Automotive journalist Ezra Dyer describes how "the 3.0-liter six is perfectly adapted to Suburban duty. Its 460 pound-feet of torque arrive at only 1500 rpm, imbuing the 6272-pound behemoth with an air of nonchalant muscularity in real-world driving."
The diesel Suburban is not a race car, and you wouldn't expect it to be with a 277-hp engine, but it does jump from zero to sixty in a quick 8.4 seconds, and adequate pace for merging into traffic.
For Dyer, one of the high points on this SUV is its stability. It's smooth. "With that luxurious 134-inch wheelbase and four-wheel independent suspension, the Suburban glides imperiously down interstates, whether perched on its base steel springs or the optional air suspension with magnetic ride control," he writes of the full-sized SUV.
The noise volume on this car -- or lack of it -- is noteworthy. When cruising along at 70 mph, the volume is equivalent to a Lexus ES350. And of the noise you do hear, most of it is wind and tires, with only a mild hum coming from the straight-six on the other side of the firewall.
When it came to the low points of this story, there really wasn't much to say. The Suburban gets decent numbers when it comes to city and highway driving. And the diesel can tow around four tons if need be. Other "low points" read like high points, with the only real gripe being that the diesel Duramax is not the default engine and you have to request it.
You can read the full story here. There are lots of photos.
And now the bad news. If you are one of those who was sufficiently enticed into considering this as your next purchase, hold your horses. The Fast Lane Truck (TFLTruck.com) just broke the news that GM is temporarily stopping production of the 3.0 Duramax Diesel Inline-6 engine due to a parts shortage.
These Covid-era supply shortages are more than annoying. Chip shortages have caused the automakers plenty of headaches already this year. Over the weekend GM confirmed that this will impact the Chevy Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.
Fortunately it's only a temporary setback. They promise to resume production as soon as possible.
The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban full-size SUV is an all-new design with more room, an improved suspension, and a must-consider $995 diesel-engine option. Chevy rates the diesel at 26 mpg highway in the four-wheel drive Suburban, or a usable highway driving range of 702 miles. At 60-65 mph, it will return 30-plus mpg.
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