Chevrolet Suburban 2WD Premier Diesel

The largest non-commercial vehicle in the Chevrolet fleet, the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban 2WD Premier is a land yacht on wheels. It’s an all-new Suburban for 2021 which is bigger than ever before. This model has been a part of the Chevrolet stable since 1935. That makes the Suburban 86-years-young and with the 2021 version, it is better than ever. Just how much better? Hop in with Napleton News to find out.

What’s new about the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban?

Everything. From the ground up, the new Suburban is Chevy’s largest SUV. It can seat up to nine passengers, depending on the configuration. This new Suburban relies on the tried and true body-on-frame arrangement rather than a unibody platform like that found on the Chevrolet Traverse. Just to define,  the Traverse features an engine that is fitted into the Traverse body from underneath. On the Suburban, the engine is fitted to the frame or chassis. The chassis is already carrying the engine, transmission and differential. The body is lowered and attached to the chassis, giving it a towing capacity of up to 8300 pounds.

What powers the 2021 Suburban?

Buyers always like choices and the new 2021 Chevrolet Suburban offers three:

• A 5.3-liter V8 gasoline engine delivering 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque.
• A 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine making 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.
• New for 2021: A 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6 making 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.

Our tester was a rear-wheel drive model and included the 3.0-liter Turbodiesel, an available option on all trim levels except the Z71 trim level. All models are complete with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel drive is available throughout the lineup and is standard on the Z71 model. The Suburban can tow a minimum of 7,500 pounds up to a maximum of 8,300 pounds.

The live axle arrangement that has been with the Suburban since day one back in the 1930s (!) is gone. In its place is a multilink suspension kit that now equals its rival at Ford. If you want to upgrade, the Suburban can be ordered with GM’s well-received Magnetic Ride Control. The result is a well-controlled, stable and comfortable ride.

How does the Chevrolet Suburban look?

Damn handsome, in fact! The new 2021 Suburban looks almost as good as its Cadillac Escalade or GMC Yukon Denali XL cousins. Sharply-creased with a two-box profile, interesting details like boomerang lighting and air curtain corner scoops to route wind turbulence past the front wheels.

In a phrase, the Suburban is large and in charge. Did we say it’s large? Oh, right. The overall length of the Suburban chalks in at 225.7 inches which may put the squeeze on some garages, so measure it out first to avoid some major disappointment later. By the way, that’s almost 19 feet. You’re welcome!

What about inside the Suburban?

The new Suburban is loaded with the latest technology that befits a flagship SUV. In its base trim level, the Suburban can carry up to nine occupants in three rows. Most buyers will order a seven or eight-passenger vehicle with a middle bench seat (8) or a pair of captain’s chairs (7) in the second row. Our tester included a tan leather interior with heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row and power-folding third-row seats.

In-car entertainment comes in a Chevrolet Infotainment3 – Bose 10-speaker audio system with Navigation, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Viewers in the second row can take advantage of the rear-seat media system with dual 12.6-inch diagonal monitors on the back of each front seat.

As far as cargo room goes, the new Chevrolet Suburban is King of cargo-hauling. Behind the third-row seating lies 41.5-cubic feet of cargo space. Fold that forward and the space grows to 93.8-cubic feet. Folding down both the second and third-row seats of this heavy Chevy will find an enormous 144.7 cubic feet of cargo space!

Safety first!

Chevrolet didn’t scrimp when it came time to equip our Suburban. As such, it included a variety of safety features throughout. They included Adaptive Cruise Control, Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, Rear Pedestrian Alert, Rear Camera Mirror Washer, Multicolor head-up display, HD surround vision, trailer brake controller and advanced trailering system with hitch guidance.

Behind the wheel of the Suburban.

Sure, the new Suburban is one of the largest vehicles on the road today. Thankfully, this new SUV is a lot more agile than previous Suburban models, because of the new live axle suspension. The new multilink ride is supremely more comfortable, making hay out of cross country treks and across-town milk runs, alike.

The 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6 is surprising in its demeanor. What demeanor are you referring to? The ability to drive softly and carry a big load of torque. That’s the way it is with the Turbodiesel Suburban. And it’s definitely a torquey monster. Getting around pokey highway traffic was child’s play and the best part was it accomplished its task quickly and without even making you aware it was being driven in anger.

The one thing we noticed about the Suburban was the overall size of the vehicle. For that reason, we were happy to have the blind-spot warning that was on board to help us “see” around the vehicle. The same with the trailer hitching guidance software. It guided us backward into parking spaces. It’s purpose is to guide the vehicle’s centerline straight back to a trailer hitch. In this case, it helped us to guide the Chevrolet into an otherwise tight parking space.

But through it all, the Chevrolet Suburban kept showing us the reasons why it has managed to survive for 86 years. Once you’re behind the wheel, you’ll know, too.