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25/08/2008
By EWAN KENNEDY
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Toyota's Avalon looks to be picking up some credence in the used-car field, because it’s able to piggy back on the success of the Toyota Aurion that replaced it in 2006. Avalon wasn’t a success in its own right, chiefly because of its styling. It was based on an early-1990s design for an American Toyota, Avalon’s body was already old before it was launched in Australia in July 2000.
Avalon is a medium-large six-cylinder family car and was built in Melbourne. Build quality from the Altona factory was high, virtually to the standards of Japanese factories. It had a fair bit of Australian design input to local road conditions and Aussie drivers’ likes.
 Avalon's interior isn’t quite as dated as the exterior, having some reasonably modern touches, but still doesn’t exactly sparkle in the styling stakes.
To try and pick up missing sales, Toyota gave the Avalon a big facelift in October 2003. It didn’t work, either visually or in the market place. So the big Toyota was quietly withdrawn from the new-car market.
Yet despite all this, the Toyota Avalon is an excellent machine in just about every department. There's good interior room and thanks to the space efficiency of front-wheel drive there's room for three average adults in the back seat. Three kids will have room to stretch out. Boot space is good, because there isn’t a differential sitting under it as there would be if it was a rear-drive car like arch-rivals Commodore and Falcon.
All Toyota Avalons have a 3.0-litre, V6 and a four-speed automatic transmission. The body is that of a four-door sedan, there's no station wagon option, which is something else that may have hurt it in the sales race.
The Avalon V6 engine was based on that of the Camry V6 of the time. But has been retuned to push the torque figures further down the rev scale to give the much-loved lowdown grunt the Aussies hanker after in this segment of the car market.
Ride comfort is very good, yet the Avalon has the sort of handling that keen drivers just love. There's plenty of input through the steering, turn-in is fast and precise and the Avalon grips the road at levels far above those ever likely to be attempted by the great majority of owners. So there are huge levels of safety if you are ever surprised by a corner that turns out to be tighter than it looked at seemed.
Even the most basic model, called the Avalon Conquest until the 2003 model change, then Avalon GXi, has enough equipment for many buyers. Top of the Avalon line is the Grande and it’s positively loaded with luxury gear, including leather trim and full climate control. There were several Avalon special editions over the years in an attempt to drum up interest, but none really did anything for the car.
Spare parts prices and dealer servicing are about average in cost and the Toyota dealer network is probably the biggest and most widespread in Australia. Not all of the smaller dealers in the outback will have a comprehensive collection of spare parts, but can generally have them freighted in within a working day or two.
 Though Avalon is relatively simple in its makeup it’s probably best to leave all repairs to the experts. A good home handyperson will be able to do basic maintenance. As always, we recommend having a workshop manual standing by before lifting that bonnet.
Insurance costs are usually down towards the low end of the scale, reflecting that fact that this is a car that appeals to the conservative buyer and that its Australian build means body parts are well-priced.
If you can live with the somewhat drab looks, Toyota's Avalon provides a lot of motoring pleasure and comfort for a remarkably low price. But, as we said, that may not last if the Aurion continues to make a big move on the new-car front. So this may be time to make your way to the used-car section of your local Toyota dealership.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Normally trouble free in a very Toyota manner. But have a look over an Avalon carefully in case it has been owned by a careless person.
The engine should start virtually instantly and idle smoothly from the moment it kicks over.
Automatic transmission changes should be all but impossible to hear or feel at low to moderate throttle openings.
Check the condition of the body panels for signs of previous crash repairs: paint that doesn’t quite match from one panel to another, slight ripples in the surfaces, tiny drops of paint overspray on non-painted surfaces such as the windows and trim items.
Some Avalons are used as taxis, particularly in northern areas of Australia. These don’t always run on LPG so a quick glance into the boot doesn’t always tell you a car may once have done taxi duty. Check for more than a normal amount of wear and tear in the back seats and boot.
CAR BUYING TIP
Salespeople often have monthly targets and bonus schemes and may be anxious to do a better deal when the end of the month is approaching. |
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