PLUSES: Quick yet quiet. Cozy and comfortable, respectable mileage. Ample dose of safety systems. Good cargo room.
MINUSES: Why not an AWD version
Toyota polished up the crown jewel for 2011, it's top of the line luxury Avalon sedan.
Avalon had been offered in XL, XLS and Limited trim but now is offered in base or top of the line Limited trim only to reduce complexity. We tested the Limited version, which like both models now sports a fresh design and revamped cabin while keeping its former 3.5 liter, 268 h.p. V-6 teamed with 6-speed automatic.
The 24 valve V-6 didn't need any replacement, much less tweaking since it makes Avalon one very quick, yet at the same time very quiet sedan when either pulling out to pass, scooting down the merger lane, or climbing those hills on the interstate where 18 wheelers slave to get up and over and in doing so give cars the opportunity to pass.
While sporting above average muscle in propelling the Avalon Limited's 3,600 pounds, the V-6 still boasts very good mileage for a 5-passenger luxury sedan---20 m.p.g. city/29 m.p.g. highway, enough so that a run to the Dells in Wisconsin that normally requires a pause to refill the tank was done without stopping, except briefly to allow the Bottle Blonde a chance to fill her coffee mug.
Ride is smooth and ripple free and you don't hear or feel tar marks in the pavement. Handling is surefooted and precise, with 17 inch all season radials standard. The cabin is so quiet we could hear the grandkids in the back seat without having to lower the volume on the radio. And the kids could wiggle and stretch in back with ample leg, head and arm room. Same for adults who venture in back as well.
Cargo capacity is very good and held all the luggage needed with space to spare, which reminds us that the sedan carries a full size spare as well, though while you may never use it, gives older buyers a sense of security that for some reason the mini spare has never been able to do.
Added bonuses are stability and traction control to assure you travel in the pointed direction without taking any unnecessary detours, as well as traction control so you can get going and keep moving despite slippery patches. Side air bag curtains provide added security.
Avalon, as the top of the line sedan at Toyota Division before moving over to its Lexus family, offers a host of standard features, such as power windows, locks, mirrors (folding, too), seats, as well as a power moonroof, dual zone climate control, back up camera, heated (and ventilated Limited) leather (base model cloth) seats, quartz clock, dual power plugs, power rear window sunshade (Limited), push button start (Limited), rear seat pass-through to trunk, and AM/FM/CD and MP3 capable audio.
One of the neatest features the sedan offers is only visible when you lift the deck lid to expose the handy plastic milk jug/bottle holder built into the floor along the left side of the trunk wall. Handy item for transporting a couple gallons of milk that normally have a tendency to slip and slide around in the cabin or in the trunk when not secured. The holder makes for a convenient place to house a bottle or two of spirits in the trunk rather than keep them in the cabin on the way home from the store or to the party.
A voice activated or touch screen DVD navigation system is optional in a $1,450 package that adds both Bluetooth hands free phone as well as iPod and USB connectivity.
Avalon is a most pleasant machine, but when time comes for a tweak or two, we'd love to see an all wheel drive version, not just front wheel drive, like Ford does with its AWD Fusion and AWD Taurus, that would make it an ideal all season vehicle. Toyota/Lexus have several AWD models and the all weather system should
be adapted to a Toyota sedan for the Snow Belt.
2011 Toyota Avalon Limited Wheelbase: 111 inches
Length: 197.6 inches
Engine: 3.5 liter, 268 h.p., 24 valve V-6.
Transmission: 6-speed automatic.
Mileage: 20 m.p.g. city/28 m.p.g. highway.
Base price: $35,485.
Price as equipped: Add $1,450 navigation and premium audio system with voice activated/touch screen navi with back up camera, with JBL synthesis and AM/FM/CD, MP3 capability, XM radio with satellite traffic, audio jack and USB port with iPod and Bluetooth wireless phone connectivity, $199 carpet floor and trunk mats, and $750 freight.