You know the drill.
Do you remember the Chevrolet Avalanche? You do. And you know what? It’s not just a few people that would love to see it back. It’s not many, but a few. The Chevy lineup dropped it in 2013 because of slow sales. But just like the similar-yet-different Subaru Baja from the mid-2000s, the Avalanche has quite a cult following.
This is Oscar Vargas’s Instagram rendering. This artist’s work is nothing new. We have seen it before and we love the attention to detail. This rendering is based upon a current-generation Suburban. However, it’s much more than a chopped roof with the iconic bed rails behind the cab. This project was inspired by the first-generation Avalanche. The exterior’s bottom half is covered in plastic body cladding.
It’s a distinctive characteristic of the Avalanche, so it’s appropriate to include it. It doesn’t look bad in this rendering as it is a good match for the exterior color. We wonder if the cladding will be accepted more in 2021 than 15 years ago. Exterior cladding is gaining popularity, especially on adventure vehicles such as the Subaru Forester Wilderness. This vehicle aims to portray a rugged personality.
The Avalanche was more than just cladding and SUV-style seating with an SUV bed. The Avalanche’s rear cab had a midgate that allowed for a longer bed. With the rear seats folded, it could also carry cargo similar to a pickup truck. This clever functionality is part and parcel of the Avalanche’s charm. We would expect a modern Avalanche to offer similar features.
However, don’t let your hopes get too high about seeing one. The plastic-wrapped Avalanche wasn’t a popular model, even though it was discontinued for the second generation. Chevrolet has not indicated that a revival is possible, so for the time being, a new Avalanche exists in the realms of fiction creations such as this one.