New Avalanche to be More SUV-LikeThe Chevrolet Avalanche has always been a difficult vehicle to classify.
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| Chevrolet Vehicle Line Executive Gary White stands with the new '07 Chevrolet Avalanche at its launch in Chicago. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
It certainly looks like a truck, with an uncovered bed, but there's more to the Avalanche than what initially meets the eye. The thing is, if it were just a truck and nothing more, the Avalanche would be just another Silverado Crew Cab with an extra-short bed. Instead, it is significantly different. It featured a unique nose, when introduced, a lot of black plastic cladding and a very short bed, plus slightly different exterior dimensions, as it is based off of GM's full-size SUV platform. It also has sold well - Chevrolet has shifted over 379,500 of these quasi-pickups since its launch in 2001 - while its customers are amongst the most loyal in the industry according to third party customer retention studies (see automotive news section within this website for January 4, 2004: General Motors Takes First and Last Place in New J. D. Powers Customer Retention Study). Compared to other members of the half-truck, half-SUV segment, the Avalanche makes them all look rather insignificant.
With
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| The Avalanche (foreground) and its MT-900 siblings, the Chevrolet Tahoe (mid position), and full-size Suburban (background). (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
numbers like these, and the fact that out of all open-back SUVs there's none as work-oriented as the Avalanche, there was no question whether GM should update it along with its 2007 full-size SUV lineup, or not. Therefore, the new model puts more emphasis on the SUV portion of the equation than in the previous version, as this latest Avalanche is built on General Motors' refined MT-900 platform, which, for those who aren't familiar with code names, is the full-size SUV chassis that the new Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade ride on. This means that the Avalanche shares its nose with the Tahoe and Suburban, and will ride and handle far better than the vehicle that it replaces. The '07 Avalanche will also receive GM's StabiliTrak stability control system with Rollover Mitigation to help keep it shiny side up.
You'll need to keep a tape measure handy in order to find the
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| Avalanche's bed is now larger, without sacrificing class-leading interior volume. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
differences in exterior dimensions between the old Avalanche and the new one, as they are minimal, although there have been a few changes in back to improve the bed's usability. While the vehicle itself is full-size, dwarfing three-quarters size trucks like the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma, much of the space has been put towards improving interior roominess - one of the prime reasons the Avalanche is so successful. A 51-mm (2.0-inch) stretch of the bed brings its length up to 1.6 metres (5 feet, 3 inches), though, this can be dramatically improved by flipping down the Midgate, a bed/cabin divider which allows access from the bed to the interior and vice versa. With the Midgate in a lowered position, the Avalanche can carry items as long as 2.5 metres (8 feet, 2 inches) with the tailgate upright.
As
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| Despite its truck-like appearance, the Avalanche is an SUV at heart. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
with the previous model, the Avalanche will be available in a variety of trim levels, from the base LS to the leather 'n wood LTZ, but it will no longer be offered in separate half-ton and three-quarter-ton models. This should make little difference, however, as the Avalanche can still haul and tow almost as well as regular blue-collared pickups. Those with boats, trailers and other heavy objects on wheels should be happy to know that 2WD Avalanches can tow up to a maximum of 8,000 lbs (3,629 kg), while models equipped with 4WD can tow a substantial 7,800 lbs (3,538 kg). Also available will be the Z71 off-road package which includes stiffer springs and dampers.
