Differences between 2011-2013 Avalanche? (features, etc)

A little over a year ago I had to sell my beloved 2002 Avalanche. I'm finally back in the market for another Avalanche and looking at newer trucks this time. I know the 2013 is the Black Diamond with body color stuff from the Escalade EXT. Other than that, are there any feature differences between 2011-2013 trucks? Is there any reason to get a 2013 over a 2011?

I'm looking for a 4x4 (with G80 locking rear diff) and heated leather seats...everything else is just luck if I find it.

The EXT style cladding started in 2011 on LTZ models a few late 2010 LTZs had it too. All 2013 had the EXT cladding

click this link and look under product archives to see the differences between years.
https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/vehicles.html

Remember the more toys on it the higher cost to maintain it.

The Nav unit on the 13's is different... not sure if it was for the better 

I imagine it would be hard to select a specific model AV and match it item for item with a different year AV. It was mentioned in the 2013 AV threads that there was some things added such as badging and of course painted cladding but some items were decontented as well (I don't remember specifics but something like heated side mirrors etc.).
If I was in the market for a used vehicle I would buy the latest year with the lowest mileage in general terms but I believe that the vehicle's individual history of maintenance and care is more important factors to consider. You may have certain features that are a must have though so I would focus on those features.
I would also be concerned if vehicle was in a flood zone or in a rust belt too.
Good luck in your search.

greatgab said:

The Nav unit on the 13's is different... not sure if it was for the better 

Click to expand...

Compared to the old DVD based system, I prefer the newer (2012+) HDD version (split screen, centerpoint bose surround, HDD music storage), but I do wish it streamed and read texts...