2012 Chevrolet Suburban Overview Change Vehicle

2012 Chevrolet Suburban overview with specifications, fuel economy data, safety information, reliability ratings, a photo gallery, and The Vehix View.

The Chevrolet Suburban dates back to 1935, making it the original sport/utility vehicle. Of course, back then, as it is now, it was just a station wagon on a truck chassis. Nothing sporty about that. Today’s ‘Burban is based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Silverado, and is capable of carrying up to nine passengers and a whole bunch of trailer weight and payload to boot.

In addition to three new colors – Silver Ice, Blue Topaz and Crystal Red Tintcoat – the 2012 Chevy Suburban is equipped with standard Trailer Sway Control and Hill Start Assist features. The optional navigation radio is powered with a hard disc drive system this year, and includes time-shift recording capability as well as real-time weather and traffic information. The Suburban LT and LTZ models receive additional standard equipment, too, in the form of heated front seats on the former and a heated steering wheel on the latter. Finally, a new Side Blind Zone Alert system debuts, and is only offered on the top-of-the-line Suburban LTZ.

Chevy sells the Suburban as a 1500-series half-ton model in LS, LT and LTZ trim levels, or as a 2500-series three-quarter-ton model equipped with LS or LT trim. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with four-wheel drive optional. Suburban 1500 models with LS or LT trim have a single-speed transfer case; all other Suburbans with 4WD have Chevy’s two-speed Autotrac active transfer case.

The Suburban LS comes standard with the features you would expect to find on a $42,000 vehicle. Highlights include power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, heated power mirrors, cruise control, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, and carpeted floor mats. The Suburban LS also has premium cloth seats with six-way power front seat adjustment, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, triple-zone manual air conditioning, and a stereo with satellite radio, a CD/MP3 player, a USB port, and an auxiliary audio input jack. OnStar telematics includes three months of free Automatic Crash Notification, Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, and Turn-by-Turn Navigation service, and every Suburban is equipped with basic trailering equipment, dark tinted rear privacy glass, a luggage rack, and automatic headlights. A set of 17-inch aluminum wheels is standard on the Suburban 1500 model, while the Suburban 2500 gets a set of 17-inch, eight-lug, machined-aluminum wheels, heavy-duty trailering equipment, and an integrated trailer brake controller.

Optional upgrades for the Suburban LS include a split-bench front seat and a Convenience Package with power adjustable pedals, remote engine starting, rear park assist sensors, and a rearview camera. Separately, the Suburban 2500 is available with a Snow Plow Prep Package and a 3.73 rear axle ratio.

Exclusive to the Suburban 1500, the All-Star or Texas Edition Packages are equipped with 20-inch polished aluminum wheels, fog lights, extra chrome trim, power folding side mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and heavy-duty trailering equipment. The trailering equipment is available separately in the Suburban 1500’s Heavy Duty Trailering Package (engine and transmission coolers, locking rear differential, 3.42 rear axle ratio), and the 1500 can also be equipped with a trailer brake controller. The trailering equipment is standard on the Suburban 2500.

If you want leather upholstery, the Suburban LT is the model to get. It also has a Bose premium audio system, automatic climate control, heated front seats with memory for the driver’s settings, remote engine starting, and power adjustable pedals. Fog lights and rear parking assist sensors help to identify the Suburban LT from the outside.

Inside, the Suburban LT can be equipped with reclining second-row bucket seats. A Luxury Package provides the Suburban LT with 10-way power front seats, heated second-row seats, a power second-row seat release, a power rear liftgate, heated side mirrors, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a HomeLink universal remote control. A Sun, Entertainment and Destinations Package is also available, adding a hard drive navigation radio, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with screens in both rear rows of seats, a power sunroof, a rearview camera system, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and an extended subscription to real-time traffic and weather reports. Otherwise, the Suburban LT’s option list generally resembles that for the Suburban LS.

People planning to go off-roading in a Suburban will want the Z71 Off-Road Suspension Package, which is only available on the 1500 LT model. This package includes 18-inch alloy wheels, off-road tires, off-road suspension, skid plates, wheel flares, a high-capacity air cleaner, satin chrome side assist rails, and a restyled front end. Though Suburban 2500 buyers cannot get the Z71 package, the skid plates are available separately on this model.

Only the Suburban 1500 can be upgraded to LTZ trim, which adds exclusive features like perforated leather upholstery, climate-controlled 12-way power front seats, a Bose Centerpoint surround sound system, a heated steering wheel, and heated second-row bucket seats. A Side Blind Zone Alert system is also standard on the Suburban LTZ, along with an Autoride automatic damping suspension system.

Few options are available for the Suburban LTZ because it comes with almost everything. The standard second-row buckets can be swapped out for a bench seat, power retractable side steps can be added, and a Sun, Entertainment and Destinations Package with a power sunroof and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with screens for the second- and third-row seats can be installed. The LTZ model can also be equipped with shinier set of 20-inch aluminum wheels.

If this doesn’t provide enough variety, Chevrolet salespeople will be happy to install anything you like from the accessories catalog right at the dealership.

The Suburban 1500 has an E85-compatible, 5.3-liter V8 making 320 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 335 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, driving the rear or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The Suburban 2500 gets a larger, more powerful, and thirstier 6.0-liter V8 making 352 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 382 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. A heavy-duty six-speed automatic is standard with this engine, and the 6.0-liter is E85-compatible.

Active Fuel Management allows each of the Suburban’s V8 engines to operate on four cylinders under low load conditions. As a result, the Suburban 1500 is rated to get 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway with two- or four-wheel drive.

With the Suburban 2500, Active Fuel Management appears to have little effect on fuel economy. This truck gets 10 mpg in the city. Yeah, that’s right. Ten. On the highway, the 2WD model ekes out 16 mpg while the 4WD model provides 15 mpg. Based on these figures, you’d better really, really, really need the extra towing and hauling capability provided by the Suburban 2500.

The standard 4WD system on Suburban 1500 LS and LT models employs a single-speed transfer case. A two-speed Autotrac active transfer case is optional on LS and LT models and standard on all other Suburbans.

For 2012, the Chevy Suburban’s StabiliTrak traction and stability control system adds Trailer Sway Control technology and a Hill Start Assist system. These features join six standard airbags including side-curtain restraints for all three rows of seats, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes (with Hydroboost on the Suburban 2500), and OnStar telematics with Automatic Crash Notification. If the Suburban’s airbags deploy, Automatic Crash Notification puts an operator in touch with the SUV and the operator can send rescuers to the truck’s location even if nobody can respond.

There are a few optional safety features for the Suburban, too. Ultrasonic rear parking assist and a rearview camera system are available, and we strongly recommend them. A Side Blind Zone Alert system is available, but unfortunately Chevy reserves it only for the Suburban LTZ.

If the Suburban is involved in a crash, it does a good job of protecting its occupants. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the Suburban 1500 an overall rating of 4 Stars, though it must be noted that this big rig receives a 3-Star rollover resistance rating. In frontal- and side-impact tests, the Suburban garners 5-Star ratings. The NHTSA does not apply these ratings to the Suburban 2500, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not assessed the Suburban in its crash-test program.

In terms of dependability, Consumer Reports expects the Suburban to turn in an average performance in this regard while J.D. Power and Associates estimates that the Suburban’s dependability will prove to be slightly better than average.

Get a Suburban 1500 with two-wheel drive, and your 5.3-liter V8 has an iron engine block. Add four-wheel drive, and the engine block is aluminum.

Hauling people and packages is no problem with a Chevy Suburban, which offers 45.8 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the 50/50-split third-row seat. Remove the third-row seats – they don’t fold flat – and the big ‘Burban can swallow 90 cu-ft of stuff behind the second-row seat. When you need maximum volume, fold the second-row seats down to leverage the resulting 137.4 cu-ft of room.

Suburbans are designed to haul cargo and tow trailers. The Suburban 1500 can tug a trailer weighing up to 8,100 pounds while the Suburban 2500 can manage a 9,600-pound trailer. The base payload rating for the Suburban 1500 is 1,528 lbs. (2WD) while the Suburban 2500 can handle 2,450 lbs. Speaking of weight, the lightest Suburban weighs 5,672 pounds, which is distributed 51 percent over the front wheels and 49 percent over the rear wheels. A Suburban 2500 with 4WD tips the scales at a whopping 6,419 lbs.

Need to traverse tough terrain? The Suburban’s minimum ground clearance is 8.9 inches with 2WD and 9.2 inches with 4WD.

The 2012 Chevrolet Suburban is built in Arlington, Texas.

When it comes to carrying lots of people and hauling lots of cargo, the 2012 Chevrolet Suburban has few peers. Ford sells the Expedition EL as a competitor, but the Suburban is, in many ways, in a class of its own. If you need a vehicle like this, we recommend the big Chevy. If you don’t, the Suburban might prove to be too much truck, despite its domesticated nameplate.

By Christian Wardlaw