Chevrolet Suburban (K2YC) and Chevrolet Tahoe (K2UC)

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2015 Chevrolet Suburban

The Chevrolet Tahoe and its longer brother, the Suburban, now received a new look, new interior, new chassis, and a whole new chapter to General Motors' iconic SUV that for over eight decades strong, it remained one of the oldest nameplates in history. Yeah, you can hardly imagine what America's longest running nameplate can do for over eight decades but here we are, the newest versions of our favorite full-sized SUVs, primed and ready for work.

What's the difference between these two?

Think of the Tahoe as the little brother of the Suburban because for this generation, the new Tahoe's wheelbase is 356mm short than the new Suburban but you can be surprised that both the new Tahoe and the Suburban's wheelbase remained unchanged from the previous GMT900 generation model and there's more; both the new models are now 1.4 inches wider than its predecessors. However, the height has been dropped by 2.4 inches but don't bother though...

What's it like on the inside?

2015 Chevrolet Suburban interior

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe interior

In typical luxury full-size SUV fashion, both the Suburban and Tahoe are well-crafted to match the likes of luxury full-sized SUVs. There is an optional Chevrolet MyLink 8-inch diagonal color touch-screen, which is great if you're more into the latest tech trends. It's now made even quieter as any luxury car should thanks to the reduced NVH so you'll get that same feeling as expected from a quiet stay at a retreat house somewhere in Tagaytay.

Both the Tahoe and Suburban are benefitted with the host of optional features that will seriously deliver the lap of luxury with a price that is too much to bear. Take for instance, the entertainment system that plays DVD and, you guessed it, Blu-Ray, just to keep the kids at the back busy from saying questions like "Are we there yet?" or any other kid-related problems on the road. Blu-Ray? Goodness gracious, it seems that General Motors is way ahead of me of making cars that come with DVD and Blu-Ray players as optional. Good job though.

Both are benefitted with the front head room of 42.8 inches and a rear head room of 38.5 inches, a best for its class when it comes to interior comforts. They're also loaded with numerous safety features that is way ahead of the times, especially the upcoming US law that all cars should come with a rear view camera for safety purposes.

Tell me about the new platform

Both the new Tahoe and Suburban are using the American car company's newly-developed K2XX platform, the same platform that used in last year's Silverado. However, for this new platform, there will be no Sport Utility Trucks, hybrid trucks, and hybrid SUVs, built on this platform. The new Tahoe and the Suburban will never get hybrid models because of the predecessor's lackluster sales but oh well. That's the way the cookie crumbles in a motoring kind of way. The upshot of the new K2XX platform is that they're now lighter and now made of high-strength steel. That's it but there's still more about the K2XX platform the world will never know...

No hybrid?

Yep. No hybrid for this generation. General Motors pulled the plug on those full-sized hybrid SUVs as you may recall...

Instead?

Instead, their new 5.3L EcoTec3 V8 FlexFuel engine promises to be more fuel efficient than its predecessors and because they're now come with direct injection (sorry Philippines, you can't have those because of your dirty fuel quality), you can expect an estimated 23MPG highway for RWD models. This new engine is all about efficiency without compromise. Doesn't say about anything but that's a lot of numbers to be summed up for these Texas-born heavyweights.

What about handling?

When driving normally, both the new Tahoe and Suburban are okay but when driving like a megalomaniac, that is a totally different agenda because of the weight that can hold you back. On the top-of-the-line models, it comes with the nifty feature that came from Camaros and Corvettes; a Magnetic Ride Control suspension, and this nifty feature keeps the behemoths' handling as precise as a...well, a luggage trolley from the airport.

Should I buy one?

2015 Chevrolet Suburban

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe

The new Tahoe starts at $44,895 while the new Suburban is $47,595. With that pricing, yes you can have of those but of course, why would you want one anyway?

Photo: General Motors