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My extended family made quite the troupe as we filed out of the farm house to pick up this year’s Christmas tree: from grandma to the latest baby. I asked my brother in-law, “What rig should we take?” He grabbed a key hanging by the door, “The Suburban, what else?”

Chevrolet just revealed the 2025 model: the 90th anniversary Suburban. While its dolled up a bit, its the same friendly neighborhood dinosaur underneath. And I couldn’t be happier. See, the Chevrolet Suburban is the oldest automobile nameplate in the world. And while there have been many imitators, nothing on the road today can do exactly what a brand new Suburban can.

After seven of us got truly comfortable, we pulled out of the driveway. My in-law gleefully said, “It gets crazy fuel economy. 4k miles on it and averaging 24mpg.” Why? A lifelong motorhead, he’d special-ordered the 3.0-liter I6 turbodiesel option. This engine, co-designed by GM and Opel, makes General Motors’ Suburban/Silverado/Sierra/Yukon the last half-ton chassis of its kind. And its coming back for 2025.

The brown leather interior of the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban SUV.
2025 Suburban High Country | General Motors

For the new model year, the Suburban and Tahoe will get a futuristic new grille (but not silhouette), in-part inspired by the Silverado EV. They all also feature handy technology like blindspot monitoring and automatic emergency braking. But again, the philosophy is the same as that behind the 1935 “Carryall Suburban” which was the first “station wagon” body slapped onto a half-ton truck chassis. And its still assembled in the U.S., in Arlington, Texas.

Is the Chevrolet Suburban the right vehicle for everyone? Heck no! If you want an efficient one-person commuter or handling dynamics better than a cruise ship, look at literally any other vehicle segment. If you want a truly heavy-duty trailering rig don’t be fooled by this Duramax badge: the I6 is engineered for mpg and its maximum trailer rating of 8,200 pounds is the worst in the segment. And if you want a vehicle that starts well below $60k, save your pennies and shop elsewhere.

But if you want to haul three generations of folks and a Christmas tree in comfort, average 24 mpg, and tow home the occasional project car, there’s literally nothing else on the market that will check all the boxes. Every other automaker’s SUVs only offers gas engines that will struggle to see 20 mpg. The Suburban was the first SUV, and its the final SUV with these capabilities, and its not going anywhere.

Read more about how GM’s lineup became the final diesel SUVs, or see the 2025 Suburban changes reviewed in the video below:

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