4 Diesel SUVs You Can Still Buy In 2024

With the automotive industry rapidly moving towards full electrification, diesel's share of the market has shrunk alarmingly over the years. Major automakers like Porsche, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Jeep, and RAM have all phased out diesel engines from their lineups in the recent past, preferring instead to capture growing demand for gasoline-fed hybrid and full electric vehicles. The diesel-car market wasn't helped either by the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal, which forced manufacturers like Land Rover to shelve plans to ramp up diesel car production in the U.S.

Despite the increasing electrification of cars, there's still a place for diesel SUVs thanks to their inherent advantages, such as a reasonable amount of power, plenty of torque, strong towing capacity, durability, and fuel efficiency. So, if you're in the market for an SUV and want to take advantage of these diesel engine benefits, you'll be happy to know you still have some viable options on the new car market. The only downside is that all of the diesel SUVs on sale in the U.S. today come from just three automakers: Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac — which means choice is a little limited.

The truck-based Chevrolet Tahoe is one of the few remaining SUVs that still offers a diesel engine. And, no matter what trim you choose (aside from the off-road-oriented Z71), you can buy the large SUV with an available 3.0-liter inline-six Duramax diesel engine that generates 277 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission that sends that power to either the rear wheels (as standard) or all four. The diesel Chevrolet Tahoe has a towing capacity of 8,200 pounds, which is comparable to that of full-size trucks like the off-road-oriented Ford F-150 Raptor (8,200 pounds) and the Toyota Tundra SR (8,300 pounds).

Needless to say, the diesel is also the most efficient of the Tahoe engines on offer for 2024. In EPA testing, rear-drive Tahoe models with the oil burner returned 21 mpg in the city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined. In four-wheel-drive Chevrolet Tahoe models, it is good for 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. By comparison, the standard 5.3-liter V8 gets 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined. The 6.2-liter V8 gets 14 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined.

Keep in mind you can now only buy the 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe from dealerships as order books are closed for 2024 GM diesel SUVs in favor of the forthcoming 2025 models.

Much like the Tahoe, an updated 2025 Chevrolet Suburban will be arriving at dealerships later this year (production is slated to begin in October 2024) with several new exciting features, including the latest iteration of GM's 3.0-liter inline-six Duramax diesel engine. However, if you can't wait until then, you can just take the plunge and get the 2024 Chevrolet Suburban now. For 2024, the Duramax 3.0-liter LM2 inline six-cylinder turbodiesel makes 277 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque (as against 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque in the 2025 Suburban). Like the Tahoe, the turbodiesel engine is available on all but the 2024 Chevy Suburban Z71, which comes standard with the 355-hp, 5.3-liter V8 — an arrangement that will soon change in light of the diesel engine debuting on the Suburban Z71 for the 2025 model year.  

As for the 2024 diesel Suburban, its maximum tow rating is slightly smaller than that of the Tahoe at 8,000 pounds. The Suburban, however, makes up for this shortcoming with a lot more cargo room due largely to its stretched wheelbase (134.0 inches versus 121.0 for the Tahoe). With all seats in use, the 2024 Suburban offers a usable 41.5 cubic feet of cargo space. But, once the third-row seat is folded, the available space grows significantly to 93.8 cubic feet. If you still need to haul a longer item, you can fold the second row down as well to create additional room for extra cargo-carrying capability up to a maximum of 144.7 cubic feet. With that, the Suburban not only best its sibling in regard to maximum cargo space (the Tahoe has 25.5 cubic feet with all seats upright, 72.6 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 122.9 cubic feet with the third and second-row seats folded down), but it also beats out competitors like the Jeep Wagoneer L (130.9 cubic feet) and Ford Expedition Max (121.5 cubic feet).

A rebadged Chevrolet Tahoe, the GMC Yukon is yet another of the vehicles with GM's Duramax turbodiesel engine under the hood. As with its platform-mate, the Yukon's 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel makes 277 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque, with output routed to the wheels (either rear or all fours) via a 10-speed automatic transmission. Not only is that enough for day-to-day use, but it also allows for a decent towing capacity of up to 8,100 pounds.

The cargo carrying capacity of the Yukon is also generous, as you get 25.5 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats in use and 72.6 cubic feet when you fold down the third-row seat. Cargo volume is maxed out at 122.9 cubic feet when you fold down the rear seats. If you still need more space for your stuff, you can opt for the long-wheelbase Yukon XL, which is an extended version of the standard GMC Yukon. It affords enough room for an expansive range of equipment, with 41.5 cubic feet with all seats upright. Folding down the third row increases cargo room to 93.8 cubic feet while lowering the second and third-row seats gives you a massive 144.7 cubic feet of cargo room to work with.

Beginning with the 2025 model year, the Cadillac Escalade will no longer be available with the Duramax diesel engine, with General Motors having dropped the oil burner from the luxury large SUV due to poor demand. That leaves the 2024 Escalade as your only chance at a brand-new, diesel-fuelled Cadillac Escalade. As you can probably already tell, the engine puts out 277 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque and connects to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel economy is also acceptable, considering the performance. EPA data shows that rear-wheel-drive Escalades with the turbodiesel inline-six return 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined. Adding a four-wheel drive system reduces that return marginally to 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. Still, it's a lot more fuel economy than you'll get with either the standard 420-hp, 6.2-liter V8 (14/18-19/16 city/highway/combined) or the 682-hp supercharged variant in the beastly 2024 Cadillac Escalade V-Series (11/16/13 mpg).