Chevrolet’s full-size SUV arrives for 2025 with a mildly refreshed exterior and a very different feel inside. Different means better. The 2025 Suburban and Tahoe are up to a neat trick. It represents minimalist cockpit organization without sacrificing physical control.
Meanwhile, engineers squeezed a little more power out of the turbocharged 3.0-liter Duramax diesel engine. The news may be buried among the fancy new interiors, but it may be the best modest improvement for these big-name movers. Don’t get me wrong. The larger-than-life Suburban and slightly smaller Tahoe still drink oceans of fuel, whether you opt for the V-8 engine or the six-pot diesel. But the Duramax is your only hope of getting more than 20 miles per gallon, and frankly, it has all the power you need. Even if you opt for the new 24-inch wheels, these are the largest offered from the factory for these large SUVs.
Chevrolet has recently become popular for its interiors. The 2025 update makes the Suburban and Tahoe similar to other bow-tied SUVs, with a large central touchscreen integrated into the digital driver display. This center screen is a bold 17.7 inches, matching the next generation Traverse in size and shape. That flows into an 11.0-inch driver display, a standard layout on all trims from the entry-level LS to the High Country. Below the central display is a wide climate control vent, and below that is a neat row of knobs and buttons for quick (and intuitive) control of the temperature.
Photos don’t do justice to the modern interior. Even in a car as big as the Suburban RST I drove around the back streets of Fort Worth, Texas, the front cabin was dominated by screens. The result is a vehicle that feels thoroughly modern inside, yet offers convenient, tactile control over commonly used functions.
Christopher Smith / Motor1
Chevrolet told me that physical buttons are important to this segment and have no intention of eliminating them. That’s “good,” but the way Chevrolet has blended analog and digital elements into this interior pushes my rating for this car to “great.” Few automakers today are as well-rounded as Chevrolet.
It’s easy to access all but the most buried vehicle settings (which you shouldn’t do while driving anyway). This includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which remain among the Tahoe and Suburban’s suite of systems. A Chevrolet spokesperson was non-committal when asked about the future of this popular technology, with General Motors promising to eventually eliminate it from all vehicles. But both are still part of the Tahoe/Suburban experience, at least for the time being. If you don’t have your phone handy, Google is your default navigation system. And it’s still the best in the industry.
Christopher Smith / Motor1
Pros: Fun diesel, smooth ride (even at 24 seconds), perfect blend of analog and digital technology.
But things aren’t all hugs and puppies. Inside the modernized cockpit, Chevrolet adds a bona fide column-mounted shifter for 2025. This is the same small stalk used on the Equinox and Traverse, but this isn’t the old-fashioned PRNDL mechanical linkage. It’s digital so it’s easy to use. To drive, just pull back and down, and to reverse, just pull back and up. Park is pressing the button at the end of the stem, but there’s a problem.
The self-centering lever can accidentally enter reverse if it slips from your finger when entering drive, for example. This happened several times during my short first driving experience. I also went into reverse thinking I was in park, but I was completely wrong. Years of driving column-shifted Silverados has taught me to upshift into park, a habit that all experienced PRNDL drivers find difficult to overcome.
Even more concerning is the possibility of “bounce” from drive to reverse. If you don’t glance at the driver display before taking off or notice the illuminated “R” on the stem, there’s a good chance you’ll accidentally reverse into something. And let’s be honest for a second. Driving with an automatic transmission generally does not maximize the driver’s attention. It’s easy to imagine this becoming a problem and ultimately leading to a redesign or safety recall.
Christopher Smith / Motor1
Christopher Smith / Motor1
But with the right gear finally thrown in, we can say the 2025 Suburban and Tahoe feel pretty much the same as last year’s models. That’s because the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8 engines are carried over as-is, along with a 10-speed automatic transmission and multi-link suspension. You’d be hard-pressed to find a full-size SUV with more space for cargo and passengers. Choose the LS and ditch the front bucket seats for a split bench to seat up to nine people.
The ride is still comfortable, even though it rides on new 24-inch Bridgestone wheels with 40-section sidewalls. I was expecting a teeth-grinding experience with the larger wheels, but in my defense, the 24-inchers definitely made it more demanding. But it only occurs on really broken roads, and even then it is easily tolerated. If you frequently drive on dirt roads, we recommend using a smaller vehicle. But there’s no denying that the 24 packs a visual punch in a big car like the Suburban.
Christopher Smith / Motor1
Cons: Column shifter is not reliable, gasoline engine is still thirsty
For both dirt and paved roads, I definitely recommend the 3.0-liter I-6 diesel over the V-8. The refreshed Suburban/Tahoe now has a 305-horsepower version of the mill, but the bigger advantage is the engine’s 495 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 35 pound-feet, and you can feel it in your daily driver. I sampled this engine in both the Tahoe Z71 and the flagship Suburban High Country. This torque keeps it smooth at low speeds around town, but has enough punch to cruise at 130 mph on the highway.
It’s also an efficient choice. When I got out of the High Country Diesel, the on-board fuel economy display read 21mpg. That’s an impressive number, considering the number of journalists who have been eagerly researching the diesel for several days. The RST and its 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 engine got just 15.5 mpg, but note that these are not official EPA statistics. Those ratings will be published later, but I have little reason to believe that they are far removed from my actual experience.
Christopher Smith / Motor1
When it comes to price, stepping into the world of full-size body-on-frame SUVs doesn’t come cheap. The most basic 2025 Tahoe LS with two-wheel drive currently costs just over $60,000, but at least it has a good-looking, tech-focused interior and a host of standard driver-assistance systems. Meanwhile, the well-appointed suburban High Country costs $86,195 and is clearly in the luxury realm. You can buy an entry-level Cadillac Escalade ESV for just a few hundred dollars.
Chevrolet says the $60,000-plus Suburban and Tahoe LS are “affordable,” which is important for buyers entering the large three-row segment. We’ll see how these buyers react when the refreshed models arrive at dealers by the end of the year.
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Christopher Smith / Motor1
