The Suburban also gets, for the first time, a multilink independent rear suspension. Combined with the longer wheelbase, the lower cargo floor made possible with the new suspension created a packaging dream. The SUV can take three rows of passengers and offer those in the second row an extra 2.3 inches while the third row gets an additional 2.2 inches of legroom—a big difference as anyone who has taken a flight lately can attest.

Cargo room grows by 1.8 cubic feet behind that third row. Push a button to fold the second and third row seats flat (the current Suburban seats never quite got flat) and the maximum cargo room reaches 144.7 cubic feet, which is 23 more than the old model.

GM knows a good thing when it has it: It keeps Magnetic Ride Control. The damping system is standard on Premier and High Country and an option on Z71. The chassis technology to reduce bouncing, body roll, and vibrations is now paired with the new rear suspension and with Air Ride Adaptive Suspension that is an option on High Country and Z71 models. Air Ride offers load leveling at all four corners of the SUV and can adjust the vehicle height by 4.0 inches.