the 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche is refined and capable, while delivering a smooth ride and gobs of towing power (up to 8,100 pounds). For a detailed review of this vehicle, consult our page on the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche.
The 2010 Avalanche loses its available 6-liter V8 engine, dropping it down to a single powertrain -- a 310-horsepower, 5.3-liter flex-fuel V8 that also gains Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation.
The 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche gets a couple of changes. The 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche reflects GM's effort to combine a pickup with an SUV. The Avalanche takes after its pickup parent with its four-door crew-cab configuration. However, unlike a truck, its cab and bed aren't separate; instead, the Avalanche features an SUV's one-piece body.
Certainly, the full-sized Avalanche is no slouch in the size department.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options
The 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche is a full-size crew-cab pickup with a removable rear window and exclusive midgate. The basic LS features a composite cargo bed, a removable three-piece cargo cover, full power accessories, air-conditioning, a front 40/20/40-split bench seat with center storage, a power driver seat, basic OnStar capability and a single-CD stereo with an auxiliary jack, USB port and satellite radio.
The top-drawer LTZ offers standard 20-inch wheels, a navigation system, an adaptive suspension, heated and ventilated leather seats, a rearview camera, integrated turn-signal mirrors and an automatic-dimming rearview mirror. Many of these upper-trim-level features are available as options on the lower trims.
The 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche is available with either two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel drive (4WD). The standard setup for 4WD models this year is a single-speed transfer case; a more traditional two-speed transfer case (with low-range gearing) is optional.
A properly equipped 2WD Avalanche can tow up to 8,100 pounds. Standard Avalanche safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes, stability control, GM's OnStar emergency communications system and a full-length side curtain airbag system with a rollover sensor. With bucket seats, the Avalanche seats five, but it can carry up to six passengers when equipped with the split-bench front seat.
With the midgate up, the Avalanche's cargo bed is 5-feet-3-inches long; drop the midgate and slide the rear seats forward and the bed grows to over 8 feet.
It's GM's Transformer truck-since 2002 the Chevrolet Avalanche has taken the full-size pickup for an interesting ride by offering a flexible cabin and bed that trade places when needed. "The previous Avalanche's body cladding is gone, replaced with integrated rocker panels and bumpers," Cars.com says. Trim and with a bit of the off-roading look built into the sail panels behind the cabin windows, the Avalanche has a nicely brief truck bed, pronounced fenders, and a big twin-grille front end that shares genes with the noses on the new Chevrolet Malibu and Traverse. Cars.com contends the Chevrolet Avalanche 2010 "closely resembles the 2010 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 simply reports that the 2010 Chevy Avalanche's "nice two-tone interior is crafted from high-quality materials," while Car and Driver pays a halfhearted compliment to the "decent interior."