Chevrolet Avalanche LT Gallup NM

BY LARRY WEBSTER

The Avalanche would be just another four-door pickup if it weren't for the folding partition that separates the passenger compartment from the cargo bed. So, although the news for 2007 is that it's now underpinned by GM's new GMT900 full-size-truck platform, the stuff that makes it an Avalanche remains. That center partition is called the Midgate, and it also has a removable rear window. Also returning is the three-panel, hard-plastic cover that turns the 63.3-by-50.0-inch truck bed into a lockable trunk. These pieces — the window, the Midgate, and the bed cover — can be removed or folded independently, which makes for several cargo-carrying possibilities. For example, when the rear seats are folded, the Midgate, which is hinged at the floor, can be opened onto the rear seats, thus extending the length of the pickup bed. Drop the Midgate, but leave the rear window and bed cover in place, and you have a rather large, lockable storage compartment. Or you can remove only the bed cover and haul large dirty items without soiling the cab. Or you could remove the rear window — it stows on the inside of the Midgate — to haul especially bulky items. We could go on, but you get the picture.

Like the original Avalanche that debuted in 2001, the bed is layered with a high-friction plastic that keeps things from sliding around but is still smooth enough for easy garden-hose cleanups. Also returning for 2007 are the lockable storage compartments — complete with drain holes — in the sides of the bed that can serve as handy beverage coolers.

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