2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LT - 2007 4x4 Of The Year

Back in 2002 Chevy introduced a Suburban with the roof cut off behind the second row of seats and christened it the Avalanche, and many people gave it a funny look. It was outfitted with a supple coil-link rear suspension, handy little storage cubbies, and a bed that changed from seating to hauling space for whatever supplies your home project may require. But for some reason it was also clad in acres of extraneous plastic panels. A year or so later General Motors brought in a new head of design and the plastic got canned and more and more people started considering the Avy for everything from daily driver to weekend tow rig. Some magazine guys even built one into a serious off-road machine. This year GM has totally redesigned the Avalanche starting with the new stouter truck frame that results in nary a bit of flex, save what the suspension offers. Our group of judges was not the least bit impressed with the bass-boat-flec-esque Bermuda Blue metallic paint job that changes from green to blue depending on angle, or the crop dusting front bumper that is standard issue on all of GM entries this year save the H3. But the ride quality was one of the highest ranking in the test both on the asphalt and in the high-speed desert runs. In fact even with the anemic 5.3L the Avalanche had certain judges daydreaming that they were leading the pack in Baja since it was soaking up ruts that had other contenders running 10 or 20 mph slower. Unfortunately the previous 8.1L 2500 option isn't returning though we wouldn't doubt the 6.0 would be a better choice if you're building a desert bomber (of course we don't know many folks turning a $47,000 new 4x4 into their play toy, but we're sure you're out there). The bed-to-back-seat folding midgate makes the Avalanche an awesome camping truck, where you can roll out a sleeping bag yet still be protected under the factory tonneau cover. In the end this truck was voted high for the truck you want to drive across country, but not so high for wheeling with when you get there.

Verdict
Espensive comfortable prerunner

Metallic Exterior premium paint, Avalanche LT3 equipment group (leather seats, power-heated front seats, power adjustable pedals, remote vehicle starter, AM/FM stereo with MP3, six-disc CD/DVD changer, Bose premium speakers, XM satellite radio, rear parking-assist camera, outside power folding mirrors with auto dimming and turn signals, universal home remote, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, Ebony/Light Titanium interior color, rain-sensing wipers, electric sliding sunroof, rear-seat entertainment system, luggage rack and crossbars), Z71 Off-Road Package (high-capacity air cleaner, locking rear differential, tubular assist steps, recovery hooks)