we're here with the 2019 Toyota Avalon and for 2019 the Avalon sees huge
changes it doesn't just change a few things it changes everything from the
platform to the engine to the exterior styling now for 2019 the Avalon's
exterior styling has changed drastically so much so that it will be impossible to
confuse it for the 2018 model now last year's model had this weird kind of
front two-part grille opening which Toyota has combined for 2019 into what I
call one giant front in the air and take to rule them all now the front looks
really polarizing even within our staff there's some disagreement over whether
the Avalon is good looking or going too far but what's less arguable is that
from the sides in the rear the car definitely is improved Toyota has
stretched out the cabin so that it has a bit more of a fastback look that makes
the whole thing look a bit sleeker and in the back there's new LED tail lights
which stretched wide across the bumper and give the Avalon a good visual
signature especially at night one of our complaints about the old Avalon was that
the interior didn't really make sense especially here in the center stack the
screen was kind of in a weird position at an off angle and the storage spaces
were a bit weirdly sized for example if you had a larger smartphone like many of
them are these days it didn't quite fit on the wireless charging pad
luckily Toyota has made big updates in the interior including updates to the
multimedia system and that wireless charging pad which fit an iPhone which
is among the biggest smartphones without a problem now the center stack now comes
down in this waterfall fashion it has a larger screen a nine inch touchscreen is
standard across all trim levels and it's bright and easy to see and read
thankfully it's also flanked by physical controls which makes it easier to
navigate there's one thing that's weird about the screens position however it's
kind of situated far from the driver so if you are driving you won't actually be
able to reach the right side of the screen without leaning forward a few
inches and that's kind of a minor quibble it's a trade-off that I'm
willing to make to have the screen up this high but it does mean that these
buttons over here are hard to reach now another strength that remains for
the Avalon is its backseat other calls the Avalon a premium midsize car but
don't let that fool you this is basically a full-size car in bits
clothing the backseat is indicative of this it's very large and comfortable
it's got a lot of legroom and Headroom and new for 2019 the Avalon has five
standard USB ports two which are in the back so even if you're sitting in the
back you'll have a place to plug in and charge devices for 2019 Toyota has
updated the powertrain on the Avalon in both the gas and hybrid versions of the
car now gas versions of the car like the one
that we're driving now get a new 3.5 liter v6 and that makes 301 horsepower
that's in 33 horsepower improvement over last year's model there's also a new
8-speed automatic transmission on gas models and together this powertrain
combination is a strength in the Avalon it has what I would call easy power both
from a stop and while passing the transmission steps easily when you want
to and it's very fluid and that actually helps with the overall exerts feel of
the car that works well together with the interior and the ride to make things
comfortable if you're not really strained to get the car up to speed now
for those who are interested in hybrid versions of the 2019 Avalon we have good
news there's only a $1000 price difference between gas and hybrid
versions of the car and when you factor in the difference in fuel economy
between the two you're looking at a very good value for the hybrid because they
get about 44 combined mpg versus only 25 combined mpg in the gas versions 2019
also brings chassis updates to the Avalon and that means a new platform so
net now rides on Toyotas global architecture which is the same thing
that you find under the 2018 camry and in that car the change of this
architecture really changed the camry from something that was kind of sloppy
and boring to drive into a car that actually has pretty crisp handling and a
good ride now the changes in the Avalon aren't as dramatic the 2018 Avalon had a
very comfortable pliant ride and the same thing is definitely true of the
2019 there's a change its that it's a bit more stable at speed and you have a
bit more confidence while cornering but not a whole lot still has a definite
focus on comfort and the suspension is pliant and it's actually one of the cars
that if I had to drive or be driven in for a long
period of time this might be the choice because you know it does a very good job
of staying smooth in most conditions now we're in a Touring model which also sees
one more big suspension update this will be actually the first Toyota car to
offer an adaptive variable suspension and it's kind of a strange choice it's
something usually you'd find on more performance oriented cars but Toyota
says that the Avalon is going for now sporty as well as comfortable does it
work not really the Touring is a bit firmer than the
other trim levels that I tested today so I also drove a limited model this is
definitely a bit tighter but it still trends towards comfort and I think that
that's a good thing that fits this car better even when you dial the Touring
all the way up to Sport S+ mode which is unique to this trim you're still gonna
get a decent amount of body roll is still gonna focus on comfort and that is
I think a better way to go in a sedan like this now those who are interested
in the 2019 Avalon won't have to wait long it will start at 36,000 395 and hit
leadership in May
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