Quick Take: The "sporty" RST package for the Suburban would be ridiculous, were it not for the 6.2-liter V8 and 10-speed automatic also found in the Escalade, the Yukon Denali—and, more to the point for Chevy fans, the unfortunately-facelifted 2019 Camaro SS —which gives it unexpected verve and reinvigorates the aging SUV's driving experience.

Then again, once you're at Suburban Premier RST Performance pack payment levels...there's the GMC Yukon Denali XL , which offers the same combination of engine, transmission, and magnetorheological suspension for two grand less than the RST. And it's far easier on the eyes.

Remarkably, that's not even the pinnacle of Suburban pricing; a fully-loaded version can ring up the register at $87,380, according to my time spent fiddling on the Chevrolet configurator. (And that doesn't include any of the official GM accessories you can add, either.) Most of the bougie features on the RST aren't really worth it—if you're looking for a luxury truck with this kind of room, you're better served saving or stretching for an Escalade or Navigator . However, the 6.2-liter and 10-speed pairing are certainly good enough to be worth the cash...assuming, of course, you're already springing for the top trim, as that's the only way you can even have the chance to order the big motor.

2019 Chevrolet Suburban RST: The Bottom Line

There are plenty of car nerds young and old who bemoan GM's lack of cars like the Impala SS and the Nomad—mighty, eight-cylinder hunks of Detroit iron ideal for long road trips, summertime boulevard cruises, and burnouts akimbo. Truth is, Chevy still does make cars like that—they're just seven feet tall and have four-wheel-drive. The Tahoe and Suburban are every bit the descendants of those iconic cars that captured the imaginations of an entire generation of Baby Boomers.

But while GM's 2018-era family haulers are, in spite of their truck roots and height, superior to those old cars in almost every way—not just safety and technology, obviously, but even ride, handling, and performance—the modern-day ones still fall behind in at least one area: customization. Back in those halcyon post-war days, buyers had almost free reign to spec out their cars as they like—to pick giant engines for stripped-down cars, or pick garish paint jobs that had no business being with clashing interior. Nowadays, GM, like most automakers, seems to see consumers as unable to handle so many choices, so they bundle options into packages and align them in various trim levels to simplfy both the ordering and assembly processes. Most of the time, that strategy works fine...but every now and again, it winds up producing an unfortunate situation like the one here, where only folks willing to shell out $40,000 more than the average new car price can score the best options on the list.

The saddest part of the RST package is that Chevy reserves it for the top trim, refusing to give buyers of more humble 'Burbans a chance to enjoy the sweet, sweet pleasures of this engine and transmission combo. The Suburban RST is capable, capacious, and surprisingly fun for such a big machine...but it'd still be all those things and more if you could grab one in cloth-seat LS trim for $60K.