Bergey's Chevrolet - Colmar

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Driving Impressions

The ride and handling of the Chevy Avalanche is quite remarkable, and a big advance over the first generation, which wasn't bad. The Avalanche feels tight, stable, and lighter than it really is. It benefits from a revised front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and a fully boxed frame that gives the suspension a more solid base from which to manage ride dynamics. It all works.

Steering is more crisp than casual, precise by truck standards and nicely weighted. Body lean in corners is there but well controlled. The Autoride suspension (LTZ and LT with 6-liter) uses variable shock damping to smooth out rough roads without any loss in tire contact, and adds air-assisted load leveling so the headlights don't blind oncoming traffic with 1,000 pounds of cement in the back. Some say it helps with trailer leveling, but anything that drops the hitch more than an inch or two probably deserves a weight distributing hitch.

The brake pedal feels firm and delivers controlled stops. The ABS can still be felt through the pedal, as it should, but the feeling the brake pedal wants to push you through the back window or earlier models is gone.

There's less wind buffeting in the open-air configuration with the Midgate down than you'd expect because of careful shaping of the roof and buttresses.

Most of the Avalanche's visible bed structure is not steel and the hard surfaces resist dents and dings; rust isn't likely to be an issue as it is in most pickups. Maximum payloads are in the 1320- to 1350-pound range; don't forget this includes passengers.

Tow ratings for the 2009 Avalanche are 8,100 pounds for 2WD, 7,900 pounds for four-wheel drive (again, these apply to an unloaded truck). With the 130-inch wheelbase of a Suburban and near those of crew cab/short-bed pickups, the Avalanche makes a stable tow platform and the hitch is standard. We'd strongly consider the added cooling and integrated brake controller options because sooner or later someone will ask you to tow something.

The engines deliver adequate acceleration, very linear after initial launch which comes on quite quickly for even light-footed pedal application. Even the optional 366-hp 6.0-liter might sound like a lot but don't forget it has a lot of weight to haul around (a 4WD Avalanche 5.3 has about the same number of pounds per horsepower to haul around as some four-cylinder sedans) so don't expect it to be fast.

The new six-speed automatic transmission helps get the Avalanche going easier and keep the engine at the necessary speed better, but taller axle ratios offset acceleration and it still doesn't respond as quickly for more power as do many imported vehicle automatics. The transmission has a tow/haul mode for towing more than 2500-3000 pounds, and a manual gear selection toggle that is not active until you move the shift lever to M.

The standard Avalanche engine is a 5.3-liter iron-block V8 is rated 310 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque; E85 versions are available at no added cost.

The L76 aluminum-block 6.0-liter V8 is optional for LT and LTZ models with 2WD or 4WD, rated 366 horsepower at a lofty 5800 rpm and 376 pound-feet of torque at 4400 rpm. It is not flex-fuel capable.

All engines feature Active Fuel Management, which electronically shuts off four of the eight cylinders when they are not needed. A good idea in theory, but a truck as heavy as the Avalanche needs all eight cylinders nearly all of the time. In our test time with the Avalanche we covered around 300 miles, about evenly between interstate and local surface streets; and the telltale in the dash information display indicating cylinder de-activation appeared only on downhill grades or while coasting, most often to a stop. And this was without ever towing anything, or hauling anything heavier than a week's groceries. Running entirely on gasoline (we had no access to ethanol, our 4WD Avalanche averaged 14.4 mpg.

EPA fuel economy estimates are 14/20 mpg City/Highway for the 5.3-liter engine and 14/19 mpg for the 6.0-liter.

Parking this big truck is aided by the optional rearview camera. We have used the rearview camera for parallel parking, trailer hitching and other maneuvers in tight quarters and can attest to its value. It's convenient and safer, helping alert the driver to the presence of a child or adult behind the truck. You can maneuver the tow hitch ball precisely below the trailer tongue, which is a great feature when hooking up a trailer.

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