2016 Toyota Avalon XLE Review

Nick1994

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A family member bought this 2016 Toyota Avalon XLE new 6 months ago, we just got back from a 5,000 mile road trip and I figured a review is in order.

Pros:
- Comfort. The seats are very supportive and there's 2 separate levels of lumbar support. Driving position is just right as well, loads of leg room front and back. With the front seats all the way back there's plenty of room left for me if I sat in the back (I'm 6'2" and I have trouble finding cars that are comfortable in the back seat)
- Power. This thing can REALLY get up and go! Especially for its size, the 2GR-FE 3.5L V6 has no lack of acceleration, in all f the mountains I took this thing through in 9 different states and 4 national parks I never wanted more acceleration and there was no mountain it even flinched at. Also, it's shifts are smooth and thoughtful, it doesn't hunt going up a hill. When it kicks down a gear it holds it when needed and doesn't shift 100 times back and forth.
- Soft materials. Everything is soft from the door panels to the dash to the center console, no hard plastic.
- No sunroof. When this family member was searching for a car the Accord and the Sonata had to come with sunroofs in order to get some creature comfort features. This base model XLE Avalon had all she wanted including no sunroof that cuts down on headroom

Cons:
- Handling, this thing is an absolute whale. When a curve suggests 35 mph you better go 35 mph. Definitely not going to win in a slalom race!
- Shiny chrome interior trim that reflects sunlight if at the right angle.
- Infotainment system. This one isn't that bad, but some things are a little goofy. If left on Bluetooth music it will play every time you get back in the car, even if you left it paused. Swapping through features is a little awkward, just room for improvement etc.

Overall it's a great highway cruiser, just got to slow down a bit in the corners. Fuel economy was better than expected on the trip, 28.8 mpg overall with a lot of cruise control set to 85 mph, heavy acceleration, stop and go in traffic, idling for 3 hours stuck after a lumber truck flipped over, etc.

 
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Great cars. My wife has owned two. I tease my wife by telling her it's Japans version of a Buick.
 
They are supposed to handle like a whale. That's how their target customer likes them.........
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
They are supposed to handle like a whale. That's how their target customer likes them.........


Agreed.

I have Camry with the same powerplant. Its decent power, getting around 24mpg mainly city. But the ride is so floaty and boring. I'm glad I daily my g35 over the camry. But for the target customer the car is prefect.


Would you say that Avalon is Lexus like? Never been in Avalons.
 
Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
Would you say that Avalon is Lexus like? Never been in Avalons.


Not sure as I haven't really been in a Lexus.

I can say that it is leaps and bounds far nicer than the current Camry. Fit and finish is so nice, the cup holders are soft as well is the dash and arm rests. It's like a sofa on wheels. Here's a picture of the interior.

 
Definitely a head turner for sure. I wish they kept the bench seats/column shifter setup though.

Originally Posted By: hpb
I like the look of that, we don't get them here. Is it basically a long wheelbase Camry?


The Camry is a mid size sedan and the Avalon is a full size sedan.
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
They are supposed to handle like a whale. That's how their target customer likes them.........


Yeah, I've only seen people 50+ years old driving an Avalon. Extremely rare to see one on the road in my area.
 
If it cornered well it would be less comfortable on the highway and in the bumps. Trade off I guess.
 
Designed for a target market you bet.
My wife has had two since 2002 and claims they are the best car made.
Floating ride, suspension eats the bumps a and no noise. To her, the best of all worlds.
It is nice on the interstate, and is relatively easy to maintain and service.
 
Yeah it's more of an older persons car. My aunt who owns it is in her mid 40's but she has a really bad back and neck, had surgeries on both last year. 65+ mile a day commute and she wanted maximum comfort.
 
I'm going to juxtapose your 2016 Avalon assessment with what I think of long term ownership of two 1996 Avalons, so we can see how 20 years have made a difference.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
A family member bought this 2016 Toyota Avalon XLE new 6 months ago, we just got back from a 5,000 mile road trip and I figured a review is in order.
cheers3.gif

Quote:

Pros:
- Comfort. The seats are very supportive and there's 2 separate levels of lumbar support. Driving position is just right as well, loads of leg room front and back. With the front seats all the way back there's plenty of room left for me if I sat in the back (I'm 6'2" and I have trouble finding cars that are comfortable in the back seat)
The '96 Avalon seats are unremarkable, but I was still able to do a 35 hour road trip with it.
Quote:
- Power. This thing can REALLY get up and go! Especially for its size, the 2GR-FE 3.5L V6 has no lack of acceleration, in all f the mountains I took this thing through in 9 different states and 4 national parks I never wanted more acceleration and there was no mountain it even flinched at. Also, it's shifts are smooth and thoughtful, it doesn't hunt going up a hill. When it kicks down a gear it holds it when needed and doesn't shift 100 times back and forth.

The 200hp 1MZ-FE in the 1996 Avalon is extremely peppy, and very eager to please. It also returns 28mpg in mostly highway driving.
The 4-speed auto transmission has shown itself to be problem free in my experiences even after more than 300,000 miles for one car, and only sporadic, limited maintenance with T-IV fluid. Smooth, quick shifts. No whining or slipping. An absolutely stellar design. Its programming is well matched to the car, but programming a 4-speed auto isn't quite as challenging as it is to program and map a 5, 6, 7 or 8 speed. I've heard lots of complaints about the 2004 ES330's transmission. Looks like Toyota got its issues resolved by this generation, which is good.
Quote:
- Soft materials. Everything is soft from the door panels to the dash to the center console, no hard plastic.
Same deal in the 1996, super plush.
Quote:
- No sunroof. When this family member was searching for a car the Accord and the Sonata had to come with sunroofs in order to get some creature comfort features. This base model XLE Avalon had all she wanted including no sunroof that cuts down on headroom
The '96 came with and without a sunroof. I've had both. The sunroof has no problems after more than 200,000 miles and 20 years. I have a tall torso so I'm sensitive to headroom issues, but I didn't have any headroom problems to speak of in the sunroofed '96.
Quote:

Cons:
- Handling, this thing is an absolute whale. When a curve suggests 35 mph you better go 35 mph. Definitely not going to win in a slalom race!

Some things never change.
Quote:
- Shiny chrome interior trim that reflects sunlight if at the right angle.
The wood trim applique on the '96 is shiny too
Quote:

- Infotainment system. This one isn't that bad, but some things are a little goofy. If left on Bluetooth music it will play every time you get back in the car, even if you left it paused. Swapping through features is a little awkward, just room for improvement etc.
tape deck stock, later got a CD player, easy standard double DIN hole. The old ways were better. I don't care for the fact that car makers pretty much force you to use the factory stereo these days with all of the infotainment integration and lack of DIN mounting spots.
Quote:


Overall it's a great highway cruiser, just got to slow down a bit in the corners. Fuel economy was better than expected on the trip, 28.8 mpg overall with a lot of cruise control set to 85 mph, heavy acceleration, stop and go in traffic, idling for 3 hours stuck after a lumber truck flipped over, etc.

Sounds like Toyota has kept its focus on this model to be constant since its introduction. If the 2016 is as well-built as the Kentucky-made 1996, it should offer more than two decades of reliable, if boring, service.
 
Just wrapping up this thread from years ago. My aunt has sold the Avalon to CarMax for $14k. She got it 12/2016 for $27.5k, back when you could get a car for $6k under MSRP. Not much else to report from the first post fortunately as the car has been pretty much flawless. No repairs whatsoever, just oil changes, tires, and 2 batteries in this AZ heat. The control arm bushings have some cracks but the dealer said they weren’t bad enough to replace. Original brakes still have tons of pad left. 28.5 mpg average, mostly highway but driven pretty quickly. 85k miles.

IMG_3384.jpeg
 
Thought about buying one, until I read the specs and realized it's smaller than a Honda Accord.
Need to go sit in one, can't rely on numbers online.

When she was shopping it was actually down to either this car or an Accord EX-L and there wasn't enough headroom in the Accord. But it had a sunroof and this Avalon didn't. But you can't get an EX-L Accord without a sunroof.
 
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