2007 Toyota Avalon Review

Specifications

The Avalon has never been the star of Toyota’s lineup, which is a little oddsince it’s the company’s flagship. It’s the biggest sedan they’ve ever built, matching and even out-grossing its American competition in overall girth. It even seems as if Toyota is intent on being regarded as a domestic brand rather then an import, with the massive Californian-designed and Kentucky-built Avalon endowed with the breeding to portray such an image. Only problem is that this makes the car unattractive to a large demographic, with it only appealing to people coming to the end of their driving days. Of course, aging boomers are the largest group of consumers to ever hit planet earth, so they may be onto something here after all. Then again, its U.S. origins also mean that build quality comes into question, with several drivetrain and chassis flaws when the new design was introduced in ‘05.

Outside, the Avalon has a slightly more elegant look than the Camry, with a couple of hints of Lexus prestige thrown in for good measure. However, like the Camry it’s an easily forgettable design that lacks the character and boldness of its competitors. This hampers the Avalon’s ability to stand out in a crowd. It’s confusing to me how Toyota can design such sexy and sought-after designs for the Lexus brand, at least in the most recent generations, yet when it comes to theflagship of Toyota’s North American fleet, most people have trouble identifying what brand the Avalon comes from. In today’s age, maybe that’s not such a bad thing though. With everyone pushing bold new styling to give their brands a youthful image, having a mature sedan to appeal to those who aren’t looking to turn heads doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Inside, the Avalon treats passengers to a massive amount of space. For some reason Toyota thinks that the stereo controls and storage areas ought to be concealed, and therefore have gone a little overboard trying to hide everything behind covers. Covers that are difficult to close, I must say, adding to the build quality issues. This keeps everything tidy, however, withfive lidded bins in total. It cleans the dash area of anything to look at, and adds to the rather lackluster look. Design-wise the interior has all the appeal of a Corolla, with the addition of some walnut trim that nearly goes unnoticed. The dash, seats and other interior materials are less than optimal in the base XLS. Interior coloring consists of a two-tone light and dark gray, which once again gives the interior the ambiance of an economy car. Grey has the amazing ability to make materials look cheap and had Toyota opted to use warmer colors, I’m sure the interior would be much more appealing. Only with the Navigation package does the dash start to look more upscale.

The rear seats reward passengers with acres of foot and shoulder space. Even with the front seats slid all the way back, the rear foot room is ample.Headroom on the other hand is not as accommodating. I’m not really sure why this is, as the roofline doesn’t slope down too aggressively, but I found that the top of my head would scrape the ceiling. One major culprit for this is the moonroof. The extra space required to hold the glass when the moonroof is opened reaches back into the rear seating area and lowers the ceiling by a couple of inches. Reclining the rear seats back will give passengers a couple of extra inches to play with though, and being that most rivals in this class don’t offer rear seat recliners points should be awarded to the Avalon for this. The inability to fold these reclining seats flat, however, takes away from the massive potential for trunk space. Instead, there is a small pass-through located behind the center armrest. Regardless, the trunk is large enough for most purposes at 14.4 cu-ft. Getting cargo into the trunk is simple as well, with a large and low trunk opening.

Out on the road, the Avalon’s ride begins to bridge the gap between what you’d expect from a Toyota and a Lexus. Smooth and comfortable, it’s engineered well for cruising and doddling around town. Yes, it’s a very pleasant car to drive, but it doesn’t reward a driver looking for a sportier ride like that from a Nissan Maxima or some of the sportier domestic brands like Chrysler’s rear-drive 300C. There’s plenty of grip on offer, mind you, but the ride is floaty and the car tends to wander at a quicker pace.

The jewel in the package is Toyota’s smooth, sophisticated 3.5L V6 that puts respectable power through the front wheels via a 5-speed automatic gearbox with a manumatic capability. Only being 44 lbs heavier than a V6 Camry, despite using the same platform, the big Avalon uses the ample 268 hp effectively, although it should be said that the less expensive Camry delivers up a slicker six-speed automatic with manual mode and therefore accelerates quicker and uses less fuel. Nevertheless, at highway speed the Avalon has good acceleration, making passing and lane mergers quick, easy and safe. With an equal amount of real life city and highway driving I averaged 17 mpg.That’s not too bad for a car of its size and is much better than its other full-sized sedan competition.

Toyota has a good car in the Avalon, but I feel as though Tokyo has given Toyota USA a little too much freedom. Toyota’s impeccable build quality has suffered and the car has a very domestic feel to it. It is a large sedan that will give drivers and passengers alike a level of space and comfort greater than that of the Camry, or most others in the mid-size to full-size class. It treats them to a smooth quiet ride that approaches a level that Lexus owners are more likely to expect. Truly, the Avalon does everything well, but nothing, other than fuel economy, really stands out as exceptional. And, as expected, Toyota’s premier sedan hasn’t posted production numbers anywhere near as close to the Corolla and Camry, although compared to the previous model it’s sales have been quite strong. Just the same, why not get a little risky and do something different to make the car appeal to someone not currently residing in a retirement community. Toyota has really played it safe with the Avalon, and unfortunately there’s very little to compel someone driving a competitive full-size model to change brands. Of course, considering Toyota enjoys the strongest owner satisfaction rating in the entry-level industry, and therefore the best overall repeat sales, those gravitating upwards through the lineup, finally leaving the Camry for something a little more luxurious, will spur on Avalon sales for years to come. Market share is a luxury that the domestic brands relied on in their heyday, and one of the reasons they’re no longer competitive. Hopefully, for the sake of Toyota, it will learn from mistakes made by Detroit’s Big 3.