Written by Marco Carvajal
The New Avalon
I am test driving the 2019 Toyota Avalon Touring, a great luxury full sized sedan that can surprise most demanding car drivers. The new Avalon is full of added value and a beautiful stylish and premium design typical of the high end luxury brand Lexus, but the Avalon is not a Lexus, it is a premium Toyota.
Lexus or Toyota, both are the same family and share a lot of technology and innovation, as we can note when driving the Toyota Avalon.
Toyota’s design center in Michigan custom-designed the new 2019 Avalon to reach 5-passenger sedan customers who do not buy SUVs.
To make it more sporty, this new Avalon has a roof one inch lower than the previous model, and wider rear fenders that gives a more appropriate sport touch. The front grille is larger and more open. New sporty piping, the XSE and Touring models, have darkened jaws.
Along the sides, the Avalon has a wrinkled metal that not only makes the car look busier, but also better. The LED rear taillights have a clean finishing, which gives a more detailed and bold distinctive touch.
Toyota is trying to increase its fan base with younger buyers. The usual buyer of the Avalon is 64 years old, a few years older than average car buyers in the full size sedan segment. But it seems that Toyota wants a new target market for this great sedan. The new 2019 model has a new improved sportier design to attract a younger and wider audience to increase sales.
2019 Toyota Avalon Touring Highlights
MPG
22 city /31 combined/25 highway
Engine
3.5-Liter V6 8-Speed Automatic
Price
Avalon Touring Model Starting at $42,350
Wheels
19-in. black-painted machined-finish alloy wheels with P235/40R19 tires
Display
7-in. TFT Multi-Information Display (MID) with customizable settings, odometer, outside temperature, fuel economy and trip information, current/average fuel economy, distance to empty, average speed, trip distance with timer, TPMS scheduled maintenance and warning messages.
Audio
Entune 3.093 Premium Audio with App Suite, Dynamic Navigation and JBL w/Clari-Fi includes 14 speakers including subwoofer and 1200 watts amplifier, 9-in. touch-screen, AM/FM/HD Radio, auxiliary port, one USB 2.0 media port with iPod connectivity and control.
More Features
Four USB charge ports, Dynamic Navigation with up to 3-year trial, Dynamic POI Search, Dynamic Voice Recognition, hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth wireless technology, Siri Eyes Free, Apple CarPlay compatible, Sirius XM Satellite Radio with 3-month All Access trial, Toyota Connected Services, Safety Connect with 3-year trial subscription, Service Connect with 3-year trial, Remote Connect with 6-month trial, Wi-Fi Connect capability and Destination Assist Connect.
4-driving mode switch, ECO, Normal/Custom, Sport and Sport+ mode.
60/40 split folding rear seats with two adjustable and one fixed headrest, armrest with cup holders
Evolution
The evolution of the new Avalon includes longer wheelbase with shorter overhangs, more power in both engines, V6 version or the hybrid model, and higher interior space. The Avalon is a beautiful Toyota full size sedan that looks like a Lexus.
Buyers who like the Toyota Camry and all its reliability, are good candidates for an upgrade into the new Avalon.
The Avalon is a sedan, and it is not easy to sell sedans anymore. Every automaker is facing the reality of a market dominated by SUVs and crossovers.
Toyota has created the Avalon as a warrior, ready to fight and win on the SUV-dominated market, ready to sell! The new Avalon offers a modern mix of style and features to attract car buyers from different segments.
The Toyota Avalon retains most buyers with its comfort, its spacious interior, its quiet ride, and becoming one of the most reliable cars on the market.
Engine
The base engine is a powerful 3.5-liter V-6 with 301 horsepower coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission. It has a combined fuel consumption of 25 MPG.
The hybrid model comes with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 215 horsepower, 650-volt electric motor (A25A-FXS) and continuously variable transmission (CVT). The Avalon gets more than 40 mpg combined for those who enjoy better fuel economy and savings.
The Avalon keeps getting more premium style and features. It has adaptable shock absorbers and a more sporty exhaust in more aggressive trim levels, which premium cars like the Lexus ES does not offer.
The Avalon is fun to drive, the sportier versions are more refreshing and spirited when cornering.
The Touring model gives you a Sport S + mode, which improves the performance of the suspension, engine, transmission and steering.
The feel and response of the steering are exceptional, and combined with a new multilink rear suspension and stiffer suspension components.
The advanced CVT transmission does not crash during acceleration as in other models of the segment, as it works perfectly suited for a large sedan.
The hybrid models feel safe and firm in curves. The brakes can feel hard in heavy braking, although that’s fairly common in hybrid sedans.
Interior style
The cabin of the Avalon is comfortable and spacious, with a lot of leather and a lot of sobriety, with wood trim and quilted leather, similar to Lexus.
Including more premium features, the models Avalon Limited, Hybrid Limited and Touring models include a standard premium 14-speaker JBL audio system. More basic trim levels like the XLE, XLE hybrid, and XSE hybrid include an 8-speaker audio configuration with clean sound.
The new interior of the Avalon has more style. The older design was quite similar to the new Camry’s, but the new version of the Avalon has been enhanced with a high and straight central column that rises from the center console and seems to move away from the rest of the board.
The interior includes high quality materials. The front seats are very comfortable and highly adjustable, with plenty of lateral support and lumbar support for the driver and front passenger. The rear seats are quite spacious.
The Toyota Entune system is now up to date with Apple CarPlay standard, along with Amazon Alexa smartwatch connectivity and a generous five USB ports to connect everybody on board the Avalon.
Safety
The Avalon is full of standard safety features like Toyota Safety Sense Plus (TSS-P), traction and stability control, anti-lock disc brakes, front and side rear seat airbags, side curtain airbags and front knee airbags.
This TSS-P system includes pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, cruise control with dynamic radar, lane departure alert with steering assistance, automatic high beams that automatically switches high and low beams when it detects headlights and lights backs that approach.
Several safety features standard is something that can attract car buyers to select the Avalon instead of other sedans or even instead of compact SUVs.
Avalon Models and Prices
The Avalon 2019 is available on several trims. All trims except the Touring have a hybrid version. Toyota is working hard to offer several models to satisfy all customer needs. Buyers can really appreciate so many hybrid versions.
Ticket price is not cheap for a regular sedan, ranging from $35K all the way to $43K, but this is a premium full size sedan with several standard features and it looks luxury as a Lexus, therefore the price is a good representation of all the value provided on the Avalon.
- XLE $35,650
- Hybrid XLE $36,650
- XSE $38,150
- Hybrid XSE $39,150
- Touring $42,350
- Limited $41,950
- Hybrid Limited $42,950
