2020 Chevrolet Suburban vs. 2020 Land Rover Range Rover

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Suburban are height-adjustable, and the middle and rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Land Rover Range Rover has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Suburban are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Suburban has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Range Rover doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Suburban and the Range Rover have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, front parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Suburban 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Range Rover. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Range Rover ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 17 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Suburban’s warranty.

The Suburban has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Suburban’s reliability 41 points higher than the Range Rover.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 45 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 32nd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2019 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 106 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 30th.

On the EPA test cycle the Suburban 4WD 6.2 V8 gets better fuel mileage than the Range Rover SVAutobiography 5.0 supercharged V8 (557 HP) (14 city/20 hwy vs. 14 city/19 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down half of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Suburban’s fuel efficiency. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Suburban uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 6.2 V8 engine for maximum performance). The Range Rover requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Suburban has 8.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Range Rover Diesel’s standard fuel tank (31 vs. 22.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Suburban has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Range Rover’s standard fuel tank (31 vs. 27.6 gallons).

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Suburban EcoTec3 6.2 V8, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Range Rover.

For better traction, the Suburban has larger standard tires than the Range Rover (265/65R18 vs. 235/65R19). The Suburban’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Range Rover (285/45R22 vs. 275/45R21).

The Chevrolet Suburban’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Land Rover Range Rover only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Suburban has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Range Rover doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Suburban has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Range Rover Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Suburban’s wheelbase is 15 inches longer than on the Range Rover (130 inches vs. 115 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Suburban is 2.2 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Range Rover.

The Suburban offers optional seating for 9 passengers; the Range Rover can only carry 5.

The Suburban’s cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover.

The Suburban’s cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover LWB.

The Suburban’s cargo area is larger than the Range Rover’s in almost every dimension:

The Suburban’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Range Rover’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Maximum trailer towing in the Land Rover Range Rover is limited to 7716 pounds. The Suburban offers up to a 8300 lbs. towing capacity.

The Suburban’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Range Rover does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Suburban’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Range Rover’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Suburban has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover doesn’t offer extendable visors.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Suburban Premier has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Range Rover doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Suburban is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Suburban owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Suburban will cost $5115 to $12795 less than the Range Rover over a five-year period.

The Suburban will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Suburban will retain 46.55% to 47.2% of its original price after five years, while the Range Rover only retains 38.76% to 43.19%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Suburban is less expensive to operate than the Range Rover because typical repairs cost much less on the Suburban than the Range Rover, including $10 less for a water pump, $25 less for front brake pads, $357 less for a starter, $286 less for fuel injection, $13 less for a fuel pump and $280 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Suburban will be $39931 to $134039 less than for the Land Rover Range Rover.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Suburban, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Land Rover Range Rover isn't recommended.

The Chevrolet Suburban outsold the Land Rover Range Rover by almost three to one during the 2019 model year.