Transmission

Watch out for the transmission.Toyota is stone walling the fact they have serious shifting problems with the Avalon transmission. I am working with the dealer who is trying to get it right but without Toyota they are dead

Great headlights.

Transmission

I totally agree with a reviewer that stated. “Good car, but the transmission and other negatives make me not wanting to buy again. And I have the top of the line.”
If Toyota really stands behind their cars they can pick this one up anytime!
I have never, driven a car with such a bad package between the engine and the wheels. The car does have some very nice features, but they are all compromised by the jerky sensation every two seconds when you maintain a constant speed, on the level, between 30 – 45 miles per hour. There is also uncomfortable lag and lunge in the transmission/torque converter linkage.
I laid down over $36,000 for the top of the line 2007 Toyota Avalon LTD and I would walk away from it this very moment if it were feasible.
Two different dealers say all the new Avalons act this way. The dealer I purchased it from (Billion Toyota in Sioux Falls, SD) installed a transmission software upgrade. Save your time, that was a real joke. Now when I take my foot off the accelerator it feels like I have applied the brakes. The tech said to drive it for a while and let the car “learn how you drive.” Well, that was over 13,000 miles ago and it has not learned anything yet.
I took it to another dealer, Art Silva in Sioux City, IA, they confirmed the software upgrade but said there was nothing else they could do. “They all drive like that.”
I talked to Toyota in California. They politely listened but told me that “The car drives within their specs.” In other words, “Buyer Beware.”
If this is within their specs you don’t want to own one. If the president of Toyota drove this, heads would roll.
Toyota, if you are listening. Come and get it. It is not a positive driving experience.

Handling and saftey features

Transmission does not shift smoothly and jerks into gear at low speeds.
Acceleration is poor.

This is a roomy and comfortable car.

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i purchased the Avalon XL with cloth upholstery. It appears to be of very poor quality. I don't think it will sustain long use. I should have taken the leather option Of the cars I have owned this cloth is the worst I have had. I hope I am wrong.

I have owned more than 20 cars.I now have a 2007 Toyota Avalon.It ia as nice a car as I have ever owned.

Strong motor, comfortable seats, quiet ride, decent gas mileage.

Quality flaws all over. Loose fog lights, dash doesn't line up to the door panels. Paint chips too easily on the hood.
Transmission problems
fog lights loose
mpg trip computer reads 14-16mpg average even though I know I am getting better. Toyota says this is normal.

What things have gone wrong with the car?
1. Jerky transmission at low speeds.

2. Heavy break pedal, have to put a lot of foot into the pedal to get decent braking.

3. Transmission slips on occasion when on the highway trying to engage a passing gear. The engine will rev really high and then JAM into gear and take off like super man.

4. The computer mpg reading doesn't work right after two restarts. It will stay at 12-16mpg reading until I fill the tank with gas. Only then does it reset and show actual MPG. Have had mpg of up to 33mpg. But after two restarts the computer no longer gives a proper mpg reading.

5. The climate control has its own mind. Sometimes the heat or ac will come on and never adjust itself to the temp you have set. Might as well use the non-automatic mode.

6. Pain chips very easy, fog lights jiggle.

7. The manual/sport mode is worthless except it does help with the transmission hunting problem. But on a 30k car one shouldn't have to use the sport mode because the automatic mode doesn't work properly.

8. TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE, HESITATION, JAMMING INTO GEAR.

What’s up Toyota? I am losing my faith in your reliability and quality. I am actually considering a domestic car now... something I thought I would never do. Seems like the more modern cars become, the less reliable they are and more problems.

This is the first time I spend over 20k for a car. And I must admit I am disappointed. It will be the last car I spend 20k+ on. Back to buying used cars for under 15k.

General comments?
1. Very powerful engine and acceleration when the transmission does work.

2. Great highway gas mileage. Have gotten 33mpg before. Mostly it is in the 28-31 range.

3. The car is pretty comfortable, handles well with the touring model.

4. Huge back seat and comfortable, they recline!

5. I like the looks of the car, sporty, not flamboyant. Long big car.. Yet feels smaller than it is.

6. I like the JBL sound system with surround sound. Meets my needs.

7 Fairly quiet ride, a little louder than the xls, xl and limited model due to the touring suspension/tires.

8. The motor has a ticking to.

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Gas Milage using Regular Gas,engine preformance,large rear seat room, base radio, seat/ride comfort,interior design,rear seats recline,Auto Climate Control, not in every driveway.

Exterior Design, transmission, Rear seats do not fold down, Factory set tire PSI @29 but owner's manual says you can run them up to 41 (at 29 the handleing is boat like, I have mine at 38 and it corners much better with more even tire wear)

You can sure tell it was designed and built in the US. It has quirky problems not found on other Toyota's. The transmission has a well documented lag. Auto lights not set to turn on until very dark. A/C unit always on recirculate. Dash lights osilate, light to dark, when outside semi darkness.

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Honda Accord, Maxima, (both in every driveway)

Smooth, comfortable ride, quiet inside cabin even at freeway speeds, excellent sound system, back seat room, luxury features, classy look.

Navigation system is terrible! XM radio should come as a factory option instead of a $500 after-market overpriced item.

This is a great car!! We love this car. It has almost every bell and whistle you can imagine. It has the ride, the features and extras of a luxury car, yet it isn't a big "old people" boat of a car. We test drove the Buick Lucerne, and while it was a nice car, it was a BIG giant car and it just had that "old people" feel. My husband is 52 and I am 48, so we're not quite ready for that!! Although the Lucerne is a huge improvement over the Park Avenue. The Avalon's peppy V-6 is great for passing and merging into the freeway. The gas mileage is great -- so far we've averaged about 22 mpg but we've yet to take it for a long freeway drive. The ride is luxurious and quiet -- what a nice relief! The backseat is absolutely HUGE and even my 6'4" son can sit in the back with the front seat all the way back, and still have plenty of leg room! The reclining seats in the back are amazing. My son's friend said the back seat was more comfortable than his couch! Its nice that the back seat riders have a set of A/C vents back there, too. The Limited comes with so many standard features its unbelievable. The only extras they offer (or even really need) are laser-guided cruise control and a GPS navigation system, which our car came with. We love the heated and cooled seats -- wow what a treat. Its got a Smart Key, 12-speaker JBL stereo (NICE sound!!), 6 disc in-dash CD player, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, auto-dimming mirros -- too many to list here. One of my favorite things is with the smart key, as you approach the car at night with the smart key in your pocket, the interior lights come on and there are puddle lights underneath each of the side mirrors -- wonderful to have in the dark! The interior lights in the car stay on for a few moments after you get out of the car at night, too, along with the headlights, and the puddle lights as well. Great for dimly lit parking lots. The only thing I wish it had was back up sensors. Many of the new luxury cars have those, and its really nice. I only have two gripes about this car -- first, you cannot get the car from the factory with satellite radio. Its an after-market install, but the car supposedly comes "satelite radio ready" whatever that means. If the previous reviewer is any indication, the "satellite radio ready" doesn't really work well. It is obvious that a satellite radio antenna has to be externally mounted for it to work worth a darn. We had satellite radio in our 2004 Honda Accord that we traded in, and it had an exterior antenna. That's a must! The second drawback in this car is the Navigation system. Quite simply -- it sucks!! Every time you turn on the doggone car, you have to press "I agree" in this warning screen about not looking at the screen while driving. Enough already!! I've seen it umpteen times already and I'm sick of it. Also, its not a touch screen navi -- this was a BAD choice on Toyota's part. It is operated with a really goofy rocker switch, and trying to enter in an address is a challenge in patience. In evitably if you don't hit the switch "just right" it jumps down, up, across, over -- until you're ready to scream!! Bad, bad design. Also the digital clock kind of sits off by itself and isn't easy to see. I keep looking at the Navi screen to see the clock, then I remember to look off to the left to see it. Also, you have to switch between the A/C screen (it has the outside temp on it) and the audio screen (it has the radio/CD display) and the Navi screen, and then push another button altogether to get the trip information (such as fuel used, miles to go on the tank of gas, and avg. gas mileage). Talk about distracting! It would have been nice if somehow this info could be combined. But the handy steering wheel controls for the heating and cooling system, the sound system and the cruise control are nice. The cruise control lever was hard to figure out at first, but now that I'm familiar with it, its easy. Take a LOT of time to learn all the myriad of features on this car -- its worth it! To get a good overview of the features, watch the DVD they give you with the car. If you can't get it to play (we couldn't) you can get the same info on Toyota's website at www.toyotaiguide.com This has great interactive information. Overall, we love this car. It handles like a dream (not made to be a sports car, so that's ok), rides like a big car, and is very roomy and luxurious. A "poor man's lexus" is right, but definitely is still a chunk of change. We plan to keep this car for a LONG time. With Toyota's reliability, we should have no problem with that. This is a great car, a great value for the money, and a wonderful treat. Buy it -- you'll love it!!

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Comfort, Ride and Value.

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2006 Toyota Avalon
Great Car, Substandard Electronics

This car delivers a great ride and is a fantastic value. However, I purchased fully loaded Avalon Limited and immediately noticed the GPS and the Satellite Radio had problems. I addressed these issues with the dealer and over a period of three weeks was continually escalated from one Toyota Tech to another...having to completely start over from the beginning. Very time consuming process. They agreed that the GPS was defective and did not have a fix. Simply stated, it did not perform many of the functions listed in its instruction manual. They were dumbfounded and did nothing to correct the situation. The GPS is manufactured by Nippon Denso and they would not put me in touch with a product manager or tech support. It was a like it or lump it situation. Not only was the routing process cumbersome, it was inaccurate and the "Quickest" route was often the longest route in both time and distance. The Points of Interest Feature is basically useless. It would not automatically dim the screen when the headlights were activated as designed...meaning that while it was okay during daylight, it was dangerously bright at night. It was similar to driving with the interior lights on at night...making it difficult to see the road. The satellite antenna was interior mounted behind the shaded sun screen in the front window. Not only did it block the passenger view and was an eyesore, due to it's location behind the shaded sunscreen, it suffered constant dropouts even on the open road. The satellite tuner and software only allowed for limited text displays...meaning it was a cripled retrofit. Both the GPS and Satellite Radio were FACTORY options...not dealer installs. The worst part was, Toyota would call me every evening at 8pm and keep me on the phone for more than an hour at a time asking the same questions over and over and over. They got a test car and it did the exact same thing as mine did and it appeared the product managers never tested the GPS before purchasing it from Nippon Denso for the inclusion in the Avalon. Yes, I knew it was not a touch screen, but didn't know that the rocker switch used to enter the data was so poorly designed that it would stick and jump...making entry very tiresome and tedious. Even when Toyota confirmed the defects, there was nothing they could do to fix the problem. The salespeople at the dealer were so poorly trained that they knew virtually nothing about the options on this vehicle. 15 minutes on Toyota's website gave me more information than the salesperson. Caveat Emptor!

Interior fit/finish, gauge clarity, comfort for 4, HID headlights, interior design. Power and economy.

wish that trip computer didn't reset with every fill up and hope that someday the dealers will actually be able to get their hands on a few - no selection. Live in a very large City and don't see any on the road or in the dealer lots.

This car will outrun most anything on the road - 6 second 0-60 from a Toyota Avalon? Surely the traffic light sleeper of the year, and not too shabby on the twisties either. All while delivering 27 mpg (70% highway) and an overall driving experience second only to cars costing tens of thousands more. Would imagine that the Lexus dealers are none too happy about this car and particularly the engine in it. Superior car to the ES at a lower cost - more like a LS for $20K+ less (especially in Limited trim.) The Touring - think 530 and M35, both in the 40-50 range. Cars in the same price range - TL and Maxima (torque steer and road noise), 300 and 500 (quality, power, and economy all fall short). Bottom line is that if you are in the 4 door sedan market, the Avalon is a must drive.

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None

Absolutely wonderful car. It definately is a poor man's Lexus. Our's was an XLS, and the only thing I added to it was a spoiler. We liked it so much that we just purchased a 2005 Avalon, and my wife cried when we sold the 2000 car.

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