2021 Chevrolet Tahoe 3.0L Diesel offers class-leading fuel efficiency

The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe is a full-size SUV from General Motors, which made its debut in the year 1991. Chevrolet was actually late in renaming the full-size Blazer as the Tahoe, but the Chevy went through a lot of changes and upgrades over the years with a few generation upgrades as well.

Its latest generation upgrade was actually for the 2021 model year where the Chevy Tahoe made its transition to its 5th generation of production upgrading the SUV from the ground up, both inside and out. It got dimensionally bigger as well, with a more spacious interior as a result of that. The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe has 66% more cargo room behind the third row, along with ten additional inches (254 mm) of third-row legroom, which is a pretty big improvement, to be honest.

For 2021, the trim levels for the Chevy Tahoe have been increased from three to six and they are LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country; and depending on the trim level, the starting price ranges somewhere between $49,000 and $72,600. Its main rivals are GMC Yukon, Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Traverse, and other similar full-size SUVs in the market.

What’s new for the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe?

New optional 3.0-liter diesel engine
Independent rear suspension for better handling and ride comfort

The changes for the all-new Tahoe include a new architecture featuring an independent rear suspension and a longer wheelbase. It is developed on the new GMT T1XX platform developed by General Motors. The new architecture targeted improvements central to the needs of full-size SUV customers, including passenger accommodations, cargo capacity, driving dynamics, and exterior proportions.

Some of the design highlights of the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe include:

Standard LED headlamps and LED taillamps
Active front grille shutters that close at certain times on the highway to enhance aerodynamics
Dual exhaust on Premier and High Country (with gas engine)
Nine exterior colors, including three all-new colors: Empire Beige Metallic, Cherry Bomb Tintcoat, and Darkmoon Blue Metallic (some color choices will be premium options)
Standard 18-inch wheels on LS and LT; 20-inch polished aluminum wheels on Premier, 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tires on Z71; and 22-inch wheels on RST and High Country

A new 3.0L diesel engine made its debut:

Earlier, the Chevrolet Tahoe was available in a pair of V8 engine options under the hood. The 5th generation upgrade of the SUV introduced a new 3.0L diesel engine which is allegedly more fuel-efficient than the other gasoline-powered powertrains. So on top of the standard 5.3L V8 and the more powerful 6.2L V8 under the hood, the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe also has the option to be equipped with a more efficient 3.0L turbocharged Inline-6 engine under the hood producing 277 HP and 460 lb-ft of torque, which might be a bit down on power, but provides the same amount of peak torque as the most powerful V8 engine in the lineup.

The diesel engine in question is the 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine. It was first introduced in the 2020 Silverado, utilizing state-of-the-art technologies to optimize fuel and integrate into the all-new vehicle architecture. Small changes adapt the engine for the full-size SUV application, including enhanced noise abatement and a new engine control module, specifically designed to leverage the faster data-processing power of the all-new models. The engine is exclusively paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission for a smooth shifting experience.

What’s so special about the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine?

Before coming to the main highlight of the engine, which is its fuel-efficiency, let us talk about some of the other highlights of the engine. With an SAE-certified 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the Tahoe 3.0L Duramax with two-wheel drive is capable of maximum towing up to 8,200 pounds and a max payload of 1,717 pounds, where both of the figures being higher than the High Country trim powered by the 6.2L V8 engine under the hood, which is a bit surprising, to be honest.

The 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel is available on the LS, LT, RST, and Premier trims with an MSRP of $995 over the base 5.3L V-8 gas engine. It is also available in the High Country trim is a $1,500 MSRP decrease over the standard 6.2L V-8 gas engine.

Now coming to the important stuff, the Chevrolet Tahoe with the available 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine offers an EPA-estimated 28 on the highway, 21 in the city, and 24 combined mpg in rear-wheel-drive models. EPA-estimated fuel economy for four-wheel-drive models is 26 on the highway, 20 in the city, which gives a combined mileage of 22 mpg, which is actually pretty impressive for a big and heavy SUV like the Chevy Tahoe.

According to the automaker, the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel is the most fuel-efficient full-size SUV in its class, which is a pretty big claim, to be honest, and the fuel efficiency figures do look promising to say the least. Moreover, this is Chevy’s first diesel inline-six engine for full-size SUVs, and the brand’s first diesel offered in full-size SUVs since 1999.

3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine specs:

Let us compare the maximum fuel efficiency figures of all three engines on the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe:

For the 2WD variants:

For the 4WD variants:

It is quite evident from the fuel efficiency figures that the new turbodiesel engine is significantly more fuel-efficient than its gasoline-powered V8 counterparts. This gives the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe a significant edge in the competition of all the full-size SUVs in the market.

Verdict:

The new 3.0L Duramax Inline-6 turbo-diesel engine is a nice addition to the list of available options. It gives the SUV a huge edge in the competition. The driver-selectable stop/start technology optimizes fuel economy by shutting off the engine at stoplights and certain other stop-and-go situations, helping to save even more fuel. The fact that it is equally as capable as the V8 engines, if not better; it makes the new diesel engine for the Chevy Tahoe a very good option.