Torque + Fuel Efficiency = the 2021 Chev Suburban Diesel SUV

It's that time of year. Mother Nature gave us four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and New Car Introductions. When autumn colors appear on the trees, you know that next year's cars will begin appearing in car magazines and other media. 

Every product has a target niche it strives to fill. That includes cars and trucks. The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban Diesel is billing itself as the most fuel-efficient, full-size SUV on the market. Here's what Miguel Cortina said at Motor Trend. 

Cortina begins by stating that efficient full-sized SUVs are rare. Putting a diesel under the hood, though, changes the equation. This vehicle, he says, was, "rated at 20/26/22 mpg city/highway/combined, which makes it the most fuel-efficient four-wheel-drive full-size SUV in the market. Think about that for a sec." 

A diesel Suburban isn't new, he says, but it's not something Chevy has done for a while. The specific model he test drove was the Chev Suburban Diesel High Country, 2021 of course.

First Stop: The Track
The objective at the track is to see how it handles. Cortina clearly enjoyed how it handled, describing it as "buttery smooth and elegantly refined." The Duramaz turbodiesel delivers 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque that gets transmitted to the tires via 10-speed automatic transmission. Yes, it is just a tad louder than the gasoline version but unless you're paying attention you don't really notice.

In addition to exploring how fast it can do the quarter-mile, they tested its braking, as well as handling by  executing figure-eights. When all was said and done, they broke down all the data and compared it to the gas-powered 2021 Chev Suburban. They also compared the diesel 4WD version to a rear-powered. (The latter pulls 8,000 pounds whereas the 4WD a measly 7800.) 

Bottom Line
After using spelling out a few details about pricing and availability, they come to the question. Should I buy? The team at Motor Trend seems enamored by this stylish new machine. Here's their conclusion.

"It doesn't matter what your budget is—if you're looking for a Suburban, the Duramax engine is worth looking at. For less than a grand you will be getting more torque and better fuel economy without much sacrifice in performance. And who doesn't like that?"

For all the nitty gritty details, read the full story here at Motor Trend.