Car & Driver Puts 2021 Chevy Suburban Diesel to the Test but You May Have to Wait to Get One

A week ago Car & Driver published an enticing review of the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The story, titled Tested: 2021 Chevrolet Suburban Diesel Should Be the Default Choice, gave a mouth-watering review of the 2021 Suburban, went so far as to suggest that all Suburbans should be powered by the diesel Duramax 3.0 engine. 

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 Biggest Reason We Love Diesels: More Torque

This week our editors are on vacation, so we're posting our favorite stories worth repeating from the previous year.

Why do we see diesel pickups competing in sled pulls and we don't see Mustangs or Ferraris doing the tug of war? Well, it has to do with torque. Hot cars can master the horsepower game, but when it comes to raw power in a pulling competition, you need to bring in the big dogs for that.

A 2016 article in Car & Driver helps explain what torque is: "Torque is a rotating force produced by an engine's crankshaft. The more torque an engine produces, the greater its ability to perform work." 

You don't need to understand the science to recognize the difference. If you've ever been to a tractor pull, you can see it is a very different experience.

I mention all this because even though diesel engines are far cleaner and quieter than they were thirty years ago, they still get a lot of bad press. Diesel owners have a target on their backs. That's why it is important to remind folks once in a while why half the vehicles in Wyoming are pickup trucks and why diesels still have a function. 

The article that caught my eye is titled, 5 Reasons Why Diesel Engines Make More Torque Than Gasoline Engines. The 2018 Motor Authority story by Jeff Glucker begins, Horsepower is fun in its own way, but torque can be just as entertaining. If you want to rip stumps out of the ground, you'll want a whole lot of torque. That also means you'll likely prefer a diesel engine. Compared to their gasoline-swilling counterparts, diesel engines are the torque kings. Why is that?

Glucker then turns to Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained to get the answer.

According to Fenske these are five of the reasons diesels are Torque Monsters. 

1. The compression ratio

2. The speed of combustion

3. Bore and stroke size

4. Turbocharging

5. Diesel fuel packs more energy density

Fenske explains each of these five points in language that is relatively easy to grasp. For those unfamiliar with these things it is quite eye-opening. I strongly encourage following this link. It's a relatively short article and you will learn a lot.
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1116200_5-reasons-why-diesel-engines-make-more-torque-than-gasoline-engines

For more, check out the article Torque vs. Horsepower: What's the Difference? (Car & Driver)

Car & Driver Puts 1980 Diesel Caddy Through the Paces

In January we wrote about the history of diesel Cadillacs, a guided tour through time by Automobile Magazine. The history lesson was a setup for an assessment of GM's 2021 diesel-powered Escalade. 

What's fun about the Internet is that these classic magazines frequently share the content they have been generating through the decades. As a nice accompaniment to that Escalade story, here's a Car & Driver review of from March 1980 when GM introduced a diesel-powered Cadillac Seville. The story is titled Tested:1980 Cadillac Seville Elegante Diesel Oozes Luxury

The subhead reads: Slow and plush as it may be, Cadillac's new Seville embraces sybaritic excess.

The word sybaritic means self-indulgent, or "fond of sensuous luxury." Interesting word. Yes, that has historically been associated with the Cadillac brand. What C&D suggest, though, is that in an era when everything else is downsizing, is this maybe too much car, too much bulk, even for Cadillac?

The second paragraph implies that the verdict is still out:

"Looks are the Seville's big calling card. In each of us there is a corner that loves ostentation in something. For those who love it in cars, the Seville awaits judgment. Cadillac is awaiting, more anxious than ever. Thumbs up or thumbs down?"

The way the story is written, it seems like the magazine, or the author(s) of this review are fearful of being decisive. Do they like it or no? The story is fraught with ambiguity because the 1980 Seville is so different. 

Different can mean different things to different people. The 1980 Seville may be perceived as bold or, on the other hand, odd. In either case, once you've read this far you are no doubt intrigued, as one might be about a mystery story. What happens next?

The magazine lets readers know that the staff is divided on how they feel about the car, but in agreement that the folks at GM are gutsy. "We must congratulate its designers, however, for bravery and a willingness to lay it on the line. Mating a bluffly upright front end with a rakish windshield and a hunchback behind is the stuff of legends, good or bad, and the dream of those within The Firm who would hope to be credited with an instant classic. Guts are in good supply at Cadillac."

After spending some time discussing the engineering, C&D shares details about the diesel power plant under the hood, the means by which GM aims to meet CAFE requirements. Diesel engines would be installed in 50-60 percent of the Cadillac Seville's that year. 

They label it "a gimmick car" with a "four your pleasure detachment from reality." That reads like a slap to me, or is it? For people being chauffeured this feeling of detachment might be precisely what you are looking for.

The latest audio technology is onboard, though nothing like what we've come to expect 40 years later. The automatic climate control and the seats all whisper success. Or is it excess? Detail upon detail is braided together by the C&D team and you do get mesmerizing images dancing in your head like sugar plums.

The authors take turns criticizing a number of features, frequently prefacing with a positive first. For example, in this paragraph about the lack of oomph.

Cadillac's glow plugs prepare the engine very quickly for starting, even in cold weather taking no more than five seconds to get the job done. The engine's dieselness seems unobtrusive until the need for fuel or more than marginal performance arises. Its lack of pop is a painful shortcoming in busy traffic.

 

* * * 

The descriptions are first rate, and though there are barbs, the article strives to tell it like it is. At the end, the three authors add the personal takes on the experience. Mike Kneppe and Rich Ceppos share a couple paragraphs each. David E. Davis Jr. simply share a pointed piece of perceptive wit: If the Seville is the answer, I obviously misunderstood the question. 

Read the full story here:

Tested:1980 Cadillac Seville Elegante Diesel Oozes Luxury

Related:

The 2021 Is First Escalade To Have a Diesel Option, but Not the First Cadillac: A Stroll Through History