Price Range: $30,965 to $46,000

Engine: 1500: OHV 5.3-liter, V8; 4WD 2500: OHV 8.1-liter V8

Configuration: Front Engine, Rear 2WD and 4WD; Power 4-disc Brakes,/ ">ABS/TCS, 4WD: Autotrac; Power Steering, recirculating ball

Dimensions: Wheelbase: 130.0 inches, Overall length: 221.7 inches

Maximum Trailer Towing: 1500 2WD: 8300 pounds; 1500 4WD: 8100 pounds; 2500 2WD: 12000 pounds

Fuel Efficiency: 1500 2WD: MPG 14 city / 18 highway, 1500 4WD: MPG 13 city / 17 highway

Safety Features: Driver, passenger and side airbags; ABS, standard

ANZA BORREGO DESERT, Calif. -- We're trucking over rivers of sand that wind through California's bleak Anza Borrego Desert, all tires scrambling for traction on an unusual vehicle that contains the abbreviated bed of a pickup plus the big cabin of a sport-utility wagon with four passenger doors and two rows of seats for six.

It's the bright new idea for a multi-purpose vehicle that functions as both SUV and truck. That explains the tag of Sport-Utility Truck, or SUT, from designers at Chevrolet, who call this clever machine the Avalanche.

Derived from Chevrolet's super-size Suburban wagon, Avalanche discards Suburban's boxy rear bay in favor of the shortened bed of a pickup truck.

There's a husky V8 engine under the hood, a four-wheeling traction mechanism that automatically channels torque to all wheels, and a heavy-duty automatic transmission to manage so much power.

But Avalanche has yet another feature that sets it apart from other vehicles: The back wall of the cabin also works as a door. It folds down flat after the back seat tumbles forward and forms a generous extension of the truck box, which grows from 63 to 97 inches.

This back gate -- dubbed by Chevrolet as a Midgate -- consists of three parts that include a window at the top, a mid-level brace and the composite lower panel.

You can drop the panel, leaving glass and brace in place and creating a horizontal portal 49 inches wide to accommodate long and thin loads like tubular poles, lumber or 4x8 sheets of plywood. A three-piece rigid cargo cover tops the truck box and seals bed and contents from weather. You may also detach the window and stow it in a special slot on the panel, then fold the panel with attached brace to completely open the rear space. That enables Avalanche to carry bulky items, such as a stack of sacks filled with building material like mortar, or a portable generator, a couple of dirt bikes, even a big snowmobile or personal watercraft. Or you could leave the Midgate locked in place but the rear seatback folded down to make a water-tight compartment stuffed with fragile goods while the truck bed in back carries other wares not sensitive to the weather.

And since the seatback of the rear bench divides 60/40 in sections, you might even carry a person as well as cargo in the rear quarters.

All of these configurations come about because of the Midgate on Avalanche, and Chevrolet packages the concept exclusively under the banner of a Convert-a-Cab System.

It translates to extraordinary flexibility for adapting Avalanche into a myriad of shapes to handle so many combinations of cargo and riders.

The rear box also adapts to meet different situations. Walls are high for a pickup -- 22.2 inches tall -- and there are indentations to rig tiers or segment cargo, with marine cleats in corners as tie-down hooks and a rubber mat on the floor plus plastic panels protecting the steel sidewalls.

A detachable tailgate folds down to extend the floor of the box by 25 inches.

And secreted in flanking walls of the bed, Avalanche adds a pair of lockable Top-Box Storage containers stretching 42 inches long by six inches wide and varying in depth from 12 to 21 inches. Each encompasses about 3.5 cubic feet of storage space and may be used perhaps as tool boxes, containers for mechanical equipment or camping gear -- or packed with ice and working as built-in food coolers.

The rigid cargo cover in three separate sections is composed of composite material and strong enough to support 250 pounds. With an optional roof rack in place above the cab, you can step up from bumper to tailgate to cargo cover to reach the top rack for loading even more gear. Each panel weights 18 pounds and may be installed separately or in series of two or three.

Panels stow in a plastic case when not needed. With all three panels in place, the box can be secured by locking the tailgate. A soft cargo cover is also available. It attaches to a snap-less runner mounted on top of box rails and rolls up and stores at the front of the cargo box.

The Avalanche cabin resembles Suburban in a layout with seating for five or six. Standard configuration shows a front bench split in 40/20/40 sections, but twin buckets are offered. That split bench in back flips forward to a vertical position after folding down the seatback sections.

Instruments include analog gauges with speedometer and tachometer, plus a screen display of messages for engine management. Numerous storage spaces show up around the cabin, along with several 12-volt power outlets. Also, the deluxe appointments range from power controls for the driver's seat to a premium audio system and options like leather upholstery and a power sunroof.

The exterior design of Avalanche looks forceful but unusual due to the four-door cabin and short-box tail. Essential lines follow the look of Suburban from the prow back to the trailing edge of second side doors, where the roofline ends and the pickup box begins. Diagonal braces run down from the back of the roof to box rails as structural reinforcements for the chopped roofline.

Also, thick composite cladding that looks like armor rings the vehicle in a protective shield.

The structure utilizes a three-piece modular frame with hydroformed front and rear frame sections that increase strength and rigidity, aid the assembly process by eliminating weld points, and reduce squeaks and frame vibrations due to a solid fit with suspension elements.

Avalanche contains about 80 percent of the components of Suburban, but the revised suspension system brings independent front torsion bars and shock absorber tuning. In back, a five-link coil spring system produces a smooth ride with the standard ZQ1 Smooth Ride Suspension package.

Optional ">suspension packages include a Z71 Off-Road suspension for the four-wheel-drive edition or Z66 Premium On-Road Suspension for a two-wheel-drive version.

Avalanche comes in half-ton 1500 or three-quarter-ton 2500 series with four-wheel or rear-wheel driveline.

The 1500 draws power from a Vortec 5300 V8 that displaces 5.3 liters and produces 285 hp at 5200 rpm and torque to 325 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.

The 2500 packs GM's 8.1-liter big-block V8 with 340 hp at 4200 rpm and 455 lb-ft of torque at 3200 rpm.

Optional four-wheeling stems from the Autotrac system with active transfer case for all-wheel traction. A dash switch allows quick shifts between full-time all-wheel traction, rear-wheel or four-wheel high and low settings.

Pricing for Avalanche 1500 2WD runs from $30,965 to $35,711, with a 1500 4WD extending from $33,965 to $38,711.

PRICE RANGE: $30,965-45,000

CONFIGURATION: 5.3 liter, 285 hp V8 or 8.1 liter, 340 hp V8, Front Engine/Rear and 4 Wheel Drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 14 mpg city, 18 mpg highway

SAFETY FEATURES: Driver,passenger and side airbags; ">ABS, standard

IMPRESSION: Chevrolet takes the best features of a minivan, a pickup, a sport ute and invents a few more. Add to that a ¾ ton heavy hauler and a North Face relationship, and most needs are addressed.

Our lifestyles are allowing us more leisure, more variety in our pursuits and more flexibility in our cars. Too often we have had to have multiple vehicles or compromise the ones we own to take care of our needs. Now, Chevy has taken the new crop of crossover vehicles to new extremes with a truck that works as a car, and can carry just about any combination of people and things that a normal family will think of, plus solve a lot of abnormal requests.

The Avalanche team demonstrated this by filling a fleet of vehicles with tools, construction materials and paraphernalia for a Ronald McDonald camp for children with cancer and their families, and not only did this include heavy loads, but awkward and large items. Only with the biggest packaging were the back seats encumbered, and generous room for four or five people is part of the Avalanche's make up.

At the heart of the Avalanche is the exclusive Convert-a-Cab System, featuring the Midgate design, which makes it the only vehicle currently available that can reconfigure from six-passenger seating to a vehicle with a protected eight-foot cargo box. "Avalanche's innovative design allows it to provide the roominess of Suburban-style first- and second-row seating with the practicality of a Silverado-style cargo box," Chevrolet General Manager Kurt Ritter explains. "It can be reconfigured to function as either a pickup or an SUV or both at the same time.

Avalanche is built on Suburban bits and uses over 80% of its parts, but has some restructuring to make it even stiffer despite the open back end. There is a sturdy diagonal bar under the sail area's cladding, allowing that angle over the rear bed to be doubled as a tie down point. There are eight other tie downs in the bed, and handholds used to aid climbing aboard that can also serve, so you can secure anything with the possible exception of a Tasmanian devil.

Along with the grab handles at the rear corners, there are slip resistant steps built into the bumpers. The tail gate is easily removable, and all load areas are finished with dent, scuff and wear resistant heavy duty plastic that is likely to put the bed coating business into chapter 11. The cargo box features a standard, heavy, one-piece rubber mat to help protect the floor. Since the mat is not affixed to the floor, it may be easily removed for cleaning. And the bed can be segmented by 2X wood boards to form different levels or dividers for a variety of loads. Also, the hard cover can support all but the heaviest people, with a 250' load rating, and with roof racks and trailers, we looked like a refugee caravan on the way up the mountain to the wilderness camp.

And the defining feature is the Midgate that flips and folds the divider between the back seats (including the rear window) to allow up to ten foot items to be carried without a warning flag. It only takes one person to reconfigure the vehicle, and all its removable components can be stored on board. The Midgate permits a pass-through between the cab and the cargo box. It is constructed of GM's PRO-TEC composite material, making it lightweight, yet durable and strong. When the Midgate is in place, the vehicle offers a five-foot, three-inch long protected cargo box and can be expanded to carry any 4X8 item, completely inside, protected and dry.

Even with the Midgate closed, the bed space allows seven feet of cargo area when the tubular flip over unit is installed to add the tailgate to the load area. And the bed is covered with a standard hard cover which can be installed in any or all of three components that clip together to form a locking, secure area since the tail gate locks. Also, there is an optional soft cover that is easier to stow, although the hard covers only weigh 67 pounds total and have a handy bag, complete with tie down straps. And the truck group has considered sloppy and dark conditions with bed drains and lights in that area. For those valuable items, there are 3.5 cubic feet of locking tool boxes in the fender sides, and as a clever touch these have drains as well for occasional cold beverage use.

Since the Avalanche maintains the off road capability that made the Suburban the favorite vehicle of oil field and survey workers long before suburbanites discovered it, it effortlessly took us miles down silty and rock strewn river beds to a remote location in the Anza Borrego desert, a perfect spot for off road activities on the bikes and quads that we easily carried. And it sealed out the dust and grit quite well with its advanced filtration systems to keep us from exhausting the local supply of Visine.

And in keeping with the style of the vehicle, Chevy has entered into an agreement with tough, outdoor outfitters North Face for a special edition Avalanche that includes a special seat package, black on white instruments and some North Face back packs incorporated into the seat backs. It lists for $37,415 and they will produce 5 to 10,000 units if demand justifies.

And for those with truly rugged needs, the ¾ ton Suburban bits have been worked into an Avalanche 2500 model that includes the 8.1-liter engine and a towing capacity in excess of 12,000 pounds. It will be distinguished by some markings, revised grille, 8 bolt wheels and wheel arch protectors. Look to pay $32,865 for the 2WD version and $35,865 for the four-wheeler.

The strikingly bold exterior styling is crafted with a form-follows-function design. "Within our own design staff, a close-knit, highly focused group of hard-core outdoor enthusiasts guided this project from concept to completion," says John Cafaro, Vehicle Chief Designer of Chevy Trucks, who also conceived the latest Corvette. "It reveals its purpose with a single glance." And with the removable rear window and the optional power sunroof, open-air driving enjoyment is easily available.

The balanced interior design maximizes passenger roominess and cargo-carrying capability in a body size that is easy to maneuver, park and garage. The overall length of the Avalanche is 221.7 inches, less than a Silverado extended-cab pickup, and it has a tight turning radius (curb-to-curb) of 43 feet.

The standard Vortec 5300 V8 engine is mated to the smooth-shifting 4L60-E four-speed automatic transmission. The tow/haul mode programs the trans to hold each gear longer for better towing performance. Don't be surprised to find the Vortec 6000 and the diesel engines before long. The standard heavy-duty trailering package includes a weight-distributing hitch, a seven-pin trailer harness connector and a trailer brake controller harness. The Avalanche has an 8,300-lb. maximum trailering capacity on two-wheel-drive models.

The computer-operated Autotrac active transfer case is standard on four-wheel-drive models. An instrument panel-mounted, four-button selector engages 2HI, AUTO 4WD, 4HI, 4LO and Neutral. The Avalanche offers responsive, confident handling and a smooth ride regardless of the number of passengers or amount of cargo. The braking system includes standard four-wheel anti-lock vented four-wheel disc brakes with GM's advanced Dynamic Rear Proportioning (DRP) system that automatically modulates the pressure to the rear brakes to ensure that braking loads are balanced. This provides for smooth, consistent, even braking performance.

Standard dual front air bags for the driver and front-seat passenger along with front seat-mounted side-impact air bags offer extra occupant protection. The optional OnStar service also provides several levels of around-the-clock security.

GM's aftermarket parts group has a wonderful array of options to take care of every use, and if the catalog doesn't show it, it's probably under development to provide any robust application imaginable. Boasts Ed Schoener, Chevy Avalanche Brand Manager. "The name 'Avalanche' definitely fits those qualifications. And it's a little edgy and aggressive, like the truck itself."