2009 Chevrolet Avalanche - Styling Review

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Shopping for a 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche? MSRP: $35,460 - $46,700

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Cadillac builds a similar vehicle to the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche (the Escalade EXT), but the Avalanche is the original transformer and it keeps getting better. Turning it from a short-bed pickup to a sort of long-bed with a partial roof covering is a simple process of flipping down its Midgate to extend its pickup bed inside the cabin.

Edmunds praises the “sleeker exterior styling” in this generation. “The previous Avalanche's body cladding is gone, replaced with integrated rocker panels and bumpers,” Cars.com says. “Key elements of the previous model remain—namely the triangular pillars descending from the cab's C-pillars to its bed.” Kelley Blue Book notes that the Chevrolet Avalanche 2009's "monochromatic exterior features wraparound fascias that eliminate bumper-to-body gaps," adding that a "sleek windshield angle extends into a smoother roofline, the front air dam is low and wide and prominent fenders with integrated wheel flares complement the bulging power-dome hood." Cars.com contends the Chevrolet Avalanche 2009 "closely resembles the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe up front, though with an overall length of 221 inches it's nearly as long as Chevrolet's full-size Suburban SUV." ForbesAutos deftly describes the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche as "a cross between a full-size SUV and a full-size pickup truck,” while Edmunds comments favorably on the 2009 Chevy Avalanche's "versatile Midgate-based body style.”

Reviewers generally like the interior of the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, but not all are that descriptive as to why. ForbesAutos simply reports that the 2009 Chevy Avalanche's "nice two-tone interior is crafted from high-quality materials," and Car and Driver pays a halfhearted compliment to the “decent interior.” Cars.com is more specific, noting that the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche takes "interior styling cues [that] echo the Tahoe and Suburban, with a curvaceous dashboard.” They add, “Gone are the boxy dashboard and chintzy controls from the previous version, replaced by a carlike environment that's far beyond GM's previous interiors—and even beyond the current Toyota Sequoia, for that matter.”