The 2012 Chevrolet Suburban offers large amounts of space to carry around a growing family or to transport supplies to your favorite camping spot. It is available in heavy duty and half ton models.
Key Features
The 1500 Suburban comes with a 5.3 liter V8 that offers 320hp. It gets 15 mpg while driving in the city and 21 mpg while driving on the highway. The 2500 models offers 6.0 liter V8 with 352hp. Expect to get around 10 mpg while driving in the city and 16 mpg while driving on the highway. The towing capacity ranges from 5,000 to 9,600 pounds.
Changes for 2012
For 2012, the Suburban comes with a navigation radio option. In addition, the LTZ trim has a heated leather steering wheel and blind zone alert. The LT trim has added leather seats. The standard StabiliTrak now has hill start assist and trailer sway control.
What We Like
The Chevrolet Suburban offers a very comfortable ride. The fuel management technology will help you get more gas mileage as power goes from eight for four cylinders during light load situations. It can seat up to nine people with a third row folding seat for added cargo room.
What Concerns us
While the third row folding seats are nice, they must be manually taken out to get the most use out of the room. Gas mileage while driving around town is not as great as we would like to see.
Available Models
The Suburban comes in the LT 1500 model which is a 5.3 liter V8 six speed automatic which offers 320hp. The fuel economy is 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway. The LT 2500 models has a 6.0 liter V8 six speed automatic with 352hp. This model offers 10 mpg for city driving and 16 mpg on the highway. The LTZ 1500 has a 5.3 liter V8 six speed automatic with 320hp and comes with all-wheel drive. This will provide you with 15 mpg for city driving and 21 mpg on the highway.
Major Recalls
In 2014, the Chevrolet Suburban was recalled due to the ignition lock actuator not being installed correctly. This can cause the ignition to get stuck in the “start” position and could fall back into “accessory” position causing a loss of steering, braking, and engine power. The Suburban was also recalled in 2012 due to the steering gear pitman shaft may not have been hardened properly, which can result in the inability to steer.
Common Issues
Common complaints include the third row seat will not install, the touch screen being unresponsive, electrical shuts off while driving, vehicle not starting, low oil pressure, and lift gate pistons stopped working.
