GM Exec Better Not Be Joking About Reviving the Chevy Suburban HD
C’mon, man. Just do it.
Two things you don't joke about: my wonderful mother and bringing back the Chevy Suburban HD. For the sake of your time, we'll only talk about the second point in this blog, which was prompted by an admittedly small quote from a General Motors executive. They mentioned in passing that the company's truck developments could bring a slew of new models, including "maybe a heavy-duty Suburban," which is enough to nab the attention of anyone good and decent.
If you're like me, you haven't slept since Chevy discontinued the Suburban HD following the 2018 model year. It was what you want in an SUV—comfortable with plenty of room, and it had the power to haul...a lot. Thanks in equal parts to its 6.0-liter V8 and strengthened frame and suspension, the Suburban HD boasted a payload capacity of 4,405 pounds. That's very nearly equal to a pair of 2020 Mazda MX-5s; if only they could fit in the cabin.
GM Vice President of Global Product Programs Tim Herrick told GM Authority at the GM Defense ISV launch:
"I have full-size truck stuff in my blood, right? So I understand what it takes to make a light-duty truck, a heavy-duty truck, an SUV, make them all together architecturally work, and then expand that architecture, whether it’s putting batteries in, or different engines and the like. Expanding the architecture architecturally would be great. And with that, then you bring, maybe a heavy-duty Suburban.”
The old Suburban HD wasn't known for its towing capacity, which strangely fell to 3,000 pounds versus the standard 'Burb's max of 8,300 pounds. That could potentially be fixed with a new model, however, and the 2021 Suburban even packs a torquey 3.0-liter Duramax diesel. Light-duty applications don't have proper cooling for the Duramax to really perform when it comes to pulling a trailer, though a Suburban HD could hypothetically accommodate such upgrades at a heftier price. The last heavy-duty model was some $30,000 more than a base Suburban, after all.
It seems more likely, though, that Chevy would employ its 6.2-liter V8 and keep with the improved payload trend. After all, these are more appealing to folks who want their Suburbans to be armored with the latest in car defense tech. Paired with a 4.10 rear axle ratio, the big boy gas V8's 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque could really come in handy.
Chevrolet returned an email from The Drive, saying that while the company can't comment on potential future products, "...we are exploring opportunities to adapt the all-new Suburban for military and government use. In its 85 years of existence, the Chevrolet Suburban has taken on many people and cargo challenges, both in civilian and government applications. We are excited to see how the all-new Suburban will continue that tradition."
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