2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited

Nice write up Bill, enjoyed reading it and teh details.

My pet peeves with this car:

Jelly Bean shape, generic non emotional just like so many others out there.

Coupe Roof Line, Lack of rear head room, not a fan, these are 4 door auto's for hauling people, not race cars or 2 door coupes where you loose the head room as the rear seats are rarely used.

Dashboard, while it looks like nice materials were used, the layout and cut up flow just turn me off. UGLY!

Final dislike is the Gapping BASS Mouth on the auto!

For $45K dollars, they need to do a much better job and if you are already a lemming following Consumers reports love of everything Toyota, then this will work.

IMHO, this is not a 40-60 year old persons car as these people expect room and comfort and the coupe style roof line will show them the lack of said space. This will probably go to those far younger than expected.

On a scale of 0-10, I give it a 5.

It seems like Toyota is aiming for different buyers with the new Avalon. 60+ buyers of the previous generation will have to look at Buick or Lincoln instead.

But the sales figures don't lie. So far, Toyota has sold more Avalons this year compared to last.

Does anyone else see a slight resemblance to the Tesla Model S?

Toyota is doing a good job hacking up the Camry to create a market to sustain the Avalon. People who want a nice car will spend the money to upgrade. It also seems like that is a little like the Impala / Malibu setup, but the Malibu is even pretty decent compared to the Camry.

Seen a lot of new Avalons, it is selling well. I do like the dashboard.

I think we really are in the era where you will get similar size cars but if you want the nice car, it will be more than an option package upgrade, it will be a complete different model.

It seems like Toyota is aiming for different buyers with the new Avalon. 60+ buyers of the previous generation will have to look at Buick or Lincoln instead. But the sales figures don't lie. So far, Toyota has sold more Avalons this year compared to last. Does anyone else see a slight resemblance to the Tesla Model S?

NOPE, No Tesla except a hint in the Bass Mouth Grill.

I just read a story on one of the big auto sites decrying the new Avalon but from your review it doesn't seem half bad. Still, Toyota's general confusion about where to position the Avalon guarantees it won't enjoy lasting success.

The Avalon has held a strong position in the market for what, like 20 years?

This version only strengthens it.

I can imagine the mentality of some Toyo intenders is that they would like a nice car and don't want any of the snobbery of the Lexus pit to deal with.

Personal friend/client of mine is on his 4th or 5th Avalon.. one of this generation. He isn't as happy with it as he was with the others. Many complaints about the interior design.

Does anyone else see a slight resemblance to the Tesla Model S?

Now do you mention, I can see it.

Personal friend/client of mine is on his 4th or 5th Avalon.. one of this generation. He isn't as happy with it as he was with the others. Many complaints about the interior design.

What is he not happy with?

While driving, he says that the various chrome accents in the dash and center console end up reflecting into his eyes. It is especially bad at night when driving under street lights. He is unhappy with the keyless entry. He hangs his keys on a hook in his garage. Apparently it was close enough to the car that it kept the car "alert" and drained the battery. He moved the key hook into his kitchen... still no good.

He found some of the ergonomics, reaching for buttons, to be uncomfortable. This is a guy who spends 25k - 30k miles a year in his car.

The Avalon is the polar opposite of an 80s Pontiac, no EXITEMENT!!!

I have sat in this Avalon and the previous ones, I have to say the build quality of the interiors is pretty good, everything is a tight fit and the materials are near Lexus level. However, this car and the previous Avalons have awful layouts and the design of this interior is really bad.

While driving, he says that the various chrome accents in the dash and center console end up reflecting into his eyes. It is especially bad at night when driving under street lights. He is unhappy with the keyless entry. He hangs his keys on a hook in his garage. Apparently it was close enough to the car that it kept the car "alert" and drained the battery. He moved the key hook into his kitchen... still no good.

He found some of the ergonomics, reaching for buttons, to be uncomfortable. This is a guy who spends 25k - 30k miles a year in his car.

rather surprising to hear, it seems on the surface like the new one is actually improved over past ones. With Toyota's though, they are all so milquetoast. Maybe he should have got the LaCrosse!

He's one of those that just goes to the Toyota dealer and says "a loaded one please" and has for 3 decades.

While driving, he says that the various chrome accents in the dash and center console end up reflecting into his eyes. It is especially bad at night when driving under street lights. He is unhappy with the keyless entry. He hangs his keys on a hook in his garage. Apparently it was close enough to the car that it kept the car "alert" and drained the battery. He moved the key hook into his kitchen... still no good.

He found some of the ergonomics, reaching for buttons, to be uncomfortable. This is a guy who spends 25k - 30k miles a year in his car.

I will agree with him on the chrome accents. If the sun just hits it at the correct angle, you will be blinded.

I'm not quite sure I agree on the ergonomics. But then again I only have a car for seven days and log around 250 to 350 miles per week. I don't do 25 to 30k miles in a car (though with certain vehicles, I wish I could).

Side profile reminds me of the Fusion..

Chrome accents on the Dash should just be banned as they reflect so baddly on the windshield and into your eyes that they are a safety concern to me. I hate them.

Thanks for the detailed review. It seems many of the manufacturers are in sort of a "split personality" marketing phase. The "old person" demographic is not as bad in terms of spending power but it seems no one wants the label. I am not a Toyota fan, but I like the look of this one. As to the hybrid offering, I am not sure what demographic group old, middle or young is really the one to focus on.

The side profile is very dull and plain and reminds me of a longer Dodge Dart. Why can't we have some accent lines or body trim back like they used to do the past 50-70 years? All this plain plain plain crap and gray/black depressing war time lack of color needs to be banished. The fact that 90% of the clientele driving these things is elderly tells me that Toyota is taking a big risk with this new car and it's crashing and banging over bumps that certain editors have complained about.

The Avalon has always seemed like a boondoggle to me and the comparison to Buick seems apt. We debuted a dash kit for the first gen Avalon way back and it sold maybe 3 times in as many years. Consider that next to the literally thousands of Corolla dash kits we sold. It seems to me to be a case of too little, too late for the Avalon.