i love the new avalanche, but i saw a new escalade ext the other day and just about died, it was beautiful.

 

At the press intro for the 'lanche that I attended at the Chicago show in February, it was said that the 6.0L motor would be coming "later this year" - in the 4th quarter, I believe. GM stated that it will be paired with the 4L70E, and there was no mention of a 6-speed auto.

The Z71 package will supposedly also show up before the end of the year, which will include a front bumper that might allow enough front-end clearance to allow traversing a parking-lot curb without dragging parts.