2012 Chevrolet Avalanche

What other vehicle is so multitalented that you can turn it from an SUV to a pickup in under a minute? Well folks, If you are looking for versatility, the 2012 Chevy Avalanche is for you. With the split-folding rear bench seat down and the Midgate lowered, the 2012 Avalanche has the capability of a full-size pickup truck, but the interior look and feel of an upscale SUV. The 2012 Chevy avalanche is a great vehicle that will be sure to put your fun side and classy side at odds.

Exterior

Let’s face it; it's already hard to miss the Chevy Avalanche’s unique profile, and this year it'll stand out even more.

The 2012 Avalanche comes equipped with a midgate that transforms it from a six-passenger SUV to a full-size pickup truck.

The conversion is easy: just lower the 60/40 split-folding bench seat. From there, the midgate can be lowered for a secured cargo area, or the rear window and three-piece cargo cover can be removed for more room to transport larger items. It was so easy to do I was even able to recruit someone to show me!

The Avalanche's cargo box also features a lockable tailgate, a firm tonneau cover and is equipped with a top storage box. The Avalanche’s cargo box can accommodate 4' x 8'objects, as well as 50 inches of space between the wheel housing. The 2012 Avalanche offers 45.5 cubic feet of space, and if you want to talk about storage capacity, the Avalanche is also your guy, as it has the largest trunk in the industry.

Interior

We gotta give it to Chevy, The 2012 Avalanche can accomplish any task.  It offers plenty of comfort and style, with a roomy interior that holds up to six passengers comfortably and offers a myriad of features:

If you go for the LT model, you will get heated front seats. The Avalanche LTZ comes equipped with a heated steering wheel, plus leather front bucket seats that are heated and cooled. Now you can be comfortable in your Avalanche, all year long.

The Avalanche allows both the driver and front-seat passenger to have control of their own temperature settings. The LS model features standard Manual control, while the LT and LTZ trims offer automatic controls.

The 2012 Chevy Avalanche is equipped with remote vehicle start, allowing consumers to start your vehicle from your house or office. This will come handy in this area, where winters are very cold and summer is even hotter!

Under the Hood

The 2012 Avalanche comes equipped with a standard 5.3L Vortec V8 engine that delivers 320 horsepower and 335 lb.-ft. of torque. For the Avalanche, Chevy gave us the right combination of horsepower and torque, and with 8,100 lbs. of towing capacity, the Avalanche can handle much bigger payloads.

The 2012 Chevy Avalanche is equipped with Active Fuel Management Technology that activates all engine cylinders when more power is needed and deactivates four of the eight cylinders to conserve fuel. Thanks to this feature, the Avalanche offers a very impressive EPA-estimated 21 MPG highway and a driving range of up to 650 miles when operated on gas.

Speaking of gas, the 2012 Avalanche is equipped with a standard Flex-Fuel-capable engine, which can run on either unleaded fuel or E85, a combination of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

Features

The LT and LTZ trims of the 2012 Avalanche come with an excellent set of features. The 2012 model now offers a new Touch-Screen Infotainment system that is equipped with A 30GB hard drive that lets you store your favorite music. The infotainment system is equipped with DVD-playback, voice recognition, and has the option for SiriusXM integration with SiriusXM NavWeather, which gives you the choice between a 2D or 3D full-color map display, a rear view camera and a pause-and-play feature that gives users to pause a live radio broadcast (Think TiVo on wheels!).

The 2012 Avalanche has a USB port which allows you to use your MP3 player/Ipod or USB stick to play music, giving you convenient control through both radio and steering wheel controls. The LT trim has a seven speaker Bose premium sound system, and the LTZ trim is equipped with an eight-speaker premium Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound System

The 2012 Avalanche is equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology for select phones which allows you to take calls with the touch of a button. Also if you want to stay connected to your Avalanche, you now are able to do so with the myChevrolet mobile app which lets you start your vehicle, check diagnostics, contact roadside assistance, routine maintenance and more.

Safety Features

The 2012 Chevy Avalanche comes standard with StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System which helps you keep your car on the road and under your control. For 2012, StabiliTrak includes Hill Start Assist and Trailer Sway Control for even more assurance. The Avalanche is also equipped with Rollover Mitigation, which helps determine the potential for vehicle rollover and applies brake pressure to the outside front tires to manage lateral tire grip. Speaking of tires, the 2012 Avalanche comes with a standard Tire Pressure Monitor, which constantly monitors the inflation level on your tires.

The 2012 Avalanche has Six standard Air Bags, including head and curtain side-impact air bags and side impact air bags mounted on the front seat. Additionally the Avalanche has  standard dual-stage frontal, driver and right-front passenger air bags with the Passenger Sensing System. To top it off, the Avalanche is surrounded by a high-strength steel safety cage and strategically placed crush zones to help absorb and channel crash energy in case of a collision.

In case you do get in a collision, the Avalanche comes with OnStar and a built in automatic crash response.  This feature, standard for the first six months, alerts an OnStar advisor if you get in an accident (even if you cant) and can even pinpoint your exact location.

Verdict

The 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche has everything any car buyer can want. It is literary versatile enough to be a pick up or an SUV, it has an excellent infotainment system, great safety features, and best of all, it’s pretty good on gas! If you are in the market for a bigger vehicle, or if you can’t decide between a truck or an SUV, this bad boy is right up your alley.

Like what you read? Follow us on Twitter at @jerryschevybalt and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jerryschevrolet

Want to check out your own Chevrolet Avalanche? Go to: 

http://www.jerryschevrolet.com/inventory/view/Make/Chevrolet/Model/Avalanche%201500/Records100/SortByprice/