2002 Chevy Suburban 2500 LS 4WD

I bought my last Suburban in 1973. I was hauling racecars on weekends; the Sub's tremendous towing capability and capacious interior for people and stuff made it, in my opinion, the world's greatest tow vehicle. Nearly 20 years later, along with its GMC Yukon XL sibling, it probably still is. Long-time favorites of ranchers and oilmen, these "Cowboy Cadillacs" are as plentiful as jackrabbits in Texas—and for good reason.

Re-skinned for 2002, the latest Suburban's changes are subtle. Base trim is gone, leaving LS and LT levels. Standard items now include power front seats, heated side mirrors and side steps.

Chevy's '02 Suburban is smoother, quieter and more refined than ever. It's also tougher, more muscular and much bigger than ever. It's barely garageable, but can package eight or nine full-size folks and tons of stuff. Furthermore, the 3/4-ton Suburban can locomote up to 12,000 pounds of trailer.


Standard engine in the half-ton 1500 version is a 285-hp 5.3-liter Vortec V-8. The 3/4-ton 2500 gets a 320-hp 6.0-liter or, for $1,600 extra, an 8.1-liter (496 cubic-inch) big-block V-8. More significant than this monster motor's 340 hp is its whopping 455 lb.-ft. of torque. Torque is what gets you moving and accelerates your load to highway speed, and 455 lb.-ft. seems sufficient for a Peterbilt. Don't get this engine, though, unless you really need it. Our test 4WD 2500 with 8.1-liter engine, even lightly loaded, delivered just over 11 mpg in mixed freeway and around-town service. The base 1500 2WD model gets 14 mpg city, 18 highway in EPA tests.

Two Vortec OHV V-8s are available: the standard 320-hp 6.0-liter small-block and 340-hp 8.1-liter big-block (shown).

Tickle this big engine's throttle, though, and it leaps into action with amazing alacrity, especially considering the 4WD Suburban 2500's nearly three tons of road-hugging weight. Mid-range passing power, assisted by a kick-down from the smooth 4-speed automatic, is excellent. Claimed zero-to-60-mph runs take a tick over 10 seconds.


Most impressive for a truck this size and bulk is its remarkable high-speed handling. Pressed hard on a twisty test track, our Suburban held the road like some gigantic sports car, largely due to Autoride, a system that automatically controls shock damping on a continuous, real-time basis. The suspension—torsion bars in front, 2-stage leaf springs with gas-charged shocks in back—barely flinched over washboard surfaces in mid-corner, which usually send stiffly-sprung vehicles skittering sideways.