2005 Toyota Avalon Review

Specifications

Performance, Refinement, Comfort and Value Define New Avalon

Want to fool your friends into believing youve spent big bucks on a prestigious luxury car without actually spending the big bucks? Buy the all-new Toyota Avalon. Styled and developed to appeal specifically to the North American market, the Avalon is a spacious, refined four-door sedan with plenty of polished V6 punch under the hood.

From a styling perspective, the new Avalon is light years ahead of its predecessor. Its bold, chrome-accented horizontal slat grille is far from anything I would expect Toyota to affix to the front of what has been throughout its ten-year run, a very staid, conservatively styled sedan. From its imposing grille rearward, the Avalon exhibits a high waistline, emphasized by a sharp horizontal crease. Overall, the sedans moderate wedge shape is sleek, sporty and clean, thanks in part to a long hood/short rear deck configuration. From the rear, it mimics a number of impressive marques including, according to my eye, BMW. The Avalons high performance twinned chrome exhaust ports definitely do not bespeak Toyota tradition.

What is, without doubt, in keeping with Toyota lore is the Avalons impressive interior and exterior build quality. Exterior body panels are accurately and tightly aligned. I doubt any mid-price, mass produced vehicle can exceed the slim, perfect gapping Toyota has engineered into the Avalons body shell. As expected, doors open and close with a “whump” every bit as vault-like as anything in its class, whether assembled in Europe or elsewhere. Moving inside doesnt disappoint the finicky few either. I was not only impressed with the interior build quality, but also the quality of materials Toyota selected for the Avalons tranquil cabin. No low-rent plastics or cheesy trim pieces anywhere.

Toyotas Optitron (luminescent) analogue gauge cluster is remarkably clear, crisp and legible regardless of lighting conditions. A single, wide canopy shelters the gauges and extends far enough over the center stack to shelter the information data screen, which doubles as a navigation screen, if so equipped. Toyota has chosen to locate the Avalons audio head behind an oil-dampened cover located mid-point in the center stack. This nicely clears away much button clutter, somewhat akin to sweeping dirt under the rug. Fortunately, redundant audio controls are mounted on the steering wheel, opposite the steering wheel-mounted, redundant HVAC controls.

Both front seats are power-adjustable, with heating and cooling available. They are firm, wide and seriously comfortable, but not deeply bolstered, which makes them more accommodating to wider torsos, but less supportive during hard cornering. Front seat head and legroom are both commendable. A tilt, telescoping wheel makes finding the perfect driving position a cinch. So we know the front seat folk are pampered in the Avalon, but what about those relegated to the rear bench? In my experience, no Toyota has ever had a larger, more comfortable back seat, period.

Not only is rear legroom sensational, but the rear seatbacks recline up to ten degrees for additional comfort. This may not be in the league of the mighty Maybach, but its pretty darn good for a commonplace Toyota. If there is anything not worthy of bragging rights inside the Avalon, its rear headroom, which becomes marginalized when 6-foot or larger frames climb aboard. But regardless of whos aboard, all will be conveyed in comfort, sophistication, and if necessary, speed. According to Toyota, the Avalon will hustle from 0-to-60 mph in a mere 6.6 seconds.

Only one engine is available to power the 3,490-lb sedan. Displacing 3.5 liters (214 cu in), the Avalons Tier 2 Ultra
Low Emissions V6 incorporates Toyotas Variable Valve Timing with intelligence and 24 valves. This polished performer kicks out a stout 280 horsepower and a strapping 260 pound-feet of torque, which is 33 percent more spice than the previous generation Avalon powerplant. With such prodigious power, it becomes very easy to overwhelm the front wheels. If I had my druthers, which I seldom do, I would have configured the Avalon with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, for that matter. Such a layout would make better use of the Avalons spectacular punch, I say.

Despite some manageable torque steer when the throttle is flung open, the Avalons drivetrain is a thing of beauty. The engine spins to its redline with nary a hint of displeasure or harshness, while fastened to a slick shifting, electronically-controlled five-speed automatic transmission. A sequential manual-mode gate adjacent to the Drive position allows greater driver control over the shift points, should ones desire turn to sport. But lets not fool ourselves, the Avalon isnt a sports car with track-capable thresholds. Its a big car featuring a big-car ride, capable of ironing out bumps with complete composure and aplomb.

My test unit was the Touring edition, denoted by its magnesium colored wheels and slightly stiffer spring rates, the latter of which improves the Avalons handling ability. The offset to its improved handling is, of course, a slightly firmer ride but one that I deemed “just right.” The Avalon sits upon a fully independent suspension setup, which utilizes gas-charged MacPherson struts up front and dual link, gas-charged MacPherson struts out back. Stabilizer bars front and rear augment the Avalons handling ability. The added athleticism of the Touring package enables the Avalon to devour twisty roads with remarkable competency and poise.

However, when pushed hard into a corner (and I mean hard), the big sedan encounters marginal plow and understeer, but in a very predictable, forgiving, manageable way, which makes keeping all four wheels rubber-side down and on the road a very doable task.

Strangely, Toyota only makes its Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control technologies available with XLS and Limited trim, leaving me to ponder who really needs it more - drivers choosing the performance suspension of the Touring model, or those opting for the softer ride of the XLS? Of course, its not available with the base-level XL either. Despite this incongruity, I have no doubt that 99.9 percent of Avalon buyers will be more than pleased with the handling dynamics of their comfy craft. Believe me, its light years ahead of what was being produced domestically not so long ago, when marshmallow setups reigned supreme in four-door sedans.

Fortunately, Toyota hasnt shortchanged anyone when it comes to stopping the Avalon, which is equipped with four-wheel antilock disc brakes, fortified with Electronic Brake-force Distribution. Apart from a soft pedal, the binders on my test unit felt strong and very responsive. Slight nosedive accompanied an emergency stop, but vehicle control was never compromised as cessation rapidly arrived.

Very praiseworthy is the host of airbags Toyota has fitted to the Avalon as standard equipment. Each Avalon receives driver and front passenger frontal airbags and front seat-mounted side airbags, and the driver also receives a knee airbag. Everybody along for the ride receives the benefit of front and rear side curtain airbags. In total, thats a lot standard-fare bag-brag.

The Avalons content is spread among four distinctive trim levels beginning with the XL, followed by the Touring, XLS and Limited editions. All but the XL trim level include leather upholstery, but despite the cowhide, it and every Avalon, regardless of trim level, features a vast array of comfort and convenience features including dual-zone filtered air-conditioning, cruise control, nine-speaker AM/FM/CD audio - and the list goes on. Premium equipment availability includes Smart Key with pushbutton start, voice-activated DVD navigation, six-disc in-dash 360-watt JBL audio, Dynamic Laser Cruise Control, power rear sunshade and heated/ventilated seats.

So does Toyota have a winner on its profitable hands? It sure does. The new Avalon is a great looking, four-door sedan with wonderful performance and refinement in its young-at-heart soul. It also offers tremendous value especially when compared - and legitimately so, I say - against much more expensive European imports, many of which fall short of the Avalons horsepower and interior lounge-space.