2019 Toyota Avalon: a Small Revolution in the History of Evolution
In Canada, the Toyota Avalon is a drop of water in the automotive ocean, but in the United States, it’s much more than that. That’s why Toyota is unsurprisingly continuing to fine-tune its full-size sedan. At the Detroit Auto Show, the Japanese brand has just unveiled its fifth-generation Avalon.
The new car certainly doesn’t revolutionise its market segment, but the changes are welcome and the Avalon’s design is finally showing a little edge. We might not all appreciate the new design, but at least the sedan won’t blend into the automotive scenery as much, and the overall look seems to borrow some Lexus styling cues here and there. Twenty-five millimetres lower than the outgoing Avalon, a little shorter, but 20 mm wider (the front and rear tracks have widened by 11 and 37 mm, respectively), the proportions of the 2019 edition are more in line with today’s standards.
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Sporty!
Built on the TNGA platform, Toyota’s big sedan benefits from a 3.5-litre V6 whose output hasn’t yet been announced. The Direct Shift automatic transmission has eight gears and the driven wheels remain up front. Its multilink rear suspension is said to be derived from the one found under the new Lexus LS. Toyota claims the Avalon has a sporty suspension setup. Let’s hope that’s not simply the result of a delirious marketing department…
The new Avalon also benefits from the Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) suite that rounds up, among other things, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and rear cross traffic alert.
Musical Wood
Inside the cockpit, passengers will appreciate the Yamaha wood trim (I had no idea Yamaha wood existed!). The driver faces a seven-inch instrument pod while the head-display in the Limited trim level is ten inches in size. At the centre of the dashboard is a nine-inch touchscreen that—believe it or not—now integrates Apple CarPlay! Yes, it’s true, confirmed in writing. For Android Auto, however, we’ll have to wait a while longer. The JBL audio system unleashes 1200 watts of power and the Quantum Logic Surround technology is said to create an immersive 7.1-channel experience.
The 2019 Toyota Avalon will be available in Canadian dealerships in the spring of 2018. Three variants will be offered, including XLE, XSE and Limited, and it’s worth mentioning that the hybrid version is still reserved for the U.S. market. Pricing will be announced closer to its on-sale date.