WASHINGTON — The time is now to get a bargain on a large sedan — even more so with the 2018 Toyota Avalon Touring.
This is the last year for this generation Toyota Avalon, and with the new 2019 model coming soon, this is a great time to shop for big deals in 2018. The Avalon is the largest sedan from Toyota, and it has a premium look and feel.
The interior has comfortable front heated seats in high-quality leather with a nice amount of power controls to find a good seating position. Rear-seat riders have good leg room and head room, and it’s easy to get in and out of the car with a large door that opens wide. The latch system was a bit tricky to get one of my car seats connected because there is some seating material in the way.
The materials used inside the cabin are predominantly high quality, with a good amount of soft materials, only lower in the cabin do harder plastics appear. Controls are large and easy to use, with large knobs and buttons that are clearly marked.
There is 7-inch touch-screen, but it’s not the largest in this class and sometimes wasn’t the quickest to respond. The NAV system worked well and the voice commands, while not as advanced as others systems, did well with the address input.
The Toyota Avalon has a large trunk with room for plenty of luggage on long road trips. The rear seats don’t fold down, so longer items might pose a problem.
I spent a week with the $39,857 Avalon Touring model — the sporty version of the large sedan. While sporty might be a bit of stretch for this Avalon, it does an admirable job of providing a comfortable ride.
Even though there are paddle shifters on the steering wheel, I never felt the need to use them. The V6 was able to easily keep up with traffic and provides quick acceleration when needed, but easy, relaxed operation is where the Avalon is the happiest. Toyota Safety Sense is standard and you get dynamic radar cruise control, pre-collision with pedestrian detection and lane departure warning with steering assist standard.
Do not buy the Avalon for corner carving. This is more old-school Buick with more a float-over-the-road feel. Fuel economy is respectable for a large sedan. I managed 26 mpg for a week of mixed driving with regular fuel. That’s 2 mpg better than the window sticker says.
This Avalon has a more conservative styling, and that’s going to change in 2019, so if you like to fly a bit under the radar, this is the one for you. The Touring trim level does spice up the Avalon some with cool LED lighting and gray 18-inch wheels. Chrome trim pieces are used on the front and rear fascia, around the windows and the door handles, which seems tasteful. Optional Blizzard Pearl paint was a nice looking color on this Avalon and worth the extra $395, and I’m not usually the biggest fan of white cars. Since this is the sporty version of the Avalon, there are dual chrome exhaust pipes out back which announce that there is some “go” to this large sedan.
If you want to buck the crossover trend and drive a large premium sedan that has space to spare, the Toyota Avalon makes its case. With a new 2019 Avalon on the horizon, you can drive a 2018 model for a big discount.
Mike Parris is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. The vehicles are provided by STI, FMI or Event Solutions for the purpose of this review.
