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When the Avalon was first
introduced in 1995, it was called the Japanese Buick. And in its most recent
redesign, the same phrasing appeared, and it generally considered superior to
Buick’s products at the time. With a roomy, comfortable, and high quality
interior, an excellent V6 that balances impressive power with class-leading
fuel economy, and a comfortable and quiet ride, that was easy to understand.
In almost all of the Avalon’s first decade on the market, it matched other
popular large sedans in its biggest shortcoming, agility. Though the car never
feels unsafe, it feels most unwilling in high-speed cornering, resulting from
a combination of pronounced body roll and numb steering. And though not all
consumers may be interested in driving enjoyment, other new large sedans can
match the Avalon’s ride comfort without the handling slop and ride float.
While still an excellent car overall, and definitely worth strong
consideration in this class, it is no longer the class leader.
The Avalon
has a very comfortable absorbent ride that provides road isolation on par with
some luxury sedans that cost twice as much. However, those cars, and even some
of the other cars in this price range, have better control of high speed
float. And as noted, the Avalon handles rather clumsily, with excessive body
roll and a rather lazy feel, and the overboosted steering is somewhat slow to
respond and does not return any form of feedback. The standard 3.5-liter V6
provides rapid acceleration, quicker than several V8 competitors, and evident
despite a clear attempt to subdue any hint of an invigorating engine note.
Wind and road noise are also isolated, and the engine is nearly silent at
cruise. And despite its excellent acceleration, the Avalon gets the best gas
mileage in this group, equal to many 4-cylinder midsize sedans and well above
any other car in this class with comparable acceleration.
Inside, the
Avalon has very comfortable front seats, with plenty of extra space on a
large, well-shaped, comfortable seats. There is insufficient lateral support,
however. The rear is roomy, well-shaped, and very comfortable, and a middle
occupant will be more comfortable than in any of the other cars here, though a
tad firmer than the Buick Lucerne’s.
 The interior uses high-quality
materials that fit together very well, though the pointless plastic covers for
audio and climate controls are don’t always lock properly, and it is best to
leave them folded out of the way anyway to access the said instruments. (A
glowing blue screen that displays various information from the car’s trip
computer and automatic climate control system, occupying the space otherwise
given to the optional navigation system, would have been a better candidate
for a plastic cover than the controls.) Once revealed, the instruments are
simple to use and well-placed, and the gauges are very clear. Drivers sit
comfortably and have very good visibility. The wide door openings and roomy
footwells lead to easy entry/exit. The trunk is fairly well-shaped, but
disappointingly small for a large sedan, appreciably smaller even than
Toyota’s own Camry, and easily the smallest in this group. The rear seats do
not fold.
The Avalon
has done very well in crash testing. It was rated Good in the IIHS offset
crash test, though only Marginal in its head restraint evaluation. It earned
five stars for both the driver and for the front passenger in the NHTSA
frontal crash test, and five stars for both the driver and for the rear
passenger in the NHTSA side crash test.
The Avalon
reviewed here came in at a rather pricey $31,214, though it does include
traction and stability control, a 6-disc CD changer with a cassette deck, a
driver knee-protecting airbag, front-seat torso-protecting side airbags and
curtain-style head-protecting side airbags for front and rear occupants, and
expected luxury items like heated power leather seats (though without a memory
function on the XLS version), satellite radio, and a sunroof.
Overall, the
Avalon is no longer the best large sedan in its price range. It is still an
excellent vehicle, with terrific interior comfort, impressive refinement,
solid safety ratings, and an engine that offers both excellent acceleration
and class-leading gas mileage. But when you factor in the small trunk, sloppy
handling, and rather high price, the Avalon becomes just one of many excellent
cars in this class that merits strong consideration, rather than the nearly
exclusive bearer of that title.
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