The Best Year for the Chevy Avalanche
Chevrolet Avalanche by RL GNZLZ — CC BY-SA 2.0
The last year for the Avalanche was 2013, and it was also the best year for the Chevy Avalanche. Although most people believe that the discontinuation of the popular truck/SUV was because of poor sales, that’s only partly true. It was also discontinued due to a bad business plan, GM bankruptcy problems, and loyal buyers of the Silverado and Sierra.
The discontinuation didn’t have much to do with consumers not likely the vehicle any longer. In fact, people still loved the seating availability of a Tahoe and the cargo bed space of a Silverado converted into one vehicle.
Powertrain, Towing, and Gas Mileage
For a vehicle that weighs in at almost three tons, the Vortec 5.3-liter V8 does a good job of getting the Avalanche around town. It’s not the best-performing vehicle with 320 horsepower and 335 lb.-ft. of torque, but it does have a towing capacity of 8,100 lbs.
The six-speed transmission helps the Avalanche distribute the weight quite well compared to its previous 4-speed transmission. The current engine/transmission combo helps the SUV get an EPA-Estimated 15 city / 21 hwy mpg.
If your plans are to do a lot of towing, you might want to look for an all-wheel-drive option. All trim levels come with the same 2WD or AWD option. You won’t have to worry about an mpg difference in the drivetrain, so the only difference you’ll find in a 2WD and AWD option is an AWD will probably cost a little more and it does ad to more parts that can break down on you.
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2013 Chevy Avalanche vs. Competition
Outside of its twin brother, the Cadillac Escalade, no one in this class offers the use of a fold-down midgate. Although just about all new trucks, crossovers, and SUVs offer fold-down rear seats, none offer access through the cab to the bed of the vehicle. This supersizes the room for cargo and opens up options you just don’t get with other vehicles.
Main competitors
- Honda Ridgeline
- Toyota Tundra
- Nissan Titan
- Ford F150
- Ram
Trim Models for 2013 Chevy Avalanche
2013 is definitely the best year for the Chevy Avalanche. With GM giving it the boot, they made sure to add a little zing to it. Models include the LS, LT, and the LTZ with an available off-road Z71 package. The Z71 package includes monotube shock absorbers, 18-inch wheels, color-matched fender flares, high-capacity air cleaner, tubular assist steps, and skid plates.
Since the 2013 Chevy Avalanche was the last year model before its cancelation, to commemorate its success, all models came with a “Black Diamond Avalanche” badge and unique body-color bed surrounds. It also comes with a set of new standard features that include a backup camera, power-adjustable paddles, rear parking sensors, remote start, and fog lights.
The transmission comes standard with powertrain grade braking in normal mode and uses the engine to help out on slowing down the big Avalanche to prolong brake system life.
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Interior Highlights
As mentioned above, the midgate fold-down is standard on all Avalanches. Standard air conditioning, CD stereo, and Bluetooth connectivity. Available options are a touch-screen navigation system, heated and cooled seats, and a rear-seat entertainment center.
Exterior Highlights
Its unique look is all you need to notice that it’s not your run-of-the-mill SUV or four-door pick. The standard 17-inch rims look okay, but the available 20-inch rims look great on this big vehicle with the wraparound front bumper and available power-articulating running boards.
Safety Features
Although some safety features were already mentioned above, some are not new but are very important to the Chevy Avalanche’s consistent overall good safety ratings. StabiliTrak is the stability control system that Chevy Avalanche uses and includes electronic trailer sway control, and hill start assist.
You also get Rear Parking Assist with an Ultrasonic audible warning system, Daytime Running Lamps with Automatic Exterior Lamp Control, LATCH system, (Lower Anchors and Top Tethers for Children) for children’s safety seats, Automatic Crash Response, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, and Stolen Vehicle Assist.
A wealth of airbags are also set all around the cabin including curtain airbags, dual-stage frontal airbags, and right-front passenger airbags with Passenger Sensing System.
Cargo Dimensions
Although not technically a truck, this SUV/truck actually has more cargo bed length than some of its truck competitors. The cargo bed length is 63.30 inches with the midgate folded in its upright position and 98.20 inches in its fold-down position. Cubic space area is 45.5 feet of cargo volume.
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Some Other Goodies
The AWD works great with the heavy-duty rear locking differential. Trailing equipment includes a hitch platform, a VR4 2-inch receiver, a 7-wire harness with independent fused trailering circuits connected to a 7-way sealed connector. All that added with the StabiliTrak, you have enough trailing abilities to safely tow at least one car, Uhaul, or motor home, and a crew of up to six. You also get automatic leveling control to take care of any swagging in the rear you experience from heavier loads.
Average Pricing For the 2013 Chevy Avalanche
The average price tag for a 2013 Chevy Avalanche ranges from about $20,900 for the base two-wheel-drive LS model and around $33,500 for the four-wheel-drive LTZ model with all the extra.
Now that is obviously a price that will vary from dealership to dealership and owner to owner. You will also have varying prices depending on the shape of the vehicle, how many miles it has on it, and where it is being sold in the US.
Insurance Cost
Your insurance cost will vary. It will depend on what type of coverage you get, the deductible you opt for, and the company you go with. But the 2013 Chevy Avalanche does fair well with most insurance companies as it is a fairly safe reasonable vehicle.
Why We Picked the 2013 Chevy Avalanche
We picked the 2013 model as the best year for the Chevy Avalanche because it has the most up-to-date features, they are still priced very well for what you get, and you just can’t go wrong.
If you go back a few years and keep going back to 2003, you’re going to get an Avalanche with more miles and fewer safety features. But even in its early years, the Chevy Avalanche received very good consumer and expert ratings.
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