Review Car

2011 Chevy Avalanche

The 2011 Chevy Avalanche is essentially a modified Chevrolet Suburban; the two vehicles share fully 85 percent of their parts. So like the Suburban, the Avalanche is built on the same superb platform as the Silverado pickup. One thing that surprises many people is the size of the Avalanche.

It doesn't look that big in photos, but it's big, three inches longer than a Suburban. Yet it feels tight and surprisingly nimble on mountain roads. GM's engineers created the Avalanche by lopping off the rear roof structure and quarter windows of a Suburban, and redesigning the back end. When the Avalanche's rear seats are in place, there's a 5-foot 3-inch bed, which is long enough for most tasks. When that's not enough it converts into an 8-foot bed by taking over the rear seats.

The edgy front styling of last year's 2011 Chevy Avalanche gave it a unique look among Chevrolet's full-size light trucks. For it has applied the same look to the Silverado pickup (but not the Suburban and Tahoe), so The 2011 Avalanche doesn't look quite as different as it did before.

However, the Avalanche is still distinguished from the Silverado by its more exaggerated fender flairs, and by its extensive body cladding. Most of the interior features of a well-trimmed Suburban are found in the Avalanche. That means a comfortable cabin for passengers and good ergonomic design for the driver. The seats in the Avalanche are identical to the first two rows in the Suburban.

The 2011 2011 Chevy Avalanche comes with a coffee warmer, and the ultimate in sun visors. Map lights are available; in fact, Chevrolet has provided generous illumination throughout the cabin. Flush-mounted cargo lights in the bed rate very high on our coolness scale and can make a big difference when loading cargo at night. Of course, the most interesting feature on The 2011 Chevy Avalanche is the Midgate, which allows the Avalanche to convert from a five- or six-seat SUV with a 5-foot, 3-inch cargo box, to a two- or three-passenger pickup truck with an 8-foot, 1-inch box.

But there's more: The rear window of the cab can be quickly removed and stored out of harm's way. The bed cover comes off in three pieces and slides into a nice fabric bag; these pieces attach to the side of the bed to minimize the space they take up. Now you have a fully functional pickup with an open eight-foot bed. You can park an ATV in back, with the front tires and fenders where the rear seat was moments before. Of course, this results in an open-air driving experience; there's nothing separating you from the open pickup bed. Alternatively, you can fold down the rear seats but leave the Midgate in place, which leaves cargo space inside the cab; there's nearly 54 cubic feet of interior cargo volume with the rear seat folded and Midgate in place. 2011 Chevy Avalanche includes power-adjustable pedals, which move up to 3 inches closer to the driver.

That's a real boon for the vertically challenged, who won't have to sit as close to the steering wheel (and air bag) in order to reach the pedals. The adjustable pedals have a memory function, making it more convenient for mixed-height couples to share the same truck.

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