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I think the reason the Avalon won out was because of resale value. My loaded 2001 Solara that I paid $20,000 for is still worth $7,000. I am a Tech guy, it took me almost a week to go through all of the features in this car. That is part of the issue when buying a new car. You can not tell how user friendly the electronics are from a test drive. The Avalon is almost all touch sensitive buttons. They are well laid out and responsive. There is nothing cheap in this car. You can feel and touch the quality through out. This is why it is rated better than their sister Lexus ES series.
I will now address the seats and ride. I also thought that the seats needed a bit more cushy in the tushy. I went on a 300 mile road trip and I was very comfortable. I am 6' and 250lbs. so I think I am a good judge and I no longer have a complaint. The ride, handling and acceleration is very good.
Even with a full load this car moves. It is no longer a floating sofa and therefor you have to trade something for that performance. It handles pot holes very well but under some road conditions it can be a bit harsh.
In most cases the new car experience wears off. Not here! I look forward to getting into this car everyday!
I'm a little mad at CR because I asked them just before I purchased my limited hybrid if they were going to test the Avalon and they emailed me back that they were not planning on testing the Avalon. The next day after I made the purchase the first drive report came out saying that they had purchased a limited hybrid and a V6 for testing.
The 2011 Avalon that they last tested had the same score of 85 and their major complaint was the handling.
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This is Jerry Johnson Warranty Manager with Midwest Toyota
And Midwest Superstore Hutchinson, Ks
Thank you very much for your request on the Toyota Factory Extra Care Platinum Zero Deductible Warranty
I would love to help you with your warranty purchase. I will need your Vin Number, Miles and Date of Purchase
And I will need Your Name and Address, Phone, Email
Please give me a call at 800-530-5789 or my cell 620-664-8844
This warranty is 100 Percent Toyota Factory warranty from Toyota and honored by all Toyota Dealer service centers California, Florida and all the USA and Canada I do NOT offer any 3rd party or aftermarket at all
There is no Tax or Fees for out of the state of Kansas
Here is the link for the warranty info
http://www.toyotafinancial.com/consumer/tfs.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_newV- ehicleComparisonChartPage
Here is the Price List for your 2013 Avalon
Please tell your friend thank you for recommending me
T4-TOYOTA AVALON, HYBRID AVALON,
4 YEAR 100,000 MILES $569.00,
4 YEAR 125,000 MILES $719.00
5 YEAR 60,000 MILES $449.00
5 YEAR 80,000 MILES $499.00,
5 YEAR 100,000 MILES $679.00
5 YEAR 125,000 MILES $874.00
6 YEAR 75,000 MILES $549.00,
6 YEAR 100,000 MILES $834.00,
6 YEARS 125,000 MILES $1,129.00
7 YEARS 75,000 MILES $654.00,
7 YEAR 100,000 MILES $999.00
7 YEARS 125,000 MILES $1,294.00
8 YEARS 75,000 MILES $769.00
8 YEARS 100,000 MILES $1,149.00
8 YEARS 125,000 MILES $1,589.00
This warranty is directly from Toyota and any warranty work will need to be done at your Toyota dealer or any Toyota dealer in your state or any state in the USA or Canada
Please feel free to give me a call I would be happy to go over the warranty with you.
Thank you so much
Jerry Johnson
Jerry Johnson
Warranty Manager
Midwest Toyota
Midwest Ford
Midwest Superstore
1100 east 30th
Hutchinson, Ks 67502
800-530-5789
Cell 620-664-8844
[email protected]
BTW the tires on my Limited Hydrid came over inflated from the dealer by 5 lbs. Dropping the pressure down to 32 psi has helped with over feeling the road.
Skip
I recently dropped it down to 31 psi, and that made a difference...maybe 20% better.
The Camry hybrid has the exact same tires as the Avalon hybrid and is rated step higher in ride and routine handling by Consumer Reports. The noise rating is the same. What's up with that? The Avalon does get an extra step higher rating in seat comfort though.
Toyota says they are aware of this and call it G-force Instability.
Any other Hybrid owners having this problem?
Is this just an issue with the Avalon Hybrid Limited, or is it all TAH's, or all '13 Avalon's, period?
I asked if it was also an issue on the Camry hybrid. He said that it was not.
Thanks for your response.
My final comment was: The 2013 Avalon Hybrid Limited is a nice vehicle that probably isn't worth the extra cost over a fully loaded Camry Hybrid.
I made the statement more on what I've read post purchase than actual test drives. I drove the Camry Hybrid a few months before the Avalon. I wasn't impressed enough at the time to buy the Camry but the Avalon roped me in after driving it. If I had it to do over again I would have driven the 2 cars back to back on the same day.
Anybody here drive both cars on the same day before buying their Avalon?
We did. Actually drove a Prius V, then a Prius Model Five, then on to the Camry Hybrid and the Avalon Hybrid. Camry XLE loaded was nice; however, IMHO, did not come close to the Avalon Hybrid. Avalon just seemed much nicer, more room, and rode better and quieter.
We, however, decided not to go with the Limited, as we felt that the Touring gave us everything we needed, saved us thousands over the Limited (most of which had the tech packages, which we felt was unnecessary for us), and was not truly that much more than the XLE Camry Hybrid while EPA mileage was essentially the same while providing (again, IMHO) more luxury and room. My wife felt that the Camry, even in loaded XLE form, was not as upscale at all in terms of the leather, finish etc. versus the TAH in touring form (and of course, the TAH in Limited form, too). The bells and whistles added onto the Limited for the extra thousands were not worth it for us (again, especially those loaded with the tech package). For me, the only things I would have liked to have from the Limited were the ventilated seats, outside photo-chromatic mirrors, and the nicer NAV unit with the larger screen. Again, at least for us, not worth the extra thousands, but that is personal preference. We certainly could have afforded the Limited, just chose not to go in that direction.
I think, overall, you will be pleased long-term that you went with the TAH versus the TCH. Your mileage should be equivalent, power was pretty much identical (Tech at dealership said they tweaked the TAH system more than the TCH) and you will be more comfortable while doing it.
HTH...JMHO
For what it's worth, CR rated the regular Prius's ride the same as the Avalon's and rated the Prius V and the Camry as having a better ride than the Avalon.
I'm beginning to think that there could be some issues with CR's ride rating system.
I'm not extremely picky; however, my wife can be. We both drove all of the cars mentioned, and not just around the block (we are lucky to know the Fleet Manager and he lets us take the vehicles out for extended periods on long loops...). Driving the cars back to back on the same long loop, there is no way that the Prius V and Camry had a better ride than the Avalon. Not only that, but the standard Prius was much more jumpy and skitterier (???) than all of them; however we would rate them Prius last, Prius V next, Camry, then Avalon. Our friend told us to drive the TAH after the Prii; however, it was due to CR's recommendation of the TCH that we had to try that car out ('cause if it was THAT good, why not). Again, in both of our opinions, driving back to back on the exact same route, we both figured that CR had just missed the bullseye on this one. I know its a personal thing; however, I have to agree with you that there might be an issue with CR and their ride rating system....maybe they pay too much attention to comparing the previous model to the current model rather than objectively test it outright? I can say that having owned a previous model of the Avalon, it was a nice car but way too cushy and floaty.
Also, I have read that the 18s on the gas Limited run a little rough; however, all of the hybrids run on the 17s...maybe they just transferred their opinion in this case, as we did drive the gas Avalon and liked the Hybrid better....
We traded that '11 Avalon Limited in for this TAH Touring and we just feel much safer and secure in the '13 than we ever did in the '11 (not that we ever felt unsafe in the '11). We've made two long trips so far in the TAH, trips that we've made several times over the last few years. Even from the passenger seat, my wife comments on how much nicer she feels the ride is during portions of the rides that might be considered 'memorable' for their uniqueness and challenges.
We are certainly enjoying our car (except for the challenges posed by the iPhone 5 and entune!), and hope you enjoy yours.
Cheers,
Robert
I got an iphone 5 to try entune which turned out to be pretty worthless. The window 7 phone that it replaced would read out text messages something the iphone won't do.
There aren't to many cars out there as future proof in terms of gas mileage and as comfortable as the TAH.
Hope you enjoy yours too.
Best
Chris
In the 19th (most by far of any 2013 Toyota) CR owner's Avalon review an owner said he had the 18 inch wheels switched out by Toyota to 17 inch with little or no improvement.
I wonder if the 17's had the Bridgestones. Why would Toyota be so stupid to run these tires? Usually they run soft riding tires that don't last out of the factory. Maybe they are more concerened about fuel economy than ride.
Can anybody advise on the following:
1. Is consumer reports telling the truth about the ride? - It's hard to test drive on rough road and I would value somebody's opinion who's got some miles under their belt.
2. How noisy is the 4 cylinder on the highway if it's a hybrid?
Have you considered altering your playback settings if you're using an ipod type device. I know my ipod (classic) offers various equalizer settings and you can possibly fix your problem on the input side using these.
You might have to use an auxillary jack for this as your USB input will just try and read the file and would ignore any ipod equalizer settings.
The ride is so rough every couple of hundred miles I have to close the sun roof shade. It gradually opens on its own from all the jostling.
The hybrid 4 cylinder is smooth, powerful and very quiet at all times. I hear no engine noise at highway speed.
1) Having owned an '11 Avalon, then drove the Camry Hybrid and Avalon Hybrid (and prius or two...) back to back on a very long loop that included 70+, rough and smooth roads, I cannot honestly see how they thought the Camry rides better. As discussed by me and others, I sincerely wonder if CR did not truly objectively evaluate the ride on the Avalon, or actually subscribed the ICE 18" ride to all Avalons (the TAH rides on 17s...). It is a MUCH tighter ride than the '12 and earlier models and you do feel a little more of the road; however, IMHO you feel much more in command and in control at limit in the '13 than I ever did in the '11 that we put 40k+ on. Neither my wife nor I felt that the Camry road better at all and, in actuality, felt it rode worse! It is certainly subjective, tho, and I would see if you could get one to drive on a long loop like we did before purchasing. Also, I noticed a difference between the Micks and the Stones, so I'd certainly go with the Michelin's if you can.
2) Not that noisy at all on the hybrid. Under EXTREME loads, you can tell it is working hard(er) as compared to the V6; however, nothing as to intrude at all. Remember that the electric motor kicks in to assist in these situations so the load on the ICE is not what it is on a similar sedan with just a conventional ICE...which I agree can get quite angry-noisy! Overall, the TAH is the quietest car I've been in.
Again, I'd encourage you to see if the dealer will give you a car for more than a brief test ride. Also, ask, as many dealer sales people know a road/route that might be exactly what you are looking for to test this....sometimes they won't offer unless you ask.
Good luck in your vehicle hunt!
Robert
About a month ago I lowered them to 31 psi (and reset the tire pressure monitoring system). The ride improved somewhat...maybe 20% (and you know, I think my mileage increased by one mpg), but I'm still disappointed and will probably retire the car after 12 months.
I agree about the seats not being so comfy. I came out of a 2009 Lexus ES and I guess I was spoiled.
Ya think?
CR is telling the truth about HOW THEY FEEL. But that is their "opinion", not always the facts. Frankly, my experience is rarely the same as theirs. I don't hold their ratings, other than reliability, in much regard. Also, their ratings on quality and reliability are also often skewed because for example, they'll rate a new Cadillac with a Black Dot (much worse than average) because of the compliants they get - without regard to the fact that old people often drive them, and can't get comfortable with the telemetrics on the car, so they "complain" that they don't work. IMO, you shouldn't "rely" on CR for your decisions - it's just their opinions based on random, unscientific feedback from idiot (some of them) consumers.
2. How noisy is the 4 cylinder on the highway if it's a hybrid?
Miserable.
Anybody know anything about switching to 215 60 series tires from the stock 55 series? Not so much for a little more road isolation but for the extra 0.4 inch of clearance. My tail pipe scraps a little going up my driveway and I have hit the front undercarriage on some dips coming out of parking lots and on steep downgrades.