The Best Diesel SUVs for 2026MotorTrendJust over a decade ago, diesel power seemed poised to take the U.S. car market by storm thanks to its one-two punch of torque and fuel economy, but the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal sent the expensive, greasy fuel largely back to the commercial vehicle market, i.e. big rig 18-wheelers. Today, there are only four consumer-grade SUVs left offering diesel engines. By default, that makes them the best new diesel SUVs you can buy today.Hope You Like Big General Motors SUVsThey aren't a diverse lot, however, given that they're effectively four flavors of the same vehicle developed and built by parent company General Motors: the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, and GMC Yukon XL. They're all underpinned by the same platform, and all of them are powered by the same optional 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six making 305 hp and 495 lb-ft.We'll go over the nuances of the Chevrolet and GMC options below. But to broaden things out a bit beyond the new quartet, we've also included some top lightly used options for those of you in the market for a late-model diesel-powered SUV.1) 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe/SuburbanPhoto credit: MotorTrendThe Chevrolet Suburban is the longest-running nameplate in the world, first introduced in 1934 and produced every year since. In 1994, Chevrolet introduced the Tahoe, a shorter (in length) version. Both are still sold today, still ride on body-on-frame platforms, still offer four-wheel drive, and come with three rows of seats. Which one you buy new today depends mostly on how much you want to spend and how much cargo space you need behind the third row. Both come standard with a 5.3-liter gas-powered V-8, but step up one trim level to the LT models, and you can select the 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6 for an extra $5,495 (rear-wheel drive) or $5,620 (four-wheel drive). Either way, you're getting a 10-speed automatic transmission good for between 22 and 24 mpg combined depending on the exact model.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Tahoe ReviewRead Our Experts' Full Chevrolet Suburban Review2) 2026 GMC Yukon/Yukon XLPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendGMC first offered its version of the Suburban in 1937, and it was called that until 2000, when it was rebranded as the Yukon XL. The smaller Yukon actually preceded its twin, the Tahoe, by three years, introduced in 1992. As with the Chevys, the Yukons are body-on-frame and either rear- or four-wheel drive, and each come with three-rows of seats. Once again, which one is right for you depends on your budget and how much stuff you need to carry behind the third row. Unlike the Chevys, you can get the diesel engine on the base trim levels, for an extra $4,265 (rear-wheel drive), $4,390 (Yukon four-wheel drive), or $4,480 (Yukon XL four-wheel drive). Regardless, it's hooked to the same 10-speed automatic and good for 22 or 23 mpg combined.Read Our Experts' Full GMC Yukon ReviewRead Our Experts' Full GMC Yukon XL Review3) 2024 Cadillac EscaladePhoto credit: MotorTrendThe Escalade is a marketing triumph. It started life in 1998 as a GMC Yukon with a Cadillac badge and grew into an icon. Today, it's still the same vehicle underneath as the GMC and the Chevrolet, except under the hood. From the 2021 to 2024 model years (a 2021 model is pictured), it too was offered with the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel I-6 making the same 305 hp and 495 lb-ft. It also used the 10-speed automatic transmission and could be had in rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Unlike the others, the Escalade diesel was only offered in the standard, shorter-length version. It was good for 23 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive and 22 mpg combined with four-wheel drive.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead Our Experts' Full 2024 Cadillac Escalade Review4) 2023 Jeep Wrangler EcoDieselPhoto credit: MotorTrendAs much as off-roaders praise diesel engines for their low-rpm torque, America's off-road icon—the Jeep Wrangler—was only offered with a diesel engine for a total of nine years of its storied 82-year history. First, the CJ-5 could be purchased with the British-built Perkins diesel I-4 from 1961 to 1965, then Jeep offered the Italian-built EcoDiesel turbo V-6 in the Wrangler from 2020 to 2023. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel could only be had in the four-door Wrangler but in any trim, including the hardcore off-road Rubicon model. It was good for 260 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque, and with the eight-speed automatic it could achieve between 23 and 25 mpg combined.Read Our Experts' Full 2023 Jeep Wrangler Review5) 2021 Land Rover Range Rover TD6Photo credit: MotorTrendRange Rovers have been available with diesel engines in Europe since the late 1980s, but one wasn't offered in the U.S. until 2016. Land Rover went ahead with its diesel Range Rover despite the Dieselgate scandal, putting the TD6 on sale here with a 3.0-liter Lion turbodiesel V-6 making 254 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. Connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive, it would get 24 mpg combined. It gave up on the diesel five years later in 2021.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead Our Experts' Full 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Review6) 2019 Mazda CX-5 DieselPhoto credit: MotorTrendMazda spent a long time trying to get its one and only diesel model certified for the U.S. market, and it finally got there in 2019. But after all that, the CX-5 Skyactiv-D diesel lasted just one model year, making it the rarest vehicle on this list by a wide margin. Equipped with a 2.2-liter turbodiesel I-4 making 168 hp and 290 lb-ft and a six-speed automatic transmission, the CX-5 diesel could achieve 28 mpg combined with all-wheel drive and 29 mpg combined with front-wheel drive. With the diesel passenger car market flailing, Mazda paused the diesel engine for 2020 and announced in early 2021 it was giving up on the engine entirely.Read Our First Drive of the 2019 Mazda CX-5 CX-5 Skyactiv-D7) 2018 BMW X5 xDrive35dPhoto credit: MotorTrendLike Land Rover, BMW has been making diesel engines and offering them in European models for ages. The German automaker, though, was much quicker to bring one to the U.S. market and offered it in the X5 SUV starting in 2009. The xDrive35d model lasted nine years before succumbing to the Dieselgate fallout. The 3.0-liter I-6 turbodiesel was offered in both the second-generation E70 and third-generation F15 models. When the fourth-generation G05 model came out for the 2019 model year, though, it was gone. The last year for the 35d was 2018, and it produced 255 hp and 413 lb-ft. With an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive, it returned 25 mpg combined.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead Our First Test of the 2018 BMW X5 Diesel8) 2016 Porsche Cayenne DieselPhoto credit: MotorTrendMost people would never associate Porsche, the sports car company, with diesel engines, but its history with the powertrain technically dates to the 1940s. Back then, Porsche designed a series of diesel-powered tractors, which were sold up until 1963. The German automaker wouldn't touch the stuff again until 2009, when it dropped a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 in European models of the first-generation Cayenne. The diesel wouldn't come to America until well into the second-generation Cayenne's run in 2013 (a 2013 model is pictured). This version of the 3.0-liter V-6 oil-burner made 240 hp and 406 lb-ft right up until its cancellation in 2016 as the company was implicated along with its Volkswagen counterpart in Dieselgate. With an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive, it could achieve 24 mpg combined.Read Our First Drive of the 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel
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