Here's one for all you trivia lovers. Finish this advertising jingle: Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and .... Unless you have a really bad memory or have somehow missed all the recent radio and television ads -- perhaps cute to some and annoying to others --you know the answer is Chevrolet.

The exclusive automotive sponsor and official vehicle of Major League Baseball was in town this week for the All-Star Game, hosting all manner of special events, and providing an all-new 2007 Chevy Suburban for a test drive.

I usually research what other car writers are saying about products before I get them, and based on the buzz, Chevy's hit at least a triple with the Suburban. If it weren't for one glaring omission -- and unfortunately, it's a major one -- Suburban would be a home run. But more on that later.

The Chevrolet Suburban gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway. Click photo for larger image.

There are several models in the Suburban lineup. Half-ton LS models start at $37,190, ¹/₂-ton LTs start at $37,960, the ³/₄-ton LS models start at $38,375, and ³/₄-ton LT models start at $39,125. The top of the line LTZ model is what we tested.

Our Suburban had a base price of $39,665 but came packed with $11,490 in options, including a navigation system, power sunroof and auxiliary transmission cooling system, that brought the price to $52,030.

For that price, you do get quite a lot of standard equipment, including head curtain side air bags, OnStar, anti-lock brakes, "StabiliTrak" traction and stability control, full power equipment, running boards, heavy duty trailer equipment, and automatic headlamps.

Power comes from a 5.3-liter, 320-horsepower V-8 that is rated at 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. The mileage is helped by a cylinder deactivation feature that shuts down some of the cylinders when they are not needed for extra sudden acceleration or other situations requiring more power.

The Suburban looks elegant, and in black appears much more prepared for a black tie event than a baseball game. It turned heads, raised questions and generally got lots of positive attention.

Inside, it has been redone top to bottom, with a lot more substantial materials, many with "soft-touch" instead of the hard stuff seen in Suburbans of old. Everything fits together well and tolerances are tighter than ever.

With the lower dashboard and redesigned gauges, it resembles a luxury car more than a truck, and as usual, all the controls work smoothly and silently. Chevy has one of the best setups in the business for making sure you can see everything clearly and easily -- even at night.

There's a more precise rack and pinion steering system, and combined with the rear-vision camera system now offered, it's a snap to park this big baby. I also suspect that the turning circle in the Suburban is much smaller than those in many similar products because it's much easier to park than even a lot of smaller SUVs.

Inside, there's room and comfort galore, and there is no better companion for a big family headed out on a road trip. What makes the difference here is that this is one of the few SUVs in which you can carry a full load of seven to nine passengers and still have plenty of room behind the third row seat for luggage. Maximum cargo capacity in the Suburban is 137.4 cubic feet. That puts it right at the head of the class.

Now about that glaring omission.

If you have any reason for folding down or removing the third row of seats, you'd better get ready to take in your belt and roll up your sleeves. I had to climb deep into the Suburban to work with the seats. After struggling with the heavy seats, I nearly tumbled to the ground behind the Suburban.

This is one SUV that practically shouts for a power folding third-row seat, and I predict that if this is not addressed, Chevy may lose more than a few sales to Ford, which does offer power folding third-row rear seats.

However, much to Chevy's credit, the second row had a power release feature that made it a lot easier to get in and out. Chevy, Cadillac and GMC trucks and SUVs are among the few -- maybe the only -- to offer this feature.

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Chevrolet Suburban

Price: $39,665 ($52,030 as tested)
Engine: 5.3-L, 320-hp. V-8
Mileage: 15/20
Luggage capacity: 45.7 cu. ft.
Traction control: standard
Stability control: standard
Side curtain head air bags: optional
Basic warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

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Ford Expedition

Price: $32,660

Engine: 5.4-L, 300-hp. V-8
Mileage: 14/19
Luggage capacity: 20.9 cu. ft.
Stability control: not available
Side curtain head air bags: not available
Basic warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles

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Nissan Armada

Price: $34,700
Engine: 5.6-L, 320-hp V-8.
Mileage: 13/19
Luggage capacity: 20 cu. ft
Traction control: standard
Stability control: standard
Side curtain head air bags: standard
Basic warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles