I actually test rode an avalon limited and an ls 430 within 30 minutes (The toyota dealer and the Lexus dealer are across the street from each other). The Avalon accelerates nearly as fast as an ls 430. The Interior is nearly 80% of an LS at nearly 22k less. I actually own an 95 LS with 150k miles and was looking to replace it. The Avalon is a great value but I decided against it for the following reasons:

1. Toyota vs. Lexus Service. You can buy a 38k Toyota and the dealer simply doesnt care. Loaner are hard to get. Service is still expensive and the "value" begins to disaapear when you have to wait two hours for a repair because Toyota is too cheap to give you a loaner.

2. .No Incentives on the Avalon. The salespeople were treating the car like they were exotics. I find it hard to pay full retail for a Toyota Avalon when every other model has rebates. The Lexus dealer had an 8k incentive on the 05 ls430 which made the difference between the cars even less.

3. Front Styling. Darn! The rear of the Avalon looks like a BMW 7 series, perhaps even better, but the designers of the rear were not the same of the front. The front is bland, generic and common.

4. Older Drivers image. I was at a car show recently where Toyota had several Avalons on Display,, I was the only mid 30;s person around the cars. The salesperson dint even bother to answer or speak to me. He kept pursuing all the older mid 60's browsers around.. I had a 98 Avalon before and sold it because of the "out of the demographics" problem.



However---The 3.5 v6 of theAvalon is a very sweet engine. It is essentially a slightly de-tune version of the 3,5 in the IS350, so it cant be that bad.

 

Hate to resurrect such an old thread, but I had to pitch in because of what brought me to Toyota and then Lexus - the rental Avalon they gave us when we were in Phoenix in January. I thought this was an amazing car in every way, fun to drive, VERY roomy, and fast/responsive. My wife noticed it too, saying that it was clear to her how much fun I was having with this car (I have been a truck guy since age 18). And then, it all began...

It was time to replace our minivan at home (we have 3 kids), and so I went and looked around. Nothing even came close to the Sienna for features, finish and looks, not even the Honda Odyssey. I bought a beautiful XLE with leather and all the features. Love this minivan! It's more like a car, really.

Then, now that my wife had a nice vehicle, I got to thinking about the Avalon again. Great car, so I started looking around. Not many are sold in Canada (even though we saw tons down south). Came across a couple, but not many, used ones for sale. Then, I figured why not look at Lexus? With the Toyota pedigree, I thought why not? I did find one Avalon I was ready to buy, but someone else beat me to it.

So, I looked around and read up on the various lines, and went and visited the dealer a few times to get educated. Was very impressed at how patient they were with my 3-year-old daughter, who is a bit of a monkey. I was going to start looking at the GS series. It was then that I found her.

She's a 2004 LS430 that was previously owned by a retired fellow in a wealthy part of Montreal. He wintered in Florida, so the major concern with buying from that part of the world was removed. Decent miles and a 9.9/10 interior. 3 years left on extended warranty that he bought when new. Best of all was the price - it was literally about $20K below the comparable prices for the LS430 in western Canada! I thought someone could have been fishy, so I did all the investigations. He has full service records (mostly from Florida), was the original owner, had ever scrap of paper ever produced on it, and answered every question I asked. So, I took the plunge and bought the LS!

Looking back, I have no regrets on not getting an Avalon. The Lexus is just such a nice car. However, what happens in Canada much more than in the US is reverse discrimination - often people will ding you or key you in the parking lot just because they think you are a rich jack a$$, and so on. I think with an Avalon you wouldn't have to worry about this. Despite having what I believe to be the greatest car on the planet (that you can drive on the road and use to get to work), I think I would also have been happy with the Avalon.

So, they're both great cars, let's leave it at that!

 

The Avalon isn't even in the same league as the LS430. I know this because I drove a new loaded 2007 Avalon before I got my used LS430.

Avalon doesn't hold a candle. Don't waste any more time on this - get the LS430.

 

You're missing the point of this thread. No one is suggesting that the Avalon is the same as the LS, they are obviously very different cars. At the end though, they're both Toyotas, and THAT'S why the Lexus is great. Lexus is just a brand, Toyota is the reason Lexus rocks!

Just imagine if Detroit had tried to make the Lexus...

 

I too have considered both cars. I am in the market and will be purchasing one some day......some day soon i hope. So I can have a brand new Limited Avalon with all the goodies, or a Modern Lux 04' LS with ~50k on the odometer, both for about the same price. Both are reliable, but one has arguably 1/4 of it's usable life gone and wear/tear on the interior.

Both cars are appealing
The LS for its name, quietness, features, quality, navigation, & pimpness.

The Avalon for a lot of the same features + some that the 04LS doesn't offer.

My biggest struggle is that the look of the Avalon is not up to par for me. The LS is considered to be an old guys car, but the Avalon is older.

 

With my family growing, I considered buying a 2004 LS 430; I never pulled the trigger primarily due to my time in an 2007 avalon; I drive to LA often and rent all sorts of cars with the Avalon being my favorite.
Honestly, I prefer the Avalon to the LS. It is as comfortable, quiet, gets better gas mileage and felt quicker from 0-50 then LS. Also, 2004 LS has an outdated interior look especially the main console and the navigation is outdated. The LS I test drove, a CPO, felt slow but it did handle better.

In fact I thought about buying an Avalon but will wait for a good clean used one.

 

I think the Avalon is a Great, Great car... for senior citizens! Very low profile, lots of room, good on fuel, and very realiable. That being said, Avalon should NOT be in the same sentence with the Lexus LS430, maybe the ES350. Avalon is toooooooo bland, even Buicks are more stylish these days... That Lucerne looks more Pimp than the Avalon.

 

Funny, i'm pretty sure most feel the same about the LS. I like it, but most think it lacks charisma and flair.