Jay Leno gets VIP treatment in Armored Suburban

if you have ever seen The new black Chevrolet Suburban seen in TV shows or movies is likely part of a mysterious organization’s convoy or carrying government officials. There’s a reason you see this car carrying big people around: In the real world, the black Suburban is the go-to outfit for getting important people where they need to go – all in one. In a recent video, Jay Leno takes a closer look at a suburban shield being built for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

As DSS Assistant Director of Training Julie Cabus explains, the Suburbans they modify are not only designed to keep passengers alive; move This way they can be transported out of harsh environments. Brady Russell, chief engineer of the DSS armored vehicle program, said there are two ways to make the Suburban indestructible. In one, a third-party armorer contracted by DSS took an existing Suburban, stripped its interior down to the firewall, covered the vehicle with special ballistic-grade steel armor, and reinstalled the interior components while DSS conducted work inspections along the way. various stages. Another is for DSS to work directly with General Motors Defense and outside suppliers to provide fully boxed frames that are then paired with armored hulls.

Surprisingly, steel is the material of choice. Russell said that even though ballistic windows are composed of multiple layers of laminated glass and plastic, getting DSS suppliers to integrate composites into their armoring processes has been difficult. Tires on eight-lug wheels? Run-flat tires, of course.

As you might expect, all that extra metal adds weight. So are the thick front stabilizer bars, stiffened springs and control arms. Even though the 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine and 3.0-liter I6 DuraMax turbodiesel appear to be mostly stock, even they have some armor plating of their own under the hood. According to Russell, an empty Suburban Shield weighs 11,500 pounds; loaded, it scores 12,850. That’s why the DSS is equipped with eight-lug wheels and brakes from a Hummer EV.

Those selected to drive foreign dignitaries and U.S. diplomats in the Suburban Shield undergo more than 100 hours of driver training within the first 24 months of employment. During this time, they learn about the vehicle’s unique characteristics, such as body roll, weight, and braking distance (and maybe the fact that only the driver’s window opens…about two inches).

After transporting passengers to safety and back from attacks in Pakistan and Yemen, Qaboos was “extremely grateful and impressed by the excellent performance of these cars.” Luckily for Leno, his driving time took place on the much calmer streets of Burbank, California. There, he learned that the Suburban Shield felt like a regular car pulling a trailer and learned more about working at DSS. He also managed to improve the Suburban’s fuel economy to an astonishing 6.1 mpg. That’s fine, but not part of formal driver training, and is the next best thing to keeping the Diplomat in an unpierced state.