The current Suburbans have only been around for 5 years. The previous generation was 7 years. The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban were revealed last night. The reaction from the Hooniverse staff was not a good one.
Quick Takes
Both models look like Ford Expedition and Expedition Max, but with Chevy bowties on the front. The front; Lord have mercy. The GM team took the Silverado’s universally despised frontend and applied the same treatment to the Suburban/Tahoe. They will still sell these trucks, but they will be ugly.
There are three engines available: the standard 5.3L V8, an optional 6.0L V8, and a 3.0L Duramax inline-six. All engines are mated to a 10-speed automatic. Probably the unit that Ford/GM designed together. We’ll have to ask @hoonable is that is the case for certain. I drive a 25-year-old inline-six, and I love that the inline is making a comeback.
Trim Levels
There are SIX trim levels overall. I had a hard enough time trying to figure out the different trims for the 2007-14 models that only had LS, LT, LT(Z71), & LTZ. Now there are still LS, LT, and Z71, but also RST, High Country, and Premier. I think. Until we see an actual configurator, it is confusing.
The interior looks nice, and they have talked about second and third-row seating getting more space. Either the truck is even longer, or the cargo area is now smaller. We will have to check the dimension sheet when it comes out.
The big announcement is that the rear suspension is going to be a standard rear independent suspension. Magnetic Ride Control and Air Ride Adaptive Suspension will also be options. The Air Ride system is going to act much like the air suspension from the Ram Ecodiesel from a couple of years ago. I see parts that can fail in the woods and make it hard to get back to civilization.
Take it away, Ross.
It’s about damn time. The prior-gen Tahoe and Suburban were around for seemingly forever. Good news: GM stepped it up with the powerplants and drivetrain as a whole. Bad news, though: look at the thing. The new Tahoe and Suburban share fascias similar to those on the newest Silverado. This isn’t a good thing. To call it aggressive would be the best compliment I can pay it. To my eyes, it’s trying too hard. Over-styled and under-designed. And it’s not even like they pushed the boundaries here; to the untrained eye the 2021s could very well the pickup’s front end slapped on the last-gen Tahoe/Suburban, stretched it a bit, and that’s where they called it a day. It also would not be a stretch to say they looked closely at Ford’s full-size SUVs when doing the rear-end styling – maybe too closely – but that’s nowhere near as questionable as the front end.
The interior, too, is lacking. I’m sure it will be “fine,” but that’s not enough in this segment. There’s no “wow,” nothing exciting. Maybe that’s what the test-market buyers are saying they want, but I still can’t see this interior living up to its likely $50-80k price tag on either the quality or “modern” metrics.
Honestly, I was expecting more. The Z71 finally looks like it will provide worthwhile off-road chops, and the engines will undoubtedly be great as they always are in full-size GM vehicles. But something doesn’t resonate with me. I don’t think the Tahoe or Suburban needed to grow in length or weight, which they both have, and the price tags will inevitably be higher than the already-shocking prices of the last generation of these vehicles. That said…I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do and how they fare versus the competition.
2021 Tahoe & Suburban models will be available Spring 2020.
Images courtesy of Chevrolet.
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