Built on the New Toyota Global Architecture (TNGA), the new Avalon will be offered with a 3.5-litre V6 engine or a hybrid powertrain, blending a 2.5-litre four cylinder engine with a 650V electric motor. A second motor helps recuperate energy under deceleration, feeding energy back into the nickel-metal hydride battery pack hiding under the boot floor.
Power is put to the front wheels through an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission in the V6, or a CVT with six artificial ‘ratios’ in the hybrid. Both models get paddle-shifters as standard.
The previous Avalon – and all those that came before it – wasn’t exactly known for its sporting prowess, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota for trying to make an athlete out of the fifth-generation car. Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) is standard on the Touring, constantly adjusting the damping based on information from G-sensors at all four corners.
According to the company, there are 650 levels of damping firmness, and the system can react to the road surface in just 20 milliseconds.
Models without AVS still get a multi-link rear suspension setup, with stiffer stabiliser bars and springs in sportier XSE guise. Will the average Avalon buyer really care? We’ll have to wait and see on that one.
Toyota has focused on making the Avalon feel more luxurious inside, with standard leather trim and a range of trim options. The wood adorning the dashboard is real in top-spec cars (XLE cars still get the fake stuff) and top-spec cars are treated to quilted detailing, unique perforation and contrast stitching.
Infotainment is handled by a floating 9.0-inch screen in the centre console, while the instrument binnacle is home to a 7.0-inch display as well. Top-spec Limited and Touring models come with a 10.0-inch colour head-up display. An eight-speaker audio system is standard on the base XLE and XSE, while Touring and Limited drivers get a 14-speaker JBL setup.
Toyota Safety Sense P is standard across the range, which means all cars get pre-collision warnings, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warnings and lane-keeping assist, along with blind-spot warnings and rear cross-traffic alerts.
As for the styling? We’ll let you be the judge of that, but it’s clear Toyota is committed to pushing its edgier, more aggressive look – for better or worse.
The car will be built in Georgetown, Kentucky, and arrives in American showrooms in Q2 this year.
Stay tuned for all the latest from the floor of the Detroit motor show.
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