Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe/GMC Yukon/Cadillac Escalade (GM T1XX)

The largest SUVs on the face of the planet, the Chevrolet Suburban and its shorter Tahoe twin, as well as its more professional sibling, the GMC Yukon, and its luxurious one, the Cadillac Escalade, have been regenerated into a completely new generation with new look, new interior, new performance, and new tech while keeping America's favorite full-size SUVs more dominant than ever in the world where SUVs are the new normal and they are the kings...or presidents if you prefer.

First let's start with the new Chevrolet Suburban (priced at $51,700 plus additional costs) and its shorter Tahoe sibling (priced at $49,000 plus additional costs). These two titans have been reigning the Chevrolet SUV range since their first appearances several years ago and with these two received their full model changes, looks like they're still on the roll with new and exciting ways to get the gentlemen from all walks of life rolling for more.

Observing on the design, the new models looked almost similar compared to its previous model but with a more futuristic touches to make them look fresh and perked for more. It's about as neatly polished as a well-maintained horseshoe and when you take them on and off the road, dominance is what the new Suburban and the new Tahoe summed up neatly the American way.

The new interior is where these two American titans shine the most because the new models got best-in-class cargo room, more legroom than the previous model, and can have up to five display screens including its exclusive 15-inch HUD. Thanks to its larger interior dimensions, the new Suburban and the new Tahoe can fit almost all kinds of situations it can see fit such as getting the kids after soccer practice, escorting corporate titans like a proper associate or a bodyguard, law enforcement, delivering goods to the customers, or when you just want to be driving on the great American roads by yourself, experiencing its unrivaled all-rounder performance only these SUVs possess.

Under the hood, the new Suburban and the new Tahoe can be fitted with either the beefy Duramax 3.0L diesel engine, a 5.3L V8 engine with 355 HP of power and the more powerful 6.2L V8 with 420HP of power, which is offered exclusively on the High Country variant. all of these engines are mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox with  a push-button electronic shift.

It maybe extremely bulky to drive because of such size but the new models wanted to make it more engaging than the previous generation and with that, they both come with an independent rear suspension paired with the optional Magnetic Ride Control and the first-in-class Air Ride Adaptive System (for the Z71 and High Country variants) which offers load leveling at all four corners of the vehicle and up to 4 inches of ride height adjustment. Such setup really made the new Suburban and Tahoe nearly good on and off the road and looks like General Motors have really outdone it this time.

Of course with safety is the new normal in today's motoring world, both models feature up to thirty safety and driver convenience features as well as trailering features that will help drivers getting familiarize with the art of trailering. It's the same stuff you saw in the current Silverado and family outings on the great outdoors have never been this good.

Having enjoyed the new Chevrolet Suburban and the new Tahoe, let's get to know about the new-generation GMC Yukon next and although it is the more professional sibling of the Suburban and Tahoe, the new Yukon tries to set itself apart with its more distinguishable design and interior, not to mention the performance of course.

Priced at 50,700 US Dollars plus additional costs, the new GMC Yukon tries to separate itself from its Suburban and Tahoe siblings because it features a uniquely different exterior design and interior compared from its Chevrolet sibling and the addition of the more stylish Denali variant really made a bold statement about it. Either way, the new Yukon has the best-in-class cargo room and it's got more legroom than the previous model. Of course, like its Chevrolet sibling, the new Yukon can seat up to eight people, which is a seat less than the previous model, which is a bit of shame for a people mover but it still works for all walks of life, be it for weekend getaways or for work, whichever works best.

Just like its Chevrolet siblings, the new Yukon can be fitted with either the beefy Duramax 3.0L diesel engine, a 5.3L V8 engine with 355 HP of power and the more powerful 6.2L V8 with 420HP of power, which is offered exclusively on the Denali variant. all of these engines are mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox with  a push-button electronic shift.

The new Yukon features an all-new Active Response 4WD with an eLSD, allowing this SUV to work rather well in all kinds of roads, no matter how rough it can get. Come to the AT4 variant and you'll get some off-road oriented features such as a two-speed transfer case, Traction Select System, Hill Descent Control, and much more, not to forget about the Air Ride Adaptive System.

Lastly, the new Yukon, like its Chevrolet siblings, features up to thirty safety and driver convenience features as well as trailering features to make trailering life more easy.

And now we get to the most luxurious of the three, the all-new Cadillac Escalade, which starts at an extremely pricey 76,195 US Dollars plus additional costs.

The Escalade has been known to be the full-sized SUV favored by the generation of hip hop and gangsta rappers from the ghettos since the first generation and with its new generation, looks like it has elevated from its thug status to boss status, if you know what I mean?

The styling of the new Escalade is a bit regular compared to the previous model, although it bears close resemblance to the Hyundai Palisade from all the wrong barrels of life but take note that despite its Palisade-esque styling, it's still a Cadillac Escalade and it behaves just like its predecessors.

The new interior is where the Escalade's critical point because never in the history of automobile has ever seen a vehicle spawning a unique-looking screen like this. Yes, the new Escalade features a curved OLED with 38-inch diagonal display. We are familiar with OLED display on expensive TVs but on a vehicle? Why not? Anyway, while we are getting salivated over its OLED display, the instrumental panel works like Audi's Virtual Cockpit system, even better because that instrumental cluster works as a navigation system with augmented reality, which is surprisingly showy for a car like this and with the implementation of night vision, it gets even more of a show-off even after hours,

As a luxury three-row full-sized SUV targeted for the rich and famous people, especially the Republicans alike, the new Escalade is surprisingly luxurious because of its best-in-class cargo room and more legroom compared to the previous Escalade. When you slap this SUV with the available 36-speaker sound system and rear seat entertainment system, the new Escalade works as a party wagon for VIPs enjoying themselves on the back, which is the charm point of this new model. Oh and did I forgot to tell you that it comes with a refrigerator on the console?

Under the hood, the new Escalade is offered with a choice of either a 3.0L Duramax diesel engine and the 6.2L V8 with 420HP of power, all mated to a 10-speed gearbox. Apart from that, the new Escalade features Magnetic Ride Control, Air Ride Adaptive Suspension, eLSD, and independent rear suspension, making it slightly more engaging to drive than the previous model while keeping the guests happy for more. Of course, it even packs the most cutting edge safety tech available.

So, which of these full-sized SUVs from General Motors do you prefer? The legendary Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe? The more professional GMC Yukon? Or the luxurious Cadillac Escalade? You decide...

Photo: General Motors

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