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The editors of TheCarConnection.com have driven the 2010 Toyota Avalon and bring you their own driving impressions and comprehensive take on the roomy sedan in this Bottom Line, along with selected highlights from other top-tier reviews in an adjacent Full Review.
Likes:
- Lexus-quiet and refined
- Affordable price
- Pillowy, not bouncy, ride
- Strong, silent powertrain
- Roominess
Dislikes:
- Dull driving experience
- Dowdy exterior
- At the top end, pricier than a Lexus ES 350
The Avalon is Toyota’s full-size sedan; although it offers a lot of available luxury and even some higher-tech features like laser cruise control, the 2010 Toyota Avalon places the priority on comfort and roominess.
The Toyota Avalon is conservative looking on the outside, and to put it kindly, it’s not going to raise your pulse at first sight. The silhouette was updated a bit two years ago, with revamped bumpers, headlamps, and grille, along with new tinting for the tail lamps, but that didn’t make it any less conservative. Inside, the Avalon plays it safe but appears and feels more contemporary; however, the materials aren’t especially inviting, despite the recent addition of new wood and chrome trims.
Keeping in mind that the 2010 Avalon clearly favors comfort above handling, this large car isn’t at all disappointing to drive. Provided the roads are relatively straight, the front-wheel-drive Avalon has the goods, with the 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission providing strong yet smooth and quiet performance either from stoplights or for highway passing, with the transmission shifting almost undetectably. Handling surely isn’t a strong point, but the Avalon is nothing like the comfort-oriented barges of yore—the suspension soaks up nearly every kind of bump, yet the body stays in check if you pitch the Avalon into a sharper corner, showing plenty of poise. At 19 mpg city, 28 highway, the Avalon’s fuel economy is quite good for a vehicle with this much space on offer.
