has been an automotive columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram since 1994. He can be reached at chambers@star-telegram.com.