Topic: Day-by-Day Review: 2013 Toyota Avalon; Day 1

[Snowman]

I know its not as refined as the Avalon, but they make me smile every time one burbles by me. I think the SRT8 sedans and Jeep are a cool alternative to the boring japanese stuff......reliability....well, if one is willing to roll the dice on an FGC, I think one of these wont be worse or better.

I would roll the dice on and FGC vs. an unrefined Chrysler product anytime. The 300 is well past its best before date.

Ill take a little bit of a plasticky interior and 470 hp......

470 HP for plus 4000 lbs and handles like a International Harvester...no thanks 

[Fobroader]

I dont care about the handling feel of this car, the front end is horrid and the dash looks bad, all sharp and straight. Yeah, will this car cover many miles of straight plains highway beautifully and it will be as reliable as a granite boulder, but I couldnt look at it everyday.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Ford's Focus and Fusion then....

I was going to ask...Fobroader has driven the all new Avalon??

Im gonna see if I can drive one this weekend, I drove a much earlier version, this one



and that was a decent car, but it was soft, wallowy, quiet, bland and had about as much steering feel as a PS2 game. The interior was blah, not offensive but didnt have anything that I could say stood out. Dont think they changed the overall goal of the car, just a Japanese buick/oldsmobile.

[Fobroader]

I know its not as refined as the Avalon, but they make me smile every time one burbles by me. I think the SRT8 sedans and Jeep are a cool alternative to the boring japanese stuff......reliability....well, if one is willing to roll the dice on an FGC, I think one of these wont be worse or better.

I would roll the dice on and FGC vs. an unrefined Chrysler product anytime. The 300 is well past its best before date.

Ill take a little bit of a plasticky interior and 470 hp......

470 HP for plus 4000 lbs and handles like a International Harvester...no thanks 

Its a domestic sedan, yeah, handling, not even on the discussion minutes, however, the exhaust note and the power, wooohoooo.

[rrocket]

and that was a decent car, but it was soft, wallowy, quiet, bland and had about as much steering feel as a PS2 game. The interior was blah, not offensive but didnt have anything that I could say stood out. Dont think they changed the overall goal of the car, just a Japanese buick/oldsmobile.

The reviews I've read say the car actually handles pretty good..and (gasp) has a personality.

[sacrat]

Note on that front grill.

The license plate is in the trunk, it seems like they couldn't figure out how to put it on the car   I couldn't either, so I tossed it back into the trunk.  Here's to hoping I don't get stopped.

We Albertans LOOOVE that clean, unclutterd (and legal!) look that no front plate brings to the party 

[Patrick_D1]

Note on that front grill.

The license plate is in the trunk, it seems like they couldn't figure out how to put it on the car   I couldn't either, so I tossed it back into the trunk.  Here's to hoping I don't get stopped.

We Albertans LOOOVE that clean, unclutterd (and legal!) look that no front plate brings to the party 

I wish we had that luxury. Our press cars are all registered here in Ontario, so even the ones stationed out in Quebec or Nova Scotia end up running front plates. The dealers out there always hate us for drilling holes in the bumpers.

[bombastic]

Toyota really hit it out of the park with this version.  US price starts @ $31K for heated leather seats/no roof.  The Hybrid starts at $35.5K with heated leather seats/roof and rear camera.  Some great used car deals to be had state side in a year or two.

Don't be so sure about used cars. The depreciation in Avalon after 1-2 years is not as good as you might wish.

[wing]

There's a hybrid?

[jaari]

Sat in one I liked the padded dash, but not its design.
The headlights are terrible looking and most of all was the weather stripping coming of the frame.

[whaddaiknow]

There's a hybrid?

There is a hybrid State-side but not in Canada yet.
I test drove one and as soon as the car started moving, it put a huge grin on my face and I even told the sales guy "THIS IS MY CAR" (wrong thing to say to a sales guy, he kept calling me multiple times a day). Huge and extremely comfortable.
The "Sport" button really works. In Normal driving the steering is so numb it made me feel uneasy on ramps. Pushing the 'Sport' button fixed it to a point I enjoyed the rest of the test drive.

Once the kids get bigger and can strap themselves in their car seats, I may be looking for a deal in the US. Some sweet deals will be available in a year or two, as ArcticSteve pointed out.

I also find the front much better than the Lexus ES. In the US, the starting price is lower but the base model doesn't have the NAVI (which CAN version does) and some other goodies. 'Mericans have the hybrid option with stellar fuel economy.

James, how do you find the quality of the NAVI screen in your Limited?
When I test drive the base version, that was my biggest complaint, I thought that screen looked cheap and really stood out in a bad way in an otherwise premium car.

[wing]

Ah I didn't scroll down yesterday.  I checked toyota.com but their website is not very small screen friendly apparently.

I haven't used the navi yet, but the small screen does seem kind of cheap looking for such an expensive car.  I'd like a larger screen that doesn't feel like an afterthought.

[dave_b]

a few thoughts:

Thought 1: +1 that front license plates suck. One thing I really like about Alberta

Thought 2: I am disappointed to see touch sensitive controls being the norm. Buttons and knobs work great, especially with respect to making HVAC (and even audio, if you have a simple headunit) adjustments without looking.

Thought 3: Side mirrors seem to be hard balance to make for designers, IE having decent rear vision, without making the car look like Dumbo. My Alero kinda has the Dumbo look going on....but its all good because I can see whats behind and beside me!

[sacrat]

 "Power is excellent from the 3.5L V6, with barely a touch of the accelerator power feels effortless and smooth. Tip your toe in to make a quick pass and the Avalon launches off like a rocket ship – this engine never fails to impress."

It's a pet peeve of mine that when the redesigned Camry came out, many auto publications complained that Toyota didn't update it's "dated" powerplants. This 3.5 engine out- accelerates more powerful engines like the Sonata Turbo and achieves better mileage than many less powerful engines. This idea of "new for new sake" is just plain stupid when something works well.

[Ex-airbalancer]

The interior size is unmistakably huge – rear legroom is limo-like and the trunk is huge as well, although the lack of folding rear seats seems like a misstep at least there is a pass-through.

When is someone that is buying this class of car going to be hauling stuff
I have truck , if we are buying something , i get it delivered 

[nlm]

Note on that front grill.

I'm thinking the product of a menage a trois between a civic, fusion and optima. It actually kinda stands out for a Toyota.

I'm with Fobroader on this one, except I'd rather have the Charger for something even meaner looking and save some more money.

[JRM]

The ES 350 looks and probably drives a lot sportier for about the same price and carries the Lexus badge to boot.   No contest!

A $5k-10k price difference is hardly the 'same price'.

And there are a lot of wealthy cheap people out there who want a big car but don't want to pay the premium.

The base price is listed as $39,500.00 and the price of te tester is nearly the same.

[bombastic]

"Power is excellent from the 3.5L V6, with barely a touch of the accelerator power feels effortless and smooth. Tip your toe in to make a quick pass and the Avalon launches off like a rocket ship – this engine never fails to impress."

It's a pet peeve of mine that when the redesigned Camry came out, many auto publications complained that Toyota didn't update it's "dated" powerplants. This 3.5 engine out- accelerates more powerful engines like the Sonata Turbo and achieves better mileage than many less powerful engines. This idea of "new for new sake" is just plain stupid when something works well.

I think the idea here is not that the engine is bad. But just think about how good it can be with some improvement. Yes, it works well. But not as well as BMW engines or MB for example. So there is place for improvement. Sonata Turbo is a bad example IMHO.

[wing]

What's wrong with this engine again?  Low 8l/100km great power, smooth and reliable...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

[ArticSteve]

Toyota really hit it out of the park with this version.  US price starts @ $31K for heated leather seats/no roof.  The Hybrid starts at $35.5K with heated leather seats/roof and rear camera.  Some great used car deals to be had state side in a year or two.

Don't be so sure about used cars. The depreciation in Avalon after 1-2 years is not as good as you might wish.

Well aware on used car depreciations.  A used 2013 US Avalon is going to be 20% cheaper in the US than Canada.  Warranty honoured here.  No duty.  Biggest variable is with the value of the loonie. Almost any Toyota is worthwhile importing from USA.

[ArticSteve]

What's wrong with this engine again?  Low 8l/100km great power, smooth and reliable...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

What's wrong    It's a Toyota.     

Wait till all those DI and boosted motors get out of warranty and there is a screw up.


Yes, it works well. But not as well as BMW engines or MB for example 
 
I suppose that is why BMW dealers can't unload their used units unless they attach an extended engine and transmission warranty to them.