Toyota Avalon
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The Toyota Avalon is a fullsize car produced by Toyota in the United States and Australia, originally based on the platform of the then-current Toyota Camry. It is produced as a front wheel drive four-door sedan. For its first two generations, it competed with the Chrysler Concorde, Buick LeSabre, Mercury Grand Marquis, Nissan Maxima, & Mazda Millenia.
The Avalon filled the gap left since the cancellation of the Toyota Cressida in the American market in 1992. The new Avalon was a fullsize car, becoming Toyota's first fullsize car, whereas the Cressida was a midsize, was rear wheel drive, and had the 7M-GE I6 engine. The Avalon, however, was front wheel drive and had Toyota's 1MZ-FE V6 engine.
The first Toyota Avalon rolled off the assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky on February 21, 1994 as a 1995 model. A second-generation model was released in the United States and Japan in 1999.
The original, first-generation Avalon continues to be built in Australia in the Melbourne suburb of Altona, made in both right hand drive for Australia, New Zealand and some parts of Asia, and left hand drive for the Middle East. The Camry is also made at this same plant, most for export.
The Avalon was upsized for the 2005 model year, changing its competitors to the Buick Lucerne and Ford Crown Victoria.
The Australian Avalon is now in what Toyota calls its ‘Mark III’ phase, with a mild facelift for the 2004 model year, though it is based on the same car that was launched in the US in 1995. Toyota Australia ceased production of the Avalon in July 2005 and will now concentrate on releasing a vehicle larger than the Avalon in late 2006. This vehicle will compete with the Holden Commodore, and the Ford Falcon, both of which will have brand new models in 2006 or 2007. It was unveiled at the 2006 Melbourne International Motorshow on February 9th with the new name Aurion. It is expected to go on sale in November 2006.
First generation (1995-1999)
The 1995 Avalon was a completely new model built in the same plant as the Camry. It was positioned higher than the Camry, making it Toyota's flagship. The Avalon was based on a stretched Camry platform and had a 3.0 L V6 engine making 192 hp and 210 ft·lbf. of torque (1MZ-FE). For 1998, Toyota made minor updates to the front and rear fascias and updated the power rating to 200 hp and increased torque to 214 ft·lbf. The Avalon also offered an available front bench seat for full six passenger seating.
Second generation (2000-2004)
The second generation Avalon grew larger in almost every respect. The Avalon was still based on the stretched Camry platform and had a 3.0 L V6 shared with the Toyota Sienna, Lexus RX300, Lexus ES300 and the Toyota Highlander, making 210 hp and 220 ft·lbf. of torque (1MZ-FE). However, its size was similar to the Camry. This second generation US-made Avalon has been exported to Japan's domestic market where it was labelled as the Toyota Pronard. Due to poor sales, Toyota will not export the third generation Avalon to Japan and thus, the Toyota Pronard has been discontinued.
This Avalon was available in two trimlines: the basic XL and the upscale XLS.
This second generation Avalon featured a built-in 115V AC power inverter, the first car to ever offer this as standard or optional. This feature also disappeared in the third generation Avalon, yet recent Toyota Matrix and Scion cars now offer this feature.
In 2003, the Avalon went through a minor restyle. The design of the grille and taillights was altered.
Third generation (2005-present)
The 2005 Avalon is a complete redesign from the previous generations. It is Toyota's largest, most luxurious, and most expensive sedan model sold under its own nameplate. The Avalon features a 3.5 L 280 hp V6 engine and a myriad of advanced technological features (2GR-FE). The engine is as in previous generation shared with Lexus ES350. The Avalon is now about the same size as its large-sedan competitors (e.g. the Buick Lucerne and Ford Crown Victoria), but continues to compete with the Nissan Maxima. The new Avalon, introduced to the public at the 2005 North American International Auto Show, offers more distinctive styling than previous generations, which were known for their conservative styling. This redesign also dropped the availabilty of a front bench seat. The current Avalon is available in XL, Touring, XLS, and Limited trim levels.
Due to new SAE specifications power has dropped to 268 hp and torque has dropped to 248 ft·lbf. for the 2006 model year. Stability control is also expanded to the XL and Touring models, and a keyless remote start is standard for Limited models.
Replacement in Australia
The Toyota Aurion will replace the Toyota Avalon in Australia and will be built at Toyota's Altona plant in Victoria, alongside the Toyota Camry. The Aurion was designed with the Australian large car market in mind and Toyota hopes to make more sales with the Aurion than the relatively unsuccessful Avalon. The Aurion will have an Australian-tweaked version of the 2GR-FE V6 engine currently powering the export Avalon. A special supercharged version will also be available on some models.References
- "Toyota Avalon", an article in the March, 2004 issue of Motor Trend, under "Spied!" in the "News" section, on page 38
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