Thread: GM droping the Avalanch

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Well, you guys put me in the position of being the outlier again and having a different perspective on things! Having owned pickups of many brands/configurations over the past 40+ years, I may still be a wannabe, but after owning one of these for the last 3 years I think it's the most versatile vehicle I've owned. We took the Pres seriously three years ago when he promised that his policies would "......necessarily cause energy prices to skyrocket." My bride got a Mini that meets her commuter needs, is easy to park, fun to drive, and gets good fuel economy. If the onboard computer is to be believed, it's averaged 38 mpg overall in three years of multi-use driving. For me we wanted something that would fill most or all of the other needs of a family vehicle: 4 doors, multi-passenger comfort for local or long distance, towing capability, parts and material hauling, and anything else that might pop up. Being the same basic structure as a Suburban it's not the easiest for parking, but not impossible. It's the same chassis and drive train as the full size truck (though suspension is a variation), so it's got nearly all the utility of the pickup with some features a pickup can't offer. Typical 4 door, full seat/legroom trucks only have a 6 ft. bed, but this one can convert to 8' with a couple minutes effort. It's basically a 'burban without the rear roof section which gives it flexibility for loading things with a cherrypicker like engines, which I've done a few times, or taller shrubs and such upright. It will handle full sheets of plywood, but because of the built in storage bins it loses some of the outright utility space of a standard pickup along the side walls. For what I usually do this isn't much of a concern. The trade off is the extra security of a hard tonneau that is lockable to protect material if you're making multiple stops.

GM has never done a good job of promoting the features of this rig, and as many show here, a large portion of the potential customer base misunderstands the rig, but that's life. Now that GM is run by political hacks, it isn't about product innovation, it's about pushing a political agenda. Large SUVs are products of Satan................screw what some consumers want and the multi-tasking capabilites these offer.