|
Donald
Trump has been elected president. He will
take charge on January 20 and although he
has had Secret Service detail throughout his
campaign, protecting him will soon become
the federal law enforcement agency’s main
task. Protecting the president is no easy
feat. It takes a lot of coordination and
equipment. When it comes to protecting the
president on the road, the Secret Service
uses a fleet of 20 to 30 vehicles. Several
Chevrolet Suburban SUVs are part of the
presidential motorcade. As we prepare to
welcome a new president into the oval
office, let’s take a look at two specific
ways the Chevrolet Suburban is used and why
it’s such a favorite.
Roadrunner SUV -
Presidential Suburban
The White House
Communications Agency Roadrunner Vehicle is
part of every presidential motorcade. It’s
also known as the mobile command and control
vehicle or MC2V. It’s a heavily modified
Chevrolet Suburban that’s equipped with
protective armor to shield the people and
equipment inside. The Secret Service SUV
serves as the communications hub for the
motorcade. It’s instantly recognizable as
mounted on the roof, there’s a configurable
antennae platform that contains a large
SATCOM dome containing a tracking dish.
There are also smaller antennas located on
the roof. The SUV provides the primary
communications path for the motorcade via a
military satellite, allowing bi-directional
voice, data and streaming video. Cool,
right? The roadrunner vehicle typically
brings up the rear of the motorcade.
Electronic Countermeasures in the
Secret Service SUV
The Secret Service also
uses an Electronic Countermeasures
SUV. The Chevrolet Suburban is
typically positioned in front of the
president’s vehicle and behind the
vice-presidential limo. The vehicle plays
an incredibly important role in the
motorcade. It’s used to counter guided
attacks, such as IEDs or rocket-propelled
grenades. Collinear antennas and sensors
mounted on the roof help it counter IED
threats. The Secret Service may just love
using the Chevrolet Suburban because it
features body-on-frame construction and it
packs plenty of power. It’s also spacious,
offering the federal agency plenty of room
for equipment. If you’d like to feel like
a Secret Service agent, you can certainly
purchase a Chevrolet Suburban of your own.
While it will be a lot less modified than
the ones the Secret Service uses, it will
pretty much look the same from the
outside. The starting price for a 2017
Chevrolet Suburban is $49,915.
2017 Chevrolet Suburban
If you’re interested in purchasing a
Secret Service Suburban of your own, there
are some things you should know. The
company says it’s the original SUV. It was
first introduced in 1935 and is the
oldest, continuously produced vehicle
nameplate in the industry. Of course, it
has been significantly upgraded over the
years and the 2017 model comes equipped
with several new features. New for the
2017 Suburban is a standard Teen Driver
feature. It encourages safe driving habits
with teenagers, “enabling parents to view
the vehicle’s maximum speed, distance
driven and the number of time active
safety features were engaged during the
drive.” We all know that teens drive more
erratically when their parents are not in
the car. By having a report card of sorts
to check when they return home from a
drive, parents know what their teen was
doing behind the wheel. Talk about
helpful!
Also new for the 2017 Suburban is the
Premier trim, which replaces the LTZ. The
Suburban now comes in LS, LT and Premier
models, in two-wheel drive and four-wheel
drive configurations. Perforated,
leather-trimmed heated driver and
passenger seats come standard on the new
Premier trim. A new 22-inch wheel design
is also available. Although you’re going
to go with black if you want to feel like
you’re part of the presidential motorcade,
the 2017 Suburban comes with two new
options for exterior colors: Blue Velvet
Metallic and Pepperdust Metallic. When it
comes to technology, 4G LTE Wi-Fi is
available to help keep your family
connected and entertained on long trips.
Up to seven devices can be connected to
the internet, making everyone happy. The
2017 Suburban also offers Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto compatibility. New for
2017 are available rear seat entertainment
system upgrades. The system helps keep
passengers, especially kids, entertained
on long rides with a screen in both second
and third rows. Upgrades for the system
include an HDMI connector to attach
devices for projection, two additional USB
ports and digital headphones.
The 2017 Suburban features a powerful
5.3-liter V8 engine with direct injection
that offers 355 horsepower. It’s capable
of towing up to 8,300 pounds. While the
engine packs plenty of power, its
lightweight suspension helps optimize fuel
economy, offering best-in-class 23 miles
per gallon on the highway. When it comes
to cargo room, the Suburban has plenty of
it. There’s 39.3 cubic feet of cargo space
behind the third row. When second and
third-row seats are folded, there’s 121.7
cubic feet of maximum cargo space. It’s
easy to fit a kayak, camping gear,
tailgate accessories and plenty of other
bulky items in the back. Standard safety
features include seven air bags and a
rear-vision camera. LT and Premier trims
come with forward collision alert, safety
alert driver seat, headlights with
automatic high-beam control, lane keep
assist and low speed forward braking. The
base trim gets those features with the
available Enhanced Driver Alert Package.
The Premier trim also comes with standard
side blind zone alert, lane change alert
and rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive
cruise control with front automatic
braking is also available.
Our Take
The Suburban is a classic full-size SUV
that has been an incredible performer over
the years for Chevrolet. It has
traditionally been one of General Motors’
most profitable vehicles. While it’s
certainly not as flashy or luxurious as
the Cadillac Escalade, it costs about
$20,000 less. It has all the space a
family could need to make long trips
comfortable as well as technology to keep
passengers entertained. Not to mention,
riding in a Suburban may just make you
feel like you’re part of the presidential
motorcade!
This applies to all
pages associated with
Langdalefamily.com:
Warning--any
person and/or institution and/or
Agent and/or Agency of any
governmental, public or private
structure including but not
limited to The United
States Federal Government or any
Government also using or
monitoring/using this website or
any of its associated websites,
you DO NOT have my permission to
utilize any of my information,
pictures, messages or posts,
past, present and future nor any
of the content contained herein
including, but not limited to my
photos, and/ or the art posted
on this website. You are hereby
notified that you are strictly
prohibited from disclosing,
copying, distributing,
disseminating, or taking any
other action against me with
regard to this profile and the
contents herein. The foregoing
prohibitions also apply to your
employee(s), agent(s),
student(s) or any personnel
under your direction or control.
The contents of this website are
private and legally privileged
and confidential information,
and the violation of my personal
privacy is punishable by law.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
|