Ambalanche
Full Member
I went to my dealer today to have my oil changed and tires rotated, and since they forgot about me and took over an hour to perform this operation,(they gave me a card for a free oil change next time) I had tome to walk around and in back they had two '03 Av's that had just come in and had yet to be prepped. I really, really like the new darker cladding! They had a black Z-71 and a Sunset Orange Z-66. Some of the things I noticed were that not only did the sticker of the Z-66 say the package was a Z-66 
(and I've talked about this in an earlier thread) but the Z-71 said "premium off-road package". NEITHER said anything on their respective stickers about the "Z" package, but both had the decals. Hmmm is Chevy going to do away with Z-71 labled Av's as well as the Z-66? At the top of the Z-71, all it said was Avalanche 1500 4X4 which leads me to wonder if we will start to see 4X4 AV's without the Z-71 package and 16" wheels. Also, on the interior, they've moved the traction control switch from under the cargo light switch to where I put my Cell phone under the AC unit. The leather seats don't have the bowtie anymore. (I have a cloth bench and there wasn't one to compare it to, but an '03 Silverado had one and it looked the same) But the buckets did look more comfortable. I do like the new wheel, but other than a more stylish console lid, I liked the old arrangement better. Seems the new one has too many holes (cubbies) for my taste, but that's just me. I never really cared for the Sunset Orange before (again, just me, no offence) But the '03 with the darker cladding really looked good! I would buy one! Also, they had quite a few new Silverado's parked right next to the two Av's so I got a chance to compare the front ends side by side, and I must say I do like the new front on the Silverado better than the old one. (I traded a 2000 Siverado LS Ext. Cab for my Av) but it didn't look as good as the AV. And while I thought Chevy ripped the hood right off the AV and put it on the Silverado, there are subtle differences like the cut out where the grill goes is not as sharp and the "power bulge" is a little more angular than ours. There is a HUGE gap between the bumper and the DRL/Turn signal cluster also. Like I said, I like the new look better than the old one, but not as much as our AV. And I certainly wouldn't want a decladded AV with that front end over ours. Well that's all I can think of for now. I know, diarreah of the mouth, just thought some of you might like to have a comparo. 
(and I've talked about this in an earlier thread) but the Z-71 said "premium off-road package". NEITHER said anything on their respective stickers about the "Z" package, but both had the decals. Hmmm is Chevy going to do away with Z-71 labled Av's as well as the Z-66? At the top of the Z-71, all it said was Avalanche 1500 4X4 which leads me to wonder if we will start to see 4X4 AV's without the Z-71 package and 16" wheels. Also, on the interior, they've moved the traction control switch from under the cargo light switch to where I put my Cell phone under the AC unit. The leather seats don't have the bowtie anymore. (I have a cloth bench and there wasn't one to compare it to, but an '03 Silverado had one and it looked the same) But the buckets did look more comfortable. I do like the new wheel, but other than a more stylish console lid, I liked the old arrangement better. Seems the new one has too many holes (cubbies) for my taste, but that's just me. I never really cared for the Sunset Orange before (again, just me, no offence) But the '03 with the darker cladding really looked good! I would buy one! Also, they had quite a few new Silverado's parked right next to the two Av's so I got a chance to compare the front ends side by side, and I must say I do like the new front on the Silverado better than the old one. (I traded a 2000 Siverado LS Ext. Cab for my Av) but it didn't look as good as the AV. And while I thought Chevy ripped the hood right off the AV and put it on the Silverado, there are subtle differences like the cut out where the grill goes is not as sharp and the "power bulge" is a little more angular than ours. There is a HUGE gap between the bumper and the DRL/Turn signal cluster also. Like I said, I like the new look better than the old one, but not as much as our AV. And I certainly wouldn't want a decladded AV with that front end over ours. Well that's all I can think of for now. I know, diarreah of the mouth, just thought some of you might like to have a comparo. 
