As ugly as an Aztec!

[danandamy]

I couldn't believe it. I was minding my own business cruising to the Texaco to get a little diesel for fuel filter change, when I happened to glance over at the local Chivy dealership Man, what the heck was that?! After getting my fuel I stopped in to look. It's called the "Avalanche". Oh man, LOL, it looks like an Avalanche of dog crap YUKOLA! For those of you who haven't seen this thing, it's like the Aztec, only bigger, and uglier. I wouldn't be caught dead an anything that danged ugly. Man, Dodge can't make money when the competition is coming out with garbage like that?! Give me a break.

 

[gitchesum]

I looked at one at the Chevy dealership in Houston. The salesman came up and wasked what I thought about it. I just told him I thought they hung the guy that designed the Aztec but I guess he went to work at Chevrolet designing trucks.



Hey Chevrolet, those big bulky plastic side moldings and roll bars REALLY are ugly.

 

[mikel]

I saw one on the freeway yesterday, it looked ridiculous. The whole side of the truck (?) is covered in plastic up to about half-way up the door. My wife started laughing at it, our dog even laughed at it



Later,

Mike

 

[RonaldLarson]

Yeah, now we know why GM hired the guy who designed the PT Cruiser. They gotta do something fast.

Anyone see the new T Bird? Talk about boring to look at! I guess after the Taurus fiasco, Ford isn't taking any chances. Looks a lot like the first Datsun Z car, and a lot like an inverted bathtub. Nooooooooooooooo STYLE!

Ron

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I know I'm going to get blasted for this but we should be happy that GM is making the Avalanche. Looking around in our area I'd say that 80-90% of 1/2 ton trucks around here are never used to haul anything. They are being bought largely by people who think trucks are "cool". Now here is where we should thank GM (and ford for their versions of the same truck). They have been turning 1/2 ton trucks into cars because of their marketing research. Unforetunately the 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks follow along with what the 1/2 tons get because so many more 1/2 tons are sold. Hopefully by GM making a specific yuppy truck (look in the bed of an Avalanche, they have LIGHTS in the side of the bed - they'd last maybe a day if it was my truck) they can stop taming down the real trucks.



I agree that it is REALLY ugly - though not in the same class as the Aztec! I have spent some time in one (my brother-in-law and father have both ordered ones) and they did do a great job of thinking out the design from a convenience point of view. You can remove the rear glass and there's a spot to stow it right underneath. When you flip the seats down they have pockets built into the seats to store the seatbelts. They have storage bins in the top of of the bed rails to give you someplace to put small things like tools, etc in what would otherwise be unused space. Lastly, the seats are the most comfortable seats I've ever ridden in. Now would I buy one for me - NO WAY, the drivetrain is way to weak on them (IFS front, coil spring rear suspension), plastic parts all over, bed that can't really be used, etc.



So I say thank you GM for making a truck for the mass market you are trying to capture. Now that you have one for them, stop turning your real trucks into cars! Start making a solid axle front suspension again and put some real springs underneath them - real truck buyers don't care much about a Cadillac ride, get rid of the plastic bed you put on the new trucks that is cracking if you put a toolbox on it and put a real steel bed back on them, and get rid of the stupid pushbutton 4wd engagement and give us a real lever on the floor again (less to break). I'll get off my soapbox now!

 

[EMDDIESEL]

No question, its ugly, nice idea, but very ugly

 

[johnrv4]

I was at the Chicago Auto Show with my brother-in-law when we happened to come upon that ugly piece of machinery. I was telling him how ugly it was when a woman walked up to me and asked me how I liked it. I told her it was butt ugly and that they had to be out of their mind to actually market it. I didn't realize that she was the spokesmodel for the Avalanche. Right after I finished talking to her she went up on stage and gave her speel on how innovative and wonderful it was.

 

[HC]

I know I'm going to get blasted...



So I say thank you GM for making a truck for the mass market you are trying to capture. Now that you have one for them, stop turning your real trucks into cars! Start making a solid axle front suspension again...

put some real springs underneath them...

get rid of the plastic bed...

put a real steel bed back on them...

get rid of the stupid pushbutton 4wd engagement...

Blast you? Far from it! I say AMEN BROTHER STEVE! The only thing I would add is that maybe if they make this new class of "yuppie trucks" for the masses, then maybe, just maybe, "real trucks" will get less popular and the prices will come back down to where they should be. Explain to me why a pick-up truck should cost more than a van; both are heavy with lots of metal. The only answer is that pickup trucks are popular, vans aren't, so vans are sold with less mark up.

 

[paccool]

HC

"Yuppie Truck" is a very fitting name. I saw the thing sitting in the front row at the local dealer and wondered why they didn't hide it in the back. Oh well, I guess Chevy has lost touch with the people. Will probably go the way of the Edsel.



Stan

 

[Jetson]

These new vehicles look like the ugly things created for futuristic movies like Knight Rider 2010. They hang crap all over a Camaro to make it as ugly as possible. The Nissan truck is another ugly shtick.

 

[JR2]

For a truely depressing time, read this:

Yikes



Its all about the new 3/4 ton "North Face" edition.....

 

[Amianthus]

After reading that article, I only have a few things to say.

There are some pretty neat ideas in that truck (loosely termed). I really like the idea of a factory LOCKING differential. That's a good idea. The convert-a-bed, I think the jury's still out. It sounds neat, but is it really practical? And them are some pretty impressive numbers for a factory gas motor. We'll just ahve to see how long it lasts.

But you guys are dead on the money as far as looks go. Icky poo! That thing is just plain nasty. If anything kills that truck it's gonna be the looks. Even though the Aztec would make Medusa turn to stone, this one would come in a close second.

 

[Bad340fish]

Ask any 4x4 guys about the "locker" GM is putting out. It requires one wheel to spin for awhile then it clicks the other one. Here is a scenario. . your going up hil pulling a heavy load on a rutted muddy road. One rear tire falls into a hole and since your at heavy throttle it spins very fast very quick. Now here comes the locker. BOOM it engages and the extra work load put on so quickly hacks the carrier out of the back of the rear end. I was at a 4x4 shop the other day and a guy was looking into a brand new truck and asked there opinion on the "locker" so I sat around and listened and thats how I came up with that.



I guess lund and all the other crap plastic truck parts makers are SOL on the Avalanche. I don't know where else you could double side tape some nice cheezy accesories onto it lol

Clark

 

[Jff24Gordn]

LMAO

"... as well as an optional snow plow prep package... "



i can just see this plowing the walmart parking lot

#ad




"..... there should be very few tasks, if any, the Avalanche can't handle... . "

 

[Amianthus]

I did not know that. That does sound truly horrendous. I guess I was thinking it was something similar to the Toyota Landcruiser setup.

Yeah, the plow thing struck me kinda funny too.