Big Family - Trade Tahoe for Suburban?

[Meccanoble]

I feel your pain. All that invested in the Tahoe you dont want to start over but besides the programming, many of it can be transferred. I think the suburban looks good but was worried about parking. Family of 4 does not require suburban but all the extra stuff does. There are plenty of options for subs to fit behind tahoe but tend to be more custom and limited than Suburban. If all that extra stuff bothers you, would be good idea to go bigger but I would really look at all alternatives first. Family of 4 means you can permanently take those 3rd rows out right?

 

[07Burb]

Anyone else laugh with the title stating "big family..." but only has two kids?

Anyway, get the burb or XL. You won't regret it. MUCH more room, drive is nice and smooth, and you'll just be much more comfortable. Also, they didn't just add 20 inches to the back. The whole wheel base is longer so they did spread it out through the whole vehicle contrary to what you originally stated. Once you get into a burb/xl/esv you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner with all the stuff you have to carry around.

 

[GTNator]

So all you kid haulers, now that you have experience with your Suburbans, would you recommend getting second row captain seats or the bench for a family of 5?? Assume there are two grandparents (from out of town) that come along for a ride about twice a year.


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[intheburbs]

So all you kid haulers, now that you have experience with your Suburbans, would you recommend getting second row captain seats or the bench for a family of 5?? Assume there are two grandparents (from out of town) that come along for a ride about twice a year.


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My '01 Suburban had the middle row bench. My '08 has the captain's chairs. In fact, the '08 had the Escalade third row seats, so my payload sticker shows it as a 6-passenger vehicle. I bought a standard third row to at least have 7.

The trucks worked for us at the kids' various ages. When I had the '01, the kids were happy (and small enough) to just roll over the seatback of the middle row to get into the third row. Usually my daughter camped out back there for road trips, with the boys in the middle row. Now that the kids are older, they prefer the captains chairs and the arm rests, and my daughter (now 19) likes being able to just walk between the seats to get in the rear.

One other nice thing about the captains chairs - the middle third row passenger can stretch their legs out between the captains chairs for virtually unlimited legroom.

And I would say the captains chairs make it easier to get in/out of the third row.

 

[S33k3r]

So all you kid haulers, now that you have experience with your Suburbans, would you recommend getting second row captain seats or the bench for a family of 5?? Assume there are two grandparents (from out of town) that come along for a ride about twice a year.


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Depending on the size of the kids, I'd still go with the captain's chairs.

My wife chose a year older Tahoe with highet mileage over a Yukon Denali because the Tahoe had captain's chairs and the Denali had a split bench -- and I tried to sway her to the Denali.

I think she was right.

 

[bowtiefreak]

Had a two door Tahoe, still have it but needed more room. We bought an older suburban and then upgraded that to the Yukon XL, no regrets at all

 

[BigDaddy13440]

My husband is 6'3" 300lb body builder, so he almost counts for 2 lol And I'm the grocery getter.

View attachment 183515

Just think, your family could be like mine....

Me: 6'7, 335 lbs
Wife: 5'6, 175 lbs
Son: 6'3, 370 lbs (almost 16, still growing!)
Daughter: 6', 170 lbs (just turned 14, still growing!)

I actually had to make brackets to move the REAR seats back 2 1/2" more so that Colossus and Gulliver (my "pet" names for the kids!) have enough room in the back seats of my '04 Yukon XL. Thankfully, the second row seats in the XL sit in front of the ledge, and not halfway on like the shorter Yukon/Tahoe. I'm debating on if I can move the seats even further back, I might be able to get another 1 1/2" of leg room - if I do that, I'll either have to give up the third row completely, or cut some mounting brackets out at the local junkyard, and cut/reposition/weld them in further back in the cargo area, Right now, only midgets would fit in the third row....

 

[BigDaddy13440]

Anyone else laugh with the title stating "big family..." but only has two kids?

Not me... see previous post.

For the four of us, it's a Half-Ton-O-Fun....

 

[07Burb]

So all you kid haulers, now that you have experience with your Suburbans, would you recommend getting second row captain seats or the bench for a family of 5?? Assume there are two grandparents (from out of town) that come along for a ride about twice a year.


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I enjoy our captain chairs cuz the older ones can go to the third and buckle themselves without crawling over seats or folding seats down

 

[S33k3r]

Just think, your family could be like mine....

Me: 6'7, 335 lbs
Wife: 5'6, 175 lbs
Son: 6'3, 370 lbs (almost 16, still growing!)
Daughter: 6', 170 lbs (just turned 14, still growing!)

I actually had to make brackets to move the REAR seats back 2 1/2" more so that Colossus and Gulliver (my "pet" names for the kids!) have enough room in the back seats of my '04 Yukon XL. Thankfully, the second row seats in the XL sit in front of the ledge, and not halfway on like the shorter Yukon/Tahoe. I'm debating on if I can move the seats even further back, I might be able to get another 1 1/2" of leg room - if I do that, I'll either have to give up the third row completely, or cut some mounting brackets out at the local junkyard, and cut/reposition/weld them in further back in the cargo area, Right now, only midgets would fit in the third row....

Take out or fold down the middle row seats. That should give them the leg room they need.

 

[tsuintx]

We only have two kids who are already grown and are already out of our hair (mostly...), but with the exception of a 96 Suburban, all our SUVs have been shorty models: couple of Expeditions (eeshhh... I know, I know...), Escalade and Tahoes.

Again, with the exception of the Sub and the first F***, all have also had second row captain's chairs and they've always worked great. Even when we have had the occasional out of town visitors a few times a year.

Never felt the need to get another Sub/XL after the 96, though. Guess we were never the "haul all your junk with you" kind of family and the vacation transport has usually been an aluminum tube in the sky. And the dogs have been on the 4-6lbs range, too, so even they haven't needed much room.

When shopping for a replacement for my wife's 07 Tahoe last weekend, she said she wouldn't mind a Sub (not XL, since she doesn't like the front end...), but after we drove one, she changed her mind: Tahoe it has to be. And that's what she got and she's thrilled.

 

[mcislak]

We have three kids with another on the way. Tahoe is absolutely useless for cargo. We went away this weekend and that was it traded the Tahoe in for a suburban that weekend no more rooftop carrier and stuffing things in for this guy


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[petethepug]

We’re on our 2nd Denali XL. An 06 CPO until 08 & an 08 bought in 16 w/ 96k from an original owner from a Mopar Dlr.

We knew in 06 the XL/Burb was the way to go because our Highways are concrete. The seams on Intst 5 in Cali will rock a standard wheel base truck. The longer XL/Burb will hit a better frequency on the seams and not rock you to sleep. The magnaride will almost eliminate the rocking.

Secondly wife & I are 6’3. We knew all three kids would need the room of the XL’s 3rd row. Our cream puff 08 we purchased had the 2nd row bench. Didn’t like it at first as we had captains chairs in the past. Now the kids use both the benches like couches.

Lastly we like the extra cargo space behind the 3rd row for (God, I hope it never occurs) rear collision buffer zone protection. You can always not use the extra 22” in back, but if you don’t have it, it can’t be added later.

It’s been a while, did you purchase a new vehicle yet?


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[ercbrooks]

Love our Suburbans!!
3 Kids and plenty of room for traveling


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[GTNator]

Love our Suburbans!!
3 Kids and plenty of room for traveling


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Captains or bench?


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[ercbrooks]

Captains.
Much easier for the kid sitting in the 3rd row to get in.
Personally I wouldn’t want a bench


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[07Burb]

Captains.
Much easier for the kid sitting in the 3rd row to get in.
Personally I wouldn’t want a bench


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Exactly why we got captains

 

[itsbo1313]

We have two kids and a dog and started with a 2001 Tahoe. After squeezing everything in for a camping trip, we got a 2003 Yukon XL and stayed LWB since. 05 Burb, to now a 2012 Yukon XL Denali. It fits in my smallish garage and parking has never been a concern. People and/or pets and gear is just easier in a Burb/Yukon XL. Lovin' the Denali though!