Despite the charisma that the Avalanche possesses it’s not enough to hide its flaws like for instance its lack of back seat room, its not so comfortable front seats, and disappointing fuel economy rating.
But then again in spite of the drawbacks that the Avalanche has it also has some admirable features such as:
* Its redesigned looks that share with all of GM’s full-size trucks for 2007 which helps greatly in improving the Avalanche. It is also good that Chevy has finally decided to discontinue the grotesque side cladding which really help in improving the looks of the Avalanche.
* The modified cargo box of the Avalanche has deep, covered side compartments that can hold a lot of beverage containers, groceries, and truck supplies. They have drains so you fill them with ice or use them as coolers. The three-piece hard tonneau cover seals the cargo box, making it as a useful enormous trunk. The signature feature of the Avalanche which pertains to its movable passenger-compartment rear bulkhead enables it to be used for five or six passengers with short box (5 feet, 4 inches) or two or three passengers with long box (or 8 feet, 2 inches).
* And since it’s a new GM truck it was given a premium interior; smooth ride; agile handling, especially for its size. Its additional option and standard features are desirable enough that they can tempt you to overlook drawbacks. For instance: GM’s 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, OnStar emergency calling system, remote-control engine start, and Easy-to-program driver information center. Its smooth, powerful V-8 engine and Easy-to-use four-wheel drive are remarkable as well. That smooth ride is largely because of the Avalanche new design which is based on the new GM SUVs that features the use of comfort-oriented coil springs on the rear suspension, rather than the pickups’ leaf springs.
As mentioned the Avalanche has some flaws and these are as follows:
* Cadillac and some GMC trucks have six-speed boxes, which typically boost fuel economy 5 percent or more vs. four-speeds. On the other hand the Avalanche was given a four-speed automatic transmission which is not as efficient as those of the Cadillac and some other GMC trucks. “Over the next couple of years, you’ll see us switch all our four-speeds to six-speeds as we get more availability,” says Carl Hillenbrand, product manager for the Chevy Silverado pickup, formerly of Avalanche.
* The Avalanche lack rear visibility since its tailgate and cargo box block vision which makes it mandatory for would-be Avalanche owners to purchase the $250 rearview camera.
* Front seats have too much lumbar bump. It can’t be retracted fully unlike in some rival trucks.
* Fuel economy it’s disappointing. No better than any other big truck, 12 or 13 mpg around town, despite of GM’s “active fuel-management” feature. The cylinder cutoff shuts off half the cylinders when they’re not needed for smoothness or power.
* Head restraints are not provided for the middle rear rider making it a potential safety hazard. On the other hand, the safety belt for that slot is mounted to the back of the seat, positioning it low for a youngster in a booster seat.
* The back-seat room is too little, despite the generous 39 inches of legroom GM publishes.
