New York 2012: 2013 Toyota Avalon Is For The Roxy Music Fans, Not The AARP

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

The closest I’ve ever come to dying in a car was at the wheel of a Toyota Avalon, and I credit the nice, long wheelbase, stable handling and strong V6 engine for helping me avoid a major catastrophe. The new 2013 model, with its swoopy styling, looks like something that just might get you into trouble rather than keeping you out of it.

The pictures tell the whole story of the revamped Avalon, with a totally different look both inside and out. Power numbers for the 3.5L V6 weren’t disclosed, but it should be at a minimum equal to the 268 horsepower in the Camry V6. A Sport mode button will be featured, as well as a whole suite of active safety features, including 10 airbags, blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic detection and a pre-collision system. Personally, I think the sloping roofline is the most interesting feature. Is it a concession to aesthetics while compromising rear headroom (ala the Mercedes-Benz CLS) or has Toyota avoided that problem? Previous complaints from more mature buyers (i.e. the Avalons target market) about this trend has me wondering.

Thanks to AutoGuide.com for the photos






Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

More by Derek Kreindler

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 47 comments
  • CJinSD CJinSD on Apr 06, 2012

    Love the color. The roof? Not so much.

  • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Apr 06, 2012

    Ok so is it me or is the Avalon the answer to a question no one asked? I read recently the Camry is supposed to be the equivalent of the Toyota Crown in NA, so whats the point of this model? Seems like brand overlap, if a customer wants a Camcord feel/ride but higher up the food chain and can pony up the dough, a Lex seems like the logical choice. If the Avalon is superior to the Camry, why have the current Camry model at all, why not drop the Avalon name make it the Camry? This is the sort of stuff GM was doing with Buick/Olds/Cadillac, models across different lines which were all sort of similar and in GM's case all badge engineered. I'm sure there are subtle differences between the Camry/Avalon/ES350, but they are all generic FWD four door family sedans all based on a common design.

    • 84Cressida 84Cressida on Apr 06, 2012

      Camry, ES, and Avalon are all aimed at different people and aren't badge engineered bastard childs like the GM's you speak of. The differences are from subtle, too. I mean really? They don't look alike at all. The Avalon is the large sedan in the lineup and the flagship and there things on an Avalon you can't get in a Camry. My Grandparents won't buy a Camry, but they will buy an Avalon, and they're not alone in that thinking. Some people don't want to buy a Lexus and instead go for the cheaper Toyota Avalon. Nothing wrong with it.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
Next