2008 Chevrolet Avalanche

The Chevrolet Avalanche is a truck bred with an SUV, making a unique looking vehicle that has many of the luxuries of a SUV with the bouncy suspension of a truck. Made for those who like comfort and need to do a little dirty work this vehicle does best in suburban and rural areas as the steering and suspension is a little stiff, therefore more difficult to maneuver in the city. Chevrolet adds many features to lure customers into buying the Avalanche but unfortunately made these features cheap. There is a multitude of wiring problems, (some are recalled) anything that is satellite related is underwhelming (radio, GPS), and the paint is just &#!@ to say the least; easily chipped, scratched and faded in spots. Most of the problems are small and annoying but the nickel and dime stuff does add up over time. The automatic transmission is one of the worst I’ve seen. It leaks, shifts roughly (when it does shift at all) and has a tendency to over heat leaving it's driver unhappily stuck. The suspension is not only stiff making for a bouncy ride but it is noisy. It also always seems to have the feeling as though you may tip over while driving around curves, and although this truck can tow up to 5000 lbs., consistently doing so will wear the suspension down quickly, as well as the fuel consumption. The Avalanche is a truck, it get's only moderate fuel economy which ranges between 15-20 MPG give or take a few miles as this fuel system is very touchy and even just the switching of drivers may change the usage by up to 5 or 6 MPG. Regular maintenance is average with parts costing $40-$60 and service charges up to $130 or so. Back yard mechanics can do the work in the driveway for most small repairs.

Drivers of the Avalanche should know that it doesn't have the clearance of most trucks nor does it have the grip. When stuck in the mud, damage can easily be done when being wrenched out, due to the fact that it’s just cheaply made. As I said, the paint is easily damaged and there are no great places to throw a hook for towing.

For a truck, the Avalanche is comfortable with little goodies hidden all over the cab, but when compared to most SUVs, it would be considered just average in terms of comfort. There could be more legroom from side to side and in the back. This could really be a great truck if 1. The bed was longer, 2. The parts where made with better quality and 3. The paint was made for wear and tear.