December Truckin' Magazine Tough On Avalanche!

[luv2boat]

On page 25 of the December issue of Truckin' magazine there is a short article about the "naked Avalanche" with photos. I have no problem with GM offering the truck in an un-cladded version (personally I think the cladded version looks better, although I wish they would have offered factory painted cladding as an option instead). The magazine article has a suggested quote from Bob Lutz "product guru" saying: "get rid of the ugly-a** plastic." The article winds up with "the naked Avalanche otherwise carries the same equipment as other Avalanches, but with more dignity." This from the same magazine that has a 4 page spread starting on 158 about how cool their fully moded out Avalanche project vehicle is. Maybe there writers should get together once in a while.

 

[chazj]

The guy doesn't have a clue. I could have bought any truck and modded it with wheels, stereo, billet, etc. I wanted a truck that was different. I wanted an Avalanche.

I love my truck,
I love my cladding,
--chazj

 

[RJLanche21]

You got that right, Chaz!!!

If anyone wanted a, "Me too" truck ( Hey, you drive a Ford, me too!) we "Avheads" would have followed behind, instead of being leaders and standing above the rest.

Bowtie rules!!! ? ?

Just like I say under my pic; "I got your Ford... RIGHT HERE!!!"

I don't think that magazine has a "Truckin" clue...

 

[lightbg]

Seeing one Av on the road usually doesn't provoke much interest........a pair usually turns heads......but going down to Delaware last Sunday with 6 in New Jersey and (later) 18 in Rehoboth Beach definitely got people's attention! Avs are unique in appearance and purpose, and I enjoy the fact that I don't see a "clone" of myself around every turn. Now I don't even fear Pathmark supermarket parking lots (the carts just bounce off the cladding!).

Jake

 

[luv2boat]

Jake,

Nothing sweeter than a line of AV's as far as the eye can see. Nice photo.

 

[kegger]

I still turn my head when I see an AV. Even with me owning one. I love to look at them. They are so cool looking. But, I look at the claddless ones and they look just like the darn Silverado's Quad Cab. I really do like the cladding, I do wish that they would color coordinate it with the paint though, sometimes anyway. Sometimes I like it just the way it is.

The AV has everything beat in my Book.

 

[byron]

On page 25 of the December issue of Truckin' magazine there is a short article about the "naked Avalanche" with photos. ?I have no problem with GM offering the truck in an un-cladded version (personally I think the cladded version looks better, although I wish they would have offered factory painted cladding as an option instead). The magazine article has a suggested quote from Bob Lutz "product guru" saying: "get rid of the ugly-a** plastic." The article winds up with "the naked Avalanche otherwise carries the same equipment as other Avalanches, but with more dignity." ?This from the same magazine that has a 4 page spread starting on 158 about how cool their fully moded out Avalanche project vehicle is. ?Maybe there writers should get together once in a while.

Ahhh....what does that loser know.

I love how the "experts" dis our AV's. Yet the damn thing was truck of the year last year. I guess Chevy must have been doing SOMETHING right with the cladding.

 

[Cannon]

Tell ole Bob Lutz that we like our cladding just fine, and if he doesn't. He can buy that "plain" ole non-cladded avalanche.

 

[ron_west]

Funny, I was going to post a topic on this too...

First off, Truckin's writer/Editor is truely a knucklehead.
Since when is having plastic or "composite" which is what it really is, not cool?
Let us ponder this and hope that someone will inform the goofballs at that magazine that their bullish opinion was infact, stupid.
In thinking about this there are several trucks on a list to long to mention that carry the same material. Like....
2003 Toyota 4Runner
Xterrra
Front end of the Frontier
Vehicross
And many more...

By the way nice full page ad on the back cover of the Avalanche. Funny how those boneheads will take their advertising dollar.

 

[pdxkevin]

I love how the "experts" dis our AV's.

Remember, It was 'experts' who said that Star Wars was a poor 'cowboys in space' type of movie that no one would waste their money watching.

It sounds more like sour grapes to me. OR the author is one of those who feels that only really inovative stuff comes from Japan or is blessed by the eco-nazis.

 

[ygmn]

As long as us owners love the AVy I could care less what that mag thinks......

 

[truckman]

Non-Clad loving folk are just plain communists I tell ya'. Un-American I got 3 tons of bad-a## Chevy Cladding RIGHT HERE!

Truckman

 

[kps]

.... and I enjoy the fact that I don't see a "clone" of myself around every turn.....

Jake

Anyone else see the irony of Jake's comment, while posting a pic of six Av's in a row?

I'm original, just like everyone else

I think the press is jumping on the cladding because, well, everyone is jumping on the cladding. It's so much easier than having an orginal thought. As for me, I bought Blue for the ride, for the utility, and, mostly, because it looked very different from everything else out there.

It does get attention. The line some time back holds true -- scares small children and animals. I think it scares the auto writers a bit as well.

 

[02Avalanche]

I think future non-clad AV owners should be only offered associate memberships to the CAFCNA.

 

[sunruh]

Most of the media is lost between being on the take, promoting or dissing those who advertise and those who don't. This isn't the case with all media but more than we'd want to imagine. Look at the sales #s. The AV is making a a big impact whether some, so called, journalists want to admit it.
The cladding makes the difference.

 

[Billy3sticks]

It's more than obvious that this guy doesn't have a "Truckin Clue". The reason I got an AV was to be different. Why would anybody want to drive a FORD F-150 . Everyone has one....That's why I don't.

Go Chevy

 

[zimmthumps]

Geez, my issue is probably sitting back at my old address in Ohio.
I'll have to wait till I get the bundle shipped up here to MI.

What ever happend to the Av (I think it was yellow) that Truckin did a section about a while ago, and said they were gonna do a part II with it in a couple months?
I never heard anything more about it?

 

[luv2boat]

zimmsAV,
It's in there and looks great. Yellow, but great! They even painted the hump over the wheel well, like some of the recent threads have been discussing. I think someone has been reading our mail. We are trend setters.

 

[HeavyChevy]

On page 25 of the December issue of Truckin' magazine there is a short article about the "naked Avalanche" with photos. ?I have no problem with GM offering the truck in an un-cladded version (personally I think the cladded version looks better, although I wish they would have offered factory painted cladding as an option instead). The magazine article has a suggested quote from Bob Lutz "product guru" saying: "get rid of the ugly-a** plastic." The article winds up with "the naked Avalanche otherwise carries the same equipment as other Avalanches, but with more dignity." ?This from the same magazine that has a 4 page spread starting on 158 about how cool their fully moded out Avalanche project vehicle is. ?Maybe there writers should get together once in a while.

This is somewhat old news. See the attached link for an article that came out in April from AutoWeek.

http://www.jacksonville.com/getjaxwheels/autonews/stories/040102/00048965.shtml

What I REALLY find surprising is that I remember reading an article in my hometown newspaper, The Detroit News, about the Avalanche. It listed the pros and cons of the Av. One of the "cons" was that the "Rugged Look" of the cladding may not be for everyone (I think they took this from Motor Trend). Then the reporter went on to quote Robert Lutz as saying he was very surprised to hear that comment because they received raving reviews about the cladded truck from most of the spectators at the North American Auto Show in Detroit. Who knows...?

I do know this...I love my cladding, but it did have to grow on me, like it did for a lot of other people. I love it even more now that I have seen the "naked" Av!

 

[Chief]

Here's the text of the article for those who haven't read it ...

F I R S T L O O K - Naked Avalanche

Is product guru Bob Lutz having an effect at GM? It seems he took one look at the Chevrolet Avalanche when he arrived at the corporation (its design was set before he got there) and said something along the lines of "Get rid of that ugly-ass plastic." Well, for 2003, the Avalanche will be available from Chevrolet "without body hardware," which is a polite, corporate way of saying "without ugly-ass plastic."

Stripping the Avalanche of its lower body cladding was pretty straightforward. After all, most of the sheetmetal (and virtually all of the chassis) is shared with the Suburban SUV. However the '02 Avalanche's nose is actually different from the nose on the Suburban or the Chevy fullsize pickup. So instead of the nose worn by the plasticized Avalanche, the naked one uses the same, Avalanche-ish sheetmetal as the '03 pickups. The new Suburbans and Tahoes carry forward with the same noses they've worn since their 2000 introduction. We have thoughtfully (if we must say so) provided photos of both the original Avalanche and the new, more svelte one for your visual comparison delight. You're welcome.

The naked Avalanche otherwise carries the same equipment as other Avalanches, but with more dignity.

 

[zeeya2000]

Service manager told me this week that i can order the colored cladding to match my truck. Said it would not be glossy black like the paint, but that it would be black.
Seems like i remember some post on this. Has anyone heard the news that it went through and is now on sale and what kind of price??
zeeya

 

[Skidd-au]

Well I like the cladding the most, but each to their own... would you really exclude someone from the brotherhood just because they chose to own one without cladding?

 

[grupert10]

As for Lutz and all the so called "experts" of the auto world, Wall Street, medical field............ Kiss my a**. No one really cares about Lutz's or anyone elses personal opinion on the AV's appearance, & BTW Wall Street if full of ex-mafia paying off old money analyst's that don't know s**t about stocks, and to the Medical Experts, well they have something new killing us everyday, just so they can get published for their PHD.

Well, now I'll get off my soapbox. Thanks for hearing me vent!

It's a dog eat dog world so us AV fans need to stick together.

 

[Congelado]

Goo, thanks for posting the article.

Although I also love the cladding, I see this as a positive thing. Several people have told me they'd get an Av if it wasn't for the cladding. I guess it's time for me to see if they'll put their money where their mouth is.

After all, it doesn't hurt to have more Av enthusiasts.

 

[Chief]

just went up to 7-11 to get refills for rear bumper beverage holders, and picked up this months ,,.. truckin magazine, looking for av stuff. sure enough there was an article-- 1-4 page about av and how lutz took off the clad for 2003... last sentance said how at least now, avalanche can be presented without cladding, and presented with .."DIGNITY" any of my av brothers wanna define dignity p.s ... guess what the rear cover of the magazine was?? truck of the year, and we all know what that was.... any of you av boys dignified about now!!!!!

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