Climb into the back of the 2011 Toyota Avalon, reach down alongside the rear seat, move a control lever and the seatback will recline.
This type nicety along with abundant legroom and roominess and cushiness throughout the cabin are reasons the full-sized Avalon retains some owner loyalty during a three-year sales slide. All that comfort isn’t lost on mature drivers; average age of an Avalon buyer is beyond 60, almost halfway to 70.
It’s a pleasure to drive, so quiet and smooth. It shares a powertrain with Toyota’s luxury division’s Lexus ES350, and the Avalon can be purchased several thousand dollars below the price of an ES.
Lloyd Chavez, longtime Toyota dealer since retired, some years ago said he sold many a customer who was cross-shopping the Avalon against the Lexus ES by emphasizing the difference in sticker price and encouraging them to put those bucks to better use.
The Avalon maintains its conservative exterior styling for 2011, though a wider grille, new LED taillamps and chrome door handles are noticeable changes.
Inside, gauges are more readable in a redesigned instrument panel and headrests have been enlarged. The well-cushioned leather seats are flat, barely bolstered, and the center console is filled with bins and storage areas.
Tiny controls for the heated seats pop up from the console for use, though they’re too small to be gripped. After the heat is engaged, the buttons are pushed back flush with the console, then the heat can’t be reduced or turned off until they’re popped up again. The seats are also ventilated.
A soft ride is provided by the front-wheel-drive Avalon’s MacPherson struts and coil springs, and the lengthy sedan will bounce along with road bumps on occasion. It is 8 inches longer and 100 pounds heavier than a midsize Camry. Trunk space of 14 cubic feet is tighter than other full-size cars.
Though the 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission (with a notchy gate) are unchanged for ’11, the Avalon’s EPA rating earned a 1-mile-per-gallon increase to 20/29. In 70 percent highway driving, the review model averaged 26.5 mpg. The V-6 does an excellent job of performance with the big four-door at low-end and midrange acceleration; only at higher speeds does it sometimes seem tepid in regaining its pace.
A highlight for the driver is a clear rear view from the backup camera. There are no confusing lines or marks on the center stack screen.
While the base XLS pricing begins around $33,000, the Avalon Limited I drove carried a sticker price of $38,583, including navigation and remote start. Among standard features are JBL Synthesis audio, memory seats, dual-zone climate control, woodgrain trim, tilt/telescope steering wheel and vehicle stability control.
Notes from e-mail
Q: Bud, as our family has grown to three kids now, we are considering adding a minivan to our midsize car and small pickup. We have only looked at a Kia Sedona so far, mainly due to the fact the Kia dealer is closest to our neighborhood. Is the Sedona one of the top sellers of the minivans? – W.S.
A: The Sedona, Ward, is one to consider when shopping minivans. However, when considering top sellers, there are only four – The Chrysler Town & Country with 78,492 sales through the first eight months of this year, the Honda Odyssey with 71,584, the Dodge Grand Caravan with 66,897 and the Toyota Sienna with 62,211.
A look back
Thirty years ago this week, I reviewed in The Denver Post an all-new product, the 1981 Plymouth Reliant. Excerpts:
An entry known simply as K, which runs light and fast and economically, should come first out of the starting gate next week and put Chrysler Corp. back in the automotive sales race. The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries, the much-heralded K cars by Chrysler, will hit the showroom floors Thursday. They’re front-wheel-drive models and are designed to compete head-on with General Motors’ hot-selling X body cars. My test of a Plymouth Reliant Custom two-door sedan produced an average of 35.8 miles per gallon on the highway. The car was powered by the optional 2.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine with automatic transmission. Acceleration was smooth and surprisingly quick. I had occasion on returning the auto to briefly drive a Dodge Aries with the standard 2.2-liter engine. It is adequate in acceleration, though not as quick as the 2.6. The impressive performance of both engines is the smooth shifts, a quality not often found when a 4-cylinder is mixed with an automatic transmission. On a wheelbase of 99.6 inches and weighing 2,300 pounds, the Reliant is two feet shorter and 800 pounds lighter than the Plymouth Volare it replaces. The window sticker price of $7,595 included $78 for power brakes and $44 for white-sidewall tires.
2011 Toyota Avalon
$38,583
(price as tested)
MPG City 20 Highway 29
Vehicle type: Full-sized four-door sedan
Wheelbase: 111 inches
Length/Width/Height: 197.6/72.8/58.5 inches
Weight: 3,572 pounds
Engine: 3.5-liter V-6
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Fuel mileage: 26.5 mpg
Fuel tank: 18.5 gallons
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic; 5/60,000 powertrain
Competitors: Cadillac CTS, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus, Audi A4, Hyundai Genesis
Built at: Georgetown, Ky.
THE STICKER
$35,685 base
$1,450 Navigation, audio
$499 Remote start
$750 Destination
PLUSES
Clear rear view from camera
Soft-riding, quiet interior
Decent fuel mileage
Roominess
MINUSES
Trunk space relatively small
Mini controls for heated seats
