Well, I guess he's going to be a goner...

[MVR 155]

Originally Posted by Z06RB

I have never understood why the factory hasn't offered the diesel in the 3/4 ton Suburban.

Spoke with a GM factory truck rep at the Chicago auto show about this exact same thing. If GM were to make a 3/4 ton DMax burban I would be all over it. The issue is with fitting the Allison transmission into the trans tunnel, he said it would require the Suburban to sit higher which will make it harder to enter/exit (if you dont like it buy a 1/2 ton version) and the higher vehicle means higher center of gravity and being the fact that its a "passenger style" vehicle it becomes a safety issue. Now this is what I was told and Im not sure if that is really where the buck stops..... Im not sure how much this guy really knows. Obviously there is a strong demand for a diesel powered large SUV...... just look at what the P.S. Excursions are still fetching in terms of price.

[guruerror]

Originally Posted by MVR 155

Spoke with a GM factory truck rep at the Chicago auto show about this exact same thing. If GM were to make a 3/4 ton DMax burban I would be all over it. The issue is with fitting the Allison transmission into the trans tunnel, he said it would require the Suburban to sit higher which will make it harder to enter/exit (if you dont like it buy a 1/2 ton version) and the higher vehicle means higher center of gravity and being the fact that its a "passenger style" vehicle it becomes a safety issue. Now this is what I was told and Im not sure if that is really where the buck stops..... Im not sure how much this guy really knows. Obviously there is a strong demand for a diesel powered large SUV...... just look at what the P.S. Excursions are still fetching in terms of price.

Am I missing something...why can't they just make the 'transmission tunnel' wider?

Sometimes I wonder about people...that seems like a 'no brainer'

[Big.Z.hummin]

here's a possibility of why they haven't done a diesel fullsize SUV. No SUV has been produced with a diesel because it is known that many people need a diesel for specific reasons and in that case must buy one of the available trucks on the market(Chevy/GM, Ford, Dodge). a lot of people who buy these large diesel trucks also own a second car that is either a. more practical or b. holds more people(burban). If a Suburban was produced with a duramax it would eliminate the idea of some people owning both a diesel truck and a people mover since it is a perfect compromise. In my mind the thought of a duramax suburban is almost to practical/smart and companies like chevy would rather take a shot at customers having to buy a 2500hd and a tahoe instead of just a dmax burban

just my .02

[Z06RB]

I asked my Chevy salesman about why not a diesel Suburban and he said that it was an option for about a year or two (around 2007). He said that they got one from another dealer for a customer. He commented that he thinks if they had offered it also in the 1/2 ton, there might have been more advertising and more interest.