https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQoYh5pBeSg
Wow. They had an 86 2WD diesel as a long termer. Guess what - they loved it. They loved the fuel economy, comfort, utility, etc. They were basically already saying that these things are becoming very popular as suburban transportation. When you think that the S10 Blazer came out in like 1983, it's not hard to argue that the SUV craze actually started in the 80s (with mostly carbureted engines!).
Also, look how relevant the diesel was in terms of fuel economy. They said it got like twice the mpg of the 350. Upwards of 25 mpg on road trips. And upwards of $25k, which was big bucks in the mid 80s. That's $57,500 today, which is a pretty normal MSRP for a reasonably optioned 'Burb. Imagine that.
Side note: they referred to this as a wagon. Which makes sense. 3 rows of seating, 4 doors and a rear cargo hatch (barn doors). Sounds like a wagon.
However, you can see how for the typical middle class family, a minivan made WAAAY more sense than this beast, and frankly, more than a fullsize actual station wagon, too. On the other hand, a minivan of the day would not beat the MPG of this 6.2L Suburban. And by the way, the 6.2L was reliable as far as I know, not like the ill-fated Olds 350 diesel they put in cars. The 6.2 turned into the 6.5 which was eventually turbocharged in the early 90s. The 6.2 and 6.5 were also installed in countless HMMWVs.