The Chevrolet Avalanche is the perfect cross between truck and SUV that was discontinued after 12 years. We review its two generations to choose the best years of all.
In the early-2000s, during the height of the SUV boom, with vehicles like the Ford Explorer selling nearly half a million units, it was time for Chevrolet to come out with something to get a piece of the action.
Although Chevy already had the full-size Suburban SUV, along with the legendary Silverado truck, they were missing something in between. That something was the Chevrolet Avalanche.
The Avalanche combined the rugged utility of the Silverado with the luxurious comfort of the Suburban. A significant key to the Avalanche’s purpose is GM’s Convert-a-cab concept, featuring a revolutionary Midgate.
Chevy went on to sell one of the most ambitious crossovers for twelve years, from 2001 to 2013. Abruptly discontinued, many were left wondering why their beloved Avalanche would not make a return, but there are still plenty to choose from in the used market. In this article, we will break down each generation, along with what years we think are the best.
Chevrolet Avalanche 1st Gen. (2002-2006)
Chevrolet released the Avalanche in 2001 for the 2002 model year as a middle ground between the Silverado and Suburban. Still classified as a full-size pickup truck, it wasn’t quite an SUV that attracted the soccer moms. What it did attract, however, were the people who needed a work truck, but wanted the ability to haul their family around in comfort.
First-year Avalanches were given light-gray plastic body cladding to differentiate themselves from the Suburban and GMC Yukon XL.
Later on, in 2003, Chevy released the Without Body Hardware (WBH) package, giving the Avalanche similar styling to the Silverado. The WBH package also remedied a common issue of the body cladding fading and turning white.
At the back of the truck, it seemingly had a short-length bed at 63 inches. With the use of GM’s Midgate design, the rear seats folded down along with the bulkhead of the bed to extend the capacity to 98 inches. The extra length allowed for owners to carry a standard 4×8 foot sheet of plywood, a common requirement for most truck owners.
The Avalanche was built on the shared Chevrolet GMT800 chassis, this made for easy part replacement when it came to things like drivetrain and suspension. Drivetrain options for Avalanche consisted of a Vortec 5.3L V8 producing 285 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque available for the 1500 model.
Later in 2001, Chevy released the 2500 model which housed an 8.1L V8 producing 340 horsepower and 455 lb.-ft. of torque. Both the 1500 and 2500 models were available in a two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive configuration.
Moving on to the interior of the truck, the base model Avalanche followed a more utilitarian approach with cloth seating, a front bench seat with power driver adjustment, power windows, power locks, keyless entry, and air conditioning.
Those who opted for the Z71 off-road or Z66 on-road package received 17-inch alloy wheels, leather seating surfaces with waterproof accents, front dual power bucket seats, cloth door panel inserts, GM’s OnStar system, all-weather rubber floor mats, Chevrolet bowtie emblems embedded into the backrests of the seats (for 2002 models), dual-zone automatic climate controls with rear HVAC vents and remote controls, and more. The main differences in the Z71 and Z66 packages were the off-road suspension and tires or the sport suspension and tires.
Along with the refresh of drivetrain parts and exterior styling in 2003, the interior was also standardized. Now sharing interior parts with the Silverado and Suburban, the Avalanche received even more luxury features.
The changes proved well for the truck, as the 2003 model year had the highest sales of any at just over 90,000 units sold. Even though the previous year (2002) won Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year award, the 2003 model year is the best candidate for a first-generation Avalanche.
Safety and Pricing
Being based on the GMT800 platform gave the Avalanche unfortunate results when it came to crash test ratings. Scoring three out of five stars in driver-side impact, four out of five stars in passenger-side impact, and a three-star rollover rating from NCAP made the Avalanche a “Poor” graded truck.
While it isn’t the worst vehicle on the road, it isn’t the safest thing. Improvements were made with side airbag design and drivers were given peace of mind with every OnStar update, but they didn’t make up for the lower ratings.
Pricing for the Chevrolet Avalanche started out at $30,965 at launch, but most first generations can be found now for roughly $8,000 depending on mileage. If you’re after a rarer 2500 model, they are closer to $11,000.
Chevrolet Avalanche 2nd Gen. (2007-2013)
Debuting at the Chicago Auto Show in 2006, the second-generation Chevrolet Avalanche got a much-needed redesign. Using the current GMT900 platform, the Avalanche shared design cues from its sister vehicles like the Tahoe and Suburban.
Much like the previous generation, it kept the midgate bed design but improved upon its awkward looks by dropping the body cladding entirely.
The new Chevrolet Avalanche would be offered strictly as a half-ton model in order to simplify options. Carried over were the Z71 and Z66 packages, but receiving updated features like aluminum under-body panels.
After Chevrolet dropped the 8.1L Vortec V8 from the previous generation, they decided to offer a new 6.0L engine for the new Chevrolet Avalanche. The 6.0L produced 366 horsepower and 376 lb.-ft. of torque.
Available as standard is the 5.3L from the previous generation, although Chevy allowed for it to run on Ethanol which boosted power from 310 horsepower to 326 horsepower. Eventually, in 2010, the 6.0L engine was dropped from the Avalanche leaving only the 5.3L engine for its final three years of production.
Interestingly, the second-generation Chevrolet Avalanche’s received three standard trim levels. Serving as the base model, the LS trim included 17-inch alloy wheels and tires, cloth seating surfaces, power front driver’s bucket seat, OnStar system, an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD/MP3 player, audio input jack with six speakers, keyless entry, black door handles, aluminum interior trim, traction control, Chevrolet StabiliTrak, and side airbags.
Mid-level LT trim added power dual front bucket seats, remote start, XM Satellite Radio, Bluetooth, and exterior color-keyed door handles, tailgate handle, and side mirrors.
Top trim LTZ models were given leather seating surfaces, security alarm, an eight-speaker premium Bose CenterPoint amplified surround sound system, memory for the front driver’s seat, 20-inch polished alloy wheels, rear-seat audio, and the LTZ exclusive self-leveling Auto Ride suspension.
Safety and Pricing
Compared to the previous generation, the new GMT900 based Chevrolet Avalanche thankfully scored better all-around in crash tests. NHTSA scored the 2010 Avalanche at five stars overall thanks to its front, side, and curtain airbags along with improved ABS, blind-spot monitoring, and rear parking sensors.
Given the discontinuation in 2013 and lower sales, the prices for second-generation Chevrolet Avalanches hold better than the first generation.
Lower mileage LTZ models ring in around the $25,000 mark. Although it’s still a large sum for a roughly 10-year-old truck, it is a bulletproof combination of drivetrain, luxury interior, and Silverado style utility.
What are the Best & Worst Years for the Avalanche?
Starting with the worst, it is no surprise that the first few years of the truck are the most undesirable versions. Due to the issues with body cladding, weak transmissions, and the fact they are roughly 20 years old make the 2001-2002 Chevrolet Avalanches the worst years of the truck.
If you’re deadset on a first-generation Avalanche and are into the body cladding, we’d recommend going for a 2003-2005 model. These years will guarantee you a reliable drivetrain and much need interior updates while still being in the $8,000 price range.
The best years for the Chevrolet Avalanche come as no surprise either, with the 2013 model year proving to be the best iteration of the truck. For the 2013 model year, Chevrolet decided to make every model a “Black Diamond Edition,” which gave the truck special badges and brochures for the customers to have.
A handful of the 2013 LTZ “Black Diamond Edition” trucks can be found under 100,000 miles but will fetch a steep $30,000 price tag as the production numbers are limited.
Photos: Chevrolet