2002 Chevrolet Avalanche

With so much waving of the red, white and blue these days, it’s only fitting we should salute a modern symbol of American ingenuity. That’s precisely what you have in the Chevrolet Avalanche. The challenge was how to fulfill the need for a full-sized pickup that carries six passengers and hauls 8-foot long loads, but is more compact than the average four-door truck.

Chevy found its answer in this brand new, wild-looking, sport utility/pickup hybrid Avalanche -- sort of.

I say “sort of” because, although it accomplishes all the aforementioned tasks, it only does so one at a time. You either haul six people (or five if you have front buckets) or you haul 8-foot loads.

But, regardless of which one you happen to be hauling at the time, you look very cool in this Avalanche.

The Good News
Those who have the pleasure of attending auto shows or studying any of the car magazines will recognize this bold design as something plucked right out of the concept file. Its pumped-up, beefy lines contrasted with clean, sharp angles reflect many of the futuristic truck designs trotted out in recent years. Flying buttresses connecting cabin to bed not only add flare, but strength as well. It certainly doesn’t look like any pickup currently out there.

Its raison d’etre also comes from the crystal ball. “Convertibility” has been an industry buzzword that comes to life in this Avalanche. With the “midgate” panel at the center of the truck in the upright position, this is a plush, leather-lined, roomy, five- or six-passenger pickup/sport utility with a slightly stunted bed. The walls of that cargo bed include built-ins for coolers, and a handy-dandy three-section hard bed cover locks into the tailgate to protect rear cargo.

Fold down the rear seat, then flop the midgate down on top of it and you now have a full, flat cargo bed that extends into the cabin for those 8-foot loads.

You also now have an opening in the back of the truck, but that’s not the problem you might think. Those buttresses also divert the airflow such that, unless you’re running flat out on the interstate, wind and noise is minimal.

You can also leave the rear window in place or take it out. It’s not attached to the midgate, but to a horizontal crossbar that can be left in place or folded with the midgate. There is also storage for the glass on the midgate.

Got all this?

What’s interesting is the Avalanche uses not the Silverado pickup for its base, but the Suburban. It needed the one-piece construction, versus the cabin/bed pickup split configuration.

Its Suburban roots offer plusses on the drivability side with a more solid structure. The Avalanche may look somewhat awkward and intimidating, but it handles remarkably well. Inside, you feel like you’re in a Suburban. Unless, of course, the back is wide open.

Powered by the 5.3-liter 285-horse V-8 with 325 foot pounds of torque on tap, the Avalanche has no problem getting around either. Mine was the Z71 off-road model, which includes locking rear differential, skid shields, tuned shocks and springs and 17-inch aluminum wheels with burly tires. Oh, and “aggressive floor mats with yellow Chevy bowtie.”

GM’s OnStar communication system was also part of this package, as was optional power seats. Quite the fancy outfit.

The Bad News
Although the Avalanche’s forward design and quick-change act has its appeal, it still isn’t everything to everybody. The fact that you have either/or on the passengers/cargo equation is a drawback, as is the open back.

You don’t have the easy cargo accessibility a sport utility offers, nor do you have the usual truck bed separation from the cabin you want when hauling sand, dirt or other yucky stuff.

But perhaps the biggest disappointment is the Avalanche is only a couple of feet shorter than a regular full-size, four-door pickup.

Gas mileage
EPA rated at 13 mpg city/17 highway

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $33,245;
Price as tested, $37,951

Is it worth it?
The Avalanche is the first vehicle I’ve ever seen with an official window sticker that listed “clever/adaptable features.”

In this category, this Chevy Avalanche definitely takes top prize. You can even buy an aftermarket tent that fits over the back for weekends not-so-roughing it.

Right now, I see this vehicle as a novelty: a novelty that has its ingenious practical points, but a novelty nonetheless.

If you were one of those kids who had to be first on the block with the latest gadget, the Avalanche is perfect for you. It’s a head turner, a conversation starter and a way to haul mulch and the whole family in great comfort.

But, fortunately in this case, not at the same time.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville’s daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.