Real Truck with Real car feel

My last vehicle was a volkswagon beetle folks. So when we bought this last spring to tow our camper, I was a little intimidated by its girth. That did NOT last long at all. My husband drives a 2005 Silverado, and when we parked this baby in the driveway next to that truck, it looked like mine was a monster truck and his was a little tonka toy.

So, its sturdy. It handles well on the road, very quick to respond. It has a skid protection system. My indicator light tends to come on and off at times, and when I call and have brought it in to check on it, they cannot find what the deal with that is.

I love the onstar. When our intial free year was over, I did not even hesitate to renew. An associate of my husband's avalanche was stolen the week after he let the onstar end. To this day he hasnt gotten it back...with the onstar activated he would have been more protected.

Besides if I ever lock myself IN the car I can call to get out, right? ( sorry couldnt resist!)

It also came with one year of XM radio which was nice to have when traveling. It has a MP3 player adaptor, so you can plug your ipod in and listen to your music and of course the standard cd player.

My truck right now has a 15.1 MPG ..I drive in mostly city traffic and I dont think that is bad AT all for this size truck. It has a huge gas tank (31 gallons) so it does cost more at the pump. BUT New Gen IV small-block V-8 engines with Active Fuel Management, which seamlessly switches the engine from eight to four cylinders make the efficiency that much efficient. It also can use Ethanol.

Once you climb in the truck easily with running boards and the handles ( my mom is 5'1.. she got up in there like a true 18 wheel trucker!) you will be amazed at the comfort and 'car' feel of this truck. It seats 6 and is very roomy. Con-front drink/storage console between the passenger and driver seat is open style, so if you do need to have a 3rd passenger in the front, you have to empty it out before you tip it up. I hate that feature... why didnt they make it enclosed so you could just tip it up and keep all items secure? That drives me crazy and makes no sense to me.

Let's see...A feature I dont use, but someone may really like it, is that the rear window totally is removable.

There are built in coolers in this truck for you tailgaters out there which are located on either side of the truck bed and are lockable.

In its design, the Avalanche blends the best functions of a long-body pickup with an SUV. Much of this functionality is attributable to a panel between the cabin and bed called the Midgate. When this panel is open, the length of the bed can be extended from 5'3" to 8'2". With the midgate closed, however, and the rear seat in an upright position, and as I mentioned earlier, the Avalanche can carry as many as six passengers.

There are two power outlets in the front. The rear seat is unique to the Avalanche, allowing longer items to be carried between the cargo bed and into the rear passenger compartment through the Midgate while the rear window stays in place.

I love the design of this model, it doesnt have all that plastic bumper and decoration all around it... it looks sharp and I chose a beautiful red color that really stands out. The new Avalanche looks more refined and aerodynamic than the old model. The windshield is steeply raked, the front is wider and lower to the ground, the body gaps are tight, and the headlamps are much more European-looking.

Power is never a problem. Merging into 70mph Interstate traffic with nearly 4,000 pounds of boat/trailer in-tow is as easy as backing down a three-lane boat ramp when you’re the only one there.

By the way, the ’07 Avalanche now comes with a central-clocking and unlocking spring-loaded tailgate instead of the conventional keyed lock in the tailgate. Locking and unlocking functions are handled by the interior lock switches or from the Remote Keyless Entry fob.

- 5,328 cc 5.3 liters V 8 front engine with 96 mm bore, 92 mm stroke, 9.9 compression ratio, overhead valve and two valves per cylinder LY5
- Unleaded fuel 87
- Fuel economy EPA highway (mpg): 21 and EPA city (mpg): 15
- Multi-point injection fuel system
- 31 gallon main unleaded fuel tank
- Power: 239 kW , 320 HP SAE @ 5,200 rpm; 340 ft lb , 461 Nm @ 4,200 rpm