First look: 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche.(Evaluation)

New for 2002, the Chevrolet Avalanche is one of the latest models in a move toward five-passenger crew-cab pickups that include four regular doors and two full rows of seats. Some crew cabs have been dubbed "SUV/pickup hybrids," a marketing gimmick intended to capitalize on the high demand for SUVs. However, the Avalanche (and its more expensive cousin, the Cadillac Escalade EXT) comes closest to fulfilling that hybrid role because of its passenger/ cargo versatility and innovative body design.

Unlike other pickups, the Avalanche (and Escalade EXT) features a novel two-piece partition that separates the passenger compartment from the cargo bed. Called the midgate, it consists of a removable rear window and a foldable metal panel. By tumbling the rear seat forward and folding down the midgate panel, you essentially extend the cargo bed into the passenger cab, trading passenger space for cargo room. This increases the usable length of the bed from about 5 feet to a little over 8 feet (the same as a conventional long-bed Chevrolet Silverado pickup), allowing it to handle a 4x8-foot sheet of building material. Completing this transformation is relatively easy, although the head restraints need to be removed before the rear seat is folded.

The rear window can be removed separately for extra ventilation and stowed in brackets on the inside of the lower panel. But fussing with it takes some time. With both the rear window and panel opened, there's enough room to carry bulkier cargo. One concern we have is how well the various clips, brackets, drainage gutters, and hinges will stand the test of time.

The Avalanche comes with a rigid cargo-bed cover that consists of three separate removable sections. Once removed, they must be reinstalled in the same order to fit properly. Smaller items can be stored in locking storage bins integrated into both sides of the pickup bed.

The key in creating the midgate was in the Avalanche's body design. While conventional pickups use a separate cab and cargo bed, the Avalanche is the first full-sized-pick-up to use a unified design in which the cab and bed form one body. The Avalanche is closer in design to a Chevy Suburban SUV than to a conventional Silverado pickup, with identical doors, the same wheelbase, and the same coil-spring rear suspension.

The ...