For 2006 Chevrolet constructs truck-based sport-utility vehicles in three size-wise categories -- mid-size, full-size and super-size, with TrailBlazer, Tahoe and Suburban. Yet there's more this year as Chevy wagons extend to a car-based model in the compact class called Equinox, plus a big crossover sport van named Uplander. And look for the new HHR, a wild panel wagon with retro styling inspired from a vintage Suburban.

Largest SUV on Chevy's lot is the super-size Suburban that stretches 18 feet long and spreads more than six feet wide across the beam. Its enormous cabin has seats for up to nine. The series includes 1500 (half-ton) and 2500 (three-quarter-ton) versions with Vortec V8 engines and automatic transmissions. Suburban 1500 totes a 5.3-liter V8 rated at 295 hp. The 2500 stocks Chevy's 6.0-liter V8 that runs to 335 hp, with the heavy-duty Vortec 8.1-liter V8 also available for 325 hp.

Both 1500 and 2500 Suburbans host rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and four-wheel-drive (4WD) editions, but the latter has a dash-mounted switch to jockey between all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, rear-wheel or four-wheel high and low settings. A new LTZ model stocks the 6.0-liter Vortec V8 with AWD traction and 20-inch wheels, a mono-chromatic paint scheme for the body and leather lining the cabin.

The full-size wagon one size down from Suburban has four doors and up to three tiers of seats on a 1500 wagon with two trims and RWD or AWD traction. Vortec V8 engines power Tahoe. A base 4.8-liter unit makes 285 hp, while Tahoe LS or LT gets a 5.3-liter V8 for 295 hp. Inside, there are two rows of seats plus an optional third-row bench split 50-50. Adding the third tier raises the passenger count to seven.

Tahoe's Z71 off-road chassis package brings Bilstein gas-charged shocks, tuned springs, jounce bumpers and stabilizer bars plus all-season tires. Optional safety gear reaches to StabiliTrak vehicle skid controls and power adjustable brake and accelerator pedals. For entertainment Tahoe shows choices like a DVD-based video entertainment kit and XM satellite radio service. And new issues also score a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) plus optional side-impact air bags for front seats.

Chevy's truck-based SUV in the mid-size class comes in regular-length and stretched editions. The larger version -- TrailBlazer EXT -- measures 16 inches longer with extra space for a third tier of seats, boosting the passenger capacity to seven. A standard-length TrailBlazer seats five. Both TrailBlazer and EXT use a 4.2-liter in-line-six engine rated at 285 hp. Also available is a Vortec 5.3-liter V8 now pumping 300 hp. The plant applies GM's Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology, automatically cutting in half the number of operating cylinders to save fuel.

Trims of LS and LT continue with choices for RWD and 4WD traction. But a new model for 2006 -- TrailBlazer SS – earns Corvette's LS2 6.0-liter V8 to push 395 hp through the RWD or 4WD system. Sporty SS shows special body parts and 20-inch flangeless wheels, plus upgraded cabin appointments.

The boxy people-mover for Chevrolet carries the prominent prow of a big SUV but square side doors that glide like flank sliders of a minivan. The stretched passenger compartment, arranged with three rows of seats for up to seven riders, has the flat floor of a minivan extending from forward bulkhead to cargo compartment.

Uplander is called a crossover sport van, or CSV, and offered for 2006 in three editions -- a price-leading base model, the upgraded LS and premium LT. Each orients to FWD, but the LT shows AWD traction as an option with GM's on-demand Versatrak device. Powerplant for all is GM's 3.5-liter V6 with 200 hp, although later in 2006 the LT FWD Uplander gains an optional new 3.9-liter V6 worth 235 hp. GM's StabiliTrak system is also optional on the FWD Uplander.

Chevy's car-based wagon measures larger than other SUVs in the compact class, with a broad track and the longest wheelbase. The wide and long platform sets up a passenger compartment that seems as spacious as a mid-size wagon. Plan for the cabin pitches a pair of bucket seats on the cockpit row and a three-place bench on the second row that slides fore and aft by eight inches to vary legroom.

The bench's seatback, split 60/40 percent, reclines to two positions and each side folds to make way for cargo. In the back bay Equinox adds a power outlet and a panel that fits in three positions for stacking cargo in tiers. Equinox feels frisky due to the 3.4-liter V6 bringing 185 hp with an automatic five-speed transmission. There are two trims -- LS and LT -- with front-wheel-drive (FWD) and AWD options for each.

Chevy's new retro-styled wagon with roly-poly fenders and bulging roofline looks like a cross between a 1949 round-top Suburban and the contemporary pop-top SSR pickup convertible. However, it's a thoroughly modern vehicle riding on the platform of Chevy's agile Cobalt sedan. The spacious cabin in HHR makes room for two rows of seats, with buckets in front of a bench for three with fold-flat split seatback. And the cargo compartment brings over 60 cubic feet of stow space with a flat floor and expansion options. Two trims -- LS and LT -- use different four-cylinder Ecotec engines. A 2.2-liter version with 143 hp goes to LS and the 2.4-liter four boosted to 172 hp drops in the LT top version 2LT. Standards includes air conditioning, power windows and door locks, a MP3 player and six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, with options for a sunroof, leather seats, sport suspension plus big wheels and tires.