2000 Chevrolet Suburban

This spring, GM partially pulled back the curtain on the 2000 Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon, revealing some styling and mechanical details (GMC also markets a version of the Suburban and Chevy will continue to offer the Tahoe).

Because these soon-to-be-introduced sport/utility vehicles are based on GM's Silverado/Sierra pickup, you knew there had to be all-new sheetmetal, ride, steering and handling tweaks, bigger brakes, and significant powertrain changes. But there are also a few nice surprises, like third-row seating in the Yukon, side-impact airbags, and a factory power sunroof. As we go to press, powertrain choices have not been fully sorted out. But the base Suburban and standard Yukon engine is likely to be a 5.3-liter Vortec V-8 mated with a four-speed automatic; this Yukon show truck was powered by a 6.0-liter Vortec.

Not surprisingly, the Suburban and Yukon exterior dimensions are about the same as those of the current models. GM engineers, particularly those crafting the new Suburban, said they weren't going to chase Ford's giant new Excursion. From a styling perspective, the vehicles' appearance is clean, boxy, and conservative-just like the pickups.

The foundation architecture of these sport/utes has been completely reworked. Engineers specifically attacked shake, squeaks, and rattles by increasing the total number of welds, optimizing their locations, and doubling the stiffness in important body sections and joints. Door openings are bigger and step-in heights are lower for easier entry and exit.

On the inside, GM claims it increased headroom and hiproom in all seating locations. Also important for interior space, the spare tire was moved out of the cargo area and relocated under the floor. The old ladder frames were simply trashed; the new frames are now fully boxed and feature rigid hydroformed front and rear rails, as well as a hydroformed engine crossmember.

In front, the 2000 models in either two- or four-wheel drive, have an independent torsion-bar suspension. Out back, they sport an all-new five-link setup that uses coils instead of leaf springs, which will result in a much smoother ride, says GM.

Although maneuverability is relative with a vehicle as large as a new Suburban (which is 219.3 inches long and rolls on a 130-inch wheelbase), owners should still be able to appreciate the smaller (42.3 feet) turning circle.

Vented four-wheel disc brakes will afford better fade resistance and the front pads and rotors are a whopping 40 percent larger. To ensure straight, short stops, these binders also come with a standard electronic anti-lock system.

In the Suburban, the sliding second-row seats have been moved back to add legroom and ease entry. Overall seating comfort in the trucks was improved with wider seats with less-upright seatback angles, longer seat travel, and longer seatbelts for bigger passengers. For the Yukon show truck, GM installed eight-passenger seating with front buckets, second-row 60/40 bench, and third-row split bench.

Watch these pages for a full test, as soon as we can get our hands on production versions.-Jack Keebler

Super Duty Chargers20 Cylinders' Worth Of Super- Charged TorqueThere's no getting around it: The Super Duty is an amazing truck line. Ford invested untold millions to develop the Super Duty, which neatly splits the seam between a light-duty pickup and industrial-only haulers. The F-250 and F-350 SDs are already a runaway sales success, hauling as many horse trailers as they do construction crews, though not even Ford could have anticipated their popularity as recreational-use vehicles and pure sport trucks. The two Super Duties on these pages demonstrate just a taste of how enterprising owners can modify and tailor the Big Bad Ford to their own needs and style; we suspect the aftermarket will continue releasing more new products for these rigs over the next few years.