Both the Tahoe and Suburban are popular full-sized and productive SUVs here at Jim Butler Chevrolet of St Louis and have also both seen a revamping for this year's model. One of the most exciting qualities is the base gasoline V8, which is a naturally aspirated 5.3-liter and was immediately rendered a “must-have” by the writers on staff at Road and Track. Digital editors Aaron Brown and Brian Silvestro had to get from New York City to Missouri with a race car in tow and opted for the new Suburban as their choice.
Headed to the 100 Acre Wood Rally, the diesel variant was perfectly suited for their needs. It was well-tuned to the truck's weight, working fantastically with the standard 10-speed automatic to assure that the right amount of thrust is distributed to the each wheel. If you are looking to fulfill a thorough haul duty on the trailer you have out back, the low-end torque from the diesel model makes a world of difference. Even with 5000 pounds out back for this crew, they did not ever feel as if the diesel was struggling to pull the allocated weight.
One of the most well-known qualities regarding diesel is that it does a great job nailing down 500 miles to a tank for mileage, and there is something very cool about a luxurious SUV with a full-on older-school-style powertrain. This crew also massively enjoyed the addition of fully independent suspension in the rear, as it dished out a very even feel to pretty much every piece of the road the two encountered along the way.
Getting a trailer attached and detached is much easier with the air suspension as well, and the High Country's standard hitch camera meant that the hitch ball would be placed with fine-honed accuracy. They claimed after this half-country haul that the diesel is likely the best bet when it comes to the various selections from the Suburban family, and every professional review we've come across claims that it has the best cargo area in its segment without even breaking a sweat! Seating capacity and long-haul capability are definitely two of its strong points that will appeal to those who may plan on traveling for business or more frequently than just the yearly holiday haul.
This year saw the addition of a larger infotainment touch screen, now boasting 10.2 inches up from 8, and a wider selection of safety features such as forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking standard. A sunroof, hands-free power liftgate, and power-retractable side steps are some of the other available new features, and as the team on duty at Cars.Us.News.Com reflected even though we profoundly love us some diesel, “there is not a bad engine in this lineup”!