2016 Suburban z71

[Jbardram]

After a few months of debating whether to wait for the '17s, we pulled the trigger on a '16 Suburban LT with Z71, Lux Pkg, and a few other options. Wanted the Z71 for better clearance, skid plates, and the grippier stock tires but they are rare in my area and we decided to go for it. I wont need something this big in a few years. We do a 600 mile round trip about 15 times a year, with some of it on some rough dirt roads/trails and often in snow, and pulling an ATV or utility trailer sometimes. So a big, BOF, 4wd suv was the way to go for us.

 

Only have it two weeks but have put 1300 miles on it so here are some thoughts that hopefully help anyone considering one of these SUVs. Wife has an Acadia Denali that I directly compare the Suburban to.

 

Mileage - 18.6 through first 1300 miles. About 1.5mpg less than we get in the Acadia in similar driving/loads. Pretty good imo.

 

Booming/Buffeting issue - its there, but so far only a background concern. More like a slight pressure sensation at this point. Have had about a dozen different people ride in it so far and no one has mentioned it.

 

V4 Vibration - also there. Feel it through the gas pedal as much as anywhere else, so it makes the driver more aware than passengers. Had an 07 Silverado 6.0 with AFM with similar issues, but the Suburban spends a remarkable amount of time in V4 so the issue is more annoying. Would love a way to shutoff V4. Tow/haul mode is effective but an inefficient way to do it.

 

Third Row - good space but the seat cushion is really thin and firm (side effect of fold flat capability). Small kids don't seem to mind but older kids will notice. My 13 year old sits on a pillow. Expedition third row is definitely more comfortable.

 

Second Row - we have the buckets. Lots of room and very comfortable. The power folding is a nice feature.

 

Front Seats - not as comfortable as the GMT900's in my opinion, but some people seem to love them. They are a little narrow for me. I prefer the seats in our 09 Silverado 2500.

 

Carplay - cool feature, works well.

 

Power - the 5.3 makes enough power, but you have to work the throttle. GM torque management is at play and partially to blame. I have the 3.42 gears. Probably even more sluggish with the taller rear.

 

Heated Seats - heaters are weak. Looks like a widespread issue.

 

Radio - we have the midlevel system, Bose speakers. Sounds ok, but not great. If you are into sound I think the CenterPoint system is noticeably better. Overall the mylink system has taken me a few hours to get used to but everything works well and the system is reasonably fast.

 

Rear Camera - almost useless at night or in bad weather as the resolution is really poor.

 

Ride - I test drove an LTZ with 20's, and the magnetic shocks gave it a smoother ride. The Z71 is a bit stiff. Highway expansion joints are a little bit annoying. But overall I'm happy with the ride.

 

HUD - this one doesn't have it. Our Acadia does. The DIC doesn't let you display a digital speed at the same time as some other key info, so I think the heads up display is a good way to get the digital readout while still having instant access to things like trip computer, or mileage etc. Wish we had it.

 

Overall happy with it so far. The Expedition EL with ecoboost and larger third row was very tempting but ive always been a GM guy and had some GM card earnings racked up so went for the better deal. We'll see how that decision plays out..

 

 

 

 

[RyanbabZ71]

very nice, like the rims

[Daryl LBZ]

I'm not sure I've ever saw one with those wheels before. Looks good.

[Jbardram]

Thanks, they're 18"s, kind of a smoke color. Standard with the z71. I don't think they show them on the chevy site.

[bgsntth]

 

Very nice - I got a silver one, but really like the Iridium (your color?).

 

I put Nokian Rotiiva 275/65-18's on, as I had a lot of wheelspin with the GY's offroad. Otherwise, I was very satisfied with the GY's. The Nokians are the rare Traction and Temperature A, 700 Treadware. AT's, and have the mountain snowflake. Actually a bit quiter on the road too.

 

 

[Jbardram]

Sub Z71_Feb 2016.jpg

 

Very nice - I got a silver one, but really like the Iridium (your color?).

 

I put Nokian Rotiiva 275/65-18's on, as I had a lot of wheelspin with the GY's offroad. Otherwise, I was very satisfied with the GY's. The Nokians are the rare Traction and Temperature A, 700 Treadware. AT's, and have the mountain snowflake. Actually a bit quiter on the road too.

 

 

Nice! I love the silver. Would have been my first choice had there been more z71s available. Only two z71s I saw over a 10 week period on Long Island were the Tungsten I bought (wife's Acadia is Iridium and it looks almost identical) and bright red.

 

Pulled a roughly 2500lb trailer with 7 people and a lab onboard this weekend. Last stretch up to our place is a 13% grade that had snow and ice on it. The GY's were great. Our other two vehicles (Acadia and a Silverado 2500) both lose traction on that stretch. But your Nokians sound good, will keep them in mind when the time comes.

 

Are you dealing with any of the buffeting/vibrations issues discussed here?

[bgsntth]

I ordered mine, as I could not find a silver one with all of the options I wanted - long process and wait.

 

Absolutely no buffeting or vibration in my '16 Z71. I did notice both in two 2015 Sub rentals that I had for two weeks a piece.

[Jbardram]

I ordered mine, as I could not find a silver one with all of the options I wanted - long process and wait.

 

Absolutely no buffeting or vibration in my '16 Z71. I did notice both in two 2015 Sub rentals that I had for two weeks a piece.

What did you go with for the mudflaps? They look good. The step really catches a lot of road debris.

[bgsntth]

They are Weathertech's. They do very well to keep debris off of the side steps. They are not long enough to keep the exhaust tips clean, however. They are wider than my 275's too.

 

 

[Jbardram]

They are Weathertech's. They do very well to keep debris off of the side steps. They are not long enough to keep the exhaust tips clean, however. They are wider than my 275's too.

 

 

Nice. Did you do a cat back exhaust? How do you like it? Tires look good on those closer shots. No problems with the extra width on the stock rims? I wouldn't mind going a size taller as well when the time comes.

[bgsntth]

I got the GM\Borla Touring cat-back put on before I picked-up the truck from the dealer - easier than justifying to SWMBO later on. Absolutely no drone at any speed and/or while in V4. Quieter than most cat-backs - not loud or obnoxious in any way. You will not hear it at all unless you are giving it a lot of throttle or over 3K rpms. It has an extra baffle in it that prevents the drone, which is, I suspect, better at cancelling out the drone in the stock exhaust in AFM mode.

 

The Nokian's are 32.1", and the exact same diameter and width as the optional 22" wheel\tire. No issues fitting on the stock rims or balancing.

[Jbardram]

I got the GM\Borla Touring cat-back put on before I picked-up the truck from the dealer - easier than justifying to SWMBO later on. Absolutely no drone at any speed and/or while in V4. Quieter than most cat-backs - not loud or obnoxious in any way. You will not hear it at all unless you are giving it a lot of throttle or over 3K rpms. It has an extra baffle in it that prevents the drone, which is, I suspect, better at cancelling out the drone in the stock exhaust in AFM mode.

 

The Nokian's are 32.1", and the exact same diameter and width as the optional 22" wheel\tire. No issues fitting on the stock rims or balancing.

Ordered the weathertechs today. Not sure I want to bite on the Borla, although knocking out the V4 drone would be nice. Thanks for the good ideas!

[DMOGIRL]

I had an 08 tahoe z71 before getting my z71 suburban. Love everything except I have the horrible vibration problem

[Jbardram]

I had an 08 tahoe z71 before getting my z71 suburban. Love everything except I have the horrible vibration problem

Is that the low speed vibration in 4 cylinder mode? Or the buffeting?

[DMOGIRL]

It's the low speed vibration which is a severe problem. Between 30 to 45 mph. The buffeting problem isn't as bad.