The Avalanche in my opinion is the 'new' k5 just a little too long for our offroad applications. Compare the K5s with the removable back to a Avalanche. With the top pulled off and the rear seat removed our beloved K5s could haul just about anything and the open air was refreshing for sporting around town.
The Avalanche allows you to pop out the rear window, roll the windows down, open the sunroof and you are 'close' but admittedly not quite the same. I think it would be interesting for them to add a 'second' sunroof for the rear seat ala Rovers, to get more of that precious sunshine in!
I am eyeballing an Avalanche as my next daily driver for the above reasons. There is a 'camper top' that will bolt in over the rear bed that is pretty nice and I think you probably could get a 3rd row seat from a Suburban, etc and make a bracket so you could add a 3rd row to the Avalanche.
So...I guess all this just to say, there is kind of an alternative, just gets you 4 doors instead of two and quite possibly the ugliest (or best looking) vehicle on the road...depends on your taste I guess. (Check out the Caddy versions, all painted solid color, I am seriously thinking of buying Avalanche and painting the 'plastic cladding' the same color as the rest of the truck.)
Sam...still keeping my first gen k5 for the FULL convertible feeling!
