Auto news on Youtube May 1 2018

we're here with the 2019 Toyota Avalon and for 2019 the Avalon sees huge

changes it doesn't just change a few things it changes everything from the

platform to the engine to the exterior styling now for 2019 the Avalon's

exterior styling has changed drastically so much so that it will be impossible to

confuse it for the 2018 model now last year's model had this weird kind of

front two-part grille opening which Toyota has combined for 2019 into what I

call one giant front in the air and take to rule them all now the front looks

really polarizing even within our staff there's some disagreement over whether

the Avalon is good looking or going too far but what's less arguable is that

from the sides in the rear the car definitely is improved Toyota has

stretched out the cabin so that it has a bit more of a fastback look that makes

the whole thing look a bit sleeker and in the back there's new LED tail lights

which stretched wide across the bumper and give the Avalon a good visual

signature especially at night one of our complaints about the old Avalon was that

the interior didn't really make sense especially here in the center stack the

screen was kind of in a weird position at an off angle and the storage spaces

were a bit weirdly sized for example if you had a larger smartphone like many of

them are these days it didn't quite fit on the wireless charging pad

luckily Toyota has made big updates in the interior including updates to the

multimedia system and that wireless charging pad which fit an iPhone which

is among the biggest smartphones without a problem now the center stack now comes

down in this waterfall fashion it has a larger screen a nine inch touchscreen is

standard across all trim levels and it's bright and easy to see and read

thankfully it's also flanked by physical controls which makes it easier to

navigate there's one thing that's weird about the screens position however it's

kind of situated far from the driver so if you are driving you won't actually be

able to reach the right side of the screen without leaning forward a few

inches and that's kind of a minor quibble it's a trade-off that I'm

willing to make to have the screen up this high but it does mean that these

buttons over here are hard to reach now another strength that remains for

the Avalon is its backseat other calls the Avalon a premium midsize car but

don't let that fool you this is basically a full-size car in bits

clothing the backseat is indicative of this it's very large and comfortable

it's got a lot of legroom and Headroom and new for 2019 the Avalon has five

standard USB ports two which are in the back so even if you're sitting in the

back you'll have a place to plug in and charge devices for 2019 Toyota has

updated the powertrain on the Avalon in both the gas and hybrid versions of the

car now gas versions of the car like the one

that we're driving now get a new 3.5 liter v6 and that makes 301 horsepower

that's in 33 horsepower improvement over last year's model there's also a new

8-speed automatic transmission on gas models and together this powertrain

combination is a strength in the Avalon it has what I would call easy power both

from a stop and while passing the transmission steps easily when you want

to and it's very fluid and that actually helps with the overall exerts feel of

the car that works well together with the interior and the ride to make things

comfortable if you're not really strained to get the car up to speed now

for those who are interested in hybrid versions of the 2019 Avalon we have good

news there's only a $1000 price difference between gas and hybrid

versions of the car and when you factor in the difference in fuel economy

between the two you're looking at a very good value for the hybrid because they

get about 44 combined mpg versus only 25 combined mpg in the gas versions 2019

also brings chassis updates to the Avalon and that means a new platform so

net now rides on Toyotas global architecture which is the same thing

that you find under the 2018 camry and in that car the change of this

architecture really changed the camry from something that was kind of sloppy

and boring to drive into a car that actually has pretty crisp handling and a

good ride now the changes in the Avalon aren't as dramatic the 2018 Avalon had a

very comfortable pliant ride and the same thing is definitely true of the

2019 there's a change its that it's a bit more stable at speed and you have a

bit more confidence while cornering but not a whole lot still has a definite

focus on comfort and the suspension is pliant and it's actually one of the cars

that if I had to drive or be driven in for a long

period of time this might be the choice because you know it does a very good job

of staying smooth in most conditions now we're in a Touring model which also sees

one more big suspension update this will be actually the first Toyota car to

offer an adaptive variable suspension and it's kind of a strange choice it's

something usually you'd find on more performance oriented cars but Toyota

says that the Avalon is going for now sporty as well as comfortable does it

work not really the Touring is a bit firmer than the

other trim levels that I tested today so I also drove a limited model this is

definitely a bit tighter but it still trends towards comfort and I think that

that's a good thing that fits this car better even when you dial the Touring

all the way up to Sport S+ mode which is unique to this trim you're still gonna

get a decent amount of body roll is still gonna focus on comfort and that is

I think a better way to go in a sedan like this now those who are interested

in the 2019 Avalon won't have to wait long it will start at 36,000 395 and hit

leadership in May

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