Toyota Avalon (2010 and older) Midsize | Compact

Toyota Avalon (2010 and older) Midsize | Compact 

DESCRIPTION

Tthe 2010 Toyota Avalon may still be the best value in its class. Inside its spacious cabin, the Avalon can feel like a luxury car. Its upscale interior and quiet, well-cushioned ride wouldn't be out of place in the Lexus lineup. The Avalon's up-front purchase price is also higher than some similar cars, but large car prices have been rising quickly in recent years, and its price tag no longer stands out much. The Avalon offers a lot for the money -- and is more reliable and fuel-efficient than many competitors, allowing buyers to recoup some of that cost.

All trims are equipped with a standard 3.5-liter, V6, 268-horsepower engine that achieves 20-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 71-80 of 112  
[Jun 09, 2001]
Dave
Model Reviewed: Avalon XLS

Strength:

Quiet, smooth power, good value for "near-lux"

Weakness:

Sludge problem, tires wear quickly, hard to see instrument cluster (steering wheel blocks)

Loved the car until the engine sludged @ 47K miles. Changed oil between 6 and 7800 miles. Quick research shows that this is a known problem with Toyota 6-cyl., they are prone to sludging but users who change every 3-5k have no problems - wish I knew.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Feb 28, 2001]
Bill

Strength:

Tight fit and finish. Quality materials. Extremely quiet interior. Great design. Great resale value.

Weakness:

Tires could be wider. I didn't realize the back tire went flat and almost flipped the car over going around a turn on the highway. Handling seems worse than previous model.

Most anyone out there who doesn't have a grudge against foreign brands will agree that Toyota makes some of the best cars. The 2000 Avalon is one of them. It's an incredibly well made vehicle. It's also a great value.

Similar Products Used:

Last car was 1997 XLS. New model has been greatly improved in almost all areas. Compared to Honda, Toyota seems slighly more upscale-at least with the Avalon.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 28, 2001]
Bill

Strength:

Tight fit and finish. Quality materials. Extremely quiet interior. Great design. Great resale value.

Weakness:

Tires could be wider. I didn't realize the back tire went flat and almost flipped the car over going around a turn on the highway. Handling seems worse than previous model.

Most anyone out there who doesn't have a grudge against foreign brands will agree that Toyota makes some of the best cars. The 2000 Avalon is one of them. It's an incredibly well made vehicle. It's also a great value.

Similar Products Used:

Last car was 1997 XLS. New model has been greatly improved in almost all areas. Compared to Honda, Toyota seems slighly more upscale-at least with the Avalon.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 24, 2001]
Mike
Model Reviewed: XLS

Strength:

Quality, well built, Great rear leg room. Nice trunk space

Weakness:

Passenger frt side seat wont go back far enough
I like to sit straight legged and can't do it and
I'm only 5.10 and feel cramped
Wind and road noise. Needs more horsepower

Hold there resale value . Well built in Georgetown KY.
Great ride.Excellent rear seat room. Nice truck area

Similar Products Used:

2000 accord v6 ex of my wifes is an excellent car. That car will fly!
No problems so far. I like the radio controls on the steering wheel

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jan 21, 2001]
Mike S.
Model Reviewed: xl

Strength:

The room. I'm 6'5" and fit comfortably in the back. I also like the power and smoothness of the car. I currently have 80K miles on the car and still have 2 original tires and the original brakes. This is really a great car. I expect to buy a new one late this year or early 2002.

Weakness:

Some wind noise and the left rear door is hard to shut. Needs better interior lighting.

Absolutely recommend!

Similar Products Used:

Much better for this price range

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 20, 2001]
Paul Smith
Model Reviewed: Avalon xls

Strength:

Styling, quality of car(after owning a 96 Olds 88), smooth transmission, room, power, easy to drive and to see out of car, space, very good seats front and rear(have been very pleased with the leather), quite, quality sound system.

Weakness:

would like a shift through like Acura LT.

Look at what you can get in this price range and then try the Avalon. Quality, workmanship jumps out at you. A fun car to drive in town and soaks up the interstate miles. I also liked Acura LT but the ride was a little harsh but I would buy that model for the same reasons. Low key salesman, bought out right, little bickering over price, had done homework over net before shopping.

Similar Products Used:

Buick LaSabra, Infinity, Acura LT

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 17, 2000]
Pat
Model Reviewed: Avalon

Strength:

This car has to be the best kept secret in the free world!!We have had several Hondas and Acuras and were very doubtful about switching brands.The Avalon has build quality as good or better than honda or acura. The most unbelievable thing about this car is the amount of room it has. Frome the outside it looks like a typical mid size car--but when you get it is gigantic!! We have a lexus ls 400 and the back seat and trunk of the Avaalon is much bigger. Handling is fine, gas mileage is great and the back seat is so far back I can"t even hear the kids screaming!!

Weakness:

The radio antenna SUCKS! IT IS BUILT INTO THE BACK WINSHIELD and does not work

I would go for the leather and alloy wheels--cloth interior really looked cheap to me. Since the radio is basically useless get the CD. This sounds crazy to say but I actually enjoy driving the Avalon mor than the Lexus.

Similar Products Used:

Without getting into the super expensive cars this has to be the best full sized car available.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 07, 2000]
ted g

Strength:

Engine, Engine, Engine, the engine is great....smooth acceleration fast V6 pickup, good gas milage (for a V6)

Weakness:

the radio sucks, the brakes suck, the car has no image at all, the remote door opener is worth around 50 cents or less, it sucks, the tires suck, uhhh thats about it

Every single feature of this car sucks ...................except the engine and guess what thats the reason I bought the car ..... to change the car stereo it costs aroung 250$ and another 200$ for speakers, the remote may suck but it still opens the door, tires cost around 300-400$ to replace , the brakes stop the car good enough...... an engine typically costs around 1000$ to 5000$ to fix.............. Ill take a sucky radio for an A+ engine any day, I recommend this car highly

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Camry LE 200, this car has the exact same strengths and weaknesses

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 09, 2000]
Sean
Model Reviewed: Avalon XL

Strength:

Engine, Transmission, great gas mileage (for a v6), interior space is
huge in rear, Good reputation, competent handling

Weakness:

average interior lighting for this price range. (no map or reading lights)
car is too bouncy over bumps- I guess it leans more to the working class/imitation luxury ride.
And Oh yeah wind Noise.

After 3 years I can say I haven't had any major problems with this car.
This is a great car! very smooth, and spacious.
I bought it because it excels at the most important components in a
car (engine, trans...)for maintaining overall sanity and happiness.
Basically it moves well on the road! But if your looking for
a more sporty car, get the Maxima, or Volkswagen.

I bought the XL over the XLS, to save a little. It came with a basic radio, and no alarm. I intended to change this and installed both after-market better stuff than what Toyota gives, so I'm quite happy there.
The stuff from the factory was adequate. The speakers were better
than average. I've seen worse on VWs.

Tight turning radius. Windows will operate after engine is turned off.
Transmission is really smooth shifting and quality part -which is often overlooked feature in these reviews
I have had no problems with my brakes as mentioned on other reviews.
They are Anti-lock and take some getting used to if you're new to them.
However, I Went thru first set of tires in 25K miles, which I thought
was quite due to the cheap tires that most new cars provide.

Passengers in this car will not complain for a lack of space
It' a great family car. And, You'll be surprised at how much
gas mileage you will get from this large baby.


Weaknesses: ( had to name a few but they are really minor) ;-(
My biggest gripe was it seems to go over bumps with too much bounce
that resonates through the car. Its like bouncing on a matress

And for the price I paid , I would've like a halogen light inside the car.
Toyota gives you a dinky little flashlight bulb.

I can even deal with the wind noise. Afterall, I didn't get the Lexus.
Oh yeah! Almost forgot. Rear seat does not fold forward for ski transport. (bummer!)
Overall I'm quite satisfied with the Avalon's reliability and performance.
It's always started. But it isn't the cheapest.

Similar Products Used:

96 Nissan Maxima (good car), 87 Acura Legend(great car), 86 Honda Civic.
1991 Plymouth Acclaim (piece of sh**)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 28, 2000]
Pat Rice
Model Reviewed: Avalon

Strength:

This is the only full sized Japanese car in thr US( without getting super expensive) I also own a Lexus 400 and I swear the kids say there is more room in the back seat of the Avalon!Great build, quality, fit and finish and it gets super gas mileage. The ride is really great--very Lexus like!

Weakness:

Doors are hard to shut--must slam them and the radio SUCKS!!! The antenna is in the rear windshield and it is horrible.

There is no American car that even comes close to the Avalon--maybe in size-- but not in build quality and reliabilty. To get A German car of this size you had better be related to Bill Gates!! Acura comes the closet(3.2TL) but again you give up quite a lot of room. Avalon is the perfect mom and pop (and 2 kids) kind of car. I will definitely buy anoyhrt one.

Similar Products Used:

We have had several acuras and hondas--they are all excellent cars but Toyota has them-- beat on value--also the size of the Avalon beats anything Honda or Acura has.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 71-80 of 112  

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