Imagine cutting off the back portion of the Suburban, which is the basic idea of the Avalanche. The Avalanche features a small exposed truck bed separated from the passenger compartment by a type of a door called a midgate. The 2nd row seats can be folded and the midgate lowered to extend the cargo area from behind the driver's seat through to the back of the bed. Aside from its sibling the Cadillac Escalade EXT, there is nothing else like it on the market. All three trim levels equip a 5.3L V-8. The Avalanche is available in 2WD and 4WD models, and offers a dedicated Z71 off-road package. A properly equipped Avalanche can tow up to 8100 lbs. The biggest drawback to the Avalanche is price. Avalanche models typically run thousands of dollars higher than similarly equipped Silverado Crew Cab models.