2017 Tahoe vs Suburban

[Glocksub]

New member here, I've been lurking around for a while and reading a lot of informative stuff in these current model GM SUV's.

I will be purchasing a 2017 in the near future, and had my mind set on a suburban all along, as I'd rather have extra cargo room than not enough (one child currently and likely another coming within the next year). I do a lot of hunting so it'd be used to get me there and back and occasionally tow a small utility trailer and atv.

Anyway, some of the posts I've seen here seem to indicate that the sub and Yukon XL models are much more prone to display the buffeting and noise issues than the shorter wheelbase Tahoe and Yukon.

My questions are....is this accurate? Does anyone have experience with a 2017 that can attest to it being resolved for the suburban and xl?

I'm not interested in the 22" wheels, which seem to get mentioned a lot with those complaining about the pressure and noise issues. Whichever way I go, it will have the factory 20's on it, max, preferably the 18's....

Thanks for any insight into this.

 

[BK76]

I have 1 child (12) at home and a granddaughter (.5) and nearly went with the Suburban for the extra room, but realized with the ability to hide the 3rd Row (instead of remove like I had to with my 07 Denali XL), I ended up going with the Tahoe. Figured the chances of me actually using the 3rd row for anyone was going to be slim. Although with the 3rd Row hid in Burb or XL it would be more storage, I stuck with the Hoe!

I do have the 18" Wheels and would like to go to 20 or 22s but with all the comments and not knowing if it would create an issue with buffeting... Im gonna wait it out. Although if you get the 20s and want 18s, I can trade you OR I still have my OEM 18 (wheels only) sitting in my garage in the box from my new Canyon wheels.

Best of luck in your decision. I would be curious if the 17 Hoe also has the buffeting issues. I haven't so far, but only had it for 6 weeks and barely been on Highway much. Most of what I saw was from XL as well.

 

[sam123]

New member here, I've been lurking around for a while and reading a lot of informative stuff in these current model GM SUV's.

I will be purchasing a 2017 in the near future, and had my mind set on a suburban all along, as I'd rather have extra cargo room than not enough (one child currently and likely another coming within the next year). I do a lot of hunting so it'd be used to get me there and back and occasionally tow a small utility trailer and atv.

Anyway, some of the posts I've seen here seem to indicate that the sub and Yukon XL models are much more prone to display the buffeting and noise issues than the shorter wheelbase Tahoe and Yukon.

My questions are....is this accurate? Does anyone have experience with a 2017 that can attest to it being resolved for the suburban and xl?

I'm not interested in the 22" wheels, which seem to get mentioned a lot with those complaining about the pressure and noise issues. Whichever way I go, it will have the factory 20's on it, max, preferably the 18's....

Thanks for any insight into this.

It depends all on the truck you get plus your sensitivity to it. When I was looking at the Suburban/Yukon XL I test drove both ones with 20's and 22's and found that there were trucks that had the issue and some that didn't. Just make sure you test drive before you buy & dont buy into that whole "we'll fix it after you buy" bs. I Have both a SWB Yukon and Suburban & although the Suburban is sometimes harder to park, i much prefer it as an overall package compared to SWB Yukon mostly because of the space it affords. Hope this helps & happy shopping!

 

[Glocksub]

Thanks For the input so far.

I'm going from a crew cab truck currently to this next vehicle, so I am used to driving something that isn't really easy to park/maneuver, so a suburban would be no issue there. I'm really concerned about the amount of storage space I'd give up going with a Tahoe more than anything. That, coupled with being more likely to get into a Sub with the common drive ability issues vs the same thing in a Tahoe. Can't really tell though if there are just as many complaints of this on the shorter wheelbase versions effected by the vibration and pressure issues as the XL and suburban.

I've got a close friend who owns a Chevy dealership who I've bought many trucks from over the years. Hopefully he can shoot me straight on what they see from one model to the other. I've driven both recently and didn't have either of them on the highway long enough to notice anything negative at all. It did seem as though the sub rode marginally better, which is what I remembered being the case, due to the longer wheelbase.

 

[Gdwheel]

I had the Tahoe and now have the Suburban. The Suburban is the way to go. With the third row seats up in the Tahoe there is no space for cargo. The Suburban allows you to haul people and their gear. The Suburban is actually shorter than my F150 crew cab, so maneuvering is fine. I really like the Subruban.

 

[Glocksub]

I had the Tahoe and now have the Suburban. The Suburban is the way to go. With the third row seats up in the Tahoe there is no space for cargo. The Suburban allows you to haul people and their gear. The Suburban is actually shorter than my F150 crew cab, so maneuvering is fine. I really like the Subruban.

I agree 100% on the cargo space behind the Tahoe 3rd seat, it's basically nonexistent. That's been the main thing that has always had me leaning towards the suburban.

 

[PG01]

I cant comment on the buffeting issues but i can about tahoe/sub choice. 3 kids, 2001/2013 hoe. Had 3 car seats/boosters in the middle row no prob. My kids are getting older and want to sit in the 3rd row and get away from each other, i bought a cargo box for the roof because there is about 12" of room behind the third row. Is the 3-4' worth the extra 5-10 grand? in my opinion, if you the $ and space to park it, get the burban....

 

[Glocksub]

I cant comment on the buffeting issues but i can about tahoe/sub choice. 3 kids, 2001/2013 hoe. Had 3 car seats/boosters in the middle row no prob. My kids are getting older and want to sit in the 3rd row and get away from each other, i bought a cargo box for the roof because there is about 12" of room behind the third row. Is the 3-4' worth the extra 5-10 grand? in my opinion, if you the $ and space to park it, get the burban....

Good points....I'm several years (and a couple of vehicles) away from mine being able to sit outside of a child seat of some sort. My garage is long enough to accommodate a suburban, just need to verify that I can walk in front of or behind it once it's in, and although it will be tight, I don't expect a problem.

Here in the SE, a suburban is around $2700 (MSRP) more than an identically equipped Tahoe in the same trim level. That difference in price gets slightly smaller once all is said and done at the dealership.

 

[crunchcity]

If you drive by yourself and/or don't have kids the 3rd row issue is basically meaningless imo.

I wish you could actually specify no 3rd row at all on the short wheelbase models...I would take the extra vertical space saved in the cargo area in a heartbeat.

 

[cardude2000]

I cant comment on the buffeting issues but i can about tahoe/sub choice. 3 kids, 2001/2013 hoe. Had 3 car seats/boosters in the middle row no prob. My kids are getting older and want to sit in the 3rd row and get away from each other, i bought a cargo box for the roof because there is about 12" of room behind the third row. Is the 3-4' worth the extra 5-10 grand? in my opinion, if you the $ and space to park it, get the burban....

Suburban is only two grand more.


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[Fosscore]

Grew up with many Suburbans us 3 boys hitting each other but loads of space for camping, dogs and sports gear.

Now 06 Tahoe without 3rd row seats (kind of my pavement princess school runner) in place and 13 Suburban with buckets and 3rd row up and down depending on extra friends riding along. 2 kids they love the space and separate seats.

It is the wife's daily driver, tons of room for road trips and to stretch out.

She wanted a small SUV but is very happy with the extra room and has eased into the parking very well.

The long body is a total win in my book with kids, dogs, grandparents and road trips without a second thought. Just my .02.

 

[PG01]

Suburban is only two grand more.


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Shoot me

 

[Glocksub]

Update: took a new 2017 suburban LS with trailering pkg/3.42 rear end and 20in factory wheels on a 30 mile test drive today, even mix of hwy and city driving.

I kept it at 70-75mph on the highway to see if I could sense any buffeting or vibrations, radio off the entire time. The first 15 miles I did notice a small amount of buffeting (faint, as if one window was rolled down), it started to be noticeable above 45mph to me, but was not bad enough even up to 75 that the radio wouldn't have compensated for it. Interesting to note that with temps in the 30's today, all 4 tires were at 40psi when I got in it.

2nd half of the drive I aired the tires down to 36psi. Same roads and speeds and the buffeting was not gone but was noticeably less.

The truck rode smooth as glass with zero vibrations or rattles of any kind. There is truth to what others have said about these issues being more prevalent to some and not so to others. If I hadn't read about this issue, I'm not sure I would've noticed it today. It was not a very pronounced sound/sensation/pressure to me personally.

 

[cardude2000]

Shoot me

Just wanted to add accuracy to the discussion. No offense meant.


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[ajs800]

I think it all depends on personal preference and needs. With four kids and heavy into sports, there's no way we could deal with a top carrier when travelling to games and wknd trips. A handful of family trips a year, sure, but loading a carrier all the time would get old quick. I went that route as long as I could with our last Tahoe and Traverse before biting the bullet and going with the XL/Burb.

 

[Tony]

Update: took a new 2017 suburban LS with trailering pkg/3.42 rear end and 20in factory wheels on a 30 mile test drive today, even mix of hwy and city driving.

I kept it at 70-75mph on the highway to see if I could sense any buffeting or vibrations, radio off the entire time. The first 15 miles I did notice a small amount of buffeting (faint, as if one window was rolled down), it started to be noticeable above 45mph to me, but was not bad enough even up to 75 that the radio wouldn't have compensated for it. Interesting to note that with temps in the 30's today, all 4 tires were at 40psi when I got in it.

2nd half of the drive I aired the tires down to 36psi. Same roads and speeds and the buffeting was not gone but was noticeably less.

The truck rode smooth as glass with zero vibrations or rattles of any kind. There is truth to what others have said about these issues being more prevalent to some and not so to others. If I hadn't read about this issue, I'm not sure I would've noticed it today. It was not a very pronounced sound/sensation/pressure to me personally.

If it was windy out, you got to remember that these suv's aren't all that aerodynamic, so what you might hear or feel on a very windy day on the freeway, you might not hear or feel on a day when the wind is calm... I noticed that on a recent 13 hr road trip from ny to Wisconsin,., When i was going over a mountain, i felt shaking and noise at high speeds, then when I was in calm wind it was smooth and relatively quiet..

 

[PG01]

Just wanted to add accuracy to the discussion. No offense meant.


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Im kidding, no offense taken...

 

[PG01]

I think it all depends on personal preference and needs. With four kids and heavy into sports, there's no way we could deal with a top carrier when travelling to games and wknd trips. A handful of family trips a year, sure, but loading a carrier all the time would get old quick. I went that route as long as I could with our last Tahoe and Traverse before biting the bullet and going with the XL/Burb.

......and it doesnt fit in the garage..

 

[ajs800]

......and it doesnt fit in the garage..

True. A very important piece to consider. Funny thing is, I could never fit tahoe or traverse in garage with skybox. I was constantly removing it.

 

[Glocksub]

Tony-good point on the wind issue. It was windier than normal here today, off and on. I suspect with no wind I may have noticed little to nothing in the suburban.

Someone mentioned fitting vehicles in their garages with the roof top carriers...part of the reason for my drive today was to see how tight the Sub would be in my garage. You can walk in front of it when the door has clearance to close in the rear, but not by a lot. It's not ideal.

I'm going to have to re-look at the Tahoe I believe. After parking my trucks outside for years, it's become an unnecessary hassle these days with a child. The next vehicle will be garaged.