Toyota Avalon: Smooth, quiet, roomy sedan
If you’re looking for the most refined, best-built full-size sedan for less then $40,000, your search should begin and end with the Toyota Avalon. The Avalon is so smooth it seems almost impervious to the worst roads you’ll travel. Its delivers good acceleration and good mileage for such a roomy car.
The 2008 Toyota Avalon comes in four trim levels, distinguished primarily by their level of standard equipment. All are powered by a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6, matched with a six-speed automatic transmission that’s new for 2008. This V6 gets an EPA esimated fuel economy of 28 on the highway and 19 around town.
The Avalon XL comes well equipped, with a full complement of power accessories and features such as an eight-way power driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control with cabin air filter and audio and climate controls on the steering wheel. The nine-speaker audio system adds a six-CD changer. Cloth upholstery and 16-inch alloy wheels are standard.
The Avalon Touring model features a firmer suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, high-intensity-discharge (HID) head lamps, fog lamps, and a rear deck spoiler. Touring also adds leather-trimmed seats with four-way power for the front passenger, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and aluminum scuff plates on the door sills.
The Avalon XLS reverts to standard headlights and suspension, but it keeps the fog lamps, 17-inch wheels and leather trim. The XLS also adds a power moonroof, heated outside mirrors with electrochromic auto-dimming on the driver’s side, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass and Homelink universal transceiver, and an anti-theft system.
The Avalon Limited upgrades with a 360-watt JBL Synthesis audio system with 12 speakers and Blue Tooth connectivity, a power rear sunshade, Toyota’s Smart Key proximity key system, the HID headlamps, a wood-and-leather-trimmed shift knob and steering wheel, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and driver and passenger seat heaters and cooling fans.
Safety features: All Avalons come with a full array of airbags, including front-impact airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, seat-mounted side-impact airbags for front passengers, and curtain-style, head-protection airbags for outboard passengers front and rear. Other standard safety features include anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and a tire-pressure monitoring system. Optional is Toyota’s Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system.
The Avalon delivers the latest safety technology, and driving it is a pleasant experience. Given its size and the space inside, it gets outstanding fuel mileage. A test drive might leave you wondering why anyone seeking a smooth, quiet, roomy sedan would pay more than it takes to buy an Avalon.
Awards:
2008 Best Overall Value of the Year
2008 Consumers’ Top Rated Vehicle
2008 5-Star Rating in Frontal and Side-Impact Crash Test
0 Responses to “Toyota Certified Used Avalon”