mmarshall

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

The current 4th-Generation Toyota Avalon was introduced to the U.S. in the fall of 2012 as a 2013 model. I did a review of one at the time, and was generally not impressed. It had the usual Toyota/Lexus silky refinement and reliability in the drivetrain, and the usual Toyota/Lexus mirror-like paint job...but IMO little else. It seemed the car was designed and built to save weight and cost....very thin, easily-bucked sheet metal, tinny-sounding doors, second-class hardware/trim, and some interior parts so flimsy-feeling that it seemed liked they would fall off right in your fingers. But the main complaint (and one that was shared by a lot of actual Avalon customers, not reviewers just me), was a too-stiff suspension and tires for a sedan flagship in this class that is to supposed to have sporting intensions. Seems like Toyota, with the current obsession, shared with some other manufacturers, of reaching out to younger and/or sport-oriented buyers, forgot who their bread-and-butter was in the first place, and simply overdid it while firming up the Avalon's underpinnings. Consumer Reports also noted the too-stiff ride in their road tests.


So, after the introduction of the ill-fated 4th Generation model, it took a couple of years, but, the designers at Toyota got the message. Except for the Avalon Touring model, promised kinder, gentler underpinnings for the 2016 model year....essentially the same suspension as on the Avalon's brother Lexus ES350. The actual availability of standard and optional wheel/tire sizes and profile-heights by model/trim version is actually more complex, though, so check the web-site for details.

As I had not sampled the refreshed 2016 model with the new suspension (a full-redesign into the next generation is probably still a couple of years away), I'd thought I'd do that today. Mid-October weather in the D.C. area is typically sunny and gorgeous (upper 60s/low 70s)....perfect for reviews and test-drives (unless you want to sample a 4X4 off-road or in the snow LOL). So, I chose a nice Blizzard (Pearl) White XLE Premium model that listed for just over a reasonable 37K (the dealership itself was asking an considerably more reasonable 31K for it). I made sure that it had the taller-55-series tires (a number of Avalons, in several different trims, come with optional, stiffer 45s).....and that the tires were properly inflated.

Before the actual test-drive, though, even though I was not going to do a full-review, I took a look underhood, around the exterior, throughout the interior, and into the trunk, just to see what else Toyota had refreshed on this year's version, besides the suspension. The sheet metal, for some reason, seemed a little better this year and more resistant to buckling, even though I doubt that they actually increased its thickness. Doors, hood, and trunk all closed with a more solid thunk than before....I think they either re-did the latches and/or put more insulation in the doors themselves. The cargo area, though was poorly-finished for a car of this class...a grainy-like, fairly hard covering to the sheet metal itself. Inside the cabin, though the seats were fairly comfortable, I was still not impressed.....the same ultra-flimsy switches and rotary-dials and hardware remained in the middle of the dash, for the pop-up console seat-heater twirl-buttons, and in the glove box lock/latching. And the dark brown "wood" trim on the dash, IMO, looked lke the plastic surface on a child's toy.

OK, so much for the rest of the car......now let's see how it drives. Well, the usual Toyota excellence in drivetrain refinement is still there. I disagree with those on the forum who say that the 3.5L Toyota V6 is outdated and needs to be replaced....there is nothing wrong with this engine at all, and it is a nice power plant for this car. The 6-speed automatic transmission shifted very smoothly, except for a slight 1-2 bumpiness when cold. Normally, I ***ch about zig-zag shift-levers. But, compared to the frustrating E-Shifters I recently tried in the 2017 Cadillac XT5 and Buick LaCrosse, this one was simple and easy to use, though the dash-buttons in the new LIncolns and conventional fore-aft shifters in other GM cars are even simpler. Wind, road, engine, and exhaust noise are all reasonably well-controlled, though not as well as in its brother Lexus ES. The brakes are generally effective, with a reasonably well-placed pedal for my large feet.

Now (drum-roll, please) for the new suspension. With the 55-series tires, it does seem to ride a little smoother and less harshly over bumps, and without the audible thumps that the previous suspension gave not only your backside but your ears as well (there were reasons why customers complained about it). So, yes, a step in the right direction, and the designers get credit for that, though it is still not what I myself would call a soft ride....for that, you have to check out some flagships from Hyundai and Kia. With the new suspension, steering response and handling is still OK by the standards of this class...that doesn't seem to have been affected much. But I still have fond memories of what I considered the best Avalon ever built...the 1st-Generation one from the mid-late 1990s, which coddled its occupants and glided over bumps almost as smoothly as an old Buick LeSabre.

So, yes, in several areas, despite the still-flimsy hardware/switches inside and the poorly-trimmed cargo area, this latest mid-generation Avalon refreshening is a definite improvement (and, to be fair with the poorly-trimmed cargo area, it can be argued that the comfort of passengers is more important that of suitcases riding in back LOL). It outdoes several of its competitors in the quality/refinement of the drivetrain, paint job, door-closing solidness, and its (probable) long-term reliability. It falls short on its interior hardware, interior trim. and cargo area trim, especially with the major improvements Lincoln and Buick have both given their latest MKZ and LaCrossse models for 2017. Still, I think that, at least in the version I drove, it is a significantly better Avalon than just a couple of years ago, and (now) money better-spent.

And, as Always, Happy car-Shopping.

MM

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

would be interested in your view of the just refreshed cadenza. looks like it might be up your alley.

Aron9000

I actually thought the 2nd gen Avalon(2000-2004) was the best one ever built. It took the same basic idea as the 1st gen, but made it bigger, perhaps the roomiest sedan I've ever been in that wasn't a big old body on frame Cadillac, Buick, Olds, Lincoln, etc of ye olden days. Plus I like the swoopy dash design on the 2nd gen car and its kind of mickey mouse hey lets look like a Mercedes or Maybach exterior styling.

I'm also going to level the same criticism on the current Avalon as I have with the current Impala. The whole dash design is rather overwrought and way too busy. Its just a bad looking design IMO.

Rhambler

I see a lot of these newer Avalons on the road and I think they look nice. In fact, they look nicer to me than the ES sibling mainly due to the shape and look of the lights, front and back.

Best looking Toyota sedan by far. Looks much nicer than the Camry to me.

I just got done driving an 2016 ES loaner for three days and they're definitely nice. I always wondered how different these Avalons are versus the ES in regards to ride, comfort and noise.

mmarshall

The 2Gen Avalon did not drive a whole lot different from the first (perhaps a marginally firmer ride?)...but, to me, the build-solidness did not seem quite the same. This was during a period when the build quality of Toyotas, while still good, began to drop due to cost-cutting. The 2Gen Avalon also lost its optional front bench seat and column mounted shifter, which (along with the soft suspension) had helped convert some American traditionalists from Buick, Oldsmobile, and Mercury upmarket sedans with those features. Some Avalon buyers liked the extra room and seating capacity the bench seat gave.

Agreed.....the Impala's center-dash is one of its very few faults. But it rides, handles, and drives like a gem. Check one out yourself if you have to done so.

mmarshall

You got it. I'll put it on the list.

It hasn't been released yet to Kia shops in my area, but appears to look more or less like an Avalon with a Kia "Tiger" grille on it.

http://www.kia.com/us/en/content/veh...s/2017-cadenza

mmarshall

The current ES, except for the garish spindle-grille common to all new Lexus products, is definitely more conservatively-styled than the Avalon, both inside and out. Because of the recent adjustment of the Avalon's non-Touring suspension, the two of them ride, handle, and steer more or less the same now, although, to my ears at least, the ES may be just a touch quieter in the wind/road/engine noise department. Neither one of them rides quite as smooth as they did a couple of generations ago, but that is partly a function of the lower-profile tires today. (55s are about as high as they go today, vs. 60 or 65 a couple of generations ago, and some trim-versions have 45s). The new 2016 Avalon, though, appears to have more solid-closing doors (more so than in 2013-2015)..I think they either redesigned the latches or added insulation. The doors on the ES, in comparison, feel much thinner and less substantial. I like the ES's overall fit/finish, though, more than the Avalon, and if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the ES by a significant margin.

LexBob2

​​​​​​​I came across an Alex On Autos review of the Cadenza and he prefers it over the ES 350 in most every area.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

interesting. i see it's got press reviews all over, but as mmarshall pointed out, it's not in dealers yet.

LOVE this front with the LED lights.
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mmarshall

Right offhand, it looks they tried to streamline the front end more than other recent Kias with the Tiger grille.

Stroock639

i still say the better move is to spend 1/10 what you would on an Avalon and get and old LS, it's just SOOO much more car... but get an LS 400 is pretty much my answer to most car inquiries lol, it's definitely a hell of lot better than my 10 year newer Crown Vic haha...

Sulu

I am not a fan of the dual black with other colour pattern of the instrument pattern that Toyota/Lexus currently uses. The black top often looks cheap. I am guessing that it is a cost-cutting measure.

Aron9000

Actually you could get the 2nd gen Avalon with a column shift/bench seat. Although IMO in that car the console/floor shift is a much better setup. Looks a lot nicer and has more storage. Plus you really can't put anybody in that front middle seat in the Avalon(or any modern car) unless its a really small child. Although the bench seat does have its place on date night if you catch my drift.

As far as build quality, I can't disagree with you more about the 2nd gen Avalon. I've driven one with A LOT(250k) miles on it, it doesn't squeak, rattle, and nothing on the interior has fallen off/apart. Interior still looks like a new car.

mmarshall

From what I remembered, I thought it was the 2Gen that gave up the bench seat and column-shift, but you're correct...it was actually the third.

(At the time, BTW, besides the soft suspension, that was one of the things that helped attract former American-badged luxury-car owners to the Avalon...the availability of the same front-seating/shift configuration).

On the build-quality issue, you're correct that the 2Gen was still a well-built car.....there's no question about that. I was simply comparing it to the first, which, overall, I felt was the best....the 2nd, IMO, used some sightly cheaper parts inside. But, yes, you can still find 2Gen models that run well.....a guy I swim and exercise with regularly gave his old 2Gen Avalon to his daughter when he went for a lease on a new ES350....it was still generally running well.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

I agree, but most people would disagree because everybody wants a newer car under warranty that has more gadgets. That's the way everything is going these days. I still do not understand why Lexus did not have a CD slot in the stereo of their cars all the way up to about 07-08 on most models. Makes no sense.

My 07 LX still has a cd changer inside the center arm rest.

The Avalon is an extremely nice car. We had a 2000 Avalon for about 5 years until it was totalled in a winter related accident. Still have my 97 Avalon from about 10 years back and aside from a decent amount of rust on the body (salt belt car its entire life and had crappy body work done on some of the panels by previous owner), it's been an extremely trouble free and solid car. I'll argue that it drives today just about the same as when we got it in 07 and put about 100k miles on it. Still has all of its stock suspension etc. wich should be replaced but the car is not worth pouring money into at this point so we just keep it as a beater car. Was never a fan of the 3rd gen Avalon, it just looked like a large rental car, weird proportions, too long, and interior looked like garbage compared to the 2nd gen or current gen Avalon which is amazing.