mmarshall

By CL member-request, a Review of the 2011 Toyota Avalon.

http://www.toyota.com/avalon/

IN A NUTSHELL: A Lexus-Wanna-Be sedan that ended up a Toyota instead.























Toyota first introduced the Avalon to the American market in 1994 as a more modern, front-drive replacement to the large Cressida, which was a rather dull, appliance-like machine that never really endeared itself to either the auto press/enthusiasts or the American public-at-large. The Avalon followed on the heels of the enormous success of the mid-sized Camry, and was, in fact, done on a slightly-stretched version of the FWD Camry platform....so is the Toyota Highlander, Lexus ES, and Lexus RX models. Although there were a number of comments in the auto press made about the Avalon being a "Japanese Buick" (which, to some extent, it WAS), I happened to like it myself. It was, I thought, nicely-styled, was well-built, reliable, had good materials inside, and rode smoothly and quietly in a nice stress-free manner, say, on the way home after a hard day's work. Although the Avalon's sales were never anywhere near those of its wildly-popular smaller brother Camry, it still had a relatively good following among some older car-buyers (and a few that were not-so-old), and competed very well with the Hyundai Azera (another car that was not terribly popular), and Buick LeSabre/Park Avenue/Lucerne.

But one of the chief factors in the Avalon's rather limited sales was from the corporate-brother Lexus ES 300/330/350 models. The original marketing of the Avalon in the U.S. was unclear......some stories suggest that the Avalon was originally intended to be a Lexus model, but, when the potential effect of the similiar ES models were taken into account, was shifted to the Toyota nameplate as a more modern replacement for the old Cressida....the reasoning being that the Avalon and ES models, under the same Lexus nameplate, would both compete against each other in the same showroom. Other stories suggest that it was meant to be sold at Toyota shops, as the new Toyota flagship sedan, all along. Which version is true (or a combination of both), I don't really know....the data is conflicting. But, anyhow, the fact is that, regardless of its original marketing intention, it was introduced as a Toyota, and has remained one ever since. Though it's a little off-topic, I thought I'd mention an interesting and maybe (?) similar situation, some years ago, when the Mazda Millenia flagship-sedan was introduced in 1993. We know for a fact, in that case, that the Millenia, with its unique Miller-Cycle stratified-charge engine, was intended to be the first of a line of vehicles in Mazda's proposed luxury Amati division. But, Mazda's Ford (at the time) cheapskate owners decided that a Mazda luxury-division along the lines of Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura would cost too much, cancelled it, and stuck the Millenia in Mazda dealerships, where, not surprisingly, it competed head-to-head and shared slaes with Mazda's own 929 model in the same showrooms. Both cars were, of course, discontinued within a few years. I sometimes wonder what auto marketers put in their coffee in the morning....it's got to be something besides caffene.

For 2011, two versions of the Avalon are offered.....a base model for $32,595, and a Limited for $35,835. The former, slightly more sport-oriented Touring and upmarket XLE versions have been dropped, although the Limited model more or less takes the place of the old XLE. Both versions share the same ubiquitous, 268 HP 3.5L Toyota/Lexus VTT-i V6 and a 6-speed Sequential-Shift automatic transmission. Although some may disagree with me, personally, I don't miss the loss of the Touring version......I thought it rode a little too stiff for the purpose the Avalon was designed for (smooth, stress-free highway-cruising), and lacked the wood-trim inside of some other Avalon models. Besides, for those who want a good sports sedan, there are, IMO, far better ones available in the Avalon's price-range range anyway, such as some versions of the BMW 3-series and the Audi A4, if you can put up with the potential lower-reliability of the German makes.

For the review, I chose a Black Base model with Ivory Leather interior....not the color combination I would choose for my personal car, but this particular car had high-quality Michelin MXV4 all-season tires (and even a REAL Michelin spare tire/wheel in the trunk), and so I was interested to see how well those tires would perform, at least on dry pavemnent. The other Avalons on the lot all had different-brand tires on them, and the fact that my car had Michelins, a base price that was slightly lower than the present $32,595 for the base model, and a separate-option for the heated seats, suggests that it may (?) have been built before some recent small price/equipment adjustments made at the factory-level. The present web-site's Build-Your-Own-Avalon feature is also confusing on the heated-seats. It still lists them, on the base model, as a separate option (not a package-option), but doesn't give the $440 price any more....only as part of a $1740 JBL upgrade-audio option. Wouldn't be the first contradictory thing I've seen on a manufacturer web-site, but it's not probably that big a deal.

I was generally pleased with the Avalon, and, except for the brakes, liked the way it drove, but I didn't think its interior quality, despite the plush-look on the surface, was up to that of the sister 2011 Lexus ES350...significant improvements were made to the ES350 interior last year. This, despite the fact that the Avalon's interior itself has received some upgrades in the last couple of years. Details coming up.


MODEL REVIEWED: 2011 Toyota Avalon

BASE PRICE: $32,445


OPTIONS:

Heated Seats: $440


DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $760 (not bad...a little less than average for this size car)

LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $33,645


DRIVETRAIN: FWD, Transversely-mounted 3.5L VVT-i V6, 268 HP @ 6200 RPM, Torque, 248 Ft-lbs. @ 4700 RPM, 6-speed automatic transmission with Sequential-Shift.

EPA MILEAGE RATING: 20 City / 29 Highway (not bad for a V6 in a car this size)


EXTERIOR COLOR: Black

INTERIOR: Ivory




PLUSSES: (+)


Silky-smooth engine and transmission.

Generally relaxing to drive.

Comfortable ride.

Comfortable front seats.

Good good noise isolation (but not as quiet as the ES350).

Decent fuel-mileage (on regular gas) for a mid-to-large size car with a V6.

Choice of eight (but generally dull) paint colors.

Good, solid exterior sheet metal.

Heavy, solid-closing doors, hood, and trunk.

Mirror-mounted exterior turn-signals.

Fairly good underhood layout despite plastic engine cover.

Three interior leather colors offered.

Excellent paint job, even in black.

Clear, easy-to-read primary gauges.

Killer stereo sound quality.

Nice, thickly-padded dash.

OK front/rear headroom....if the bottom seat cushion is lowered.

Almost limo-like rear legroom.

Large, roomy, fairly well-finished trunk.

A REAL spare tire/wheel assembly in the trunk....at no extra cost.

Trunk-lid insulation pad.

Optional Lexus-type First-Aid-Kit available as an accessory for only $29.

Optional glass-breakage sensor available as an accessory.

Some TRD performance engine-filters/caps available as accessories.




MINUSES: (-)


Fairly slow steering response.

Noticeable body roll.

Spongy brake pedal.

Murphy's-Funeral-Home paint colors (except for the light blue and white pearl).

No body-side mouldings for parking-lot protecton.

Annoying (IMO) zig-zag shifter pattern.

Awkward-to-see shift-indicator numbers in a narrow dash slot.

Cheap-feeling, grainy leather.

Unimpressive, thin-plastic wood-tone/metallic interior trim.

Too-small, flimsy-feeling heated-seat twirl-*****.

Rear seats don't fold down for added cargo space.

Outside mirrors too small (IMO).

Rear-vision compromised comewhat by large C-Pillars.

For what the Limited model costs, you might as well get the Lexus ES350.




EXTERIOR:

Walking up to the Avalon on the first sight of it, it has a more-or-less Toyota-sedan-shape to it, and the grille, headlights, and tailights, are roughly similiar to some other Toyota models. I myself like the rather conservative look.....I'm a firm believer that sedans aren't supposed to look like sports cars. So, the Avalon does, at least, look like it belongs in the Toyota family. The rather large C-pillars in back, though, interfere with some rear-vision....more on that later. The body sheet metal seems a cut above that of some other recent Toyotas.....strong-feeling and solid, and the doors, hood, and trunk-lid not only feel substantial and strong, but close with a very solid "thunk". The paint job is the usual Toyota/Lexus excellence....in this case, even the black was smooth and almost free of orange peel, a color that many manufacturers (even Toyota/Lexus on occasion) can have problems with. Eight exterior paint colors are offered for both versions (base and Limited), though, except for the White Pearl and the light sky-blue, most of them, IMO, belonged in the city morgue. There are, unfortunately, no body-side mouldings to help prevent parking-lot dings (My brother's new Kia Soul, at 17K, has very well-designed ones, so auto manufacturers can't claim they can't afford to put them on). My test car, unlike some of the other Avalons, came with 55-series Michelin MXV4 all-season tires (I've already described that above). The twin outside mirror-housings were well-attached, and had nice integral turn-signal indicators in them, but, IMO, were a little too small and oddly-shaped for best rear-vision. The long, heavy, and solid rear doors made for easy entry/exit and good rear-seat room....more on that below. The somewhat raked (but still fairly conservative) rear roofline impacted the size of the trunk-lid somewhat, but the trunk was still quite roomy....also more on that below.



UNDERHOOD:

Open the solid, well-attached hood, and two nice big gas struts hold it up for you. There is a nice underhood insulation pad on the underside, and it works....this engine runs whisper-quiet. The basic underhood layout is OK, but with a few annoyances. The ubiquitous, transverse-mounted, 3.5L Toyota-Lexus V6 fits in somewhat on the tight side, and a big, silver-plastic engine cover (typical of upmarket cars) blocks top-engine components. But some upper-engine-components (not a lot) can be reached around the cover and down the sides of the block. The battery, off to the right, is uncovered and easy to access, as are all of the dipsticks, filler-caps, and fluid-reservoirs. I've seen lots worse.



INTERIOR:

Although the interior received somewhat of a mid-cycle upgrade recently (without the car itself being redesigned), and, on the surface, looked a little plusher than other recent Avalons, I still was not terribly impressed with the overall quality of materials used inside. The headliner and sun visors were covered in a nice light-colored fabric, the dash was nicely-padded in a thick, durable-feeling material, and (with one exception) the buttons/***** were well-done and well-marked. But, for a 30K-plus sedan, I didn't think much of the rest of the materials inside. The wood-tone and metallic trim on the dash and door panels felt like the cheap, thin plastic it was.....and the wood-tone pattern looked artificial. The grainy, ivory-colored leather on the seats, door panels, and steering wheel rim (light-gray and black are also available) looked and felt more like the cheapish stuff on some German vehicles than the nice smooth leather on the sister Lexus ES350. The leather on the steering wheel rim (upmarket Limited models get a wood-and-leather wheel), IMO, looked and felt especially cheap, though the wheel itself was well-shaped. The video-screen for the back-up camera is displayed in an unusual place........on the left (drivers' side) of the rear-view mirror, so, of course, it is much smaller than the traditional center-dash screen. The tiny, almost invisible twirl-buttons on the console for the heated front seats are a joke...they wobbled and felt like they were ready to break off (and this was the $400 option I spoke of earlier). The big C-pillars in the back restricted some rear vision to the sides.

But the interior itself, despite some cheap materials, was otherwise quite livable. The front seats, despite a lack of side-support (and this is not a sports-car, where a lot of side support is needed) were soft and well-shaped enough to be comfortable....many auto seats these days are just too firm, and don't provide enough cush for your tush. I like soft seats, and, outside of some traditional Buicks and the Cadillac DTS, they are relatively hard to find these days. Headroom, both front and rear, under the sunroof housing, was OK for tall people if you had the power seat-cushions adjusted way down. Legroom/footroom in back, from the long, relatively heavy rear doors, and the way the cabin is designed, was almost limo-like with the front seat adjusted where I wanted it.....this is a good car to carry tall teen-agers and adults in the back seat. The stereo sound quality was a killer, even with the base (standard) stereo......Long live 80's Heavy Metal. Motley Crue and Twisted Sister sounded just great when I cranked them up on CDs. The speedometer and tach, each in its own plastic-rimmed tunnel, were well-done, clear, electronically back-lit like in a Lexus, and easy to read. But I didn't like the way the designers stuck the small shift-indicator numbers for the transmission down a narrow slot between the plastic-rims of the two tunnels, where they are somewhat awkward to look at and read. And the shift-lever itself, typical of Toyota/Lexus products and some other makes, instead of a nice, simple fore/aft shift pattern, uses the (IMO) more awkward zig-zag....I've never liked that. And the majority of the hardware inside, including all but the flimsy heated-seat buttons, seemed solid and well-done......noticeably better than the thin-plastic trim-materials I mentioned earlier.




CARGO AREA/TRUNK:

The Avalon is what is considered a full-size car these days, and, with the conservative roofline, that helps make for a roomy, spacious trunk. The slight amount of rake in the rear-roofline does cut into the trunk-lid a small amount, but not enough to make any difference in the available load-space opening. There is also a thick underhood insulation pad under the trunk lid, not just the hood....that helps to cut out some rear tire-noise. This is one of the largest trunks I've seen on a contemporary sedan in quite some time....probably since the Cadillac DTS review I did last year. It is fairly well-finished with a decent-grade black carpet on the trunk floor, but not on the walls. A cargo net across the back helps hold grocery bags and packages. The rear seat doesn't fold down for added space (the trunk is already roomy enough, even without that feature), but a pass-through hole in the middle of the seat, if needed, accomodates extra-long, narrow things like skis and fishing-poles. A Lexus-style First-Aid kit for the trunk is available as a dealer-installed accessory....the $29, IMO, is reasonable. There were two odd-looking circular cutouts, in a plastic tray, on the left side of the trunk, next to the wall, for what looked like two large cupholders. What cup-holders would be doing in a trunk, I don't know....unless they were designed for other containers that hold non-drinkable fluids. And, as I mentioned earler, under the trunk floor, was a very pleasant surprise.....a real Michelin MXV4 spare-tire and matching alloy-wheel. Real spares today are hard to find outside of some purpose-built off-road-capable trucks and SUVs.



ON THE ROAD:

On the base model, start up the ubiquitous Toyota-Lexus 3.5L V6 with a conventional ignition switch and key fob (upmarket Limited models get an engine START/STOP button). The inherently quiet nature of this engine and the nice underhood insulation pad show their stuff......the engine is virtually Lexus-smooth and quiet at idle. Give it some gas, and it still remains smooth and quiet.....only a small amount of exhaust noise intrudes. While this is not a Mustang-eating dragster, the engine's 268 HP and 248 ft-lbs. of torque is easily enough for pretty much all normal driving. It will even give you a mild shove in the back on acceleration from low speeds. The 6-speed automatic, with Manual-Shift mode, was silky-smooth and quiet....I liked the way that the buttery shifts were almost imperceptable. The zig-zag shift-lever and awkward-to-see indicator between the gauge-tunnels may need some work, but the transmision itself, IMO, is virtually flawless.

I also liked the way the chassis/suspension and the Michelin tires performed. Granted, steering response was rather slow and not what you would get in a sports-sedan, and body-roll was noticeable even at lower speeds, but the Avalon is designed for comfort, not sportiness. Ride comfort is good, and the rather mildly-tuned suspension soaks up bumps pretty well, but not quite to the level of a pillow-soft Buick Lucerne or Cadillac DTS....sharp bumps can still be heard and felt a little. Road and wind noise, however, are low, but (as I recall) not quite as low as in the sister Lexus ES350, which is almost tomb-quiet. I didn't care for the brakes, though. Normally, I like a German-style firm brake pedal, and, in comparison, the Avalon's brakes felt as soft and spongy as overcooked pasta.....this was also the case on the Avalon's much smaller brother Corolla. The sponginess and lack of response in the pedal is quite noticeable for about the first inch or two of pedal-travel.....you really have to give it some pressure for good response. The brakes are not what I'd call unsafe, but you just can't expect Porsche 911-type of response from them, that's all....and don't tailgate
cars in front of you. The brake pedal, though was mounted low enough and far enough away from the gas pedal that my big, clod-hopper size-15 shoes didn't have any noticeable problems hanging up on the brake pedal when going from gas to brake.




THE VERDICT:

Needless to say, except for the brakes, I liked the Avalon's driving characteristics. It provides a silky-smooth drivetrain, soft comfortable seats, a smooth ride, low noise levels, plenty of back-seat room, a cavernous trunk by today's standards, and an attractive interior, at least on the surface. Comfort-oriented cars like this are becoming harder and harder to find in today's sport-oriented auto world, where the auto press and many enthusiasts worship at the altar of track-grade acceleration and handling. Is is not, however, quite as library-quiet as its Lexus ES350 cousin, and doesn't ride quite as smooth as some previous Avalons did years ago, when they had taller-profile tires than today's 55-series (up to 60 or 65). It still compares very well with the Hyundai Azera and Buick Lucerne, its closest non-Lexus competition.

But, for the roughly mid-30's (or more) you would pay for a well-equiped Avalon, I'd consider just getting the Lexus ES350 to start with....the price difference between the two vehicles isn't that much, and Lexus gives you free a longer 6/70 and 4/50 warranty, as compared to Toyota's 5/60 and 3/36. Toyota, for 2011, does offer 2-year free maintenance, but part of the added cost of Lexus maintenance can be negated by taking your Lexus to a Toyota
shop.......Some (not all) Toyota service departments, for a cheaper price than at Lexus shops, can do maintenance, and non-warranty repairs on Lexus vehicles, as long as no Lexus warranty-work is involved. The ES350 has substantially better interior materials than the Avalon, and rides marginally quieter. Last, the ES350 handily outsells the Avalon in the general car-market, and its resale-value is likely to be higher.


And, as always, Happy Car Shopping.

MM

cl400

japanese town car for sure. i would hate to be caught dead in it.

mmarshall

I might (?) take a little break from reviews for a little while (maybe a few weeks)....they are time-consuming, take a lot of energy, and I've been working on a lot of them lately, ever since I got back from the surgery and recuperated a little. Mike should also be back in a little while with his 1SICKREVIEWS.

I've still got CL requests for the new 2012 Ford Focus and 2011 (2012?) Dodge Durango R/T. I still intend to get to them when they debut. Other new 2011 Durangos are now available in the D.C. area, but I haven't able to find any R/T's yet, even though it's now on Dodge's Build-Your-Own feature on the website.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the review Mike!

My parents went through an ordeal a few years ago. They got an '07 ES350 UL loaded (sticker about $45k), and my brother decided to "borrow" it indefinitely. Ultimately, my brother took it, and they replaced it with a '09 Toyota Avalon Limited loaded (previous gen, sticker about $35k).

My parents (and I) like the Avalon over the ES. It has substantially more room, especially in the rear seats (they recline); it's more accommodating to rear passengers. It handles better; less body roll, a bit more road grip (I always squeal the tires of the ES with confident turning), but the brakes are somewhat spongier than the ES (both do lack immediate response). It has more trunk room. It's relatively easier/cheaper to maintain.

My biggest gripes: the Nav sucked, no rear view camera, more plasticky, designed more boxy and conservative, doesn't hold a light to the Mark Levinson system, and you miss the service perks of a Lexus dealership. The new generation of Avalon fixed most of the issues with the Nav, rear view camera, and softer plastics/vinyl.

When loaded, the $10k difference is significant. But base pricing, the ES's badge alone is worth the upgrade for most people. If I had to choose between the two, I'd still get the Avalon. I won't be impressing anyone with an ES anyways...

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Nice review again.

I follow Doc's comments. The Avalon spoke more to me that the ES did. Mostly in terms of interior and trunk space. The drive was acceptable and given the floatier Avalon, the increased size gave it a nudge for my preferences there.

Fizzboy7

Good review on a car that gets little attention. This is one of those rare "mature" cars, like the ES, that appeals to me- a younger guy. It just has a modern, slick, and clean look to it that says "good taste and luxury." Sometimes, like after a long day at work, you just want to be pampered. This is tempting, but not enough to sway one in.

rdgdawg

Enjoy a breather Mike

I had an Avalon for a loaner a few months ago while the Sienna was being serviced... "numb", but I was impressed and I would take this over the ES

Och

iTrader: (3)

Mike, does it have more rear legroom compared to your average CamCordTima?

TripleL

Excellent review mmarshall. Thanks

I think the Avalon is a fine ride. Smooth, quiet and does exactly what it's suppose to do. I'm a little surprised it's not a bigger seller but with its price range crossing over the Camry and ES range I guess it makes more sense. I also think for a full size car with a V6 it gets some respectable MPG too.

rcf8000

I think the Avalon's lower price and greater interior headroom, rear seat legroom, and trunk space give it a considerable advantage over the ES.

mmarshall

Sure...anytime. Glad you enjoyed it.

It does have a roomy rear seat.....no doubt about that.

Neither one, in my experience, really has good handling, and you are correct about the sponginess of the Avalon brakes (the Corolla's, if you have driven a recent one, are even worse). But as far as Lexus maintenance costs go, you can (sometimes) take a Lexus product to the Toyota dealership, where they can do routine maintenance and minor repairs (as long as no Lexus warranty work is required) at a substantially lower price than a Lexus shop. Toyota shops use the same filters, for example, and a number of other parts..

The latest Avalon may look a little better inside than its recent predecessors, but, except for the dash-covering, I wasn't impressed with much of the interior trim.....it is mostly thin plastic, and doesn't have a quality feel. The ES350 uses noticeably better materials inside....especially the leather. The Avalon, however, does have excellent, solid-feeling sheet metal and doors. And, the conservative styling that you dislike helps a lot with the rear-seat room you do like.

You might get a slightly better deal, discount-wise, on the Avalon, due to lower sales and less-demand for it. But, to me, the ES350's substantially better interior and slightly quieter ride is worth the small difference.

mmarshall

Thanks.

The Avalon, as previously noted, does have a roomy rear seat and trunk. But you thought the Avalon was more floaty than the ES? Neither one is as soft or floaty as some of their predecessors were, with older, higher-profile tires (both of them, today, use 55's). But both give a comfortable ride by today's standards.

mmarshall

Thanks. I did get a CL-member request for it.

Nothing wrong with that. The often-held idea (and stereotype) that younger people can't drive conservative, plush, smooth-riding sedans is pure nonsense. Though generally not attracted to this type of car in large numbers, young people do sometimes drive them. I myself (yours truly) had two Buicks before I was 20 years old.....and liked them. But, of course, I also liked the American muscle cars I grew up with. I also had a Plymouth Barracuda pony-car in my youth.

mmarshall

Thanks. I will....but I'll still be on CAR CHAT.

You might get one a little cheaper, but do you think the Avalon is a better car? I agree in some areas...not in others.

mmarshall

Depends on how you have the front-seats adjusted, but, in general, yes. One look at the size of the Avalon's rear doors alone tells you that this is not a cramped econobox inside.