2019 Toyota Avalon Master Thread

Joaquin Ruhi

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I still vividly recall the April 2012 New York Auto Show, which saw the world debuts of both the 4th-generation Toyota Avalon and the 6th-gen Lexus ES. The twin debuts (in separate press conferences, of course) were rife with significance and symbolism, for the Lexus ES saw a major growth spurt that saw it morph from a gussied-up Camry to a Lexusized Avalon, with Avalon4 and 6ES sharing a 111" wheelbase version of the K platform.

Both thus joined at the hip as very fraternal twins, conventional wisdom decreed that the next-gen Avalon5 and 7ES would again debut at the same New York Auto Show 6 years later. Alas, in an unexpected twist, Toyota today announced that the 5th-generation Avalon would make its public debut about 3 months earlier than expected at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. Below are the single teaser shot and ultra-bare-bones press release:

Toyota+Avalon+Exterior+Teaser.jpg


Style and Dynamism, Actualized
December 08, 2017
Toyota will premiere its all-new 2019 Avalon on Monday, January 15, at 1:05 PM EST during the 2018 North American International Auto Show.

Get your front row access here:
#avalon

Jackie Charniga of Automotive News informs us that Randy Stephens will be the chief engineer for the 5th-gen Avalon, just as he also was for its current predecessor. She also affirms the obvious, that the new Avalon will be built on the TNGA-K architecture.

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...-sedans?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

We'll have to wait a bit over a month to learn more. Best guesses as to powertrains are the aging 2GR-FKS 3.5-liter V6 (as in the Camry XSE) and, for the Avalon Hybrid, the new A25A-FXS 2.5-liter hybrid 4.

There are, of course, other less likely possibilities, such as a new V6 derived from the Lexus LS 500's V35A 3.5-liter V6 (detuned and deturboed, of course) and, in a move away from Camry, a V6 hybrid option (be it the Highlander/Lexus RX's aging 2GR-FXS or a new A35A-FXS).

Will the Touring model give way to an SE or XSE model? Will there be an all-wheel-drive option?

Of more interest to us Lexus Enthusiasts, will the Avalon / Lexus ES pairing continue to the extent that it did in New York 2012 and, thus, 7ES will also debut in Detroit next month? Or is there a deliberate plan to build some distance between Avalon and ES and avoid many of the direct comparisons that hounded the two when they first appeared almost together in New York 2012? In other words, an Avalon debut in Detroit while leaving Lexus' 7ES for New York (or Chicago?) would individualize the focus on each vehicle.

Yet, even if Avalon precedes ES by a month or 2 or 3, the former is worth paying attention to for the clues it will reveal as to the latter. Of course, if the rumors are true that sportier AWD and F Sport versions of Lexus ES will allow it to serve as a de facto replacement for the GS sedan, that in itself may produce some further distance between ES and Avalon.
 

mmcartalk

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This time, let's hope they get the underpinnings/tires/suspension correct the first time. The last introduction, for 2013, had much too firm a ride....in the quest to sharpen up the handling, the Toyota designers forgot who liked this car (and who was actually buying it) in the first place. The result was time and money needlessly wasted in re-doing the 2016/mid-cycle suspension-softening (for non-Touring models) and some better-quality interior hardware that was an improvement over what was used in 2013.
 

Gecko

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This time, let's hope they get the underpinnings/tires/suspension correct the first time. The last introduction, for 2013, had much too firm a ride....in the quest to sharpen up the handling, the Toyota designers forgot who liked this car (and who was actually buying it) in the first place. The result was time and money needlessly wasted in re-doing the 2016/mid-cycle suspension-softening (for non-Touring models) and some better-quality interior hardware that was an improvement over what was used in 2013.

Not everything always has to be the same. This generation of Avalon has been the best selling ever, so quite obviously, Toyota did something right.
 

Joaquin Ruhi

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This generation of Avalon has been the best selling ever...
Depends on how you count it. If you're talking average sales per year, then yes. But bear in mind that the 3rd-gen Avalon had a longer run (including pioneering the 2-facelift model that then spread throughout Toyota and Lexus) than its successor.

By my very rough math, Avalon3 sold around 384,421 units in the course of its 8-model-year run, whereas Avalon4 sits at 306,028 plus however many they sell in December and during calendar year 2018. It'll be close, but I think Avalon3 will still wind up outselling Avalon4 overall.
 
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Depends on how you count it. If you're talking average sales per year, then yes. But bear in mind that the 3rd-gen Avalon had a longer run (including pioneering the 2-facelift model that then spread throughout Toyota and Lexus) than its successor.

By my very rough math, Avalon3 sold around 384,421 units in the course of its 8-model-year run, whereas Avalon4 sits at 306,028 plus however many they sell in December and during calendar year 2018. It'll be close, but I think Avalon3 will still wind up outselling Avalon4 overall.
You are most likely right. The Gen 4 also has to deal with the changing tide of a market contracting even more than during the Gen 3's reign.
 

mmcartalk

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Not everything always has to be the same. This generation of Avalon has been the best selling ever, so quite obviously, Toyota did something right.

Toyota got a lot of complaints on the 2013 redesign of the suspension.....they had to offer a softer suspension again for 2016, keeping the firm set-up only on the Touring version. They probably wouldn't have spent that time and money on the 2016 update if the 2013-2015 had sold that well.
 

mikeavelli

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I've had a bit of seat time behind the current generation and I love it to be honest. Especially the hybrid. Toyota nailed the current gen. Excited for the next one sorta lol.
 

mmcartalk

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I've had a bit of seat time behind the current generation and I love it to be honest. Especially the hybrid. Toyota nailed the current gen. Excited for the next one sorta lol.

The mid-cycle update for 2016 made several needed improvements....the 2016 felt and drove noticeably nicer than when the generation debuted in 2013.
 

mmcartalk

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Although, of course, this is probably the first time we've seen them with modern LEDs, the general idea of sequential turn signals is nothing new. My dad had a 1965 Thunderbird with them, and they were used extensively in 60s-vintage T-Birds and Mercury Cougars....and on some recent Mustangs. GM did not adopt the system because they felt it was confusing to other drivers. I disagree; at least I had no problem deciphering it.


 

spwolf

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Toyota got a lot of complaints on the 2013 redesign of the suspension.....they had to offer a softer suspension again for 2016, keeping the firm set-up only on the Touring version. They probably wouldn't have spent that time and money on the 2016 update if the 2013-2015 had sold that well.

mostly from you :)