Hi Gary,
That's interesting information on the Avalanche. Those diesels have a ton of torque. Unfortunately, living up here in the north without a garage, they can be a hassle at times on those frigid winter mornings.
I picked up the new Liberty this morning and the wife is very happy with it so we'll get our use out of these vehicles for a while Obviously, things in the automotive indutrsy will change by the time I seek out another truck 
not knowing just how far north you are, I do know they are using a lot of them in Montana and the Dakotas. They now have built in fuel heaters and diesel fuel is much better quality now than even five years ago. Cannot tell you who it is, but at leat one company has built a natural gas powered diesel engine, and has several of them on the road for evaluation. That would be an instant light up, even in forty below zero weather.
gary