With gas prices what they are, I second guessed my decision to purchase a Chevy Avalanche more than once. Indeed, when I would mention to relatives and friends that I was in the market for a new vehicle, and I was pretty much set on the Avalanche, you could predictably hear people audibly gasp. I thought about a hybrid vehicle, but hybrids are most useful in city traffic. Since I was to use it almost exclusively on the highway, I decided against the hybrid and its inflated price. Sure, a hybrid would have produced better fuel economy on the highway, but I would essentially be paying top dollar for a small car.
Before I get into my impressions of the Avalanche, (or "The Av" or "Avy" as the faithful following calls it) let me tell you that I am flat out tired of driving around in a thimble. Americans are getting bigger, and the cars they expect us to drive are getting smaller. When did a Ford Taurus become "full size"? At its inception, it was noticeably larger and was called "mid size". Now they call a Toyota Camry "full size". Yes, I wanted to live large, not for prestige, not because of what other people thought, not even for the added safety of a larger vehicle. I was tired of being squished. I know many will say I am selfish for not conserving energy and being more practical. The purchase of this vehicle for me was a double whammy as I was embarking on a new career that would require my commute to nearly triple in distance to 130 miles a day round trip. Sure, I could have bought something far more economical. When it came time to purchase fuel, I was in for a surprise, but not for the reason you are thinking...
Once I decided on the Avalanche, it was actually a couple months longer than I would have preferred the actual purchase period to take. I found that prices were all over the map and seemed to fluctuate bearishly with the price of fuel. As gas prices went up, Avalanche prices went down and vice versa.
Pick One:
I became confused with the models as well. There were (in order of optional equipment) the LS, LT, and Z66 or Z71. Sometimes a truck was a Z71 with an LT package, or a Z71 with an LS package. Same with the Z66 designation. Sometimes they dropped any one of the designations, sometimes they used them together. I was completely confused. Z66 and Z71 seemed to signify vehicles with an improved ride and handling suspension system. The Z66 applied to the two wheel (rear) drive system, and the Z71 was applied to the "off road" suspension package for the four wheel drive version. The "LS" seemed to be the slightly upgraded (above no designation) package. The "LT" was the "loaded" version, but still did not contain everything the Z71 did. The LS and LT could come in either 2WD or 4WD versions. As far as I can tell, the main difference between the upgrade from LS to LT seems to lie in the front seat. Bench for the LS, and buckets for the LT. Confused? So was I. I was told by a dealer that sometimes they add the LS/LT designation, and sometimes not.
For models without the side cladding, they are referred to as WBH or "Without Body Hardware". This would have been a $600 deletion in the price. Personally, I thought without the cladding, it looked too plain and was similar to the Silverado. I asked and found that the Avalanche and Silverado share few similarities. Starting in 2007, cladding is no longer available making the Avalanche (in my opinion) look like everything else on the road. What a shame. The cladding makes the truck significantly more resistant to chipping and parking lot bumps. It has saved me from tears on a few occasions. Others detest it. Again, it is a matter of preference. Much like when the Jeep Wrangler went to square headlights in the 1980's, many in the Avalanche groups I belong to consider the WBH "not a real Avalanche". I think GM is going to regret not having it available as an option in 2007.
The GM Model designation for this vehicle is K1500. A K2500 version of the Avalanche is available and weighs considerably more, has a more robust axle and suspension system, and is better suited for heavy duty use. It also gets considerably less miles per gallon of fuel. The Avalanche 2500 also cannot be equipped with the level of interior options as the 1500. The 2500 version of the Avalanche looks similar, although with bigger wheels and is taller and is more suited to being a work truck. Neither the K1500 nor the K2500 is available in diesel. Furthermore, the new ethanol based fuel E85 cannot be used in the 2002-2004 Avalanche. Starting with the 2005 model year, the Avalanche is a "Flexfuel" vehicle, and can use ordinary 87 octane or higher unleaded, or E85 fuel or a combination of both. While E85 is more environmentally friendly and will give slightly more power over unleaded, it gets considerably less miles per gallon than unleaded, and costs just as much. E85 is also only available in very limited parts of the country. Should E85 become more of an attractive option in the future, remember that E85 can only be used on 2005+ Avalanches.
I wanted the Avalanche loaded, and the one I purchased is a loaded version. Mine does not have a LS/LT designation, but is a Z71 (off road) edition meaning it has four wheel drive, heavy duty floor mats, skid plated underneath, an upgraded suspension package, and larger 17 inch tires. In addition to this, it has every available option with the exception of the snow plowing package and side airbags.
As a side note, the vehicle did not come from the factory side airbags which are built into the front seatbacks. This was a $300 option, but for some reason was not included on a vehicle with every other option. Why in this day and age, safety should be an option is absolutely beyond me. Especially when it costs $300 on a $30-50K vehicle.
I paid slightly over $30,000 but saw prices as high as $43,000 for the same vehicle during my search.
First Impression:
During the test drive, I was slightly disappointed by the amount of room inside. While there is plenty of room up front, the legroom in the back seems to be less than what you would expect. This vehicle is the fraternal twin of the Chevy Suburban, and in my mind, I expected it to be absolutely mammoth in all proportions. Yes, it is large inside, but just not as large as you would expect.
Overall, the interior is very comfortable. I have had the experience of driving a new Lincoln Town Car from just about every year going back as far as 1994. The muted road noise level and quiet powerful engine immediately bring a large American luxury car to mind. The strong V8 engine is quiet, responsive, and smooth. The engine and exhaust emit a pleasant growl under heavy throttle. The transmission shifts predictably and almost seamlessly under routine driving.
Initially, the primary focus of driving this vehicle is its size. It did take some getting used to when backing and cornering. There also are some blind spots, but with the exception of the center rear, nothing that doesn't become second nature after a couple weeks of use. After driving it for about three months, I nearly forgot that it was a larger vehicle. Its size immediately comes to the forefront however, when it is time to park it in a parking lot or navigating through a drive thru. It takes up every available centimeter of length (and sometimes more) in almost every spot I have parked in. Likewise, when pulling through a drive thru, I feel compelled to butter the doors to make it fit. The turning circle is surprisingly good, and U-Turns (believe it or not) are a breeze. However, with its long wheelbase, you have to get used to constantly monitoring what is beside you when you turn. The rear has a pretty good amount of tail swing and it looks like you could knock out the car next to you if you were close enough making a turn. Backing it up is a major concern. It's high height can and does hide anything directly behind it. At minimum, a reverse sensing system should be employed here, but it is not even available as an option. This is unacceptable in a vehicle of this size. I have had to make a routine to check behind the vehicle before backing out of the driveway. There have been instances where fairly large objects were behind the vehicle, and were not visible in any of the mirrors. In my experience, I feel strongly that these vehicles should not be leaving the factory without at least a reverse sensing system as standard equipment.
In hindsight, it should have been no surprise that parking in a home garage, or in the driveway would have been something to check on prior to purchase. It barely fits in my driveway, and it certainly is not going to fit in the garage. Again, just something to consider. Yes, as you probably know, and I am just reinforcing- it's big. In my home state, it also is classified as a commercial vehicle during registration. Technically, I should stop at open weigh stations. It doesn't require a special license or anything, but it is classified as a different vehicle type when registered because of its weight and requires different license plates. You may want to check with your state laws if this concerns you. This also means you cannot use many automatic toll transponders (FastLane or SpeedPass) on the highway unless your account is set up as Commercial.
My Avalanche (and many others) comes equipped tow ready, with a tow bar adapter built in, wired for trailer lights with the adapter wiring harness in the glove compartment, and a "Tow / Haul Mode" switch on the shifter. The towing mode alters the automatic shift pattern to make upshifts more predictable. This results in harder and delayed shifts that are useful when towing. In other words, it shifts more like a truck than a luxury car. Sometimes you almost forget that's what it was built for.
The ride is almost flawless with everything but the most severe road imperfections little more than a dull thump. You forget that you are driving a large vehicle until you remove your foot from the accelerator and it keeps going. Once the Avalanche is in motion you have to put more thought into stopping it than a smaller vehicle. The brakes are smooth and more than adequate in distance and effort. I have however had concerns with sway at highway speed. It seems this vehicle has a fishtail sort of feel and requires constant steering corrections. I feel like I am constantly bouncing between the line on the left and the line on the right. It feels like I correct to the right, there is a delay for the back to catch up, then I correct to the left and there is a delay for the back to catch up. This happens continuously at highway speed making me feel like a ping pong ball between the right and left. It feels like it is really windy when it isn't. I am not completely convinced that this may not just be an alignment issue, but I am mentioning it just in case. The ride generally is soft; not so much that it feels unstable, however when at or above 70mph, stability begins to degrade noticeably with the suspension at all four corners slowly compressing and rebounding almost constantly like a boat over swells. At and above these speeds, the truck becomes very "floaty" regardless of if it is loaded or not. As a reformed leadfoot, I can say that I have never gone over 75mph with this truck. There is no doubt in my mind the engine could rocket well over this speed, but once you cross that 70mph mark, the Avalanche all but comes right out and says: "I am not a sportscar." Not to mention, at this speed, you have a whole lot of vehicle to stop if you had to suddenly.
Gas Mileage:
Now that you read this far, let me get to the part you have been waiting for. Maybe you just skimmed this whole article, and you are looking for this part. So for those who want the abridged version, let me get right to it. Let's talk about the GAS MILEAGE. If you have been reading this whole article, you know my commute is 130 miles a day. (If you just jumped to this paragraph, its ok, I forgive you.) My commute is near textbook perfect. I merge onto the highway in the first five minutes, set the cruise control for 55mph, and drive straight through for the next sixty miles or so and never encounter traffic. I get an average of 19.7 mpg highway in every tank of fuel as stated by the onboard trip computer driving exclusively highway. My jaw nearly fell right on the floor the first week. I have however, noticed that differences in speed between the 45-60mph range make a big difference in fuel economy on average. I have started leaving earlier for work, and limiting my speed to 55-60mph. As someone who used to travel 70-75mph, it really makes a huge difference in miles per gallon. One week I ran it consistently at 50mph on cruise control and averaged 22.3mpg for the 32 gallon tank.
That said, city driving is exactly the opposite. I average around 14.8 mpg in the city. I'm not talking stop and go, just your regular runs to lunch in town etc. Not nailing the accelerator makes a big difference. I have gone as high as 17.5 mpg in city driving, and as low as 14.8 mpg in city driving. If you press the accelerator like "there is an eggshell under your foot" it makes an enormous difference.
And for comparison, let me mention one other deciding factor in my search for which vehicle I wanted. From what I read, the Nissan Titan requires premium (93 octane) fuel. The Avalanche runs on regular 87 octane. However, GM recommends specific brands of fuels. This, (and their high prices and profit margins) was more than enough reason for me to give Exxon/Mobil the boot. http://www.toptiergas.com has all the details. I was surprised.
Design:
Since I bought the Avalanche, I have been consistently impressed. It seems that every so often, I find out something new about it that impresses me more. Looking online for owner satisfaction, it seems that this is pretty much the norm. Everything else aside, this is easily the best designed vehicle I have owned. GM has thought of things you probably haven't thought of. For instance, they put weather-stripping both around the door opening itself, and also around the edge of the door. This way, your door jambs stay clean. They have covered up several areas of the engine with trim, so that when you open the hood, everything has a neat appearance, and somehow all of it manages to stay clean as well. There is no prop rod for the hood, it just holds itself open. You don't have to hold down the "open" button to open the sunroof, one push opens it. Same with the front windows. There are clips for the rear seatbelts that will keep the shoulder belt from scraping your neck if you are short. The front shoulder belts are built into the seatback itself, instead of the pillar. This makes it fit better. All the cup holders, and storage areas in the dash and console have removable (and washable) liners. The glove compartment is divided into sections. The doors have lights inside so that when they are opened into traffic they are visible to oncoming cars and light up the area outside. The engine is designed so that if it starts to overheat, it will shut off cylinders and let you travel to somewhere safe under reduced power. A press of the power mirrors button in fold mode can fold the mirrors in on both sides. When you turn the ignition key to start the vehicle, it activates the starter until the engine is running regardless of how long you hold the key. If you leave any light on after turning off the car, inside or out, it turns off after several minutes if you forget to turn it off. The radio stays on after you turn off the car until you open the door. You can also use the power windows and sunroof during this time. The wipers are "wet arm" meaning the washer spray nozzles are built right into the wiper arms. This is a plus when trying to wash the windshield at highway speed. It doesn't spray all over the guy's windshield behind you instead of your own. These are all little things (and probably many I haven't even found yet) that aren't advertised, not documented as a feature, but went into the design. Many parts of the Avalanche are so surprisingly thought out it is obvious that GM has been listening to their customers, and they are paying attention to details and not just throwing everything together.
But that's not all. With all the options, the Avalanche is even more well thought out. For instance, the map light's aims are adjustable. It has a built in three-key transmitter to program 3 devices like a garage door opener, security lights, gates etc. The radio has settings to make it automatically get louder at a level you choose to overpower road noise. There is a console in the back seat with two headphone jacks to allow the rear passengers to listen to something different from the front passengers. There are flashing red arrows in the side mirrors that signal for a turn or lane change which has proven effective on the highway since the sides are so long and it takes longer for other vehicles to pass. The parking brake is an effortless design. You can practically press it down with your finger. It doesn't feel like it is working, but it is.
With both front power seats there is a programmable memory function that allows you to be identified as driver one or two. When you unlock the vehicle, it identifies you by which remote you use. The radio goes to your last setting and volume (as well as all your programmed stations) the automatic climate control goes back to your previous settings, the outside mirrors adjust to where you had them the last time you drove, the seats and lumbar supports go back to their prior settings, and the power adjustable pedals (which bring the accelerator and brake closer or further away) go back to where you had them last. In addition, each driver can program several preference settings to be recalled when they drive the vehicle. The preference settings include headlights that stay on for a desired time after you exit, perimeter lights that come on when you approach the vehicle (lights under the outside mirrors, the reverse lights, and the fog lights), how each driver wants the alarm to respond, if and how the horn and lights should respond when the remote transmitter is used. You can also program if you want the "easy exit" drivers seat which will lower or go back to wherever you set it to assist in getting out. You decide if you want the seat to return to its prior settings when you start the car, or before you get in it, or not at all. You set it to enable the easy exit driver's seat when you turn off the engine, or to let you press the button manually. You decide for each driver if you want all the doors to unlock when you shut the engine off, or when you put it in park, or to do nothing. Same with the locks, you can have it lock once you go over 8mph, or as soon as you take it out of park. You can also tell it not to lock the doors at all.
You also can decide what you want to see on something called the Driver Information Center (the DIC). It can show you your instant fuel economy on a second by second basis, average speed, overall average fuel economy since last reset, it has a timer, and also two trip computers which can be enabled (similar to Trip A and Trip B, except they are called Personal and Business). If one or both of these trips are enabled, it will give you mileage since last reset, average speed and average miles per gallon for each, and will give you the percent of usage of your annual mileage (which is another resettable "master" mileage counter). All of this could inspire two drivers to compete over who gets the best fuel economy. The DIC also tells you how many miles you have until you run out of gas. The system also has a non-resettable hour meter which tells the total amount of hours the engine has run since new. Of course there is also an odometer.
There is also an Oil Life indicator in the Driver Information Center. GM has launched this award-winning system that takes the guesswork out of when the oil needs to be changed. It is far more elaborate than counting the miles. It actually reads the condition of the oil, and takes the temperatures driven in, the number of cold starts, the speed, the engine revolutions, and how the vehicle has been driven into account. By analyzing individual usage by vehicle in this manner, it can extend and sometimes more than double the amount of time between oil changes. And the regular routine maintenance is based off this as well. Gone are the services broken out by mileage- now you alternate between "B" service and "A" service every time you get your oil changed. The service schedule is customized to your specific vehicle. When you get an oil change, the oil life is set to 100% and counts down backwards. When it gets to 10% you should make an appointment. At 0% you have about 600 miles to get in for service. You'll even get an email reminding you if you set it up online. Routine maintenance was surprisingly uncomplicated as well with things like spark plugs good for 100,000 miles and coolant good for 150,000 or five years.
Personally, I like a lot of buttons, a lot of settings, and a lot of things to play with in a vehicle. The Avalanche certainly delivers in this area.
The Avalanche's Driver Information Center has plenty of other useful information. It will tell you if a door is ajar and which door it is, if one of your tires has low air pressure, and it also supplements the usual warning lights with messages like Battery Not Charging, Transmission Hot, Low Oil Pressure, Hot Coolant, Low Coolant, Low Oil Level, Low Washer Fluid Level, Hot Engine, Traction Assist active etc. Not only does a warning light tell you of a problem, the DIC will usually tell you if it is critical, and what action to take.
Many GM vehicles, including the Avalanche, are equipped with a sort of "black box" that can supply information to police or other authorities after an accident. From what I have read, a data readout can tell throttle position, brake position, engine speed, seatbelt usage, seat position, vehicle speed, steering angle, etc. It will not record your conversations. Some people have an issue with this. Just as it can incriminate, it can also exonerate.
I found the Owners Manual of this vehicle to be more well-written than other vehicles I have owned. Here, GM went the extra mile and added things like what to do if you are trapped in a blizzard, driving techniques in adverse conditions, facts on drinking and driving, as well as service hints and tips, care of the vehicle, towing tips, off-roading tips, etc. They also provided a "Quick Start" booklet ("Getting to Know Your Avalanche") which provides the basics. All of this information is also avaliable online in .PDF format. There is a separate information package for Onstar (with an included audio CD tutorial), another package of information for XM Radio, and another package which describes the Navigation system in more detail. Combined, this gave me the impression that GM was going above the bare minimum, and cares about the customer and their use of the end product.
The truck has something called a "mid gate". It is a very clever system which lets you fold down the wall leading to the bed, or take out the rear window above it and store it inside the folding door that leads to the bed, or take out the window and fold down the folding door to give you wide open access with no wall whatsoever in the back. Avalanche also comes standard with a three piece bed cover which allows many more configurations. It also comes with a storage bag for the three pieces to store securely in the bed. On either side are two integrated lockable areas. One has a light inside. Each has a drain so that you could fill it with ice and put drinks in. We call them "lobster lockers". I always tell people "I'm gonna catch me some lawbstahs and put um in the lawbstah lawkahs before I cook'em."
Onstar:
My vehicle is also equipped with Onstar. Onstar is two parts. The first is Onstar itself, which is a service that your car will call through its built-in cell phone and is activated by pressing a button. This will connect you to an Onstar representative through the built in speakerphone. There is a regular blue button that will call for routine things and a red emergency button that will call Onstar as a priority call. The basic plan (which I have) requires a subscription for about $199 a year. You can also pay monthly and automatically charge your credit card on account. It covers several things, which are all accessible by pressing the blue button anytime 24 hours a day. The Onstar system works with GPS (global positioning system) so that when you call Onstar, they can pinpoint your vehicle to within a few feet. Onstar also is capable of working with the Avalanche's built-in diagnostic system. For instance, if a warning light comes on on the dashboard and you are not sure what to do, you can press the blue button and a representative can run a check remotely and tell you what is wrong with the car and what to do. From that point, they can either schedule you a service appointment locally, or send a tow truck to get you. They can also run a check when there is no warning light on, but you feel something is wrong with it. You can access Onstar online as well and set up preferences so that you can connect to an automated system in the car that will find your location and give you local traffic, weather, lottery numbers, stock performance, movies playing nearby, etc. You can also set it up as I have so that the car automatically sends you a detailed email once a month which reports it's mileage, how far it has until it's next service, what is required at it's next service, and a scan of all the systems like brakes, engine, airbags, etc. Every month it sends me a report of each system telling me they are ok, and if they were not, it would tell me what to do. It even tells me if there are recalls to be done.
Because Onstar has access to the onboard computers controlling various systems, and access to Global Positioning Satellites, it can perform other very important functions as well. If you lock your keys in the car, you can call Onstar's 800 number from a phone and they can beam a signal to unlock it. If you lose your truck in a big parking lot, they can flash the lights and sound the horn. If you lost it because someone stole it, they can pinpoint its position and give it to police. If you are in an accident where the airbags deploy (and even an accident where the airbags do not deploy) they can automatically connect to you through speakerphone to see if you are ok. They can send the police to your exact location if you are unable to respond. Additionally, the same holds true if you press the red emergency button. They can immediately send help to your exact location. You don't have to know where you are. There are other more expensive subscription packages where Onstar can give you directions from your location, recommend a good restaurant, make reservations for you, or call a cab for you if you spent all day at the bar. I saw these other options, and in my opinion, they were not a good value.
Onstar Hands-Free Calling:
The second part of Onstar is the hands-free calling. You simply press a button, and say the numbers you want to dial. Each number comes up on the Driver Information Center on the dashboard. You can also program phone numbers in by name so you simply say the person's name. I have found that the name recognition, number recognition, and call reception are nearly flawless. The price to use this however is about $115 for 300 minutes of use (it does not use minutes to call Onstar). There are other calling plans or more or less minutes which require an up-front payment. The least I believe is 30 minutes for $19.99. Although I have a cell phone, I find it convenient to talk hands free, and have the piece of mind if I forget my phone. People can also call you, as you are assigned a local phone number. When an incoming call comes in, the radio mutes and there is a dialing sound. You press a button to answer. You can also lock it by saying a personal identification number if you are giving it to a valet, etc. I think overall, if it was cheaper, I might use it more, but at 40cents a minute I am using it more as a backup. Paying for Onstar as an option in a $30-40,000 vehicle, you would think they would show a little more mercy on the prices. It could be more useful if it was more reasonably priced.
With later systems, you are able to link your Onstar calling minutes to your Verizon Wireless phone minutes, however for many 2004 vehicles this requires a three year (or minimum $600) up front payment to subscribe to Onstar. Your system is then upgraded for "free" from digital ready to digital. As far as I know, 2005 vehicles do not need the upgrade. Also, on vehicles needing the upgrade, Onstar will be useless after 2008 unless the upgrade to Digital is done. Because some 2004 models came with Analog/Digital ready systems, it needs an upgrade to work past 2008. Previous years models before 2004 that have Analog (as opposed to Analog/Digital Ready) will not work at all and there will be no upgrade.
Hands-free calling is one of the functions of the buttons on the steering wheel. There is also another button with the other Onstar buttons attached to the rearview mirror. A call can be initiated by pressing the button on the steering wheel; however a call cannot be ended by the button on the steering wheel. You press the master button on the mirror. Other steering wheel buttons control the radio, volume, and Driver Information Center preferences and information display.
Drivetrain:
The four wheel drive system is controlled electronically by a panel of buttons to the left of the driver. Selectable modes for the drive train are 4WD Low, 4WD High, 2WD Drive High, and Auto. This is a boon for fuel economy since many other brands of 4WD vehicles only have manually selectable 4WD high and low, and an Auto setting which applies 4WD as wheel slippage occurs. Having the 2WD high button allows the front wheels to remain disengaged and improves fuel economy (and a slight reduction in noise) when the roads are dry. The 2WD high button allows the truck to run as a regular rear wheel drive when selected, which saves fuel. When you just aren't sure what kind of traction there is, the Auto setting is great. It will transfer for you. And if you get out of work in a snowstorm and say: "WHAT was I thinking?!" you can press 4WD high and it will cut through the snow like a hot knife through butter. For me (and probably most of you) 4WD Low will rarely be used as it is only good to about 10mph. Good for pulling a boat out of the water etc. Since (as with any vehicle) putting the vehicle in 4WD and trying to corner on dry spots can cause severe (and expensive) damage to the drive train, the 4WD Auto setting comes in handy because the system makes the determination on it's own.
Here is my favorite part of writing four wheel drive Epinions: I have experienced first hand which vehicles have the best 4WD because I live in New England. What's more, my new job is on Cape Cod and you can drive right on the beach. I have driven the Avalanche in both sand and snow. I am happy to report that it performed flawlessly in both. I tried both the Auto setting and the 4WD high setting (as well as 2WD high in snow just to see what would happen). It slices right through anything. The height helps it over the big snow. In 2WD high, the limited slip rear differential kept me from fishtailing. The ABS worked predictably.
I went to lunch and parked on the beach, watched a group of seals go by, got back to work no problem, then two months later drove home in a blizzard. The Avalanche gets my official "thumbs up" for capability.
The Fan Club:
Overall, I am very impressed with the Avalanche. There is a fan club online that beats the heck out of another 4WD fan club I was in, to the point that actual GM mechanics, and even the engineers are on it. They even solicit recommendations for improvements right from the people who own them. How can you beat that? Just about every topic you can imagine (even some you can't) is covered on their site. They are some of the nicest people as well. A trip there before you buy can clear up any questions you would have after reading my Epinion. Their website is www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com They have group get-togethers, share stories, and even have links to accessories and owner's manuals. If you truly want to know all the details of the Avalanche (2004 or otherwise) set up an account and check their owner's manual section. They also have a section for people thinking about buying one to ask questions in a forum. My screen name is TIETANIC, and if you end up buying an Avalanche, or have questions, I would love to hear from you!
The Improvements:
As I stated previously, I am completely impressed with the Avalanche, but there are still things I think could be improved on. For example, my Av has the optional electronically controlled climate control system. It is designed so that the driver and front passenger have two different temperature zones, but in this regard, it doesn't seem to be effective. It seems to be acceptable at keeping the whole vehicle at one temperature, but if you want to keep one side warmer or cooler, it doesn't seem to make a difference. Also, there are vents in the back, but the airflow coming out of them is so small, they seem more for show than function. The automatic climate control also likes to keep turning on the A/C when it isn't really needed. I usually override it to improve fuel economy.
In the center of the dash, the driver's vent is way over near the passenger, and the radio and climate controls too close to the driver. In fact, when the vehicle is in drive, you have to reach behind the shift lever to access the climate controls. The passenger has to reach to access the radio. The vent/storage slot and radio/climate control positions should be swapped.
This is the first heavy truck I have owned. Living in New England it quickly became apparent that the vehicle takes longer than normal to warm up. At first I suspected a faulty thermostat, but after some poking around online, I found that the engine is made of cast iron. Almost every engine in vehicles I have had previously was made of aluminum. For this reason I'm told, it takes longer to warm up. This was news to me. It's not a showstopper by any means, especially with the heated seats, but when the temperature is in the teens, it takes about double the time for the needle to get to 209F as have other cars I have owned. The heat starts before then, but I'm not cooking a turkey in there like I would like to be. It's not going to heat up like a four cylinder, that's for sure. But from what I've heard, I'll take the strength of the iron engine over heat a few minutes earlier. (Just don't ask me on my way to work in the middle of winter.)
The back seat has limited leg room. Personally, I never have people back there, and I would rather have the space for the bed like it is, but it did raise an eyebrow.
The cruise control has a design from the mid to late 1970's. It has a hidden set button and a manual flip switch all located at the end of the turn signal lever. None of the buttons light up and they are identified by some kind of pictographs. A bucking problem on slight declines with the cruise control engaged has been identified on several GM trucks going back at least a couple years but continues to happen.
The wiper "switch" is actually a ring on the overpopulated turn signal stalk. It is hard to get to quickly. I am assuming this was the only place to put it since the shifter is column mounted. Personally, I would much rather have a column mounted shifter like the Avalanche has. To me, floor mounted shifters feel cheap. So the fussy little wiper ring will have to do.
The switches to control the heated seats are located on the driver's and passengers doors. For the driver's door, the switch is in close proximity to the driver's power window switches and is almost always inadvertently turned on while lowering or raising a window. Any trip through a toll booth ends up in "hot crossed buns" 30 seconds later.
My vehicle is equipped with Automatic Headlights which come on automatically at night. During the day, they change to Daytime Running Lights. You can also turn the headlights on manually. There are four positions: Auto, Parking Lights Manual On, Headlights Manual On, and Override. The override position is a toggle position, you turn the switch from auto to override and the switch returns to Auto. The override position turns off the daytime running lights during the day, and turns off the headlights at night. Turning it back to override re-enables the headlights or daytime running lights in the Auto position. The problem with this design is that there is no indicator to tell you what the lights are doing. You can't tell if the daytime running lights are on or off, and at night you can't tell (unless by reflection) if the lights are on or not. Since the dashboard lights stay on regardless of the headlights being on or not, it is impossible to tell. There is no indicator light for either the headlights or the daytime running lights. Also, on most vehicles with automatic headlights, the headlights will come on when the wipers are turned on. GM seems to have skipped this function on the Avalanche. The automatic headlights switch lights up for nighttime use, however the panel dimmer control (right next to it) does not light up, leaving the driver to grope blindly for the switch. The dome light override control lights up, but something you would use while driving like the dashboard dimmer control does not. The dashboard dimmer control also turns off the indicators for the heated seats for some reason, so that when the dashboard is dimmed, there is no telling if the heated seats are on or not and at what level.
This vehicle's interior rattles a lot when cold. I have heard that rattles are commonplace in the Avalanche line dating back to inception.
The rear license plate mount is too low and hides the bottom of the license plate.
There is cladding on much of the vehicle, even if you order it without it. However there is a known issue with this cladding fading and changing colors due to the sun. GM has contracted with a company that makes what seems to be an elaborate (and expensive) version of Armor-All as their fix. From what I hear, it lasts a month or two. This is unacceptable in a vehicle costing as much as it does. I have heard that this fix isn't that effective. In one year I have yet to have a fading issue bad enough for it to be a major complaint.
The factory floor mats for the front do not cover much of the carpeting. In fact, they leave big gaps on both sides exposed. Even on a car, this would be unacceptable, but that goes double on a truck. The floor mats should be wider. On the passenger side, for whatever reason, the floor intrudes on the passenger's left foot. The passenger's legs are forced to the right. With the size of this vehicle, I can't imagine that whatever is intruding can't be somewhere else.
The front seats are very comfortable, however the leather seems to wrinkle easily even though I clean and condition them on a regular basis. There are built in armrests that fold out on the bucket seats; however these do not seem to be useful as they are short and low. I prefer to use the console as an armrest. Also, the console compartment in the middle only opens from the driver's side, making it cumbersome for the passenger to access it. The storage areas in the console have no lights for night use. The lighter/accessory outlets do not light up.
Turning on the rear map lights requires pressing the map light button located on the light on the ceiling. This causes the entire headliner to move. Not a big thing, but it makes it feel cheap.
Lastly, GM has seemingly dropped more and more "take for granted" items every year on this model line since 2002. The bed used to have two lights, now it has one, the 2004 comes with a storage bag for the bed panels but subsequent years do not, and the glove compartment light was dropped for 2004. These things come standard on entry level subcompacts. The notion that the glove compartment on a $40,000+ vehicle does not illuminate is ludicrous. Other things have been dropped as well presumably to save money. In 2007, to the dismay of most Avalanche Owners, the side cladding was dropped (even as an option), in effect making the Avalanche look like every other GM full size truck. I predict this will be the final nail in the coffin for the Avalanche line. It seems the style has been slowly bleeding out of all of GM's vehicles for the last several years.
The Audio and Navigation System:
My biggest gripe is the audio system. The vehicle came with a six CD in-dash changer standard. This radio seemed okay. However I upgraded to the $2000 factory navigation system. Even the dealership where I bought it tried to talk me out of it. I wanted the factory navigation system over an aftermarket system so that the rear audio controls and steering wheel mounted controls would still work. This system has been nothing short of a complete disappointment. Actually, no, disappointment is not even the word I want to use here. Almost every time I turn on the system, I am quite literally embarrassed for the design team that developed this system. I have heard rumor that Delphi, the General Motors subdivision responsible for some of the electronics, and more specifically, almost all of the General Motors audio systems including this monument to idiocy installed in my dashboard, is going out of business. This system was such a total failure, and so utterly poorly thought out, that I often find myself feeling vindication that they are going to be jobless after paying $2000 for this system that might as well have "WE SIMPLY DON'T CARE" proudly displayed on its useless display. It is unfathomable that GM put together such a well thought out vehicle, attended to nearly every detail, and then rolled out this sloppy design. My vehicle has the "touch screen" navigation system. The system has a bright navigation screen which seems to be bright enough for use during the day. However, at night, it only dims slightly and is nearly blinding on its lowest brightness and contrast settings. Every rise and fall of the sun requires me to manually go in and dim the screen through the settings even though the system automatically dims at night. The map screen seems ok, but all other screens (the radio screen, the CD screen, or any other of the "blue" screens) are way too bright. Many times at night I have to shut off the display because I have trouble seeing the road. When you turn off the display, the clock turns off with it. The screen is not controlled by the dimmer switch for the dashboard, only the switches brightness is. When you program preset stations, it also saves your equalizer settings along with the station. When changing preset stations with different equalizer settings saved, the radio will blast out for a split second while changing the channel. This would be unacceptable on a cheap radio much less something costing two thousand dollars. The radio should display 'PHONE' as with all the other GM audio systems when Onstar is in use and the audio functions are paused, but on this system, naturally, it "doesn't work" so you are left to guess whether you or someone else is on the line, or not. The clock is in the absolute smallest font way down in the lower right corner, so that you nearly have to squint just to see the time. When the radio is off, it shows the time in a somewhat larger, Atari 2600 circa 1982 font. Even just having the dealership demonstrate the unit would elicit gasps of disbelief and laughter, if it wasn't so painfully obvious that there was less than zero effort that went into it's design. You will all but swear that the designers purposely made the worst design they could in every possible way to "get back" at the company for some reason. There simply cannot be any other explanation on how a device like this was ever produced. Even a 4th grade technology project would yield better results with only a couple hours to prepare.
The navigation system relies on a DVD that must be put in the CD slot. This DVD must stay in the slot any time you want to use the navigation system. This means that you cannot use navigation while playing a CD. The expensive ($300) navigation DVD must be taken out, or put in to use the navigation or CD player. And at this hefty price, you had better hope it doesn't get scratched taking it in and out or you are out of luck. Not to mention, if you have cassette tapes, you are out of luck as well, because you can't add on a tape player. The navigation system cost about $2000 (yes, two thousand dollars) but if I want to play a CD while using the navigation system, I have to spring $300+ for an aftermarket CD changer. The displays, all of them, are blue. And completely boring. The screens in a Windows95 operating system are more exciting and elaborate than what GM let be put in for $2000. Since this navigation system is used in the whole GM lineup, it boggles the mind that whoever was responsible for this system let this through. You can hear the navigation DVD being read constantly even when the unit is turned off while driving. Each time I get in the truck, start it, and get a message "Reading DVD" for a while as the navigation system has to each time reload up the system, I reflect on the $2000 I paid for this system. As I sit by the side of the road waiting however long for the DVD to load and the navigation to start so I can punch in directions (you have to be stopped to enable this) I reflect upon the stone age of navigation. The navigation controls are redundant and confusing. The design is poorly laid out. Functions are categorized with absolutely no rhyme or reason. There is no good reason why this DVD shouldn't have been downloaded to the unit once and be done with it. This system is worth about $200 tops.
The same scenario happens with the CD player. If you were listening to a CD when you turned off the engine, after you start the vehicle, you sit in silence for a time while the CD player consults with the moon and the planets to decide where it left off to resume playing. I went to lunch with someone with a Hyundai Accent. Their factory system resumed playing when the car was started.
I wear workboots on a regular basis. In fact, it has sort of become my signature trademark and friends comment that I will be buried in workboots when I pass on. It is only fitting that GM's best sound system, Bose, points all the sound of this optional upgraded system at my feet while driving. Seeing the Bose name proudly displayed on each speaker during the test drive, and proudly displayed on the navigation screen at each startup, upon first hearing it, my initial thought was: "Really? Is this the best they could do?" I would hate to hear what the standard system sounds like. The sound is tinny, the bass rarely comes out, and the sound is all near the floor. You can hear it, you can't really feel it. I would expect sound like this to come standard in an entry-level Kia or Hyundai. The vehicle has a subwoofer in the console. I didn't think it worked until I had the dealership check. Maybe the sound comes out underneath the truck.
If I could have lunch with the engineer who signed off on this navigation system, I would want to say: "WHAT were you thinking?" Was the person who designed this new or something? Nothing about this vehicle could be more clear than the impression that the person(s) who designed this system had never done anything like this before. In fact, I would seriously question if this individual even had the technological savvy to access the internet. I would have a hard time believing they could have even been remotely technically oriented. Everything about this expensive system says "hurry up and get it out the door". Surprisingly, the "touch screen" system is the next version of the non touch screen version. This is supposed to be an improvement. Wow. You can't just press CD or BAND to turn it on; you have to press the power button first. Same thing when you put in a CD. It won't play it until you push the power button (and sit and wait a while while it scans the entire CD and probably rejects it with an error). There is no way to turn it on from the steering wheel buttons. The displays elicit audible yawns from anyone looking at it. Of the handful of hard buttons on the front of the radio, two do the exact same thing. Some buttons seem to have no function at all, like the touchscreen button for "XM INFO TIMEOUT" which takes up 20% of the screen (or is roughly 6X the size of the time display). Even if this button performed a function (which it does not) is having the name of the song disappear really something so important that it should dwarf all the other functions on the screen? Not that you really have many personalized setting choices with the audio system. With the cheaper system you could find music on FM stations by category; not with the nav system. With the cheaper system you could set the equalizer based on the type of music you were listening to. With the nav system it is EQ1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. With the enormous size of the radio, they were not able to fit a dedicated CD changer, or at least one slot to a CD player. Heck, they couldn't even make the fields long enough to display the whole name of a song. Furthermore, they could not muster up more than 12 presets for XM and 12 presets for FM. They put the artist and title fields backwards so that when XM displays things like: "You are listening to the radio" it comes out as "to the radio You are list". Unless it is a brand new CD just opened, it's pretty much a given that it is going to skip or not play at all. Just about every CD you own? Forget about playing them on this system unless you are opening the CD brand new in a clean room, and wearing some kind of airtight suit to prevent any speck of dust from getting on the CD. Not only will almost any CD you have skip, they probably just won't play on this system. It seems that any CD you wish to play must be microscopically perfect, otherwise, forget it. I work for a technology company and I would have been embarrassed to turn out a product like this. I really can't believe someone at GM used it and signed off on it for use in their vehicles. I really think GM could have saved themselves and their customers the embarassment by not having a navigation system available.
Yeah, $2000.
XM Pay Radio:
Since my vehicle was equipped with XM radio (which added close to $400 to the price of the vehicle for the unit) I also signed up for a trial of XM radio. You pay a subscription for it because it is "commercial free" by satellite. What they don't tell you is that they still talk between (and over) songs. And they talk a lot. They play jingles, station identifications, they advertise for other stations, one DJ even had his mother call in by cell phone on her way to wherever, and for about 15 minutes, the two of them discussed what movies were out and which ones they like. This is on a music channel I am paying for. The whole country via satellite got to pay, tune into a music channel, and listen to this guy on the phone with his mother. I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about XM Radio. Each channel is at its own volume so when you change XM stations it blasts out. And when you change channels, it takes about 8 seconds for it to start playing so you can't just flip through channels. Every time you go under an overpass (and sometimes for no reason at all) the station cuts out for about 8 seconds. Many of the songs you have never heard of, but you probably wouldn't care if they just stopped talking between songs. They project an image of this whole culture of people who just "cannot do" without XM radio. Have you met any of them? Neither have I. Maybe they are all in one place like a restaurant somewhere listening to someone talk loudly on a cell phone. Trying to get traffic reports requires listening to the same commercial in about two minute cycles. Ditto for weather, news, and almost all the talk channels. Commercials a-plenty and a monthly debit to your credit card to hear them. I find myself using the FM stations more. I was lead to believe that all I would hear was music, one song after another, and that is why you pay for it. In actuality, they arrogantly talk in between songs, and advertise their other channels etc, like people are sitting on the edge of their seat to hear what they have to say. Even though you are paying to just hear music, they simply cannot resist stopping the music so you can listen to them talk. Personally, I am in meetings all day, and when I get in my truck and turn on a service I am paying money for, the last thing I want to hear is someone rambling on about things I care nothing about. Yes, they talk, no they do not play music one song after another. For some reason, they feel they need DJ's that will come on and talk, and then talk as the song starts in the background. The sound is no better than FM, and when you turn on FM it is songs you have heard before. My advice? Save yourself the money. It is a disappointment.
Other than the audio system, the truck is pretty impressive however. Mine has had a few problems which were fixed under warranty. I had trouble latching one of the boxes (lobster lockers) on the rear of the truck, which required an adjustment, I could not open the tailgate which required a new part, and the gas tank would consistently blast fuel out of the filler before the gas station pump would stop which required a new gas tank because of a non-serviceable "rollover valve" inside the tank.
So far, I am pretty sure my next vehicle will be an Avalanche (providing they keep the side cladding that is rumored to be deleted off later model years). This is my first GM product, and outside of the navigation system design, I am sold. I think you'll find looking for a dissatisfied Avalanche owner about as difficult as finding a pre-owned Avalanche for sale. Outside of the Audio / Navigation system, I am thoroughly thrilled with this vehicle. Even the little bugs it has here and there are tolerable because it is so far outweighed by how well thought out the design is and how comfortable and useful it is. I think I am very critical of any vehicle's design, and I honestly am hard pressed to really come up with anything at all outside of the navigation system that I do not like about this vehicle. Anything I can think of short of being able to fly is here. I mean honestly, I am nearly stunned. Looking forward, I usually know what vehicle I "want next". But here, the Avalanche fits almost every need so completely, and truely does it's job so well, and goes so far above my expectations, that for the first time in my automotive owning span, I can say that I am truely satisfied with this vehicle. I am content every time I drive the Avalanche. If I designed and built a vehicle myself, I don't think it would be too far off from what GM has put together here no matter what the price. It just keeps impressing me more and more. Even if I can imagine down the line another vehicle to replace the Avalanche (which in all honesty, will probably be another Avalanche) I already know that whatever vehicle it is will have some very big shoes to fill. I hope it continues to be reliable. I also hope they price them more reasonably. Once you get over about $30,000 for a truck, it's just "too much". I've read it several times before by various owners, and I will say it again, it costs more, but if you can get one for a reasonable price, it really is worth every penny.
Don't forget to check out www.toptiergas.com and www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com
LONG TERM UPDATE:
I have owned the Avalanche now for four years and have logged slightly in excess of 70,000 miles. I am appending this section to this (lengthy) review with my long-term impressions.
This being my first GM vehicle, I have now owned a vehicle from each of the American "Big Three" companies. This vehicle again seems to have diminished quality as the common denominator with Ford and Chrysler. I feel that Chrysler is consistently at the bottom for quality, and Ford and GM are about tied for less-than-average quality.
My experience with the Avalanche has been a nagging list of issues that seem to be consistent. I cannot think back to many stretches where everything has been working at the same time. It seems that whenever it goes in for service for something, I get it back and within a day or two, something else is wrong. Many of these issues are not major, but it seems to be a constant string.
I am still currently under an extended "bumper to bumper" warranty with no deductible, so when something goes wrong, I bring it in at first opportunity. While I don't pay for repairs, I still see the bill and many of the costs literally make my eyes smart.
Below are the issues I have experienced:
TRANSMISSION: I have read and heard that there are a higher than average number of problems with the transmission used in the Avalanche 5.3L. Since about 40,000 this vehicle has had an issue with the torque converter not staying engaged at a steady highway speed. It constantly engages/disengages which is both annoying and detrimental to gas mileage. It has been checked by Mr. Goodwrench at almost every visit, and each time I am told "No problem found." The transmission is now (at 70K) starting to make a loud clank from Park to Reverse or Park to Drive. Occasionally it will buck. I think it is on borrowed time.
LIGHTS: This vehicle (as well as many other people I know with GM vehicles of the same era) has a thirst for new bulbs. Many vehicles I have owned will need one or two bulbs here or there over the course of a few years. My Avalanche seems to always have a light out somewhere on the vehicle from week to week. Even worse, some of these lights that are out are on the dashboard or in switches. I have found (and have heard others equally as frustrated) that the dashboard lights on these vehicles are not replicable. The only way to solve it is to replace the whole component. For example, two of the lights on my Heat/AC control went dark. The only way to resolve it was to replace the entire unit (to the tune of $300). Under warranty for me, but not for everyone. Door switches, same thing. This speaks to bad engineering. "What did the GM owner do when his light blew out? He bought a Toyota to replace it."
RUST: This vehicle has an alarming amount of rust on the frame and underside of hood. Apparently, the frame left the factory with a coating of wax (yes, as in candle wax) that quickly flakes off leaving exposed metal to rust. With the thickness of the frame, I doubt it would be an issue for a long time, but a $45K vehicle shouldn't look this bad underneath.
HVAC SYSTEM: This vehicle uses electronic actuators within the heating and A/C system to control the air output. Specifically, "doors" within the system control where the air comes out from (panel, floor, defrost, etc) and the temperature of that air (cold/hot) and the source of the air coming in (inside/outside). The actuators on the Avalanche are notorious for temperamental reliability issues (and often all out failure), and are located deep, deeeeeeep within the system (think: total dashboard disassembly). The actuators themselves are also costly. As far as I can tell, there are three in the Avalanche, one for output (panel/floor/etc), one for temperature, and one for input (recirc/outside). All three of mine have failed at one point or another and have been listed for about $500 in parts and labor for each. MANY other people have had these same issues and I cringe to think about paying for these each time out of pocket without the warranty.
MYGMLINK.COM:
Part of the "GM Ownership Experience" is a website that will track all of the information for your vehicle. In fact, it is even listed as a standard option on GM vehicles. Here, there is an area that is updated whenever you go in for GM service, and also allows you to enter and track any other service done. The website also has information about current mileage (which you can update or will be updated monthly by Onstar from the vehicle), predictions for next maintenance, links to make a service appointment etc. This all worked well and I tracked everything (right down to when I last waxed it and when I replaced the wiper blades) in this system. Then suddenly, I logged in one day and was told that there was a "new" Yahoo! powered system. Ok, great. So I log into it and all of my service history is GONE. This irked me on many levels. One, it took me a long time to enter all that information in and I don't track it anywhere else. There was no warning, nothing. Two, my information was shared with Yahoo! without even asking me. So through many calls trying to retrieve this information, I found that many, many, GM customers are having the same issue and are just as aggrivated as I am. They "expect" to have it resolved in a couple months. Great. So, no warning, without asking first, you shared my information, lost half of it, and never tested it first before rolling it out. Meanwhile, all of your customers are left without information and your website doesn't even mention this. Just poor planning, and what seems another case of "something that worked perfectly well had to be redesigned" by GM. If American car companies would just find a good formula for things and stick with it without changing it constantly like the Japanese do, we wouldn't have the problems we do with their products, but I digress.
MISC: Other items include (paid under my extended warranty; approx costs)- Drivers airbag module ($700), Fuel tank rollover valve ($800), numerous transmission cooling lines leaks, A/C pressure switch (another notorious issue- $200), Power Steering Pump ($400), Ball Joint ($300), Steering Shaft ($300), Tailgate weatherstrip ($50), Tailgate lock (three times and still not fixed $200), Rear Audio light out ($350), as well as the items listed in the review above. And bulbs, bulbs, bulbs-a-plenty.
SAVING GRACE: I have said many times though, that on other vehicles (particularly Chrysler) I would absolutely hate a vehicle with this many issues. However, the Avalanche still does its job well, still rides great, and I still love it. A big part of this is how hassle free a service visit to GM is due to their policy of car rentals. If I go in for anything under warranty that will take more than an hour, they give me a car free of charge. This is a big deal to me, and keeps GM in the running for my next car. They value my time, and they get the job done. That, coupled with how much I like the Avalanche, has evened out the playing board.
FINAL SUMMARY: Get the extended warranty. It's a great truck as long as the problems are not out of pocket.
And as a final note, I know this was a long review, but it has been a work in progress. Even if you didn't read it line by line, I still hope it was helpful and gave you a background on the Avalanche. Thanks for reading! - Thomas
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 31,700
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: Z71, Loaded
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