jdmaristo

I was browsing the toyota site, and was stunned that the new avalon is producing 280-Hp. Is this the same engine going in the new 2006 Gs3.

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/avalon/specs.html

LexFather

Everything is here

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=avalon

mmarshall

I'm going to go take a serious look at this car myself...maybe tonight or tomorrow evening after work. It has my interest really perked up, along with the 2005 Legacy / Outback. I'll reserve judgement until I see it first-hand, but right off the bat, from the posted pictures here and in the auto mags, I don't agree with the earlier comments about the new Avalon outdoing the ES330, even with the larger 280-HP V6. First, the Avalon's torque (the figure that really counts) isn't much higher than the ES330's...260 ft.-lb. vs 240.......in a car that weighs just as much or more. Second, the Avalon's interior doesn't have anywhere near the amount of the beautiful wood paneling that the ES does...the ES blows it away on plushness.
However, the Avalon IS worth considering over the ES in that the transmission is not likely to have the hesitation complaints that the ES has had...the automatic transmission on every Toyota (not Lexus)-badged car I have ever driven has worked just like a Swiss watch.
I'll find out when I test-drive it.

soarer1023

man i saw one of the new avalon on the street yesterday, and that car is HUGH fron the back, didn't get to see other views of it coz i have to exit.

mmarshall

Test-drove an XLS this afternoon. Very stiff ride. I told the salesman the tires ( 55-series sidewalls) felt way overinflated.... PSI lower 40's at LEAST. I've often seen this on new cars...excessively high PSI. He GUARANTEED me the car was right...said they check and inspect every one off the truck. I took my own gauge out and checked it when I got back...all four tires 50-PSI-plus. His face got red as a beet.
GM of the dealership comes out and apologizes to me....tells me he'll put the car in the service bay to have a technician look at it. I told him never mind...I'll adjust the tires myself. He says "Go ahead...you obviously know what you're doing".

Salesman then comes out and tells me....."make it 27 PSI". I said no, that sounds a little low for a recent Toyota product.....30-33 sounds about right. I look in the door jamb for the factory sticker...32 front, 32 rear. This time his face goes from red to purple. Went away with another customer......and didn't come back.

Salesmen ! (Liz, I hope you got more sense than that...I'm sure you DO)

Anyhow, I took the car back out with the right PSI and it made a world of difference. The ride was a little firm over small bumps but a little too floaty and underdamped on large undulations for my tastes. The steering was precise and accurate by luxury-car standards but overboosted for my tastes. Brakes were excellent...firm pedal feel, good response, no noises or vibrations.
Powertrain also excellent...easily the car's best feature. ( and better than I expected...see my last post ) Smooth, strong engine, though I kept it at 4000 RPM or less, of course, with a new engine.
Transmission not quite as smooth as I expected (shifts, unlike many other Toyotas, were noticeable) but still superb...positive with no hesitation or slippage. The car is no Dodge Viper, but it will easily get out of its own way.
Interior IMO a disappointment...the Lexus ES330 and Subaru Legacy / Outback both easily outdo the Avalon in interior plushness and quality of materials....and the Subie starts at some 9K less. The Avalon had a lot of cheap-looking trim and hardware, though in the Toyota tradition it was assembled well, with no panel gaps or loose parts. The orange, high-gloss fake wood paneling was an abomination....and I am usually a fan of interior wood, as you guys know. The steering wheel doesn't go up quite high enough for a 6' 2" 280-lb. guy like me. Parking brake was a left-foot-pedal type instead of a console-mounted lever. BEST interior feature, hands-down, was the Lexus-type white backlit electroflourescent gauges.....clear, attractive, legible, brightly-lit even in daytime....couldn't ask for more.

So............there you have it, friends, for the more conservative of you CL members who might be interested in this car...as I was.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Sometimes salesman should just learn when to keep their mouth shut, especially once they know they put their foot in it.

Gojirra99

Marshall, maybe you should post in THIS THREAD

mmarshall

Dunno, Sexy.....that guy said a lot more, of course, than I did......but I don't agree with some of his conclusions, especially about the interior.

Well, anyway, you guys, if you want, can go see the car for yourself and see what you yourselves think.

chuckb

I assumed this one would have real wood. that's weak.
MMARSHALL-did the motor FEEL like it had 280hp or was it dilluted by being overwight? Did it have the acceleration/shift lag like the recent ES?

LexFather

Thanks for the write-up gonna go check it out soon...

lexusk8

^^^ myself too, I gotta see what all the fuss is about with the new Avalon

mmarshall

Yeah....the orange fake wood in the XLS and Limited is awful...you'll see for yourself.

I didn't wind it past 4000 RPM out of respect for a new unbroken-in engine but the 260 ft.-lbs. torque was plenty for a family-type entry-level luxury car like that. It's not a Corvette Z06, but it will easily get out of its own way. (Torque, not HP, is the figure you want for acceleration). The engine was smooth, strong, and fairly quiet....typically Toyota.
No shift lag like the ES..the tranny was responsive and efficient, but the 1-2 shift was not quite as smooth as on some other recent Toyotas I've seen. The other shifts were smooth as silk.
Weight was not that big an issue.....partly because of the lightweight interior parts.

pbm317

Drove a Limited tonight. It's a perfect car... for my parents. Hahah Great car for what it is. Smooth, powerful, tons of luxury options like the HID's, Laser Cruise, Nav, Heated and Cooled Seats, Optitron Dash, Reclining Rear Seats, Flat floor in the rear seating area, and the list goes on.

mmarshall

When you are tired at the end of a hard working day and you have sore legs, back, or are just plain fatigued and don' t want a stiff-riding Porsche or BMW, you may find that this car's appeal is not just " Limited " to your parents.