Chevy Suburban as rental?

[timswi]

I rented a suburban about 3 months ago. 3 adults
Pittsburgh to DC , plenty of room , in my opinion it lacked power, constantly
downshifting to keep up speed. I was not impressed

That's probably due to what the rental company ordered. 5.3's with even 3:42's run very well. What was in the one you rented?

 

[timswi]

There will 4 women on the trip, two of them teenagers. We might need to rent a 30 foot trailer to.

I had a Suburban and I still wish I had it. I can see why this is a repeat buy vehicle. I'd still have mine if a guy hadn't pulled in my driveway and offered more than I paid for it. (it was used, but mint).

I think the bus will do you just fine..In fact, people I know with some brands of mini van tell me their mileage is less than the Tahoe/Suburban mileage.

 

[Panik]

I pretty regularly do NW Ga to Tampa, FL with 2 women, 3 kids and dog in a mini van. Regardless of whether you do the 'burban or the minivan, if it were me I would invest in a car top cargo bag:

Etrailer Cargo Bag

At right around 100.00 they are pretty cheap extra storage space. Its been my experience even when people don't go on vacation spending sprees that the cargo on a home bound trip tends to take up more space than it did on the out bound leg. If you don't need one, they store pretty well in a vehicle, and if one or two people decide to bring those x-tra "surprise" items a cargo bag can take care of that headache pretty handily.

Have fun on the trip!

*Edit* - Somehow I neglected to see the part about taking a train for the first part..... Not sure how well a car top cargo bag would fit into that plan. Sorry.

 

[aczlan]

Having had both, you will be much more comfortable in the Suburban and if the Caravan has stow and go seats, forget sitting comfortably in it...

Aaron Z

 

[schmism]

We do family reunions in estas park. Many fly in to denver and a few drive. several years ago my uncle volunteered to pick up his adult kids at Denver. He drove a Toyota Landcruiser. Fit 4 adults and there luggage in it (5 including him driving). The luggage fit fine in the back although 3 adults in the rear was snug but not unbearable for the 1.5hr trip it is from Denver to Estas park.

The suburban is larger I would not expect any issues with 6.

 

[Garandman]

From edmunds.com compare, 2013 Suburban vs Odtssey

Cargo capacity, all seats in place
45.8 cu.ft. 38.4 cu.ft.
Maximum cargo capacity
137.4 cu.ft. 148.5 cu.ft.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

We have a chevy suburban and a 2010 Chrysler town and country mini van. Drive 23 hours straight threw to Florida, done it in each. Take the van before the suburban, seats in the van big difference, in every position. Put a thule on the roof everything fits fine, 5 men one women, so........

 

[aczlan]

We have a chevy suburban and a 2010 Chrysler town and country mini van. Drive 23 hours straight threw to Florida, done it in each. Take the van before the suburban, seats in the van big difference, in every position. Put a thule on the roof everything fits fine, 5 men one women, so........

We (between us and close family) have had a '00 Caravan, a '02 Caravan, a '06 Grand Caravan (with stow and go) and a '05 Suburban. The Suburban wins hands down in the comfort department every time, followed by the '02 Caravan...

Aaron Z

 

[Garandman]

I think the bus will do you just fine..In fact, people I know with some brands of mini van tell me their mileage is less than the Tahoe/Suburban mileage.

Explain how a vehicle that weighs a ton more and has more frontal area and the aerodynamics of a brick gets better mpg than an Odyssey, which has a 3.5l V6 with 6 speed trans (two of them overdrive) VVT and cylinder deactivation.

Anyone can go to fuelly.com and see what people are getting for real world numbers.
Honda Odyssey Mileage | Fuelly
Honda Odyssey Mileage | Fuelly

Well whaddaya know - typical Odyssey driver is averaging 4-5 mpg higher than 1500 owners.

I know a lot of people go to great lengths in their heads to justify buying an SUV rather than a minivan, but comfort, convenience, vehicle dynamics and fuel economy ain't part of that list.

 

[farmboy12]

I can't give you the best comparison as I have never put that many people in a Suburban for a long trip...but I can give you a few pros/cons of each.

My grandfather owns an 08 Grand Caravan in pristine condition with about 35k miles that sits in the garage until a family vacation comes up, most being 3-4 hour trips, but the occasional 16 hour or so drive to Florida. Everyone in the family fights over driving and riding in it on these vacations, that we take multiple vehicles on. Milage when packed full with 4-6 people and loaded down with luggage is typically around 20mpg on the highway and is an extremely comfortable ride. I can say the space and comfort is loads better than the 06 Durango (newer, larger body style) my parents owned for a short period of time, not quite comparable to a Suburban but similar to a Tahoe.

My experience with Suburbans is mostly in the Fire/Rescue environment, where the 3rd row has been removed to make space for command boxes, etc. The 2nd row is definitely tight even in these, especially with 2-3 men in the back. They are great for our use because we run 3/4ton Suburbans capable of handling these large storage boxes, having 4x4, a larger motor, and capable to tow quite a bit more than a minivan or even a half ton Tahoe/Suburban.

IMHO, if I were going on a trip like you described, I would opt for the minivan. However, given what you described, I am sure that the Suburban would work, but I do not think it would be as comfortable as a minivan.


Kyle