2021 Chevrolet Suburban Diesel Road Test and Review

2021 Chevrolet Suburban Front ・ Photo by Nicole Wakelin

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is the longest-running nameplate in automotive history with an 85-year legacy. It’s the go-to choice for those who need a full-size SUV with an expansive amount of room for passengers and cargo. This year, it’s all-new with a fresh look, even more interior room, and improved driving dynamics.

The new interior has a standard 10.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, and there’s a wide range of standard safety features that includes automatic emergency braking. There’s also big news under the hood with the addition of a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine. Those who put a priority on cargo capacity and who frequently tow a trailer will find the diesel engine a welcome option as it delivers nearly all its torque right off the line. Let’s take a closer look at the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban 3.0-liter turbodiesel to see if it’s the right choice for you.

Six Trims With a Wide Range of Features

There’s a choice of six Chevrolet Suburban trims starting with the LS at $52,995, which has a 5.3-liter V8 engine, 10.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, and seating for eight. The LT at $57,795 adds a 10-way power driver’s seat and Bose 9-speaker audio, while the RST adds exterior enhancements including black roof rails and black wheels for $61,095. The Z1, which only has four-wheel drive, comes in at $63,195 with a two-speed transfer case, hill descent control, and front skid plate.

The Premier at $66,595 adds magnetic ride control, 12-way driver and front passenger seats, Bose 10-speaker audio, and power-folding second-row captain’s chairs. At the top of the lineup is the High Country with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, head-up display, and rear camera mirror for $73,595. The diesel engine is available on LS, LT, RST, and Premier trims for an additional $995 and on the High Country with a $1,500 price decrease.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Powerful Diesel Engine Option

The 3.0-liter turbocharged 6-cylinder engine available for the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is the only diesel in the full-size SUV segment. It was first used in the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado and now makes its way to both the Suburban and the Tahoe. It gets an EPA-estimated 21 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined in two-wheel configurations of the Suburban. Those numbers drop by 1 mpg across the board with four-wheel drive.

It delivers 277 horsepower with 460 lb-ft of torque and is paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Early delivery of that torque makes it easier to tow a heavy load and makes accelerating up to highway speeds an effortless affair. Despite the Suburban’s impressive size, it is responsive when you press on the gas with no hesitation. There’s plenty of extra power for passing, and engine noise is kept to a minimum.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

A Relaxing Ride

The Suburban is a large SUV, and you do feel its bulk when you’re behind the wheel. That’s not a bad thing, however, because it comes with a sense of confidence that makes controlling that bulk easy. There’s minimal sway when making quick lane changes, even at highway speeds, and steering is crisp and responsive. The Premier trim we drove includes standard magnetic ride control which further enhances handling and passenger comfort, creating a more relaxing ride experience.

Since SUVs need to work well for people and cargo, Chevrolet added noise dampening to keep the sound of the engine from intruding into the cabin space. There’s minimal engine noise, even under hard acceleration, so no one hears how hard the engine is working. Passengers are treated to a smooth, quiet ride with minimal road and wind noise, making the Suburban ideal for longer trips with the family.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

High Tow Rating and Features

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban offers a roomy interior for passengers along with the capability to tow a heavy load. While some SUVs offer limited towing capacity, the Suburban equipped with the diesel engine and two-wheel drive has a maximum tow rating of 8,000 pounds. There are also new trailering technologies available on the Suburban to make towing easier.

This includes a Max Trailering package with a high-capacity radiator and cooling fan, integrated trailer brake controller, hitch guidance with hitch view feature, and the Chevrolet trailering app. You can add profiles for multiple trailers and monitor trailer tire pressure. There’s even a side blind zone alert that includes the length of the trailer to make switching lanes less stressful. The combination of a high tow rating and helpful features makes the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban a great choice for those who frequently tow.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Cavernous Interior for Cargo

The size of the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban makes it ideal for those who need to carry lots of cargo. Even when maxed out on passengers, there’s still plenty of room for your stuff with a new lower load floor to make loading heavy items easier. There’s 19 percent more room for cargo in the new Suburban over the outgoing model even though its overall length increased by less than 1 percent.

There’s 41.5 cubic feet behind the third row, 93.8 cubic feet behind the second row, and 144.7 cubic feet behind the first row. The Suburban makes short work of a family’s luggage or supplies for your next home improvement project. Its roomy interior is ideally suited for those with big plans for carrying big stuff and easily reconfigures depending on whether your priority at the moment is hauling cargo or people.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Ample Room for Passengers

There’s seating for up to eight passengers inside the Suburban with plenty of room to spread out. Front seats are supportive and comfortable with good adjustability so even shorter drivers can find a seating position that gives them a clear view of the road. Second-row passengers have either a bench seat with room for three or captain’s chairs that reduce seating to two. While the captain’s chairs are more comfortable, especially for adults, the Suburban’s bench seat easily handles three large adults.

The third row has seating for three that’s easy to access with the available power-release second-row bucket seats. The second-row seats also slide forward by 5.5 inches, increasing third-row legroom for taller passengers. Options like heated and ventilated front seats and heated outboard second-row seats add to passenger comfort. The Suburban offers a roomy interior with plenty of space for everyone to get comfortable and relax.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Standard 10.2-inch Touchscreen

The base infotainment system in the Chevrolet Suburban includes a 10.2-inch touchscreen, 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity, 6-speaker audio, AM/FM/HD Radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, and wireless Android Auto. The large screen is easy to view for both driver and passenger and has logically organized menus that help keep distractions to a minimum. There are also two USB ports on the front of the center console, two more on the rear of the center console, and two in the third row; no matter where you sit, you can keep your devices charged and ready.

Available features include navigation, wireless smartphone charging, and a Bose 10-speaker surround sound audio system. There’s also an available rear-seat infotainment system with dual 12.6-inch screens to keep the kids entertained on longer trips. It’s a fully featured system that’s easy to use with connectivity for the whole family.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Key Safety Features Are Standard

When it comes to safety, the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban has numerous standard and optional features. Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, following distance indicator, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, LED daytime running lights, hill start assist, rear park assist, HD rear vision camera, and teen driver. Parents will appreciate the teen driver feature as it lets you limit certain vehicle features, automatically turns on select safety systems, and provides a report card on your teen's driving so you can coach them toward better driving habits.

Additional available features include enhanced automatic emergency braking, front and rear park assist, HD surround vision, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, rear pedestrian alert, and trailer side blind zone alert. Its combination of key standard safety features and wide range of available features help set your mind at ease.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin

Final Thoughts

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban continues to evolve with the needs of today’s families. It has the passenger and cargo room large families crave along with the capability to tow bigger items. The addition of the new diesel engine increases its appeal as a fuel-efficient option with early torque delivery to make towing heavy loads easier to manage.

It also has key infotainment features including a large touchscreen and wireless smartphone connectivity and a rear-seat entertainment system so the whole family is connected and entertained. There’s a wide range of safety features, including teen driver, which gives the Suburban added appeal for parents with new drivers. Finally, a range of six trims ensures there’s a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban to accommodate a wide range of budgets with features to suit a variety of needs.

Photo by Nicole Wakelin