Review of 2007 Chevy Avalanche

[jomo]

Having just compared the 2007 Avalanche to the Honda Ridgeline, and ended up purchasing the Avalanche, I've decided to right a review/comparo of the two based on my limited time with them. This is the first time I've really done something like this, so bear with me.

I have been in the market for a secondary vehicle for about three years, or
since the week after I payed off the loan on my primary vehicle, a 2001
Mercury Cougar V6. I'd like to start off by saying that I am the principle
demographic Honda was chasing with the Ridgeline: Relatively Young, somewhat affluent, and not a "truck-person". I do not wish to offend my fellow Americans here at GMI, but I do find myself occasionally scratching my head when I see one of my co-workers using a dually for his "daily-driver". Ie not for construction/hauling type work.

When I put together the list of specs (guess what, I'm an engineer!) for my
new ride, I realized that a cute-ute or minivan just wasn't going to cut it.

Needs:

4WD
Tow-Rating: 5000lbs or greater
Fuel Economy: 20mpg or better.
Seating: 4-6 Adults
Reliability: High

I don't have a house to hang sheet-rock in,
so a large bed wasn't essential,
but I considered it a plus.

I will flat out admit to screaming in impotent frustration at every truck-driving, left-lane vigilante creeping slowly up the onramp into rush hour traffic. I will admit to cutting around just about every truck in eastern Maryland at one time or another. Honestly, I never really got the truck thing. I like my vehicles to handle well, corner hard, and stop on a dime. And trucks have always seemed to me to be the exact opposite of all of that. And, darn me, Honda-hater that I am, I was honestly, really tempted to get the Ridgeline since everyone talked about how "car-like" it was, and the price with the incentives was good too. ($27,000
for a stripper that still had more functionality than many cars I've owned.)

Inside:
I ended up going for the 2007 Avalanche. (Parked outside right now!) Having lived through the 70s, 80s, and 90s eras of GM, with the really aweful interiors and the "mouse-fur" head-liners with the exposed screw-heads and mold-lines, I was honestly impressed by how nice the Av's interior really is. The truck I got was a stripper, but it really doesn't feel like one. I've been back to the options list three times trying to see where there's extra stuff tacked on, and I just can't find it. I'd have to say Chevy's standard-equipment list (at least in this case) is just as good
as Honda's. The "cheapo" cloth seats felt really nice. I'll find out how well they wear, but so far I like the material quite a lot. The controls were nicely laid out, with most things you need to do when driving, arranged on or close-to the wheel. The seat feels comfortable enough to cruise in all day. Finally, the faux wood trim and faux metallic trim elements look really good on the instrument panel and radio surround. About the only thing I miss is a floor-shifter. I'm still having a little trouble getting used to the column shifter.

Outside:
Moving to the outside, I have to say GM "gets it" when it comes to the way the doors fit and operate. You get a satisfying thunk when the door shuts that, to me, is just as clean and nice as my co-workers Honda Accord. The design of the truck is nice and clean with a front-end that doesn't shout "tough-guy wannabee". I guess I'd call it "pleasant".

Functionality:
In my opinion, the GM engineers were just as thoughtful with neat elements as the Honda guys. The latching, hard-tonneau cover, for me, is much better than an "in-bed trunk". I'd take an easily removable cover for the whole bed over a much smaller enclosed space any day. This was one area where the Av put the smack-down on MTToY (Motortrend Truck of
the Year for you uninitiated). The Honda does win a few points for the dual-opening tailgate, something GM had first with their XUV. Thought the XUV was over-all a little silly, but that was one element I wish they'd kept. Then there was the one item that clearly beats MTToY. Midgate, Midgate, Midgate. I really like this. I'm already thinking of things I can stuff in there with the "extra space". One of the reasons the Explorer Sport Trac didn't make my short-list was that it's bed was really too short to be useful for anything more than the novelty. The Ridgeline was a lot better, but the
Avalanche beat it hands down with regard to total utility. Coupled with the fact that you can leave the toneau cover on, and this is a really awesome idea! Honestly, the trunk idea kind of left me cold. As an engineer, it felt a lot like something marketing came up with to differentiate and otherwise mediocre vehicle. In fairness to Honda, it's better for a non-truck-person than the standard open bed, but what do you do if you blow a tire and you're carrying a load of mulch back from the Home Despot? You're basically hosed, unless you want to scoop out all the mulch to get at your spare tire! I don't know. I'm one of those odd people who frequently uses the hatchback on my Cougar and the fold-flat seats to carry stuff. Extending the cargo space into the (empty) passenger area just seems natural to me. And then there was On*. You COULD get the optional DVD/Nav package, but even if you don't, you can use On*. And then there's DOD. You get a cute little display that tells you how many cylinders are burning and how much "instantaneous" gas-
mileage you're getting. That alone was almost worth the price of admission (more later).

Performance/Handling:
This was the area I dreaded. Remember, I have a foot made of lead, and I tend to drive a car to the limits it can handle. A "truck" would definitely not allow that. In fact, I had been psyching myself up for that little issue for months, telling myself, "you can't take this on-ramp like this when you get a truck... You can't take this stretch of twisty road like this when you get a truck..." This was the one area where I thought I might fall back and get the Ridgeline after all. I mean... It's got more 'car-like' handling,
right? Sure you can't go to the drags with it, but with independent suspension, it's got to be better than the GMT-900s.

Nope. Not enough that it really mattered for me. I found that I really didn't mind the "truckiness" of the Av at all. Don't get me wrong, it's not a sports car, not even a "sporty" car, but the "vagueness on center" isn't as bad as the car-rags make out. It's there, but you're driving a truck, for pete's sake! If you want a car, go buy a car. I feel the Avalanche has a solidity that I didn't quite feel in the Ridgeline. Ie, the Av doesn't have twitchy reflexes, but unlike my mom's first car, a 1978 Camaro, the springs
aren't going to wear out from hauling too many bags of groceries either. (I kid you not. This actually happened to us... :^) ) I find that I'm more thoughtful when I drive the Av. I don't dart out into traffic, knowing I can beat the other guy to that gap. I don't fly down the road like a bat out of the bad-place... And that brings me to my last point. Gas mileage. Guess what? If you don't fly down the road like a bat out of the bad-place,
that DoD system works really well. I now understand why some of the car-rags claim they find themselves watching the little battery gauge in those hybrids, trying to stay on battery power longer. I find myself trying to stay in four-cylinder mode longer, trying to maximize gas mileage. It's actually as satisfying in its way, as driving like a mad-man. This is actually one vehicle where I have the potential to actually get the advertised
mileage. I'm sure the fun will run out on the DOD thing someday, or I'll be in an aweful hurry to get to work or some other critical appointment, and I'll fall back into bad habits, but for now, I'm having a blast driving the most awesome pseudo-truck in the world. For me, five out of five.

[BigAls87Z28]

Congrats on the new car!! What color, and when can we see some pictuers! I love the Avy, probably the best, pound for pound truck on the market.

[CRBoyd91]

Nice review. Do you have any pics?

[giagastormer]

Fantastic review.

Please post pics ASAP.

[SSrevolution]

Thats not a fair comparison man. Its not fair to compare an Avalanche to a minivan in a truck competition.

Nice review for your first time.

[86fleet]

Wow, that was a great review for not ever having written one before.

[Strapping.Young.Lad]

Thank God you bought the Avalanche.
The Ridgeline is a POS and you would hate it.

[TaHoE]

Excellent review. I am surprised about the numb "On center" feel. I have heard that the steering overall is a little numb (understandable, it is a truck after all), but that it's on center feel is excellent thanks to the new Rack-And-Pinion setup. I am glad you are enjoying your new ride, please post pics!!

[plane]

Great review. I've got a few questions -

What was the real world price for the Avalanche? MSRP sticker, it would seem that the Ave doesn't fare well against the cheap Ridgeline. But I suspect that things are actually much closer when the deal is made.

What engine did you get in the Av? Are you getting anywhere close to 20 mpg, one of your requirements?

Anyway, congratulations on the Av.

[RamJet502]

Good decision. The Ridgeline is an embarrassment to trucks.

[rwalth]

Thanks for the review, as I am considering an Av myself.

[kodos78]

Great Review! Post some pictures!
The Ridgeline is the biggest automotive joke since the Aztek.

Yeesh. Some of my coworkers, who don't even like domestic cars saw one in the parking lot and started laughing at its ugly lines and bloated front-end (one guy said that it looked like a melted down Transformer). And these were import lovers!

[asim]

Congrads man, just post some pics! LOL

[ctaylorzl1]

I seen my first 07 Avalanche today, It was black and looked awesome, I would have mistaken it for a new Escalade if I hadnt seen the huge bowtie on the tailgate.

[Ridge1]

The new 07 Avy looks fun and functional. Congratulations, enjoy your ride.