"The Avalanche reminds me of a good movie you can watch over and over: Each time you drive it, you discover some new configuration or another way to use it as a tool."--Mark Williams
When our Detroit Bureau Chief Jack Keebler commented he was thinking of towing a toy for his garage home from L.A., we tossed him the keys to the One-Year Test Avalanche and told him to have fun.
2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
Base price: $30,465
Price as tested: $35,171
Vehicle layout: Front engine, rwd, 4-door, 5-pass
Engine: 5.3-liter V-8, OHV, 2 valves/cyl
Horsepower @ rpm: 285 @ 5200
Torque @ rpm: 325 @ 4000
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
0-60 mph, sec: 8.2
EPA mpg: 14 city/18 highway
Total mileage: 20,132
Average test mpg: 15.5
Problem areas: None
Non-warr cost: $28.85 |
Keeb flew out, and, although the deal didn't materialize, he drove the Chevy eastward anyway. Putting 1700 miles on the clock in three days, he noted: "This truck is dead quiet on the highway and it rides like a luxury sedan." Mountain passes posed no issue with the 5.3-liter V-8, "At the 5000-foot level, the Avalanche pulls like a train. It easily holds a 75-mph gallop up a grade without downshifting." The "change oil" tattletale illuminated at the 17,494-mile marker, and a trip to the dealer for fresh lube, filter, and a tire rotation cost only $28.85.
Our year with Chevy's convert-a-truck is drawing to a close, and it's been a flawless multipurpose tool: A solid camera platform, cushy family driver, and rock-quarry hauler--only a few of the reasons we named it our '02 Truck of the Year.