Our new 2021 Suburban /w Duramax diesel

[Jim Meehan]

I've had a 2021 Suburban on order since October when the order books first opened for the Duramax diesel option. The dealer called me a week ago to say that the GM rep had been by and he was only going to get one more Suburban allocated this year, so it wasn't looking good for my order to get picked up. He also told me that the Northern California region in general wasn't going to get many Suburbans allocated, though didn't explain exactly why.

They hadn't requested a deposit, so I started looking on the Chevrolet.com inventory search to see what might be available in dealer inventory. There were only 15 Duramax Suburbans listed in the entire country, and on calling the dealerships, most of those were pre-sold orders. However, I did find one unsold at a dealer in the San Diego area and drove down there this past Friday to grab it.

It's a Premier with the Premium Package + Power-sliding center console. White exterior, black interior. Not our first color choices, but looks sharp nonetheless. The Duramax is buttery smooth with plenty of power. We took the trailer out for a night over the long weekend, and the towing experience was night and day better than the 2017 Toyota Sienna minivan that the Suburban replaced.

Very happy customer so far.

 

[Stbentoak]

Please update us every so often about this engine drivetrain combo and how it performs on a daily basis. Very interested in feed back on how it drives and how responsive it is and anything you don’t like....

 

[tabraha]

Congrats! I believe you're the first one on here to snag one.

 

[Miami-Dade]

Congrats! Glad you went to San Diego immediately to snag it.

Actually you got the perfect color! You should consider tinting the front 2 windows.

 

[Z71orAT4]

Congratulations please do keep us updated!

 

[avalonandl]

POWER SLIDING CONSOLE....wow....didn't know they did that...

 

[Jsenky]

POWER SLIDING CONSOLE....wow....didn't know they did that...

Its the one thing i really wish i had on my at4.
Good looking suburban! Congrats.

 

[Fireman591]

AWESOME!!!!!!! I am ordering the same thing in 2022 I am hoping the 2023 models come with fog lights and adaptive cruise control by then in the LT trim

 

[Bigmanny]

AWESOME!!!!!!! I am ordering the same thing in 2022 I am hoping the 2023 models come with fog lights and adaptive cruise control by then in the LT trim

I will take fog lights on any trim!

 

[OR VietVet]

Great looking rig and congrats on the find. I have done some reading and the only drawback I have read about, saw it mentioned two times, is that when towing or not towing that when at a cruise speed and want to throttle hard, the diesel seems to have a bit of a lag and seems slow to build to a higher speed. Can you update on that when you can? Thanks.

 

[Stbentoak]

Diesels lose their stones when you are at say 65-70 and want to jump on it and pass someone. They will still move, but certainly not like the 6.2.
This is the price you pay for low end torque vs higher rpm torque and HP. Its really not an issue when you finally understand what your vehicle can and cannot do. They certainly aren't perfect, but the positives far outweigh the negatives in my book....

 

[SAdude]

I will take fog lights on any trim!

Just curious what the big deal is with fog lights..is it just a looks thing or do you all think there is a functional need?

 

[OR VietVet]

Diesels lose their stones when you are at say 65-70 and want to jump on it and pass someone. They will still move, but certainly not like the 6.2.
This is the price you pay for low end torque vs higher rpm torque and HP. Its really not an issue when you finally understand what your vehicle can and cannot do. They certainly aren't perfect, but the positives far outweigh the negatives in my book....

I had a 2002 3/4 ton Duramax diesel truck and I could stomp on that thing at highway speed and it shot off like a rocket. It acted just like a gas engine when you stomped on it. Maybe it is just the current v8 Duramax diesels and the inline 6 Duramax diesels that seem to be gutless like I was describing.

 

[wjburken]

Just curious what the big deal is with fog lights..is it just a looks thing or do you all think there is a functional need?

I use fog lights on a regular basis. They are great in the fog or if its snowing. I also use them in the rain to help illuminate pavement markings.

 

[Jim Meehan]

I have done some reading and the only drawback I have read about, saw it mentioned two times, is that when towing or not towing that when at a cruise speed and want to throttle hard, the diesel seems to have a bit of a lag and seems slow to build to a higher speed. Can you update on that when you can? Thanks.

It seems plenty responsive to me.

 

[MajorJakkov]

I had a 2002 3/4 ton Duramax diesel truck and I could stomp on that thing at highway speed and it shot off like a rocket. It acted just like a gas engine when you stomped on it. Maybe it is just the current v8 Duramax diesels and the inline 6 Duramax diesels that seem to be gutless like I was describing.

I'm assuming the post was a reference to the smaller diesel engines. I have a 2019 6.6L and I can assure you highway passing is no problem.

 

[petethepug]

Wow, Burb with a 3.0L turbo diesel as a factory option in a 1/2 ton full size SUV.

Is that day really, finally here? GM, thank you for listening!!!

Congratulations on finding the millennium falcon of Suburbans, especially here in Cali with all our CARB and EPA restrictions. White on black may not seem exciting until you’re in the low desert @ 110*F and radiant heat roasts anything with a hint of color in it.

I wonder if there’s and aftermarket kit to hook up an inverter powered by the truck with enough juice to substitute for a generator for the trailer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[OR VietVet]

When I had my V8 Duramax I also had a side business where I would drive to a customer who was thinking of buying a used vehicle and I had a 3 tier price plan for the used vehicle inspection. I had an air compressor in the back and I used an inverter kit that I hard wired in to run the compressor and drop light or whatever. There are limitations but there are numerous choices for those inverter kits. Unfortunately this was around the time that all the online companies like CarFax came about and that side business was only busy for about a year. It was hard to convince people that a CarFax only tells what has been "reported" and also gives no info about what is going on with the vehicle right at that moment.

 

[homesick]

Great looking rig and congrats on the find. I have done some reading and the only drawback I have read about, saw it mentioned two times, is that when towing or not towing that when at a cruise speed and want to throttle hard, the diesel seems to have a bit of a lag and seems slow to build to a higher speed. Can you update on that when you can? Thanks.

Turbo lag?

joe

 

[OR VietVet]

I believe you are probably right with the turbo lag on the instant acceleration but slow to build speed is also a concern. I guess that can also be attributed to the turbo but in this day and age that new design 6 cylinder should perform better in a full size SUV, IMO. My V8 Duramax had no discernible turbo lag when I stomped on it and that was in 2002.