At a glance, the Toyota Avalon looks dignified and understated, but closer inspection reveals some sophisticated styling themes that inspire a sense of elegance. Examined more closely, the Avalon almost looks French in its impressionistic impact.
Overall, the Avalon is eight inches longer than Toyota's top-selling Camry sedan. By most exterior dimensions, the Avalon is roughly the same size as the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala, and Chrysler 300. Compared to European luxury sedans, it's larger than the mid-size Mercedes E-Class, but smaller than the full-size S-Class sedan.
Lots of the Avalon's styling features have been optimized to reduce wind noise inside the car, including the shape of the windshield pillars and side mirrors and low placement of the wipers under the hood line. The Avalon Limited upgrades with unique, sound dampening glass in the windshield.
The Limited mirrors also include a couple model specific features, starting with LED turn signals in the glass that are visible to other drivers. We like the bright puddle lamps under those mirrors, because they flood the ground below the doors with light as you approach in darkness.
In front, the grille and bumper are trimmed with horizontal chrome bars, with fog lamps integrated into the lower bumper on XLS and Limited models. In side view, subtle character lines below the windows and above the door sills add a hint of sculpting to the Avalon's flanks. From the rear, the tall deck and big rear valance enhance the air of elegance and substance, while smoked tail light lenses add a hint of flair.
the Avalon does not offer the folding rear seatbacks available on some competitors. A standard, removable cargo net hangs within easy reach across the trunk opening to keep items such as plastic grocery bags from dumping or sliding around during transport.
Driving the Toyota Avalon is a tranquil experience. This sedan approaches serene, but it isn't numbing in a way that allows a driver to forget he or she is operating a motor vehicle. In short, the Avalon is big, quiet and easy to operate. It makes commuting a more pleasant process, and it shortens long family trips.
The foundation for the Avalon's smoothness is its powertrain. On paper, its 3.5-liter V6 engine might seem a bit small for a relatively large car. In fact, the Avalon is surprisingly peppy. The dual overhead-cam V6 generates a substantial 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, and it moves the Avalon with authority. Moreover, thanks to variable valve timing and a dual-stage variable intake manifold, the power isn't the least bit peaky. It flows smoothly and evenly from idle to the engine's 6200-rpm limit, whether you're accelerating casually from a stop sign or flooring the gas pedal to merge onto a crowded freeway.
The V6 has enough torque to create a bit of torque steer when you floor it from a slow speed. Torque steer usually manifests itself as a slight tug on the steering wheel under hard acceleration. In the Avalon, it's nothing that will disturb the typical driver, but it's enough to let that driver know that there's a powerful piece under the hood. The Avalon will easily accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than eight seconds and, while that's no longer sports car performance, it's anything but lethargic, especially in a large car that carries five people and their luggage with lots of room to breathe inside.
Fuel economy is among the best in its class, with an EPA-estimated 19/28 City/Highway mpg. Those numbers are more than respectable in a car this big and roomy. This is thanks in part to the Avalon's six-speed automatic transmission.
The six-speed automatic uses the latest electronic controls and a unique mounting system designed to minimize the transfer of shift-shock into the Avalon's cabin. It does a great job of tapping the horsepower available, and it almost always knows the best time to shift, whether it's up or down. The shifts are reasonably quick, but they're also exceptionally smooth, even at full throttle. Light-throttle upshifts are barely noticeable.
The top gear is a tall overdrive, so the Avalon cruises in relaxed fashion on the freeway, with the engine spinning quietly at relatively low speed. We tried the transmission's manual shift feature on a swoopy two-lane road, tapping the sequential shift lever between second and third and keeping the engine spinning near its redline. We discovered in the process that the Avalon can be something like a sport sedan, because the V6 is happy to run at high rpm.
Still, this sedan is built primarily for comfort, and that's obvious in the suspension settings. The ride is silky smooth in nearly all circumstances, and rarely does a road shock ruffle the occupants. The softly tuned suspension means the Avalon might lean noticeably in faster turns. Yet the body movement is well controlled, and the Avalon doesn't feel floating or disconnected. Its steering is on the light side, with a lot of power assist, but it responds directly to movement of the wheel. We might call the Avalon cushy but good. It holds its line nicely when driven reasonably quickly through a series of curves, whether the road surface is smooth or bumpy.
The Avalon's brakes are strong and they stop the car with authority. The brake pedal feels a little softer than we'd like, but it's linear in operation and it makes it easy for a driver to smoothly apply stopping force. Its effective anti-lock brake system keeps Avalon on an even keel during panic stops and allows the driver to maintain steering control.
In short, the Avalon is up to whatever the typical driver might encounter or dish out. Yet its trademark might be the peaceful stillness inside. At a stoplight in the city center, the whirring hubbub outside the Avalon sounds like a muted purr to its driver and passengers. At 75 mph on the expressway, about the only sound you'll hear is a soft crack from the tires as they slap over pavement joints, and 15 percent volume with some soft music will take care of that. The Avalon is exceptionally smooth, too, especially for its price. At freeway speeds, you'll feel less vibration through the steering column, seat bottoms or floorboards than you would in some luxury cars that cost $20,000 more.
There's not much we don't like about the Avalon. Some driving enthusiasts would say it's too vanilla, but then it's doubtful that hard-core driving enthusiasts are interested in this car, anyway. We'd say it's competent, pleasant to drive in all circumstances, and never aggravating. That last point can be huge on hectic days.
The Toyota Avalon is available in three trim levels distinguished by the level of standard equipment. All come with a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 and six-speed automatic transmission.
The Avalon XL ($27,945) is well equipped, with a full complement of power accessories and features such as an eight-way power driver's seat, dual-zone climate control with cabin air filter and audio and climate controls on the steering wheel. The nine-speaker audio system includes a six-CD changer. Cloth upholstery and 16-inch alloy wheels are standard.
The Avalon XLS ($32,245) adds fog lamps, 17-inch wheels and leather seating. The XLS also comes standard with a power moonroof, heated outside mirrors with electrochromic auto-dimming on the driver's side, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass and Homelink universal transceiver, and an anti-theft system.
The Avalon Limited ($35,285) upgrades with a 360-watt JBL Synthesis audio system with 12 speakers and Blue Tooth connectivity, a power rear sunshade, Toyota's Smart Key proximity key system, HID headlamps, a wood-and-leather-trimmed shift knob and steering wheel, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and driver and passenger seat heaters and cooling fans.
Options include the power moonroof ($860) and anti-theft system ($220) for the base XL model. The XLS offers heated seats ($440), an eight-way power front passenger seat with heating ($740) and the JBL Synthesis sound system ($1,000). A navigation system is also available. Dynamic laser-guided cruise control ($600) is optional only on the Limited.
Safety features on all Avalons include active front seat headrests, which are intended to cradle the head more effectively in a rear impact and limit whiplash injuries. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) is standard. All models also have anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist. Occupant protection features include front-impact airbags, a driver's knee airbag, seat-mounted side-impact airbags for front passengers and side-curtain head-protection airbags for outboard passengers front and rear.