Now that General Motors has a (relatively) diminutive new diesel engine to drop in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, we wonder: will the automaker make the same punchy, torquey oil-burner available in the all-new, 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban? Those SUV models are expected to migrate to the same new T1XX truck platform used by the all-new Silverado/Sierra, meaning it would require very little effort to put GM’s Duramax 3.0-liter I6 turbo-diesel engine in Chevrolet’s redesigned full-size SUVs.
What’s more, a 2020 Tahoe diesel could help maintain the utility vehicle’s segment dominance, as it would represent something that Ford’s new-for-2018 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator don’t offer.
A leak from earlier in the week alleges that GM’s new 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel will provide up to 282 horsepower and as much as 450 lb-ft of torque, and GM Executive VP of Product Development Mark Reuss claims it will be the best-performing diesel engine in its class. Assuming the leaked info was accurate, GM’s 3.0L Duramax will make just 10 lb-ft more than the 3.0L Power Stroke diesel V6 heading to the 2019 Ford F-150, but when towing, every lb-ft counts.
In a hypothetical 2020 Tahoe diesel, the new Duramax would be outgunned by the 2018 Ford Expedition’s twin-turbo petrol V6, which peaks at between 375 and 400 horsepower, and 470 or 480 lb-ft of torque, depending upon trim, but it would almost certainly deliver better fuel economy. According to this week’s leak, GM is anticipating up to 28 mpg highway from the engine in the all-new Chevrolet Silverado – 4 mpg better than the 2018 Ford Expedition. Of course, it should be noted that the leaked info has not been corroborated.
The 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe and long-wheelbase Chevrolet Suburban are expected to launch next year, delivering hundreds of pounds in weight savings over the current models thanks in part to the new GM T1 vehicle platform. We anticipate that the new models will offer Chevrolet’s new third-generation infotainment system, advanced aerodynamic features such as front air curtains, independent rear suspension, and GM’s Super Cruise autonomous vehicle technology.
Stay tuned for all the latest Chevrolet Tahoe news and Chevrolet Suburban news.
Comments
Without the availability of these in WT trim it is not relevant if the diesel is available. I would be in line for a diesel suburban WT but not as they come equipped with all the options that I don’t need. I miss my bare bones 82 suburban and have driven Silverado WT’s since then because of affordability and I actually use it as a truck, not a luxury vehicle.
It will definitely get the diesel. GM then can claim best in class MPG. Its a win win for everyone.
I guess it would depend on how many engines they can produce
I agree ,that would be a great move ! Those are great numbers on power for the 3.0 Diesel !
It seems irrelevant if they are unavailable in WT trim. I would be in line if it was truly a utility vehicle, but 20k over price of my Silverado WT out prices it from a truck and has options I don’t want. Give me a stripped down WT and a price that reflects a utility truck. I loved my bare bones 82 suburban and went to an astro for while that was fairly capable and useful, then to Silverado WT’s since, right price, barebones, capable and truly a truck which is what I use it for. If I wanted a capable suburban fully loaded, I would get a caddy. Another example of a great SUV turned useless by the masses. I miss my 73 blazer 2wd and my 82 suburban 4×4, both stripped down, usable and very capable trucks.
I wonder why the 3.0L didn’t get more displacement. The 4cyl 2.8 has been in production for over 2 years already and only used in the Canyon/Colorado. Would a 3.5+ inline-6 have been too long?
With the exception of the 4.3 V6 I think the Tahoe should get all the Engines offed in the Silverado.
Hopefully yes. However, with how long it took to offer anything other than the 5.3 in the last two generations of Tahoe and Suburban I won’t be holding my breath for the diesel to show up anytime soon in the next.
They are kinda slow in offer things that should be offered at the beginning of production. I can understand if the 4 and Diesel is not offer right away because they are new engines and production restraints. But to take several year to offer them or not offer them at all is shameful.
GM is loosing sales to the big Ford Expedition because the 3.5 liter twin turbo V6 has huge torque ranging upwards of 450 lbs feet. If GM was smart, they would offer a stroked version of the 3.0 liter inline baby Duramax to give torque higher than the Ford with the turbo 3.5. Another way for GM to solve the torque problem for the very heavy Suburban and Yukon is to make an 8 cylinder inline version with identical parts to the 3.0 liter. If the bore and stroke were kept the same for the 8 inline version, it would be exactly 4.0 liters. It ( the 8 cylinder ) would have 600 pounds feet of torque, which will allow the Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon to tow heavy boats and trailers of at least 14,000 pounds. GM should develop the 8 cylinder version with an eye to making the same engine with a different head, to be able to run on gasoline, propane or natural gas. It should be targeted to the industrial market worldwide. This way the volume of production goes way up for the new 8 cylinder inline allowing people to choose the greenest fuels or the cheapest fuels. Last week when i was in Singapore, diesel fuel was $1.95 per liter in Singapore dollars or about $1.42 U.S. per liter.
In Bangkok last week, i checked out the price difference between diesel fuel and LPG propane. Diesel was 29 Baht per liter and LPG clean propane was half that price at 15 Baht per liter. That’s only 50 U.S. cents per liter for propane and about 95 cents U.S. per liter for diesel fuel. The same huge spread applies here in Toronto, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta. Both Toronto and Calgary have pump prices of propane ( and CNG ) at about 50 cents per liter in Canadian funds and $1.25 per liter for diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is 250 percent more costly at the pump, so why be an idiot and run diesel, when you can save so much money by getting a $5,500 9 CDN ) conversion on a V8 engine, leaving the gasoline system in place and run 105 octane, cleaner, greener propane? Let the customers choose their best fuel, for anywhere in the world that they are located. The 3.0 liter version should also be built as a gasoline engine for industrial use, forklifts, farmers and in poor countries where sugar cane ethanol makes it more attractive to use ethanol than to use expensive diesel fuel. My three different fleets of 25, 30 and 37 vehicles running on propane over the years traveled about 40 million kms, which is 25 million miles. We’ve also run diesel, CNG and gasoline engines in our fleets but propane is the best for both price, performance, maintenance and fuel costs of all the fuels over the past 40 years. Been there, done that, except for using methanol as the sole fuel. We used a bit of hydrazine in our drag race cars too and methanol in our Unlimited class race boats.
Im still a bit disappointed they never produced the 4.6L diesel v-8 they built back in ’08. The 3.0L I6 might be great but the size seems a bit smallish.
Sure as h.e.LL better not have start/stop on a diesel, or certainly at least a way to disable it. Diesel’s are much more efficient at idle compared to gasoline motors, and I believe would be ideal for the Tahoe PPV and LE use.
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