Suburban Diesel

Owners of big SUVs have had to rely mostly on gasoline-guzzling V-8s to power their hefty rigs, but that's about to change. For years automakers have been hinting at the possibility of offering a greater number of fuel-efficient diesels in their domestic lineups of cars and trucks (in contrast to Europe where oil burners are in the majority). The latest news is that this is finally going to happen, but it's been a long time coming.

Oil Burnin' Love

Just ask Bub Broten. He's always been of fan of Chevy Suburbans, and has been hoping for a diesel version since he first heard rumors of one back in 1999. That's because he loves to take his family to the desert with a toy hauler trailing behind, stuffed with five quads and a sand rail powered by a 500-hp LS1 Chevy.


Bub's 454-powered 3/4-ton '96 Suburban barely had enough beans to do the job, though, and with a wife and three kids along for the ride, a diesel pickup just wasn't a proper family wagon. Then a friend spotted on eBay a diesel-powered 2000 Suburban for sale in Colorado, and the glow plugs lit in his eyes.


Bub caught the next flight to Denver, and discovered an engine conversion package from a fledgling company called Duramax Suburban. The installation looked like a factory-original setup—but the proof is on the road, of course. After doing the deal, he drove straight home to Southern California in 13 hours, and then loaded it up and headed out for a two-week vacation in the desert right away, all without a hiccup. Since then, he's put 50,000 miles on the Suburban and it's been smooth sailing the whole way.


Duramax Suburban is a company founded in 2002 by Buff Williams, a self-described car nut who only recently came to appreciate the virtues of oil burners. A few years ago he dismissed them as being slow, noisy and smelly. Then a friend who's a diesel mechanic suggested he take one for a drive that had a performance chip in the computer.