2007 Chevy Avalanche The midgate stays; the cladding sleeps with the fishes.

[91 s-10baja]

2007 Chevy Avalanche

The midgate stays; the cladding sleeps with the fishes.
by Eric Peters (2006-07-17)
2007 Chevrolet Avalanche

Though the changes are subtle, the '07 Chevy Avalanche is essentially an all-new truck. And a much better one than it was before.

It still has its rough-and-tumble Tonka personality and the clever Midgate, which expands the usable bed space into the interior to accommodate long objects without the need to drop the tailgate and leave them hanging in the breeze. But the questionable Stegosaurus-style plastic body cladding has been retired, no doubt to some "Aztek Room" deep within a remote GM salt mine in the deserts outside Ramos Arizpe.

There are equally salutary improvements to the chassis and driveline as well. The front suspension now uses coil-over shocks riding in light weight/high-strength aluminum lower control arms. This change reduces unsprung mass by 20 percent, and translates into a noticeably smoother ride and less jarring when you hit a pothole. There's also a new rack-and-pinion power steering system designed to deliver more car-like road feel, even at high speeds, and a tighter turning radius than last year (43 feet vs. 43.3 feet). A revised five-link rear suspension designed complements the improvements up front, and the truck's track (the distance between pairs of wheels) has been widened to spread out its center of mass and enhance its stability during cornering and abrupt, emergency maneuvering.

These changes are readily apparent after a back-to-back test drive of the '06 vs. the '07 model. While you should never drive any truck or SUV as if it were a sports car, the new Avalanche is noticeably more sure-footed, especially when one tries a deliberate hard turn, to simulate an emergency lane change.

The truck's fully boxed steel frame is also changed, and GM claims 90 percent increased torsional stiffness in the new front section. The use of hydroforming (a process for extruding steel parts using water under extremely high pressures to make the frame sections as single units instead of welding pieces together) helps eliminate production variances and tighten up tolerances. That should translate into fewer squeaks and rattles, especially over the lifecycle of the vehicle since there are fewer bolted-together sections to work loose.

GM's "quiet steel" laminates - essentially a sandwich of steel and sound/vibration-deadening materials - are used at many points (in particular, the cowl area) to limit the intrusion of unpleasant vibrations and driveline noises into the cabin. Expanding acoustical foam is also shot into body crevices during assembly in order to further cut down on wind and road noise by sealing up the cabin and isolating it from the external world. There's even an "acoustically-tuned" plastic cover for the engine and a "quiet-tuned" alternator.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehi...75.A10648.html

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

The original Ridgeline.

[coaster.n3rd]

Originally Posted by New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66

The original Ridgeline.

Except it's a truck and not a mini van.

[GM-Joe]

Originally Posted by New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66

The original Ridgeline.

Funny you mentioned the Ridgeline, I read an article last week that a guy, I think for Edmonds, but not 100% decided to take his Jeep Wrangler off roading so he tested a Ridgeline for the trip. The week before he used a Ram w/Cummins Turbo diesel and got 16 mpg, with the Ridgeline he got 9mpg and could only go about 50 miles per hour.

[ZvetteGuy]

This is All-American school of thinking here... and, the Honda people saw a good thing with it.... hence... comes the Avalanche wannabe...

GO GM!!!

[69Firebird400]

Nice profile of the Avalanche. I wouldn't really call it much of a review, but that's OK. They're really nice trucks, and now a good alternative to folks who may be a little put off by the more aggressive styling that the Silverado is anticipated to have.

The die-hard last-generation Avalanche fans will not like the loss of the body cladding, but IMO in many cases that could have been preventing some early sales. The old cladding-deleted models didn't seem to have very much style.

I think I found a goof-up in the article:

The Z51 off-road package will be available later this year - and will include 18-inch rims, two hooks, skid plates and fog lights, among other tough and tumble equipment upgrades.

Z51 = Corvettes...I think he meant Z71.

I can't wait to see the high-res photos of the Z71 trucks.

[5.3Avalanche]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

Nice profile of the Avalanche. I wouldn't really call it much of a review, but that's OK. They're really nice trucks, and now a good alternative to folks who may be a little put off by the more aggressive styling that the Silverado is anticipated to have.

The die-hard last-generation Avalanche fans will not like the loss of the body cladding, but IMO in many cases that could have been preventing some early sales. The old cladding-deleted models didn't seem to have very much style.

I think I found a goof-up in the article:
Z51 = Corvettes...I think he meant Z71.

I can't wait to see the high-res photos of the Z71 trucks.

the low res pic of the Z71 tahoe looks pretty good!!....can't wait for the Z71 Avalanche pics.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66

The original Ridgeline.

He's just a flaming troll. Everybody knows the Ridgeline is nothing more than a minivan with a pickup bed (and no midgate, which is the best part of the Avalanche, imo).

[andretti]

The interesting thing is the Ridgeline outsells the Avalanche!

[GReekBoy]

Originally Posted by andretti

The interesting thing is the Ridgeline outsells the Avalanche!

prove it

[cincygoblue]

Originally Posted by New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66

The original Ridgeline.

Only it's bigger, has a midgate, a nicer interior, a V-8 Option, a 3/4 Ton option, and looks better.

[andretti]

Originally Posted by GReekBoy

prove it

What is the matter with you? Have you been living in a cave?

[91 s-10baja]

Originally Posted by andretti

What is the matter with you? Have you been living in a cave?

What are you talking about? Ridgeline sales are not good at all?

[GReekBoy]

Originally Posted by andretti

What is the matter with you? Have you been living in a cave?

can you just prove what you said? i have nothing wrong with you but you posted up something which i dont believe, so prove it

[cincygoblue]

Originally Posted by andretti

The interesting thing is the Ridgeline outsells the Avalanche!

It's actually neither interesting, nor correct.

You may be comparing the past few months where the new Avalanche was ramping up, but last month,

June 2006 (according to Wards Auto):
Avalanche: 4,991
Ridgeline: 3,918

AND for all of 2005 (same source):
Avalanche: 63,186
Ridgeline: 42,593

AND I'd like to have seen the 2004 #s when the Avalanche sold 80,566, but Honda didn't make the Ridgeline in 2004.