Having had the opportunity to check out the new Chevrolet Suburban High Country with the 6.2-liter V8 engine, I was astounded with how blurred the lines have become between GM’s large body-on-frame SUVs. After such an experience, I got to check out a rarity within the large SUV lineup, the identical Chevrolet Suburban High Country with the 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder Duramax Turbo Diesel engine.
After a week with the Diesel-powered Suburban, which is fundamentally the same as the V8-powered vehicle I had just a few months back, except for the obvious engine choice, there’s a newfound appreciation that I give GM for having a diesel option. Such an option affords you remarkable fuel economy, often bettering the 26 mpg EPA highway estimate to walk away with 27.2 mpg figures time after time during short trips around town and on the highway. Better yet, the diesel-powered Suburban High Country still had decent performance for pulling power, having 460 lb-ft of torque from the 6-cylinder diesel, all available at a seriously low 1,500 rpm, which is a slight power increase over previous years.
See Also: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban 4WD High Country 6.2-liter V8 Review & Test Drive
The only shortcomings I see, apart from diesel fuel costing a bit more than premium unleaded, is the clattering sound from the engine, a slight second or two power lag from a start, and there not being a lot of horsepower, only 277 horsepower, to carry you through to top end in accelerating from highway speeds. However, the ample torque from the diesel coupled with the properly programmed 10-speed automatic transmission does the trick to get the big Suburban up to your desired speed. There really aren’t many times when you need more power in such a vehicle unless you want to simply out-accelerate the gas-powered 6.2-liter V8 version of the Suburban.
The 10-speed automatic transmission does well to extract the low rpm torque from the diesel to move the Suburban with some urgency and hit 60 mph in about 8 seconds. I find that about 75% throttle is virtually the same as full throttle with the diesel engine, which isn’t that all surprising considering how diesel engines deliver their power utilizing the lower rpm for most of the torquey grunt work. That grunt work affords an 8,100-pound towing capacity, too. Moreover, when you set it in the towing mode, the exhaust brake is automatically enabled for the diesel engine to provide an extra bit of deceleration upon letting off the throttle, which comes in handy for slowing towing loads or adding drag when going down a declining grade.
The fundamental differences between my Suburban High Country V8 test vehicle from a few months ago and this week’s diesel-powered version start and finish with the engine. Otherwise, the two vehicles are identical, except for the rear bumper diffuser area, which lacks visible exhaust outlets in the diesel Suburban, hides a single outlet. The gas-powered V8 Suburban High Country features quad exhaust tips. The diesel Suburban also has a ‘Duramax’ badge on the rear power liftgate door.
The new Chevrolet Suburban 4WD High Country Duramax Diesel comes to an as-tested price of $90,555, which is almost $1,000 less than the similarly configured Suburban High Country V8-powred test vehicle from a few months ago.
To get the full scope of what the new Chevrolet Suburban High Country offers for accommodations, luxury, technology, and safety, including a selection of 3 engine choices, please check out my full review here.
