Toyota Avalon Sedan

Toyota Avalon Sedan

Full 2013 Toyota Avalon Review

What's New for 2013

The 2013 Toyota Avalon is fully redesigned.

Introduction

As Toyota flirted with its status as the world's largest automaker, the company seemingly forgot about building appealing cars that connected with drivers on a visual and emotional level. A recently redesigned Camry sent the first signal that Toyota was serious about making interesting cars again. Next up: the 2013 Toyota Avalon.

A wide-mouth lower grille accentuates the Avalon's new front end, while hood channels and narrow headlamp lenses contribute to a more forceful presentation. The Avalon looks sleeker in profile, a result of the car's rear roof pillars that sweep more purposefully toward the trunk. The rear end, meanwhile, is pulled together more tightly, with LED taillamps extending onto the trunk lid and tied together with a sweeping chrome strip.

The Avalon remains front-wheel drive, but overall it's slightly shorter and wider than the previous model. A stiffer body, thanks to increased bracing, and revised suspension settings deliver an improved ride and more assured handling, while still providing ample comfort. The Avalon's engine is pretty much unchanged, however, so you're looking at a still impressively smooth 3.5-liter V6 that generates a respectable 268 horsepower and 25 mpg combined on the EPA cycle.

Despite the new Avalon's smaller dimensions, interior room is actually up thanks to a greater range of seat adjustments and more efficient sunroof packaging. The trunk is also larger and there are new features such as a premium JBL sound system, navigation, adaptive CRUISE CONTROL, heated and ventilated seats, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. However, the biggest departure is interior materials quality. The last Avalon had quite a few disappointing, hard interior bits that paled in comparison to those in key rivals. The new car, however, feels like a luxury car both in terms of quality and its eye-catching design.

Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2013 Toyota Avalon is offered in four trim levels: XLE, XLE Premium, XLE Touring and Limited. The XLE comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, heated mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, full power accessories, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, leather upholstery, an eight-way power driver seat with power lumbar support, a four-way power front passenger seat and heated front seats. Electronic features include keyless ignition/entry, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, a 6.1-inch central touchscreen display and an eight-speaker audio system with a CD player, an, auxiliary audio jack and a USB/iPod interface.

The Avalon XLE Premium is very similar but has upgraded keyless ignition/entry (additional functionality for rear doors and trunk), an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a rearview camera. The Touring has 18-inch wheels, foglights, upgraded leather upholstery, a 10-way power driver seat, an eight-way power front passenger seat, heated rear seats, a navigation system, Toyota's Entune smartphone app integration system and a nine-speaker audio system with satellite and HD radio.

Going with the Avalon Limited gets you all of the above plus xenon headlights, auto-dimming side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, tri-zone automatic climate control, ventilated front seats, a rear power sunshade, a 7-inch touchscreen display and an 11-speaker JBL premium sound system.

The only option for the Avalon is a Tech package for the Limited that includes adaptive CRUISE CONTROL, automatic high-beam headlights and a pre-collision system.

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