Still in house-moving mode for the second week with many more likely to come. So another pickup truck request and the Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ 2012 assigned. Didn’t know Chevrolet still made the Avalanche—thought it’d been killed a while back.
Dozens and dozens of times I’ve expressed my love for the full-size pickup, and this (actually the Silverado but this is cool, too) along with the Ford F-150 are my two favorites.
I’m always impressed with how refined the automakers have made these full-time pickups. The view of the road is commanding, the seats are comfortable, and the power is good. Additionally the steering is good for a truck (decent steering in a truck!) as is the ride. Of course, the rock-solid chassis makes for refined and comfy highway cruiser.
As for moving with the Avalanche, it did a fine job once I removed the bed cover (actually there are three individual ones) and stowed it (them) in the garage for the weekend.
I didn’t mess with the midgate—didn’t need to.
These Avalanches will be collectors’ items one day. Mark my words.
NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: I like the looks, power and confidence of this beast, and like Wes, I didn’t realize Chevy still made it. I’ll start with the aesthetics. The Avalanche appears clean, has simple yet strong sheetmetal, and the cabin is well laid-out and comfortable. It made for an excellent environment on a stormy, dim morning punctuated by flashes of lightning. With the widows partially open and the radio up, it was an energetic, airy experience as I made my way into work, looking over nearly everything else on the road.
The power is decent, though this rig weighs nearly three tons, and there is bit of lag when stomping on the throttle. It’s capable, however, and not slow or lackadaisical. With the elevated ride height and big wheels, I was grateful to be piloting this thing when coming upon a huge puddle of standing water at speed on the expressway. I did the only thing I could: grip the steering wheel and plow through unscathed. Really glad I wasn’t in our long-term Fiat 500 C.
Additionally, the Avalanche is reasonable to maneuver (I know, I found myself in a close-cornered parking area and had to ease out of it with multiple turns), and the suspension is plenty comfy. The price tag is a bit high, but you get a ton—nearly three tons, actually—of machine.
This is an interesting option instead of a full-size truck if you are looking for more of a utility vehicle rather than brute pickup power.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: Unlike my colleagues, I was all too aware that one of my favorite Swiss Army trucks was going away—and it does pain me to some extent. The Avalanche has always been the maximum do-everything vehicle, with its big crew cabin, midgate functionality, and weather-tight truck bed. There’s something to be said for being able to load up a truck bed full of dry stuff and not have to worry about any of it getting wet should a sudden squall pop up on your route to your campsite or hunting spot. And then there’s the ability to extend that climate-controlled space right into the cabin of the truck by flipping down the midgate.
On the other hand--there’s always that, isn’t there?—the Avalanche’s days have been numbered since crew cab pickups took center stage in the marketplace, and truck caps became vastly improved in terms of security and weather-tightness. Why spend the extra bucks on the complex midgate when you can get nearly the same level of utility out of your crew cab pickup?
My experience over a long weekend with the Avalanche bore that out. Despite a wide range of activities, from a river canoeing and biking trip to a family drive to a ball game and fireworks show to around town errands, I never once felt the need to exercise the midgate. I did appreciate the secure truck bed storage, but it was the roof rack and trailer hitch that provided most of the utility I needed—and those are fairly standard options on most pickup trucks. We strapped a canoe to the roof, hung bikes on a trailer hitch rack and carried most everything else we needed inside the crew cab and in the truck bed. No problem, but not something that we couldn’t have handled with a pickup, or even a reasonably equipped crossover or SUV.
The Avalanche, like all Chevy big trucks, is a solid over-the-road machine, smooth and steady in the lane, but also very capable when the road turns to sand and gravel. No worries.
Over its 11 ½ years on the market, Chevy has sold a total of 595,000 Avalanches, with the high water mark of 93,000 way back in 2003. Sales have barely broken 20,000 per year since 2009, which doesn’t make it worth the trouble, especially when you consider that Chevy sold 33,000 Silverados in June alone.
Adios, Avalanche. We loved you back in the day, but that day has passed.
Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ 2012
Base Price: $51,300
As-Tested Price: $53,715
Drivetrain: 5.3-liter V8; 4WD, six-speed automatic
Output: 320 hp @ 5,400 rpm, 335 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 5,803 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 17/17.2 mpg
Options: Sun and entertainment package including rear-seat entertainment system, additional 9 months of XM radio and Navtraffic, power sunroof ($2,435), heavy-duty cooling package including engine oil cooling system, transmission oil cooler ($230), trailer brake controller ($200)
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20121004/carreviews/121009930#ixzz2CNP2INZx
