1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD: MPG and fuel economy

This page collects every fuel-economy figure the EPA publishes for the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD. Below you will find the headline combined, city, and highway MPG, the estimated annual fuel cost at three different driving levels, the tailpipe CO₂ emissions, and a full breakdown of the engine and drivetrain. The EPA rates 4 separate variants of this car (different engine, transmission, or drivetrain combinations), and you can compare them side by side in the trims table. If you want to know whether this generation got more or less efficient over the years, the year-over-year table further down covers every model year the EPA has rated.

Fuel economy at a glance

These are the EPA's official ratings for the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD. The numbers come from a standardised laboratory test cycle and are the same figures that appear on the window sticker of every new car. Real-world mileage varies with driving style, weather, fuel quality, and how heavily loaded the car is.

When the EPA tests several variants of the same nameplate (for example, a front-wheel-drive version and an all-wheel-drive version), each gets its own rating. The figures shown here are the headline variant, taken as the configuration with the best combined MPG. The trims table further down covers all 4 variants side by side.

Combined MPG is a 55/45 weighted blend of the city and highway test cycles. The EPA uses it as the single number you can compare across the entire dataset, including hybrids and EVs (which use the equivalent MPGe figure).

How the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD compares

The 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD returns 16 combined MPG. Cars in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the same model year average 17.6 MPG, which puts this car behind the class average by about 9%.

The most efficient car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the 1989 model year is the Geo Tracker Convertible 4WD at 25 MPG. The bar chart below puts the Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD alongside the class best and the class average so you can see the full picture.

For broader context, the average new car of the 1989 model year (across all classes) returns 19.4 MPG. Larger vehicles pull the all-cars average down, so do not use that figure on its own to judge a small car or a hybrid. The full list of the most efficient cars of the 1989 model year is on its own page.

Trim variants rated for 1989

The EPA rates 4 separate variants of the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD. The differences come from the engine size, transmission type, and drivetrain (front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and so on). The same nameplate can land several MPG apart depending on the configuration you actually buy.

The most efficient configuration on this page returns 16 MPG, while the least efficient returns 12 MPG. That is a spread of 4 MPG between trims of the same nameplate.

Annual fuel cost across driving patterns

The headline annual fuel cost the EPA publishes assumes 15,000 miles of driving per year and a fuel mix of 55% city and 45% highway. The dollar figure is calculated using the EPA's current reference price for diesel, which is $5.40/gallon. EPA updates that reference periodically rather than tracking live pump prices, so treat it as a window-sticker estimate rather than today's pump number.

The table below scales the EPA's number to three common driving patterns. The combined MPG and the reference fuel price stay constant, only the annual mileage changes. To get a current-prices estimate, take your local gas price and multiply by 937.5 gallons (the car's annual consumption at the rated MPG).

Year-over-year MPG for the Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD

The EPA has rated the Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD across 3 model years, from 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD through 1991 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD. The numbers below are the best combined MPG figure the EPA published for each year, which lets you see when the car was at its most efficient and how recent generations stack up.

Combined MPG has stayed in roughly the same range across the run, hovering close to 16 MPG.

Compare against other Special Purpose Vehicles for 1989

If you are cross-shopping the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD, the most useful comparison is against the other cars in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the same model year. The list below shows the highest-MPG peers, ranked from most to least efficient. Click any of them to open its full page.

The Geo Tracker Convertible 4WD leads this group at 25 MPG, 9 MPG ahead of the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD.

Specifications

The 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD runs a 6.2-liter 8-cylinder engine paired with a automatic 4-spd, sending power through 4-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Engine, transmission, and drivetrain together drive most of the variation in fuel economy across trims. A larger engine moves the car with less effort but burns more fuel. A turbo lets a small engine punch above its weight, often without much MPG penalty. All-wheel drive adds traction and weight, and usually costs a couple of MPG compared with two-wheel drive of the same engine.

Vehicle class

Special Purpose Vehicles

Engine

6.2L 8-cylinder

Transmission

Automatic 4-spd

Drivetrain

4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive

Fuel type

Diesel

Annual petroleum use

22.3 barrels per year

Common questions about the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD

Quick answers to the questions people most often search for when looking up the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD.

• Is the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD fuel efficient?

  It is in line with the rest of the class. The 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD returns 16 combined MPG, and the average car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the same model year sits at 17.6 MPG.
• What MPG does the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD get?

  The EPA rates the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD at 16 combined MPG, 15 MPG in city driving, and 20 MPG on the highway. Real-world numbers depend on your driving style, the weather, and how loaded the car is.
• How much does it cost to fuel a 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD per year?

  The EPA estimates an annual fuel cost of $5,050 for the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD. That figure assumes 15,000 miles of driving per year, a 55% city and 45% highway split, and the EPA's published average fuel price for the rated fuel grade.
• What fuel does the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD use?

  The EPA lists the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD as running on diesel. Using a different grade than the manufacturer specifies can affect fuel economy and engine longevity.
• Has the Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD become more fuel efficient over time?

  Combined MPG has stayed close to flat across the run. Both the earliest (1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD, 16 MPG) and most recent (1991 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD, 16 MPG) versions sit in the same range.
• How much CO₂ does the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD emit?

  Tailpipe CO₂ emissions are 636 g/mi. Multiplied across a typical year of driving (15,000 miles) that works out to about 9,544 kilograms of CO₂.
• What is the difference between the city and highway MPG of the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD?

  City driving returns 15 MPG and highway driving returns 20 MPG, a gap of 5 MPG. The two figures are close enough that the car will hold its rated efficiency well across most driving patterns.
• What engine is in the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD?

  The 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD has a 6.2-liter 8-cylinder engine (EPA description: (NO-CAT)).
• What transmission and drivetrain does the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD have?

  The 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD comes with a automatic 4-spd transmission and 4-wheel or all-wheel drive. All-wheel-drive variants typically read 1 to 3 MPG lower than the front-wheel-drive equivalent of the same engine, since the extra hardware adds weight and parasitic loss.
• How does the 1989 Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD compare to the best car in its class?

  The most efficient car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the 1989 model year is the Geo Tracker Convertible 4WD at 25 combined MPG. The Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD returns 16 MPG, a gap of 9 MPG. If you are comparing on fuel economy alone, the class leader is worth a look.

Source: U.S. EPA fuel economy dataset. Annual fuel cost figures assume 15,000 miles of driving per year and a 55% city, 45% highway split. Real-world mileage varies with driving conditions, vehicle maintenance, fuel quality, and driver behaviour.