What it is

Chevy’s Avalanche pickup was the first to hit the market with a midgate, allowing the truck to go from a six-passenger crew cab with a short bed to a three-passenger ride with room for an eight-foot sheet of plywood. With the back seat folded, the rear window comes out and the rear cab wall folds down, providing a full-size bed. This innovation offered a new level of versatility for truck buyers, and Cadillac made it available for luxury shoppers with the Escalade EXT, a model that is effectively a rebadged Chevrolet Avalanche.