Avalon's classy ride even includes front seats that cool passengers
The badge on the outside of the 2005 Avalon says it's a Toyota.
But this new-generation Avalon full-size sedan provides such a refined, roomy, quiet ride and offers so many features, you might wonder why it doesn't qualify as a luxury car.
Toyota's flagship car, the Avalon this year is bigger than ever, and styling is decidedly upscale. There's a new, 280-horsepower V-6 and a new top-of-the-line Avalon Limited model that includes a number of amenities found in Lexus cars, including front seats that cool passengers.
Yet the Avalon's starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $26,890 -- just $210 more than the old-generation, 2004 model.
Competitors include the 2005 Buick LaCrosse, which starts at $23,495, and the 2005 Chrysler 300, which starts at $23,995, as well as the Buick Park Avenue, which starts at $36,350.
First introduced in 1994, the Avalon now has moved boldly from being a bigger Toyota Camry to being distinctively different in styling and character from the Camry sibling with which it has shared platforms. There are four Avalon models now, up from two a year ago.
The new Avalon Touring incorporates sportier-tuned suspension so a driver feels mildly sharper response to his or her steering inputs. About 12 percent of Avalon sales could be the Touring model, executives said.
The top Limited model, which has a luxurylike price of $34,080 and incorporates a high-tech Smart Key system for entry and startup that doesn't use a key, is expected to attract nearly 30 percent of Avalon buyers.
The 2005 Avalon doesn't look much like its predecessor and is noticeably bigger. Indeed, the Avalon has grown 5.3 inches in overall length and is 1.2 inches wider, resulting in a car that's longer and a bit taller than Chrysler's 300.
But where the 300 looks big and has some old-style, gangster-car cues, the Avalon looks sleek. The back end, in particular, is reminiscent of the rear end on a BMW 7 Series, only prettier.
It's not the only BMW-like styling cue. There's a closer fit between the Avalon fenders and tires now, which, as BMW executives attest, helps give a car a substantial and more powerful look. In addition, the Avalon is the first Toyota in the United States with dual exhaust.
Inside the Avalon, large-sized drivers can find comfort in the 59.4 inches of shoulder room in the front seat. This is more than what's in Buick's LaCrosse and Park Avenue and equal to what's in the 300.
Note, though, that Toyota no longer offers a front bench seat. Only two bucket seats are available, for a maximum passenger capacity of five. Executives said only 8 percent of buyers of the 2004 Avalon took the bench seat. But a bench front seat is available in the LaCrosse and Park Avenue.
Front and rear legroom in the new Avalon are both more than 40 inches, with the front-seat room 0.6 inch less than what's in the 300 and the rear-seat room 0.7 inch more. The LaCrosse and Park Avenue have more front-seat legroom than the Avalon and 300, but the LaCrosse has only 37.6 inches of legroom for back-seat riders, whereas the Park Avenue has 0.5 inch more than the Avalon.
It appears the Avalon's interior space was arranged at the expense of the trunk, which tops out at 14.4 cubic feet, compared with 16 cubic feet in the LaCrosse, 19.1 cubic feet in the Park Avenue and 15.6 cubic feet in the 300.
All models of Avalon except the base XL come standard with leather seat trim. It's black leather in the sporty Touring model, and it's perforated leather in the Limited. That is because the front seats in the Limited can cool passengers with fans under each seat. It feels strange, sort of like there's a draft underneath you. The seats also can be heated.
The instrument panel has backlit Optitron gauges such as those in Lexus cars, and the Avalon's audio-system controls have a pull-down cover that can be closed over them for a less-cluttered look on the dashboard.
Note that in catering to Avalon buyers who still use "books on tape," some new Avalon models come with a cassette player. Many other new cars have switched to CD players only. The ventilation system in the Avalon now has seven fan speeds, whereas many other cars provide only four.
All Avalons have the same V-6 -- a new, 3.5-liter version that uses the same architecture as the six-cylinder engine that's in the Toyota 4Runner sport utility and Tundra pickup truck.
Horsepower in the Avalon is up substantially -- from 210 in the 2004 model to 280 now. Torque has gone from 220 foot-pounds at 4,400 rpm to 260 foot-pounds at 4,700 rpm.
Delivered through a five-speed automatic transmission, the power came on smoothly and steadily in the test Avalon Limited -- and without noisy bluster. I passed slower cars with ease and without noticeable or jerky shift points. Be warned, though: It's easy to glide along and suddenly find this car is traveling above the speed limit.
This is the first five-speed in an Avalon, and this transmission includes a shift-it-yourself manumatic function for drivers who want to select the gears themselves.
The Avalon's newfound power tops that of the V-6s in the LaCrosse and the Chrysler 300. The Park Avenue's uplevel, 240-horsepower, supercharged V-6 has more peak torque, and it comes at a lower rpm -- 280 foot-pounds at 3,600 rpm. Meantime, Chrysler's 300 is available with a 340-horsepower, Hemi V-8 with 390 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm.
It's worth noting that even with the new power, the Avalon's estimated fuel-economy rating of 22 miles a gallon in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway is better than the 2 1/29-mpg rating for the previous Avalon.
The new engine includes variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust cams -- a feature that's often found on high-end cars to help improve both performance and fuel efficiency.
The test Avalon Limited was so quiet inside, I didn't need to turn up the radio to stifle exterior sounds. Indeed, the ride was peaceful. And although at times I felt as if the Avalon was lulling me into a floaty ride sensation, it took only a drive in mountain twisties to show this large sedan has decent road manners, too, when pressed. Electronic stability control, however, is an option and offered only on the two top models, the XLS and Limited.
The Avalon remains front-drive, whereas the 300 and many upscale cars are rear-drive.
Company executives expect to sell 85,000 Avalons annually. Buyers are expected to have a median age just under 60, and half are likely to be women. About 68 percent will be married, 23 percent will have children under age 18, and 57 percent will be college-educated.
There has been no safety recall of the new Avalon, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not reported crash-test results. Because the 2005 Avalon is a new model, Consumer Reports did not provide a reliability rating.
