If you are out there looking at new SUVs you need to decide whether you are going to go with gas or diesel, and there are some great diesels to choose from.
Most of the major car manufacturers produce a diesel SUV, including Chevrolet, GMC, Jeep, Jaguar, Land Rover, and BMW, and they are pretty amazing vehicles, that really stand up against their gasoline equivalents.
There are some great reasons to drive a diesel home, and we’re going to tell you about it. We are going to have a look at the top diesel models of SUV that are out there, and hopefully give you some ideas for which SUV you should drive home.
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2019 Chevrolet Equinox
This is a really nice looking SUV, and while it’s one of the more affordable diesel vehicles, it clocks in at around $6000 more than its gasoline counterpart.
It gets 39 miles to the gallon on the highway, which makes it ideal for you if you do lots of highway driving. It gets 28 miles to the gallon in the city, and the fuel tank capacity is 14.9 to 15.6 gallons. The diesel powertrain is something you can get with the LT. the Premier, and the all-wheel drive. It has an impressive towing capacity of 1,500 to 3,500 lbs.
Chevrolet has a nice saying about their diesel vehicles: “The only difference is the diesel.” They have some powerful vehicles that prove that point. With the LS, LT, and Premier models you get switchable all-wheel-drive which makes the SUV even more fuel-efficient, which makes it a great choice.
2019 GMC Terrain
The GMC Terrain is cheaper than the Chevrolet, and matches it on the fuel efficiency, both in the city and on the highway. It also pulls the same with the towing capacity
It’s going to be a question of taste on which look you prefer, but this SUV definitely has something to recommend it, one of them being new appearance packages that weren’t available before.
It has touchscreen interfaces that are easy to use, and along with that comes an upgraded rearview camera. Some of the other advanced safety features come with the more expensive trim packages and the basic models.
So, if you are looking for a cheaper option than the Equinox, it may be the choice for you.
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee
The 3rd SUV that we are going to look at is the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which doesn't really change much from the 2018 model, but definitely seems to be operating from the idea of if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.
You get standard blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic assist systems, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
There is a choice of 7 trims: Laredo, Limited, Trailhawk, Overland, Summit, SRT, and Trackhawk.
This model has some great safety features, and the vehicle itself is super safe.
You are looking at 22 gallons in the city, and 30 gallons on the highway for fuel-efficiency. So it is definitely not beating out the two previous SUVs we looked at on that.
2019 Jaguar F-Pace 20d AWD
Jaguar’s F-Pace is a beautiful looking vehicle.
It lands kind of in the middle of the previous models when it comes to fuel efficiency, with 26 miles to the gallon in the city, and 33 on the highway.
It is more expensive than the other SUVs we have looked at so far, but if you love Jaguar, it is actually a lot closer to its gasoline equivalent than some of the SUVs by other manufacturers. So, if you’re in the market for a Jaguar the price tag isn’t going to make much difference to you.
The standard features are great - you are looking at a rearview camera, a sunroof, and forward collision mitigation. You are also going to get some very useful driver assistance features even on the lower trim levels.
2019 Land Rover Discovery
This SUV has that classic Land Rover look, and the price tag is higher than the vehicles we’ve looked at so far.
That price tag does not come with great fuel efficiency though. You are going to get 21 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway. It does, however, have a pretty impressive towing capacity that ranges from 7,716 to 8,201 lbs.
You get a third-row seat with it, making it great for the family.
It’s available with a wi-fi hotspot, a panoramic sunroof, and a power-gestured tailgate.
The diesel is only available for the full-sized Discovery and not the Discovery Sport, so depending on whether or not you were wanting something to drive the family around in, the diesel may be the vehicle for you.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar
Our second Land Rover definitely does better than its relative, both on price and fuel efficiency.
When you are driving in the city you are going to get 26 miles to the gallon, and on the highway, you are going to get 30 miles to the gallon.
The towing capacity is less, at 1653 lbs, but if that is not important, and you like the look of Land Rovers, coupled with a diesel engine and the benefits associated with that, this may be the better model for you. You would be sacrificing that third-row seat, but again, there are plenty of reasons that outweigh the importance of that feature of the Discovery.
It has all the great stylings inside you expect from Land Rover and checks both the boxes of what you want from a Land Rover and what you want from a diesel SUV.
2018 BMW X5 35d XDrive
There is definitely something about BMWs, and this good looking SUV is no exception.
You get the luxury that you expect from BMW, though this does reportedly suffer when it comes to the legroom for those in the second row, and even more so for those opting for the third-row seats.
There are some great driver assistance packages that you can get for improved safety, but you get great traction from the all-wheel-drive in bad weather as standard, apart from in the 35i which comes with rear-wheel drive.
It’s not bad on fuel efficiency, with 29 miles per gallon on the highway and 23 in the city, but it is one of the most expensive SUVs here. You are paying for luxury, and that BMW magic, so it is not something you will care too much about when you fall in love with this SUV.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Our third Land Rover of the bunch lands pretty firmly between the other models, both in terms of performance and cost.
It has some great tech in the vehicle too, with the Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, and a full-color head-up display and interactive driver display, which are key features.
You are getting 22 miles per gallon in the city, and 28 on the highway.
You can get that third-row seat, four-wheel drive as standard, and a self-leveling suspension system, which is pretty cool. It comes at a lower price point too, which is not something to sniff at.
What Are The Pros and Cons Of A Diesel SUV?
When you are out shopping for that perfect SUV there are some things you should be thinking with if you are wanting to go the route of getting a diesel vehicle rather than a gasoline vehicle.
The first thing is the price - that initial outlay is going to be more expensive for a diesel, and this is going to take a while for the cost savings on fuel to compensate for that unless you are driving a lot.
There can also be higher finance rates for diesels, or no financing at all, which is not the case with gas vehicles.
In terms of maintenance, you are going to need to replace the urea or diesel exhaust fluid at regular intervals, and this may be an expensive service.
As far as the reasons for buying a diesel, they are not insignificant. Whether you are driving in the city or the highway you are going to get better fuel economy than the gas equivalent
While the front end cost is more, when you decide to sell the SUV you are going to get a higher resale value on your diesel SUV. Fuel prices, when they go up can also have a great effect on the price of diesels, but the fact that they depreciate less is great.
Your diesel SUV is also going to need less maintenance, with service intervals usually somewhere around the 10,000-mile mark, versus 3,000 for gasoline SUVs. That saves you time and money.
Conclusion
There are some beautiful diesel SUVs on the market, and if you are looking to buy a diesel for the fuel savings, as you can see, some models are better than others. For models that have similar performance in terms of fuel economy you are mainly going to be paying for luxury features, and the stylings that come from certain manufacturers, so it is going to be down to personal preference, as to whether you think certain bells and whistles are worth it.