About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

The Avalanche is Chevy's sport utility truck, a cross between a truck and an SUV, delivering pretty much the same comfort you'd expect from a car. The Avalanche takes corners with ease and glides across most paved roads without a bump.

Pros

• Offers a comfortable, car-like ride
• Creature comforts comparable with those found in luxury cars

Cons

• Wide rear roof pillars create blind spots
• More expensive than a typical pickup truck

Description

• Removable Midgate between the cab and bed for hauling longer cargo when no passengers are in the rear seat
• 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty, 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty
• Pricing starts at $35,460 for the 2WD LS model and escalates to $46,700 for a 4WD LTZ truck
• Fuel economy: 14 city / 20 highway for Avalanche trucks with the 5.3L engine; 14 city / 19 highway for the 6L engine

Guide Review - 2009 Chevy Avalanche Review

Chevy's Avalanche went through a major redesign in 2007, shedding its old plastic body cladding to reveal a brand new, sleeker and cleaner vehicle. Since then, the sport utility truck has remained pretty much unchanged, with a few enhancements added each year.

Inside the Avalanche, a power adjustable seat and foot pedals make it easy to get comfortable. Overall, visibility is good, but the truck's wide rear roof pillars do create blind spots, a problem that's minimized by the truck's large outside mirrors.

My Avalanche exhibited strong acceleration whenever it was needed, on a hill or a straightaway.

I was impressed by the positive feel of its anti-lock brakes. A button on the end of the shift lever made it a snap to change the transmission's programming in order to minimize the irritating up and down shifting that usually occurs during towing and hauling.

A 5.3L V-8 engine with GM's Active Fuel Management (AFM) is standard equipment. AFM monitors driving conditions and switches the engine from 8-cylinder to 4-cylinder operation when extra power isn't needed. The engine replaces the 5.3L aluminum block V-8 used in early-model-year 4WD Avalanches.

A new six-speed automatic transmission helps improve the 2009 truck's fuel economy. A 3.08 ratio rear axle is standard on 2WD models, and allows the engine to turn at slower rpms for even more miles per gallon.

Three Avalanche models are available for 2009: the (basic) LS, the (midrange) LT and a (more feature-rich) LTZ. All can be configured as 2WD or 4WD sport utility trucks.

The Z71 package returns in 2009, along with its off-road suspension (including gas-charged shocks), an automatic-locking differential, front recovery hooks, skid plate and high-capacity air cleaner. Z71s are easy to recognize by their unique exterior looks -- color-keyed wheel flares, a bolder front fascia, chrome grille insert and chrome tubular assist steps. Look in the window and you'll see leather bucket seats.

Opt for the high capacity cooling system and a 3.42 ratio rear axle if you want to achieve Avalanche's maximum towing capability of 8,100 pounds.

Other 2009 tweaks involve creature comforts, like heated and cooled 12-way power seats and a Bose surround-sound stereo on LTZ models. A rear back-up camera is available, and it doesn't need a nav system to operate. New 20-inch chrome wheels round out the 2009 Avalanche updates.

The full review link takes you to a 2007 road test. Add in 2008 and 2009 basic updates and you'll find that today's trucks are essentially the same.

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