I have recently had the pleasure of experimenting with two Avalanche class freighters. The first thing I noticed is the ship has an uniweldy X-shape design, which makes it difficult to fit through circular stargates. This can cause some hiccups, particularly if the ship is impacted by a Machariel, as the transversal bump can send the X array tumbling out of warp. Once engaged, the Avalanche missiles do pack a hefty punch, but the ship design requires a conscious crew which complicates fire and command control. Left unattended, the Avalanche has an expected lifespan between 14 and 19 seconds. ORE expanded cargoholds do not seem to improve survivability. If the ship is just going to die anyways, it may be better to fly something else.
My research data is presented here:
https://zkillboard.com/kill/118739749/
https://zkillboard.com/kill/118749194/
Additional details are available on the liveblog.
