Sizable Suburban has large appeal to SUV devotees

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- In this day and age, can you still have love for a giant-size sport-utility vehicle that gets only 16 miles per gallon?

Under the right circumstances, yes, says I.

Motor Trend magazine seems to like the 2022 Chevrolet Suburban, ranking it No. 1 among full-size, three-row SUVs.

And after my week in the 2022 Suburban 4WD Premier, I fully understood why a certain kind of motorist would consider it a dream come true.

To that motorist, size matters.  The Suburban has size aplenty.

There's a whopping 144.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the second- and third-row seats folded. Like to haul stuff? The trailering package maxes at 8,300 pounds.

Just standing next to the tested Suburban made me feel small.  The thing seems capable of making its own weather.

I felt even smaller climbing up into the driver's seat.  I remember thinking: I feel like the pilot in the cockpit of a massive Boeing 747.

And yet, for all that size, I felt completely comfortable on the move in the big SUV.  It did not porpoise along or hammer down on the front end during hard braking.  It was stable and solid throughout.

And dare I say peppy.

My ride was equipped with the 6.2-liter EcoTec3 V-8 with 420 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds of torque.  No sluggish performance here.  The tester jumped off the line and smoothly ran through the gears right on up to heart-racing performance levels.

Very cool to feel so assured in a big vehicle.  I enjoyed it.  Lots.

As is the custom of a Premier model, my tester was loaded with exceptional safety perks, driving-enhancement features and enough comfort/convenience goodies to please the luxury-loving motorist.

Bottom line for all this: $79,370. Yup, the price has size as well.

But if the Suburban's big-vehicle charms are your cup of tea, the price seems well worth paying ... particularly if you envision your Suburban hauling passengers and cargo for many years to come.