The 2006 collection of trucks bearing the bow-tie badge of Chevrolet appear in the conventional formats of mid-size, full-size and super-size dimensions with Colorado, Silverado LD (light-duty) and Silverado HD (heavy-duty). Chevy also promotes unconventional concepts, like Avalanche -- built with the abbreviated bed of a pickup but the six-seat cabin of a SUV -- and slick SSR, a retro-mode two-seat pickup that resembles a hot rod but sheds its hardtop cab lid like a sporty roadster.

Chevrolet's mid-size pickup comes in many different versions. Cabs include a two-door Regular Cab, the Extended Cab with two rear-hinged doors behind front doors, and a Crew Cab with four front-hinged doors. A rear box for Colorado Regular Cab and the extended version stretches 73 inches long, while the box on Crew Cab chops off 12 inches to keep the wheelbase at a reasonable length. To propel these trucks, there are two engines with in-line cylinder arrangement.

The base 2.8-liter four-cylinder engine produces 175 hp, while an optional 3.5-liter five-cylinder plant climbs to 220 hp. Colorado offers three suspension packages (standard, sport or off-road), plus traction modes for rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or four-wheel-drive (4WD). A new paint shade called Blue Granite Metallic shows up in 2006, as the Xtreme, Chevy's factory treatment for a low-rider truck, returns through a special sport-truck appearance package.

Chevy's full-size Silverado LD truck series is extensive, with pickups cast in 1500 (half-ton) and 2500 (three-quarter-ton) weight classes and rigged with various cab sizes, plus short or long box and standard Fleetside body or rakish Sportside. New models for 2006 include a Silverado 1500 Extended Cab with short box in LT trim, and a gas-electric hybrid version. Hybrid power combines a Vortec 5.3-liter V8 with a 120-volt electric motor to improve fuel economy numbers by 10 percent.

Silverado engines begin at a 4.3-liter V6 pumping 195 hp or a 4.8-liter V8 for 285 hp. The 5.3-liter V8 earns 295 hp (or 310 hp for the 4WD Silverado 1500 Extended Cab), while a 6.0-liter V8 makes 300 hp. For even more juice, there's the SS packing a high-output version of the 6.0-liter V8 hiked to 345 hp, which also goes with a new VortecMAX Performance Package.

Built from a Silverado LD truck with a cabin like the super-size Suburban wagon, Avalanche discards Suburban's rear bay in favor of the shortened bed of a pickup. There's a big V8 aboard, a four-wheeling traction mechanism that automatically channels torque to all wheels, and a heavy-duty automatic transmission. The back wall of the cabin folds flat after the back seat tumbles forward and forms a generous extension of the truck box.

A deluxe cab in Avalanche mimics the Suburban in a layout seating five or six. Avalanche comes in 1500 or 2500 series with RWD or Autotrac 4WD traction. The 1500 pulls power from a Vortec 5.3-liter V8 that makes 295 hp but the 2500 packs the Vortec 8.1-liter V8 scored to 325 hp. On 2006 models the tow capacity improves -- for the 1500 to 8200 pounds or to 12000 pounds for Avalanche 2500.

Think of this one as a cross between a truck and an open-top roadster. Chevrolet calls it SSR -- Super Sport Roadster. There's a bed in back like a truck, but also a retractable hardtop that converts the vehicle via power controls to a breezy convertible. The lid folds in two pieces and tucks vertically behind front seats. Frame and chassis come from Chevy's TrailBlazer SUV, with the powertrain out of Corvette.

The 6.0-liter V8 thunders with a 10-point power boost for 2006, capping at 400 hp. To handle such muscle, SSR employs a heavy-duty Hydra-Matic 4L65-E HD four-speed automatic trans-mission or optional Tremec T56 six-speed manual gearbox. Wheels and tires are the largest stock rollers in the GM warehouse, with 19-inch alloy wheels in front and vast 20-inchers in back. 2006 editions of SSR are now marked by new two-tone color schemes.