Maybe there is some atavistic connection between the Conestoga wagon and the Suburban, maybe not. But one thing is for certain: Americans like to travel over wide-open spaces in big vehicles. And it's hard to get much bigger than the Suburban, the granddaddy of SUVs, which General Motors first introduced in 1934.

Originally designed as a commercial station car intended to haul lots of passengers, the Suburban graduated to more domestic uses in the late 1980s, when GM transferred the brand to Chevrolet. Since then the basic model has undergone several upgrades but has stayed remarkably true to its original vision, that of a very large utility vehicle designed to carry as many people and as much stuff as possible in both comfort and style.

For years the Suburban was the biggest SUV on the planet. It became a symbol of both excess and affluence. Where else but America would people actually want to drive an 18-foot-long, two-and-a-half-ton car with the capacity for hauling as many as nine adults to the supermarket or eight kids to soccer practice? It's like going to the mall in a tank. We don't need to, but we glory in the fact that we can.

Now there are SUVs that are bigger. The Ford Excursion is more than half a foot longer, and although it starts in the same $35K ballpark as the Suburban, it can be fattened up with options to sell for $46,000, six grand more than the top-line Suburban. And the 16-inch ground clearance of General Motors' really, really expensive (MSRP: $104,803) Hummer H1 allows it to go places that the Suburban driver can only dream about. Even GM's Yukon Denali, sold by GMC, is virtually identical to the Suburban -- except that for the approximately $10,000 more it will cost you, you get such standard features as a six-liter, 320-horsepower V-8 engine that boasts a muscular 365 foot-pounds of torque, as well as goodies like leather seats.

Amazingly, sales of the Suburban continue to climb. In 1999, 138,997 Suburbans sold; last year that figure climbed to 154,782, and current year-to-date sales are up about 10% versus 2001 volume.

True, there is now more choice in the SUV market and early leaders like the Suburban and Ford's Explorer have a lot more competition. But we think the Suburban remains attractive, because it's still fairly inexpensive for its size and is a lot easier to drive than the Excursion (sales are slumping for the Ford and it may be discontinued after its current lifecycle ends in the middle of this decade). Toyota's eight-passenger Sequoia is smoother and a little easier to drive than the Suburban, but it also offers much less interior room and isn't available with low financing. Is it surprising, then, that its sales pace is much slower? Also, next year the Suburban gets optional Quadrasteer, four-wheel steering that makes parking and negotiating tight spots a breeze.

So the Suburban has staying power, innovation, and in many ways is still the best overall SUV in its class. It may not be the biggest or the most powerful, but for the money it's the most comfortable and capacious SUV on the market. To read why we think so, please click on the links below.