2021 Chevrolet Suburban And Tahoe Use Aluminum Panels To Reduce Weight
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Revealed on December 10th, the all-new 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe have been thoroughly redesigned, and received a number of improvements in many areas in order to keep their dominant market share ahead of rivals such as the Ford Expedition, the Nissan Armada and the Toyota Sequoia. In addition, a new adversary, the 2021 Jeep Wagoneer, will hit the market in 2020 as well.
General Motors asked its customers what they would like to see in the next-generation Suburban and Tahoe, and those owners asked for more interior space for rear-seat passengers as well as bigger cargo areas. Chevy acknowledged with 66 percent more luggage room and ten more inches of third-row legroom in the Tahoe, while the Suburban boasts a cargo area expanded by 19 percent.
To achieve these gains, the SUVs inevitably had to grow in size, and as we previously reported, the Suburban and Tahoe will be slightly heavier than the outgoing K2-platform models, according to GM Vice President of Global Product Programs Tim Herrick. The new, multilink independent rear suspension also has an impact on weight compared to the old solid axle with five-link setup. Since the trucks’ unveiling, The General has been the target of criticism from climate groups, as the behemoths likely won’t be any more fuel efficient than the outgoing generation.
Yet, it’s not like GM isn’t trying to keep the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe’s weight down, despite its newfound proportions. As a matter of fact, all of the vehicles’ swing panels – such as the hood, the doors and the liftgate – are made of aluminum. GM Vehicle Performance Manager for full-size trucks, Mike Strickenhouser, confirmed this information to GM Authority Executive Editor, Alex Luft, following the SUVs’ reveal in Detroit.
The previous-generation Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe also sported aluminum hoods and liftgates, and by adding doors stamped in the lightweight material, the new SUVs shouldn’t break the scale despite their weight gain.
Actually, pretty much all full-size SUVs are heavyweights, and GM’s mainstream models – which also include the GMC Yukon and extended-wheelbase Yukon XL – aren’t the portliest of the bunch.
| Model | 2WD | 4WD |
|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Tahoe (2020) | 5355 lbs. | 5602 lbs. |
| Chevrolet Suburban (2020) | 5586 lbs. | 5808 lbs. |
| GMC Yukon (2020) | 5379 lbs. | 5626 lbs. |
| GMC Yukon XL (2020) | 5610 lbs. | 5846 lbs. |
| Ford Expedition | 5368 lbs. | 5623 lbs. |
| Ford Expedition Max | 5534 lbs. | 5794 lbs. |
| Nissan Armada | 5577 lbs. | 5824 lbs. |
| Toyota Sequoia | 5730 lbs. | 5985 lbs. |
Simply put, if GM hadn’t resorted to aluminum for all the swing panels on the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, these SUVs would be even heavier.
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This is not going to be good news in the MPG department. The 2020 models already mysteriously lost 1 MPG in both the city and highway ratings now down to only 15/21 for both Tahoe and Suburban in the most common 4X4 versions with the 5.3 compared to 2019 and earlier trucks. Note the new Silverado/Sierra did lose weight but have more frontal area mass that doesn’t cut through the air as well so even with the weight loss, new DFM engine and 8 speed transmission were rated identical MPG to the outgoing 2018 trucks. We will be lucky if they keep the 15/21 ratings of the current truck with that in mind even with the new 10 speed which does little to nothing for MPG.
We’ll see how the fuel economy ratings will come out for these new SUVs. The slight weight gain can affect their fuel economy ratings, though the aluminium panels for the hood and doors helps keep their weight down. The 5.3 liter V8 might see improved fuel economy with the 10 speed automatic, but only slightly. I’m eagerly waiting for fuel economy ratings for the 3.0 liter duramax diesel inline 6, as it should offer the perfect blend of efficiency and capability for true family duty.
Ok, not to let off too much steam from the previous post regarding the climate change thing;
I’m starting to get a headache that environmentalists are blaming these SUVs and not any other vehicle class for changes in the climate. The fact that they aren’t blaming other vehicle classes like pickup trucks, which is the best selling vehicle class by far, and blaming full-size BOF SUVs instead which sell in significantly lower numbers and no other vehicle class included is absurd. Shouldn’t all internal combustion engined vehicles be blamed for the whole climate change nonsense?
Well I guess I will continue to drive older model Suburbans. We are currently driving a 2003 Suburban that we purchased in 2008 with 96,000 on it already. It now has 335,000 miles showing on the odometer. The odometer didn’t work for a bit and we drove it about 5,000 miles in that time. I love my Suburban. We have raised our family with this car. She is getting old and tired at this point, but I know my family is safe in this vehicle regardless. We had the brakes let go and we were fine. We hit a deer on the highway in Bedford, NH as we were leaving on a 10 day trip to Knoxville, TN. My family was fine. My Suburban was fine. The deer not so much. We were able to continue on our trip as planned. This is our second Suburban. They are amazing, and reliable tanks. At least they use to be. Some day sooner than I would like I’ll need to replace this one. Sadly!
I wonder how GM will overcome all the aluminum body bashing videos they did with the Ford F150 when it came out?
Is Chevy admitting they are going to build weak aluminum trucks or will they have to eat crow?
Yet not one of these behemoths cones in at under two and a half tons.
it has to be full aluminum construction