I just dont understand the point of the avalanche...they have crewcab/king cab whatever chevy calls their 4 door trucks...so why do they need an avalanche? Easy they dont

 

The last Avalanche sold amazingly well . This normal looking one oughta go off the charts , even I like this one . I hated the cladding , there was just too much going on with the last avalanche .

 

There's a virtual laundry list of the advantages of the Avalanche vs a crew cab pickup.

A few are:

1) You get the smooth ride of the Suburban suspension rather than the leaf spring truck suspension.

2) You get a full 4-door cabin, but can also have a full 8 foot bed, thanks to the mid-gate. It's no "gimmick". It's a great idea! So, you have all the advantage of the crew cab cabin size and a small bed, or you can put the mid-gate down and have a full size pickup bed that can carry 4x8 plywood... with the gate up.

3) The bed is lockable.

4) Nice side storage in the bed area.

Honestly, I think the mid-gate has been the most ingenius thing to happen to trucks in some time. You get the best of both worlds in one truck.

 

I know the Honda Ridgeline had design cues off the Avalanche, but the new Avalanche has a lot more Ridgeline to it now..I don't like it from the pics. Fugly comes to mind. But it could change when I see one in person maybe?

 

I like it. The cladding I thought was nasty on the old ones. THis is a welcome sight.

 

Well it is kind of funny because the Avalanche is really an opened up version of the Suburban. The '03+ GMT800 Suburban in Mexico had the newer Silverado front just like the "naked" Avalanche. So really it is no different that the relationship the two had last generation. (at least in Mexico)

Darth I like the First Avalanche too, but only really the front end, I don't like the Squared off wheel wells, that was my only complaint about the original.

I would have liked to see the Avalanche get a meaner front end, but then that would be 3 or 4 different fron't just for the Chevy 900's and since the Tahoe front looks so good, maybe it's not worth the risk of getting a less attractive front end.

 

Interesting, I didn't know the avalanche was on the suburban platform

 

I was under the impression that the Suburban and Tahoe platform were pretty close to identical. Just an extended version of the same frame?

I know (or at least think I know) that the Silverado for some reason while still based on the same architecture, had something like 8 or 9 cross-members while the Tahoe/Sub only had 5 cross-members. I never could figure out why they bothered to differentiate? Seems to me they should have just used the stiffer frame design all the way across the line?

I was thinking this as well. The Ridgeline immitated the Avalanche in some ways but the Avalanche, if anything, seems to have immitated the design cues in the Ridgeline that were unique to the Ridgeline.

I mean I realize that by the time the Ridgeline came out the Avalanche's looks were probably 95% finalized inside GM corporate anyway, but still, that's unfortunate for GM.

 

I am perplexed as to how the new Avalanche could "steal" the Ridgeline look, when most think the Ridgeline borrowed the Avalanche's look to begin with.

On top of that... the new Avalanche is pretty much a new Suburban with the back area changed.... no one compared the Suburban/Tahoe to the Ridgeline as far as looks go...

Add to that the "flying butress" area looks to be a carryover from the old model, and you have the new Tahoe/Suburban look that noone said looked like a Ridgeline, and the carryover old Avalanche section that noone said was a Ridgeline rip-off (since it was out first obviously)

 

The new Avalanche took 0% of its look from the Ridgeline. Every thing they share was from the 1st gen Avalanche too. Honda still has those ugly sloped bed rails and the tailgate that doesn't even go to the top of the bed, whats up with that?

 

It looks ok....never really been a favorite car of mine in the first place....

 

Don't argue with Honda, it must be perfect.

I don't see how anyone can say it took anything from the Ridgeline or even looks like it.

 

As a current "naked" Avalanche owner, this new Av is no big surprise.. Overall looks are very similar, apart from the obvious new frontend.

The fender flairs are differnet with the new one with rounded flairs, and mine are kinda more squarish. (but not as drastic as the ones with the cladding)

Also, that line body line in the rear fender is new.

I like the body colored match beltline strip on the doors.. and the body colored front bumper is nice too.

and those wheels look much bigger.

I can't tell if the windshield is raked more or not. I assume it would be.\

And maybe its just the picture.. but the plastic for the buttress and the saddle bags looks nicer.

I'd like to see the interior on a base model.. It will be tempting to do a trade in.

 

As an Av owner, I can comment on this.. The adv's Darth stated.. however, there are some things you want to be aware off.

There are "gutters" on the side of the bed.. They are made out of some flexable rubber/plastic material. they are to catch any water that made it past the panels and channel them away. They can take some abuse, but wouldn't want inadvertantly rip one off.

Also with the midgate, means there is another rubber seal.. and more water channels out back. Don't have any problems with them.. but, its another rubber seal and water channel.

So for example, hauling dirt and gravel is totally doable.. But you may want to be a little more careful during loadng and unloading.. For example, dumping gravel with one of those small bulldozers into the bed, you want ot make sure it doesn't fall completely on the gutters. Also, after you unload it, you may want to check out the water channels in the back.

Therefore, if I was doing alot of _serious_ raw material dumping and undumping on a regular basis, I'd get a traditional pickup truck (gutters and water channels).. or perhaps if you got hunting alot, and just take the whole carcass literaly toss it in the back (gutters).. i would consider either way.

That said, we love our Av.. we've moved plenty of stuff, ours and friends.. go camping with all our stuff in it.. hauled odd/dirty things around in the back with the midgate down or up.. Go on all our extended roadtrips with it.. Fit 6 adults inside (bench front) passed alot of cars in our pathetic portland 1 day of snow lol.. and on a great day, for a change, its nice to roll down all the windows completely down, and take off the panels, and drop the midgate and glass and go cruising. In the near future, it shall tow my Camaro to the local tracks on an open trailer..

even my fancy lad friend (drives an Audi and Elise, and family drives BMW and MB) after borrowing it for a week, admitted that it was a much much nicer, quieter, and comfortable truck than he originally assumed it was before driving it... approaching some of the lux cars he's drove when it comes to comfort and quietness (and he hates all SUV's/Trucks)

 

I love my dads Avalanche, the ride is so much smoother than a P/U and it will still fit my bike in the back and make a 3hr trip home with it comfortable. I would rather have it than a P/U because of the locking tailgate and hard tonneau covers, side storage. It is the perfect vehicle for camping!