Key Competitors: Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala
Base Price: $43,720 As-Tested Price: $45,118
Full review: 2019 Toyota Avalon first drive
Highlights: New top to bottom, the latest Avalon was launched at the 2018 Detroit auto show. The fifth-generation Avalon is almost 2 inches longer and nearly an inch wider and rides on Toyota’s New Global Architecture platform, a flexible chassis also underpinning everything from the Prius to the Camry and Lexus ES, to name a few. Toyota’s 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four and 460-volt electric motor powers the hybrid, paired with a continuously variable transmission.
Read more: https://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2019-toyota-avalon-hybrid-essentials-four-wheel-stress-reliever#ixzz5imemCCgTOur Opinion: The schnoz. It’s impossible to not notice the schnoz. It’s also impossible to write about Toyota’s new Avalon Hybrid without mentioning it. The company calls it “dramatic.” In my several days driving the car people called it “ugly,” “a crime,” “awful” and “stunningly good looking.” So opinions vary. One friend does give Toyota credit for continuing to launch and build sedans instead of, as he put it, “wimping out like Ford.” I don’t love the front end, but at least one can’t say Toyota launched a dull-looking car.
The interior is a different story: Build quality and materials are really impressive, good enough for a car costing way more. There’s a ton of room front and rear, and the front buckets are wide and comfortable. The dash is a mix of switches, buttons, touch-capacitive controls and a high-res touchscreen. Everything works intuitively and looks good. It would still all look just fine if the car wore Lexus badges.
As for the driving, this is an improved Avalon: smooth, quiet, solid and ... unexciting. In other words, pretty much exactly as one expects. As these big-ish sedans tend to be, the ride is soft and comfortable even with this Limited trim’s 25 percent stiffer springs. Over the bumps and lumps of Detroit streets, the chassis stays composed and the suspension doesn’t send any road impact to the cockpit. The hassle-free ride is definitely a highlight.
The hybrid system’s power delivery doesn’t light my hair on fire but is fine for my everyday commuting needs and occasional highway blasts. The drive mode choices are eco, normal and sport, and all can be used under electric power. I don’t feel too much difference between eco and normal, but sport mode is a bigger jump and comes closest to living up to its name -- much better throttle response. Regardless of mode, this is a smooth, quiet powertrain, and this car just sips fuel.
I have two minor gripes, both with caveats: The regen brakes take some getting used to (as I’ve found in all Toyota hybrids I’ve driven) but they work well. Second, steering feedback isn’t great, but it’s precise and the effort is light.
So the Avalon performs as you’d think: It’s not a sporty, performance-oriented sedan. It is, however, a big, comfortable, quiet cruiser. That’s becoming less common every day. Sometimes it’s exactly what you and I both need at the end of a long day.
--Wes Raynal, editor
Options: Advanced Safety Package including intelligent clearance sonar, bird’s eye view camera with perimeter scan, rear cross traffic alert w/ braking ($1,150); carpet mat ($248)
