Avalanche ready to adapt to the occasion

BY BARRY SPYKER
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS

Life is filled with trade-offs. When it comes to a truck, you want extended cargo space. But you need more interior space, extra seating for when the in-laws come to town.

And sometimes it's a cool, breezy ride that you want. And car-like maneuverability.

In other words, you want it all: the ultimate vehicle.

Chevrolet thinks it has what customers have yearned for -- even asked for in a focus group -- with the Avalanche. Chevy even dubbed it the Ultimate Utility Vehicle (UUV), and it is capable of being what you want, when you want it.

"Have you ever thought of putting a trunk pass-through (found in many cars) on a truck," a customer once asked Chevrolet in a focus group. Hmmm.

This is basically a chopped-off Suburban, sharing its chassis and body. The star attraction here is Chevy's -- and this is one of several inventive terms Chevy coined -- Convert-a-Cab system. It uses -- here comes another -- a unique Midgate design which enables owners to switch the vehicle from sport ute to pickup to extended-bed pickup in just a couple of minutes.

Said my son, after we popped out the rear window and folded down the Midgate: "What a great invention! They should make all trucks this way!"

Here, then, is a sampling of the Avalanches versatility:

Driven with everything in place, it offers sport-utility spaciousness and seating for six adults. A 5-foot 3-inch cargo area is enclosed by a three-piece interlocking cargo cover, keeping items safe from view and rain. Individual panels can be removed to secure taller cargo like, say, a dresser.

Lower the Midgate and you have a 8-foot 1-inch bed, long enough to carry 4-by-8 foot sheets of plywood or drywall. Keep them protected from rain by leaving on the cover. Or remove the window and cover for additional cargo.

The conversion, incidentally, is a breeze. Just flip the rear seat cushions forward, fold down the seatbacks, and release a couple of latches to take out the window. You store that right in slots on the Midgate, which then folds down.

For a breezy, wind-in-your-hair ride, take out the window only and open the power sunroof. Chevy borrowed this removable window idea from its 1968 Corvette.

A couple of things in the cargo area I liked: First, there is additional storage for tools and such in lockable top-box compartments on both sides. These compartments also have drains so they can be filled with ice and used as coolers. (That's where the lock comes in handy -- when you're the only one who brought the imported beer to the campsite).

Second, built-in steps at each corner of the rear bumper and grab handles at the top corners of the cargo box make it easy to climb into the cargo area. Standard is a heavy rubber mat to protect the cargo area and prevent boxes and such from sliding around.

The Avalanche is powered by Chevy's Vortec 5300 V8 engine, which produces 285 horsepower at 5,200 r.p.m., and 325 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 r.p.m..

With its peak torque over a broad range of r.p.m., it offers plenty of pulling power. It has an 8,300-pound trailering capacity on two-wheel drive models. For better towing performance, a towing mode on the automatic transmission holds each gear longer.

With all this power and size, the Avalanche's ride and handling are surprisingly car-like. Engine and wind noise are barely worth mentioning. Coil spring rear suspension delivers the comfort of a family car. And it is surprisingly quick, reaching 60 mph in just over eight seconds.

It's extremely tight turning radius enabled me, amazingly, to pull a U-turn at a small neighborhood intersection. Some cars half its size couldnt do that.

Still, a drawback to the Avalanche remains the sheer size of this 18-foot, 5,600-pound behemoth. Negotiating mall parking lots on a busy day could be a challenge. And backing out, especially at night, is another task -- it's hard to see over the high tailgate and cargo cover.

Mileage isn't awful for a truck this size: 14 city, 18 highway. And its 31-gallon tank offers a range of some 500 miles without a pit stop.

Inside, Avalanche is roomy, plenty for heads and legs as you might expect in a big truck. Lumbar support was exceptional. Interior lights are adjustable and can be directed to where they are needed.

Cupholders were big enough even for the big cups, but difficult to reach when the center seatback/console is folded down onto the seat.

The Avalanche, introduced two years ago at the Detroit auto show, began arriving at dealers last summer. It is priced at $30,965 for the two-wheel-drive model and $33,965 for the four-wheel-drive with off-road package.

What remains are two questions: One, will buyers be willing to pay the price? It comes in well over the stickers on it main competition, the king-cab pickups, including its own cousin, the Chevy Silverado.

Second, does anyone really need all this versatility? That, of course, is for you to decide.

Chevrolet says sales -- 80 percent of buyers are expected to be men -- are off to a brisk start. If that's any indication, then the answer to both questions is yes.

January 23, 2002

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