2019 Toyota Avalon Touring - Road Warrior
2019 Toyota Avalon Touring
You’ve seen the type. The solo diner, eating while working through emails at the restaurant or FaceTiming with their kids while in the lobby of the Hampton Inn out by the interstate. The salespeople, making the wheels of commerce and commission turn with each mile glued to the windshield, travelling the highways in search of the next big sale.
These professional drivers don’t need a CDL, though many log enough miles in a year to rival some truckers. They need a comfortable, dependable steed that doesn’t warrant a second thought – it just does exactly what they need.
While many Willy Lomans have moved to midsized crossovers for their work vehicles, there is something comforting and familiar to a big sedan for slogging multiple hours on the highway. Had I had a choice back when I was out on the road for work, something like this 2019 Toyota Avalon would have been ideal. A trunk, hiding whatever samples I was carrying from prying eyes, is something you don’t get in some me-too crossover.
Aside from the grille, this is an attractive sedan. I look forward to the refresh in a couple years when (God willing) someone within Toyota decides their flagship sedan shouldn’t look like a Big Mouth Billy Bass wall plaque gnawing on an eggcrate. Worse yet, the shut line of the hood leaves a distracting strip of sheetmetal above that grille. I normally prefer more distinctive colors on a car, but this is one situation where dark, muted hues will go a long way in hiding the Avalon’s massive mouth.
I dig, however, the subtle sporty touches elsewhere. The gloss black mirrors and decklid spoiler sound like they would be rather downmarket – I recall the entry trim of my mother’s 1990 Corolla having a single driver’s side mirror clad in flat black plastic. Here, it’s beautifully done, and will impress any clients our hero needs to take to dinner.
The interior is similarly classy. While the materials are clearly a step down in quality from the similar Lexus ES, I’d wager that the Softex material will be easier to live with over the long haul. Front seat comfort is impressive for long days on the turnpike. Rear seats take advantage of the 1.8 inch increase in wheelbase from the Camry, as improbably the Avalon has 2.3 inches of additional rear legroom. Those clients will not struggle to get comfortable.
The 16.1 cubic feet of trunk space is both deep and wide, allowing for plenty of options on arranging cargo. I know that when I was on the road, I’d have boxes of sample materials, a crate of catalogs, a suitcase, and a set of golf clubs in the tail of my company-provided car – and any extra space was always welcome.
Driving the Avalon brings to mind one word – relaxed. While the big V6 does indeed produce 301 horsepower, it’s power that will never be used to its full potential. Other than pulling away from toll booths and other general merging needs, this engine will be loafing in as high a gear as possible under 2,000 rpm. In those situations, all is quiet and calm. Road and wind noise is subdued, except when an unusually textured road allows the tires to transmit odd hums into the cabin. The ride is plush and composed, giving respite to the tired driver.
As I mentioned it before, some might ask why one would buy this over the very similar Lexus ES. Both are excellent cars with very similar mechanical bits and comfort features. Lexus, for the extra money, does offer real leather seats (available on the Avalon Limited model, should one choose) and a typically better dealership experience. For my money – and for our imaginary salesperson looking to buy a car to make the job easier – I’d point at the Toyota Avalon due to one simple feature: the infotainment controls.
The Toyota uses a simple touchscreen, while the Lexus uses a touchpad on the console. When I was on the road, I often found myself stopping to scrawl in a notebook while on the phone. The real estate on the console where my right hand would naturally fall is ideal for taking notes, but in the Lexus, it’s occupied by that touchpad. In that case, should you accidentally touch some buttons while writing, you could easily toggle navigation – or worse, hang up on that big client. The touchscreen in the Avalon will gather more fingerprints – sometimes smeared with french fry grease – but that’s easy enough to wipe down when needed.
Hire me to go out on the road, and I’m looking hard at an Avalon. I’d likely stick with this midrange Touring trim, adding the $1,150 Advanced Safety package that gives a bird’s eye view camera for street parking in unfamiliar cities, as well as rear cross-traffic braking. I’d add the $248 all weather floor liners and cargo tray, since salt from those errant french fries can be annoying to vacuum out of carpets. Paint it a nice deep blue – Parisian Night Pearl – to hide that grille.
Hitting the open road to chase sales isn’t glamorous. Beyond the driving, it’s a life of talking to reluctant buyers while managing indigestion from that cheap hotel continental breakfast (since management won’t let you put breakfast on your expense report). Making the miles as hassle-free as possible is paramount to these road warriors, and there are few cars that do it better than this Toyota Avalon.
[Images: © 2019 Chris Tonn/TTAC, screenshot courtesy Toyota.com]
Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
More by Chris Tonn
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Tassos On the SERIOUS Side: A Reliable ROlls ROyce never imported in the US was the V12 CENTURY. Now you can import 25+ year olds, which may be OK for Tim but NOT for us who need an UP TO DATE vehicle. The Century was a top exec car with a SUMPTUOUS interior, far superior even to the Lexus LS. UNfortunately, the latest century model is a Rolls Royce CULLINAN CLONE SUV, which I would not be dead driving. I suggest Toyota EXPLOIT their experience with the Century and produce a FLAGSHIP SEDAN that will be EQUAL to RR in luxury AND far better in RELIABILITY and at half the price of buying AND 10% of the cost of OWNING due to much less repairs. I am SURE the market is so small in this segment, that they will NOT do it, and deprive us of this LEGENDARY Vehicle in the Future As well.
- Lou_BC I pulled over into a road side rest stop once because the rain got so bad that I could barely see. Several other vehicles followed. As I sat there in my F150 watching, a Corvette wailed by. How could they not feel the vehicle hydroplaning? The steering on my heavy truck with excellent tires felt numb.
- Lou_BC Maloo GTSR W1
- MaintenanceCosts E34 M5 3.8. Not sure there has ever been a more charismatic engine than the S38B38.
- 28-Cars-Later Sadly, fewer motorists bothering to buy insurance [because they are unwanted illegal aliens] will likewise be used as an excuse to raise rates on those that do.
Comments
Join the conversation
Does anyone know whether the 2020 Lexus ES350 will have a touchscreen? The Lexus appeals to me more than the Avalon, but the 2019 model has the 'spawn of satan' touchpad that nobody wants. I've searched the web for news about next year's model but could find nothing.
Excellent idea to cover up the grill with after market accessories. I was thinking even a front end bra would help! :) I have not been to look at either the Avalon or the ES but I have been considering both for my next purchase. If I am correct they both run on 87 octane gas and they both have the same motor but the ES is tuned differently and is rated at slightly higher hp. I read somewhere that the ES shifts much better. I also understand that the Avalon has fold down rear seats but the ES does not, it only has a pass thru I believe. I am not sure what you get with a Lexus purchase but Toyota is giving you a 2yr/25k mile free maintenance plan at no extra cost. I like the looks of the Lexus better but I also hear that the same replacement parts would be more expensive on the Lexus when warranty is over or due to any damages you may incur. Please correct me on anything I may have stated if you know differently.