The most interesting feature on the Avalanche is the Midgate, which converts this five-passenger SUT with 5-foot bed into a two-passenger pickup truck with an 8-foot box. The Midgate works similarly to a folding rear seat in a wagon or SUV. Flipping the seat bottoms forward and folding the seat backs down, and then folding down the Midgate, provides flat cargo space and access to the cargo bay behind. Instead of carpet, however, 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 cab can be quickly removed and stored out of harm's way. The bed cover comes off in three pieces and slides into a nice fabric bag; these pieces attach to the side of the bed to minimize the space they take up. Now you have a fully functional pickup with an open eight-foot bed. You can park an ATV in back, with the front tires and fenders where the rear seat was moments before. Of course, this results in an open-air driving experience; there's nothing separating you from 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 a wind tunnel, and with a pair of flying buttresses that also add structural rigidity and can be used as tie-downs. Alternatively, you can fold down the rear seats but leave the Midgate in place, which creates cargo space inside the cab; there's nearly 54 cubic feet of interior cargo volume with the rear seat folded and Midgate in place. The Avalanche is an impressive-looking concept vehicle that made it all the way to production. One thing that surprises many people is the size of the Avalanche. It doesn't look that big in photos, but it's big, almost three inches longer than a Suburban. Yet the Avalanche feels tight and surprisingly nimble on mountain roads. The Avalanche is essentially a modified Suburban; they share about 85 percent of their parts. Like the Suburban, the Avalanche is built on the same superb platform as the Silverado pickup. 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 Avalanche's rear seats are in place, there's a 5-foot 3-inch bed, which is long enough for most tasks. When that's not enough it converts into an 8-foot bed by taking over the rear seats. The bed is protected by a well-designed lockable cover rated to support 250 pounds. You can walk all over it, and the cover keeps your cargo dry, clean, and safe from thieves. 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 wet wall. The Midgate, tailgate and portions of the cargo box are made from a composite material called PRO-TEC. This 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. These compartments have drains, so they can be filled with ice and used as coolers. The Avalanche led the way for Chevy's edgy new truck styling, which was picked up by the Silverado for 2003. Still unique to the Avalanche is its extensive lower body cladding, made of a dark charcoal-colored, practically bullet-proof composite that should protect the rocker panels from years of flying gravel. Still, some folks didn't like the hyper-testosteroid look of the cladding, so it can be deleted (on 1500 models) for a $600 credit. The Avalanche looks cleaner, if a bit plainer, without it. We recently glanced at a clean, black Avalanche without the cladding and for a moment mistook it for a Cadillac Escalade EXT, the upscale sibling.
Most of the interior features of a well-trimmed Suburban are found in the Avalanche. That means a comfortable cabin for passengers and good ergonomic design for the driver. The seats in the Avalanche are identical to the first two rows in the Suburban. The Avalanche comes with a coffee warmer, and the ultimate in sun visors. Map lights are provided and there is generous illumination throughout the cabin. Flush-mounted cargo lights in the bed rate can make a big difference when loading cargo at night. Multi-zone manual climate control is standard on all models. So are dual-level air bags with an automatic passenger-sensing system. An automatic battery-protection system shuts off the lights 10 minutes after you turn off the ignition. The Avalanche comes with a six-speaker CD stereo and you can get premium Bose speakers and a six-CD changer. XM Satellite Radio is great to have when traveling because the stations don't change as you drive across the country. It's nice to have around town for listening to the 24-hour news and sports broadcasts, comedy clubs, or for staying tuned into your preferred type of music (country & western, classical, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, whatever). The optional rear-seat video system includes a DVD player with a flip-down screen to keep munchkins entertained on long journeys. It comes with two sets of wireless headphones, auxiliary audio/video jacks, a remote game plug-in, separate audio controls for the rear compartment, and a mute button. OnStar works well as a navigation system because there's nothing to program. Press the button and a human operator responds, to provide directions and other assistance. OnStar always knows the location of your vehicle. The staff will notify authorities of your location if your airbag goes off and you do not respond to their calls. Or you can press the emergency button and they'll send out the troops. They can unlock your doors if you lock the keys inside. They can direct you to the nearest gas station or help find a good restaurant or motel. If your vehicle is stolen, OnStar can pinpoint its location and direct the authorities to apprehend and recover. Power-adjustable pedals move up to 3 inches closer to the driver. That's a real boon for the vertically challenged, who won't have to sit as close to the steering wheel (and air bag) in order to reach the pedals. The adjustable pedals also have a memory function, making it more convenient for mixed-height couples to share the same truck. Dual air bags incorporate a smart system that measures the weight in the front passenger seat, as well as seat-belt tension, and automatically de-activates the air bag if a small child is sitting there. The bag re-arms when an adult sits in the seat. A dual-level inflation system expands the bags less forcefully in a less-severe impact. Dual side-impact airbags ($350) are optional. LATCH child-seat anchors are provided in the front passenger seat, and in the center and passenger-side positions of the rear seat. |
