Chevrolet Suburban High Country Duramax Travels 600 Miles on One Tank

In the days before pickup trucks with two extra doors became the norm, full-size SUVs like the Chevrolet Suburban were the only way to get maximum towing and passenger capacity. Big, plush, powerful, with available four-wheel-drive and more cup holders than a movie theater.

The Chevy Suburban is road royalty, older than the American interstates it once ruled. It’s the oldest vehicle nameplate in U.S. history, dating back to 1934 as a 1935 production model. To give you an idea of how long people have been riding in the back of these half-ton haulers. The Chevy Suburban is older than the A-bomb, Chuck Norris, antibiotics, and the aerosol spray can.

Ninety years later, the Suburban is still one of the largest passenger vehicles on the market. However, thanks to the ever-increasing options in the SUV and pickup truck market, spotting one in traffic is becoming a rarity. Getting access to a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban High Country with the optional 3.0L Duramax diesel powertrain and Super Cruise hands-free cruise control provided an excellent excuse to hit the road with No Particular Place to Go.

Key Highlights

Performance: 3.0L “Babymax” turbodiesel engine making 305 HP and 495 lb.-ft, capable of towing 8,100 lbs.

Fuel Economy: Traveled 600 miles on a single tank of fuel averaging 23 MPG overall.

Favorite Detail: Great interior acoustics and a quiet cabin to talk to passengers without needing to shout.

Nitpick: Push button automatic gear selector is unappealing.

The 2024 model year is the last before the mid-cycle refresh. Major changes for the 2025 model year include new wheel designs, with a premium 24-inch option, a new 17.7-inch infotainment screen as standard with a larger 11-inch digital gauge display and new towing-assist tech features. Hardware changes include improvements to the chassis for improved ride quality and the 3.0L Duramax diesel, nicknamed by some as the “babymax” engine, gets a power bump from 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque to 305 hp and 495 lb.-ft.

The commanding presence of the Suburban’s size makes it difficult not to refer to it as a boat, bus, or cruise ship. The model featured came dressed in a lovely shade of Silver Sage Metallic (light green) rolling on 22-inch Sterling silver painted wheels and sand gold accents in the grille so light you’d think it was a mirage. The exterior color combination contrasted beautifully with the Mocha brown cabin with Jet Black interior accents. When parked and hearing the diesel engine tick away at a low decimal, the Chevy Suburban comes across as stoic as Teddy Roosevelt’s mustache.

The interior offers cathedral headspace with a center console that slides back to give passengers in the second row an easier reach to the cup holders. Doing this created an opening between the front seats that was perfect for my mother to place her purse. However, it takes away a valuable resting place for your elbow. Having deployable armrests in the front seats would resolve this issue.

For an extra $1,995, you’ll get a pair of 12.6-inch entertainment screens for the second-row passengers. One nice feature about this big SUV is that I could converse with someone sitting in the third row while driving without shouting. If comfort is your prime directive, consider splurging on the Magnetic Ride Control air suspension to iron out road wrinkles.

The spotlight feature on this vehicle is Chevrolet’s Super Cruise hands-free cruise control for highway use, included in the optional ($2,700) Advanced Technology Package. According to Chevrolet, it only works on “compatible” roads, which include over 200,000 miles in the United States and Canada – primarily interstates.

When engaged, you can take your handles off the wheel and allow the Suburban to sail along the highway. It uses the adaptive cruise control system to maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. If the Super Cruise system detects slow traffic approaching, it will switch lanes and overtake. The system is designed to be a driver’s aid, not a chauffeur—a walking cane instead of a crutch.

Speaking of driving, the Suburban’s ample wheelbase and size may come across as intimidating, but this behemoth is a gentle giant with intuitive handling. Driving becomes second nature once you’ve raised, lowered, or reclined the seat to that “just right” position. Having a 360-view camera on demand is practical when you need to be aware of your surroundings, especially on inclines when you can’t see what’s in front of the massive grille.

The ultra-low sulfur diesel chugging Duramax under the hood felt sluggish the first time I drove it. A side effect of testing driving zippier cars. The Suburban Duramax is not meant to be a racehorse, but a powerful steer capable of towing up to 8,100 pounds, which is only 100 less than the 6.2L gasoline V8 powertrain max towing capacity. Its real saving grace is fuel economy. I was able to drive 600 actual miles from its 28-gallon tank before the low fuel warning light came on – averaging 23 mpg overall.

The model shown is the top-tier High Country trim level with a starting price just over $80,000. However, the 3.0L Duramax engine is available across the six trim levels, with the four-wheel-drive equipped Suburban LS starting at $65,190. Pricing for the 2025 model will be available in the fall of this year.

Engine: 3.0L Duramax turbocharged inline-six diesel

Transmission: 10-speed automatic transmission

0 to 60: 8.4 seconds

Starting Price: $83,395 (High Country)

Price as Shown: $92,750 (High Country)