The 2025 Chevy Suburban and 2025 Chevy Tahoe are refreshed with fresh aesthetics, a mighty new diesel engine, and the latest tech. They’re updated alongside their GM cousins, the GMC Yukon/Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV, and we’re impressed with the revisions in all of the above. The six of them have many similarities, like the same T1 platform under the skin and overlapping powertrain options, but there’s one family-friendly feature that’s exclusive to the Suburban.
We’re talking about a nine-seat configuration with three seats in all three rows. That’s right; you can still option a Chevy Suburban with a front 40/20/40 split bench seat (AZ3). It’s available exclusively for the base LS trim and subtracts $250 from the price tag. Incidentally, the LS is also the only Suburban trim that’s not available with second-row captain’s chairs. We reported on the full, extensive list of options and pricing for the 2025 Chevy Suburban last month.
This option is not only exclusive to the Suburban in the GM full-size SUV family, but it’s exclusive across this whole segment. The Ford Expedition/Expedition Max, Jeep Wagoneer/Wagoneer L, Toyota Sequoia, and Nissan Armada all max out at eight seats.
Even the remaining crop of minivans – the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Carnival – don’t have nine-seater configurations available, at least not in their U.S.-spec versions. The only other vehicles in the U.S. that can (legally) seat nine people are full-size vans like the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and GM’s own Chevy Express/GMC Savana, all of which are available with up to 15 seats.
The fact that the Chevy Suburban still offers nine-passenger seating shows that GM hasn’t forgotten one of the Suburban’s most loyal fanbases: big families. We know most Suburban drivers don’t have seven children, which is why the bench front row isn’t available on more trims, but the fact that it’s still optional at all is impressive. For those of us who do have a lot of passengers to carry around regularly, the Chevy Suburban is still the heavyweight champ of full-size SUVs for fertile and multiplying families.
Comments
The bench seat in the Tahoe and the Suburban as well as base versions of the Yukon/Yukon XL in the Middle East are readily common in the used market….these trucks make for excellent road trip vehicles between countries unlike a Land Cruiser or a Patrol, which generally do not have much space…
The Tahoe LS also has a 9 person configuration, I believe, but I am worried about what might happen with the next generation of SUVs…
The price tag certainly isn’t condusive for a large family. I wish they would have made an L trim with a solid rear axle, 2.7 turbo, 8 speed and single speed 4wd transfer case for us Midwestern families that have large number of kids and also need a rugged vehicle. My traverse barely cuts it.
That engine is NOT fit for such a massive SUV…
Mary B will find a way to do away with anything the public might want
Do you mean the public that makes GM the #1 in vehicle sales in 2023, surpassing Toyota, #1 in light-duty pickup sales 2023 (since 2020), and #1 in full size SUVs (over 20 years and counting.
I wish this 9-seater option was available in the higher trim levels like the LT, Z71 and RST.
Had this option in my 2003 Tahoe and ordered my 2019 Tahoe with this option as well and I love it. Wish “regular” automobiles had this option as well! LOL we know that will never happen!
If GM REALLY wanted to make it more family friendly, they need to make the power liftgate standard. Many SUV manufacturers have already done so. What child or super senior can lift that huge piece of metal up to open or pull it down to close. C’mon already , GM, charging thousands more just to get an LT when you’re bragging about a cloth bench with the LS is just plain disingenuous .
Maybe you should realize that upper middle class and upper class people can own these new toys now…given their excess starting price (that I am very disappointed with).
Or, try the new Armada- better value for money and you get a more powerful engine standard.
You can always try a well maintained used model…which will likely have it.
I’m tuned in enough to know that there is a tremendous amount of built in profit for every Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and Yukon XL. For sure, they’re entitled to make it but the standard content should be increased, too. Some 15 years ago or so, I read somewhere that the Big Boppers had $10K profit baked in. It’s probably considerably more now.
I see. The news is interesting. Here the standard price is now under 200k riyals in Qatar- go back a decade and it was 130k or so…
But I think the profits are why they thought they can become greedy….we will see how badly it turns out in the long term. But the Expedition and Seqouia cost similarly…other than the Armada which is a value option.