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THE GMC SUBURBAN is aptly named. There aren’t many places to park itin the city.

This thing is big, folks. It’s gargantuan, humongous, huuuge!

The Suburban is a sport-utility vehicle that weighs nearly four tons,stretches 18.3 feet on a 10.8-foot wheelbase, carries a 40-gallon fueltank, runs with a 5.7-liter V-8, seats nine people and accommodates allof their luggage.

General Motors claims credit for this monster, but I don’t believeit. Anything this big must’ve come from the federal government, probablyfrom the Defense Department.

It’s so large, it’s scary. No kidding.

Complaints: Like many truck-family vehicles, the Suburban lacks headrests for its occupants. That’s because the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration allows auto makers to get away with stuff intrucks that they can’t get away with in cars.

It’s a double standard based on outmoded reasoning: Truckstraditionally were viewed as farm and construction vehicles, commercialhaulers seldom used by the general public. Trucks also used to sell inrelatively small numbers — too small to burden manufacturers with theexpense of beefing up safety equipment.

But trucks today account for 30 percent of all U.S. automotive sales,and they often are bought as substitutes for cars and station wagons.

It’s time for truck safety rules to catch up with reality.

Praise: The Suburban is a phenomenal multipurpose vehicle, capable ofpulling up to 16,000 pounds gross vehicle weight — including truck,trailer, passengers, cargo and equipment — depending on itscombination of engine, transmission and axle ratio.

The tested Suburban, a two-wheel-drive Sierra Classic model withheavy-duty trailering axles, could pull up to 15,000 pounds.

Fit and finish on the test model were excellent.

Head-turning quotient: Other drivers saw it coming and got outta myway. Some city parking attendants took one look at it and turned meaway.

Ride, acceleration, braking and handling: The Suburban’s super-longwheelbase provided smooth rides on most roads. But going over rougherhighways at maximum legal speeds caused some unhappiness among rearpassengers, who complained of being bounced and jostled.

Nobody griped about the Suburban’s acceleration, though. Thetest-model’s fuel-injected 5.7-liter engine, rated 190 hp at 4,000 rpm,boosted the behemoth to gold-medal performance in expressway lane-changecompetition.

Braking was excellent, thanks to a high-quality, power-assisted frontdisc/rear drum system. Handling, particularly around curves at postedspeeds, was an acceptable work of graceless stability.

Sound system: Electronic AM/FM stereo radio and cassette withseek-scan functions, by GM/Delco. Very good.

Mileage: About 16 to the gallon (40-gallon tank, estimated 625-milerange on usable volume), mostly suburbs and highway, sans trailer,running with mixed loads (one to five occupants) and light cargo. Frontand rear air conditi oner units were used part-time.

Price: 1988 base price is $14,040. Dealer’s invoice price on basemodel is $12,123. Price as tested is $20,935, including $6,347 inoptions and a $548 destination charge.

Model-change note: Only minor differences separate the 1988 and 1989Suburbans. Changes include new headlights and grille, new sound systemand an optional rear seat equipped with lap-shoulder belts, which can beinstalled in 1988’s as retrofits. The 1989’s will cost more. If you canfind a 1988 Suburban, buy it.