Summary
- Full-size American SUVs prioritize size and power over fuel efficiency, with the 2024 Chevy Tahoe leading at 24 MPG, sacrificing performance.
- The power-to-weight ratio of these vehicles affects both speed and fuel economy, as large SUVs require more engine power and fuel consumption.
- While the Chevy Tahoe is the most fuel-efficient, the slight MPG difference compared to the Jeep Wagoneer does not justify the cost, making performance a significant factor.
Nobody ever bought a full-size anything in hopes of maximizing their MPGs, and that includes the crossover SUV segment. By their very nature, full-size vehicles are bigger, heavier, and need more powerful engines, all of which add up to pain at the pump. That being said, some full-size crossovers do better than others, and every extra mile to the gallon helps. With the price of gas these days, slightly better gas mileage can add up to substantial savings.
Determining the most efficient American full-size crossover is tricky, and gets bogged down in semantics. Technically, a crossover is a smaller SUV body built on a car frame, while SUVs sit on truck frames. In the full-size range, they are all on truck frames, but the term "crossover" has come to mean an SUV intended for daily driver activities on paved surfaces. Any particular model can have a family-friendly trim which would be considered a crossover and a gnarly off-road package that definitely qualifies as an SUV.
Taking all that into consideration, full-size SUVs are generally geared toward families, offering spacious interiors and third-row seating for the entire brood. The full-size SUV market is dominated by American brands, with Ford, Chevrolet/GMC, and Jeep leading the way as Dodge only goes up to mid-size, so that narrows down the choices. The only thing left to do is find which of these full-size American "crossovers" is the most fuel-efficient for 2024.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including, Fueleconomy.gov.
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2024 Full-Size American Crossovers Ranked By MPG
For the 2024 model year, the choices for full-size American SUVs are limited to the Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, and Jeep Wagoneer. All of these vehicles are massive, with cavernous interiors, and dimensions that make finding a parking spot a challenge. They all also have high-horsepower engines that dash any hopes for some Prius-like MPG, but they're not as bad on fuel economy as would be expected. In reality, they are all pretty close, but the Tahoe comes out on top with a combined 24 MPG.
Full-size American SUV MPG
Model | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet Tahoe | 21 | 28 | 24 |
Chevrolet Suburban | 21 | 27 | 23 |
GMC Yukon | 21 | 27 | 23 |
Jeep Wagoneer | 17 | 24 | 20 |
Ford Expedition | 17 | 23 | 19 |
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The Suburban and Yukon ran a close second, with the Wagoneer and Expedition rounding out the list. Coming in last in this contest isn't a major humiliation, as there are no radical differences in gas mileage. Yes, 24 is better than 19 in combined MPG, but neither of them is something to brag about. That's the trade-off to getting a full-size SUV, versus a compact crossover. If seating for eight and cargo space is a priority, then fuel economy is going to suffer, and so far no automaker has been able to change that formula.
Horsepower Matters Too
It takes some horsepower to make a full-size SUV go, and that's the major reason why these vehicles aren't the most fuel-efficient things on the road. Another factor to consider is how much power is needed, as it might be nice to get a better combined MPG, but maybe sacrificing a couple of miles for a peppier ride is more desirable. Also, frustrating driving habits on a sluggish ride can hurt the overall fuel economy, if a driver has to stand on the gas pedal to get some acceleration.
Horsepower to MPG Ratio
Model | Engine | Horsepower | Combined MPG |
|---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet Tahoe | 3.0-liter turbo diesel I-6 | 277 HP | 24 |
Chevrolet Suburban | 3.0-liter turbo-diesel I-6 | 277 HP | 23 |
GMC Yukon | 3.0-liter turbo-diesel I-6 | 277 HP | 23 |
Jeep Wagoneer | 3.0-liter twin-turbo I-6 | 420 HP | 20 |
Ford Expedition | 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 | 380 HP | 19 |
V-8 MPG Comparison
All of the above vehicles are equipped with six-cylinder engines and have rear-wheel drive, but it might be fun to check out the fuel economy of these full-size SUVs with V-8s and 4x4s. It's already been established that most people aren't considering gas mileage as a number one priority on these beasts, so it's appropriate to look at which one gobbles the most gas. The Jeep Wagoneer gets an asterisk on this one because it is only available with the twin-turbo Hurricane inline-six engine, and the Ford Expedition also only comes in a six, but with varying horsepower ratings.
V-8 Horsepower to MPG Ratio
Model | Engine | Horsepower | Combined MPG |
|---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet Tahoe | 6.2-liter V-8 | 420 HP | 16 |
Chevrolet Suburban | 6.2-liter V-8 | 420 HP | 16 |
GMC Yukon | 6.2-liter V-8 | 420 HP | 16 |
Jeep Wagoneer | 3.0-liter twin-turbo I-6 | 420 HP | 20 |
Ford Expedition | 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 | 440 HP | 17 |
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2024 Chevrolet Tahoe Has The Best MPG In The Class
With 21 city, 28 highway, and 24 combined MPG, the 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe is the most fuel-efficient American full-size crossover, but it comes with a big “but.” It achieves these respectable numbers at the expense of performance, and that's not talking supercar quickness, but normal everyday driving acceleration. Equipped with a 277-horsepower turbo-diesel inline six-cylinder, the oversized ride is a bit underpowered. Another thing to consider is that it is a diesel engine and, for some reason, diesel is more expensive than gas, so any advantage in fuel economy is going to be wiped out at the pump.
2024 Tahoe Size
Power-to-weight ratio has a direct effect on both quickness off the line and overall fuel economy. All full-size SUVs are designed to accommodate a small army and, as such, are going to be big and heavy. That is why they generally need twice the engine of a lesser ride, or in the absence of significant horsepower, the reason why they can be sluggish.
2024 Chevrolet Tahoe Dimensions
Length | 210.7 inches |
|---|---|
Width | 81 inches |
Height | 75.8 inches |
Wheelbase | 120.9 inches |
Curb Weight | 5,383 pounds |
2024 Tahoe Power
Though 277 horsepower is not a lot for 5,383 pounds, but the 3.0-liter turbo diesel is torquey as hell and acceleration isn't that bad. Nobody is going to be pinned to the back of the seat on take-off, but it's decent enough for getting on the freeway or passing a joker who refuses to accept that the speed limit is now 65 MPH on the Interstate.
2024 Tahoe Power and Performance
Engine | 3.0-liter turbo diesel I-6 |
|---|---|
Horsepower | 277 HP |
Torque | 460 pound-feet |
Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
0-60 Time | 8.2 seconds |
Quarter-mile | 16.2 seconds |
Top Speed | 115 MPH |
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2024 Jeep Wagoneer Has The Best MPG Fully-Equipped
The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer comes standard with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that generates a healthy 420 horsepower. While it doesn't quite get the combined 24 MPG as the Chevy Tahoe, the 17 city, 24 highway, and 20 combined is respectable and tops among the fully-equipped American full-size SUVs. Again, there is a trade-off between performance and fuel economy, with the Wagoneer occupying the happy medium.
2024 Wagoneer Size
The 2024 Wagoneer is actually slightly larger than the Chevy Tahoe and has a few extra pounds, but is somehow more nimble. It definitely has more power, so there's more zip from a dead stop, but it also has a smoother ride and more responsive steering, which has been described by the automotive press as a near-luxury vehicle.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer Dimensions
Length | 214.7 inches |
|---|---|
Width | 83.6 inches |
Height | 75.6 inches |
Wheelbase | 123.0 inches |
Curb Weight | 5,825 pounds |
2024 Wagoneer Power
Jeep unfortunately got rid of the V-8 engine, so there are no Hemi Hellcats to drool over, but the Hurricane twin-turbo I-6 ain't bad. With the Grand Wagoneer, there are versions of the engine that go up to 600 ponies, but the 420 horsepower in the Wagoneer gives it near-muscle car performance. Normally, an inline-six engine would be fairly fuel efficient, but the point of a turbo is to make an engine gobble more gas, and times two means awesome power, but greater fuel consumption.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer Power and Performance
Engine | 3.0-liter twin-turbo I-6 |
|---|---|
Horsepower | 420 HP |
Torque | 468 pound-feet |
Transmission | Eight-speed automatic |
0-60 Time | 5.8 seconds |
Quarter-mile | 14.2 seconds |
Top Speed | 115 MPH |
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Crowning The King Of Efficient American Full-Size Crossovers
At 24 combined MPG, the 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe gets the best gas mileage of all the full-size American Crossover SUVs, but does that make it the most efficient? As was mentioned earlier, the Tahoe trim that achieves those numbers is equipped with a diesel engine, which is more expensive to run. Using the current fuel prices in California will help give this argument some context. At the time of this writing, diesel in the Golden State is $5.19 a gallon, while regular gas is just $4.98. For a 24-gallon tank, which the Tahoe has, it costs $124.56 to fill up, versus 119.52 for a gas-powered ride with the same tank size.
The Chevy Tahoe costs 21 cents more per gallon to operate than the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer, so the 4 extra MPG it gets is probably close to a wash. Most people, like the entire sane population, hate math, but dividing the current fuel price by the vehicle's MPG, reveals the true cost of usage. The Chevy Tahoe costs 22 cents a mile to operate, while the 20 MPG Jeep Wagoneer is only 2 cents more expensive at 24 cents per mile, with way more horsepower.
The 2024 Chevy Tahoe is the most fuel-efficient vehicle, but the differences are negligible, while the performance gap is quite vast compared to the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer. In a class where proportions and power are the most important things, saving a few pennies isn't that big of a deal.
