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The 2013 and up Avalon is quite different than previous generations. Some folks lament the loss of the bench seat and such.
I'm 46 and I own one. It's not a sportscar, but I enjoy driving it. Having owned an Accord coupe in the past, I have no complaints about the comfort nor the handling of the Avalon.
I too am looking at Avalon and Camry, among a few other non-Toyota brands. I drive 80 miles a day to work and back M-F and need a comfortable ride. I currently have a 2009 Honda Accord and it has been an excellent vehicle for us, very nice handling but a bit stiff on the highway. I keep reading that the Avalon is for seniors and is not what a driving enthusiast would ever buy. Is this true? Just how bad is the handling? I think its stance is aggressive and find that coupled with its size to be impressive. But I don’t want a car that has heavy over-steer or floating shocks.
Mostly true. Though I don't agree with the senior's cars. The Avalon is just a floaty, soft, reliable, nice car. It's not meant to be driven by an aggressive driver.
I own the 2013 Hybrid Limited version. It drives very smooth, super quiet, very nice cabin, great amenities for both front and rear passengers. It's definitely a car to drive the highway and go cross country with.
Drive them. I went with my mom a year or so ago and test drove them. I would have gone with the Camry. She went for the Avalon. Camry is more stable when pushed beyond 7/10ths where the softer suspension on the Avalon is less controlled. Probably an okay trade-off as I doubt anyone ever drives an Avalon hard and the softer ride is what they're looking for. Interior is nicer, not Lexus ES 350 nice after you pay for the luxury packages but it's fine for a near luxury car. Compared with a Buick Lacrosse I liked the interior better on the Buick but it's even sloppier than the Avalon as far as handling goes. How it compares with the new 2018 Camry, I couldn't say. Should be good discounts on the V6 Camry (2017), Avalon, or Buick.
ES vs Avalon depends. There's some reasons to get the ES.
1) You want to pay more for a luxury badge.
2) You want the ML audio.
3) You want nicer leather and don't mind paying for the ultra luxury package. The vinyl isn't bad. Personally, I prefer the real leather in the higher Avalon trims over the vinyl in the ES350 but there's advantages to vinyl as well.
I'd really only go for the ES over the Avalon with ML + ultra luxury, but that does add $8,000 to the price which isn't cheap.
Reasons to go for the Avalon:
1) Cheaper price tag for more amenities (rear climate control, rear seat heaters don't exist in the ES)
2) Cheaper to maintain (assuming you visit dealerships only for service). You bet the Lexus dealership will up charge you just because it's a Lexus even though the Avalon and ES shares the exact same powertrain and therefore use the same components.
The Avalon is vastly underrated. I'd buy a used Avalon over a new Camry any day for basic commuting. Avalon has a much nicer interior, standard V6, very comfortable, quiet. The Avalon's major drawbacks for me are -Backseat does not fold down, and the exterior appearance is . . . not good. Fuel economy is worse than Camry, as to be expected.
I drove a new 2018 Camry SE rental and was shocked by the cheap interior. The seat materials are a joke. Engine/transmission was not smooth either.
The Avalon is vastly underrated. I'd buy a used Avalon over a new Camry any day for basic commuting. Avalon has a much nicer interior, standard V6, very comfortable, quiet. The Avalon's major drawbacks for me are -Backseat does not fold down, and the exterior appearance is . . . not good. Fuel economy is worse than Camry, as to be expected.
I drove a new 2018 Camry SE rental and was shocked by the cheap interior. The seat materials are a joke. Engine/transmission was not smooth either.
Interesting. I have a 2018 Camry XLE (which the interior looks a bit different than the SE) and I think the interior materials are pretty great.
Right now in my area, 2018 Avalons are being advertised with $8k+ off msrp. I would say, that's a great deal for what you get, compared to the Camry or Lexus ES.
Avalon's major drawbacks for me are -Backseat does not fold down, and the exterior appearance is . . . not good. Fuel economy is worse than Camry, as to be expected.
Oh yes, the Avalon's reclining but non-fold down back seat (for cargo) has been a dealbreaker for me, even though I like most everything else about the car.
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Avalon
