The Avalanche is essentially a modified Chevy Suburban. Fully 85 percent of its parts are the same. GM's engineers created the Avalanche by lopping off the rear roof structure and quarter windows of a Suburban, and redesigning the back end. When the rear seats are in place, there's a 5-foot 3-inch bed - long enough for most tasks. It's built on the same superb platform as the Chevy Silverado.The Avalanche comes standard with a lockable hard bed cover rated to support 250 pounds. You can walk all over it. Fold the midgate down and you can fill the bed with drywall, close the tailgate, and drive home in a downpour without any fear of seeing your drywall turn into wetwall. PRO-TEC composite material is used for midgate, tailgate and portions of cargo box. The composite material is exceptionally durable, and resists dings, scratches and dents. Two Top-Box Storage compartments on either side of the cargo box provide a combined 3.5 cubic feet of lockable storage space; the compartments have drains, so they can be filled with ice and used as coolers. The Avalanche is the first to feature Chevrolet's edgy styling for upcoming full-size pickups and SUVs, starting with the 2003 Silverado. Another styling element that distinguishes the 2002 Avalanche is its extensive use of body cladding. The cladding does serve a purpose: it is a composite material that's tough as iron and is impervious to flying gravel. Standard wheels are 16-inch cast aluminum; 17-inch wheels are optional. Two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models use the same suspensions and have the same ground clearance.
Inside, the Avalanche offers many of the interior benefits and features of a well-trimmed Suburban. That means a comfortable cabin for passengers and good ergonomic design for the driver. Interior lighting is implemented throughout the cabin with flush-mounted cargo lights in the bed. Climate control is optional. The most interesting feature is, of course, the Midgate. It allows the Avalanche to switch from a Suburban-like vehicle with comfortable seating for up to six people with a 5-foot, 3-inch cargo box to a three-passenger pickup truck with an 8-foot, 1-inch box. The midgate works just like a folding rear seat in a sedan or SUV: Folding it up reveals a nice, comfortable bench seat. Folding it down provides flat cargo space and access to the back. Instead of carpet, the midgate is backed with a tough composite material impervious to gravel or anything else you can throw at it. But there's more: the rear window of the crew cab can be quickly removed and stored out of harm's way under the midgate. Remove the bed cover, which is divided into three pieces, slide it into a nice fabric bag that's provided and store it along the bed; it attaches to the side to minimize the space it takes up. Now you have a fully functional pickup with an eight-foot bed. You can park an ATV in back, with the fenders where the rear seat was moments before. This, of course, results in an open-air driving experience; there's nothing separating you and the open pickup bed. But wind noise is minimal, with no buffeting. Only a slight breeze reminds you that your ATV is sitting on the back seat. GM engineers achieved this through extensive tuning in the wind tunnel and a pair of flying buttresses that add structural rigidity to the truck and can be used as tie-downs. Seats in the Avalanche are identical to the first two rows in the Suburban. Avalanche comes with a coffee warmer, available map lights, and the ultimate in sun visors. The rear seats can also be folded down for cargo space inside the cab; there's nearly 54 cubic feet of interior cargo volume with the midgate up and rear seat folded. |
