my across the street neighbor, a dyed-in-the-wool Toyota man, drives a 04 XLE Camry - comes running over when he sees me pull up in my 05 Av - looks everything over and tells me that they couldn't justify the premium for an 04 Av for just a little more space for a car with the same power and similar amenities. At which point, I hand him the keys - pulling out onto the main road, I think the first words out of his mouth 'Aw s---!". About 6 months later a new XLS Av in his driveway. And I'm sure that the new Camry will generate similar expletives from those Toyota faithful that have never felt that kind of power before. I'm not going to tell you that there is no difference, I happen to agree with you particulary on the interior and exterior styling, but the Camry V6 has to poach some Avalon sales. People who are willing to go out and spend $60k for the wonderful LS, are generally more concerned with labels than they are with value. Difficult to justify otherwise. In fact, if you really think about it, $35k for an Avalon also difficult to justify. But, we are all entitled to our pleasures, aren't we? And, FWIW, you would not be the only one that would be bothered passing 6 cars on the freeway that are the same as yours - a Camry kind of problem!
I drove the new Camry SE this week, and while I found it to be a nice car and a great leap forward for the Camry, it's not nearly as nice as the Avalon. The power is good and the transmission was fairly smooth (some slight throttle lag but not too bad), but the ride was real bumpy. The seats were too firm and I felt like I was getting bounced around in a grocery cart. The Avalon Touring is worlds above the Camry in terms of ride quality.
Other than that I thought it was a nice car, probably the other trims will ride much smoother.
I just want to say that this discussion is a good one. I'm currently looking for my next car. I like the Avalon Touring a lot, but want to try the 07 Camry SE and XLE V-6 models. Its nice to see what others think with respect to the differences in these cars. I ruled out the Altima SE-R because it was a fairly harsh ride (plus the side bolsters will kill your shoulders on a long trip). I still want to give the Charger RT another spin, but have concerns about its reliability/visibility. Honda doesn't make a big enough car for a growing family (kid #2 is expected later this year)...unless I want to go from a BMW 330i to an Odyssey.
as for the interior of the Av Touring vs. the Av XLS, the Touring is nice. Personally, I can't stand fake wood on most cars...and Toyota can keep the wood they use in the XLS/Limited. That hammered aluminum look in the Touring is nice. Aluminum pedals would be nice.
as far as price, it looks like you can get an Av Touring with the upgraded stereo and sunroof for about the same price as the Camry XLE.
The bluetooth is located where the sunglass holder normally is. It is low profile. We just bought the car this week and I plan to investiage capabilities this weekend and will let you know whether the bluetooth is worthwhile or not...
I've never driven the Altima SE-R, but if you don't like a harsh ride you'll easily rule in favor of the Touring over the SE. Interior space will seal the deal.....
I usually buy the foam that is used as a mattress-topper from Walmart - not that memory foam stuff, but the regular tan colored foam mattress topper. It is relatively cheap, nice and thick and comes in a big roll! It is good for insulating larger areas like the inside of the roof lining and the rear parcel shelf. I'll post instructions on the other fixes soon...
alan_s, I just got back from having my dealer try to fix the rattle in the rear left door, your item 15. Dealer couldn't find it. Would certainly appreciate hearing how you found and fixed that rattle.
I have an annoying rattle/tapping/ticking noise coming from the shelf/roof area in the back. The dealor put some "spacing" where the headliner meets the back windshield which helped with the roof rattle a bit.
But, the shelf/C-pillar rattle is driving me NUTS! and I can't isolate it. I've sat in the back with someone else driving the car trying to find it....no luck......any ideas?
I don't have the laser-assist version, as its only the XL Avalon... but it sounds like there still may be some sort of connection between the CC and the wash/wipe...
I am sure that there is a fault somewhere because the cc light flashes and the ABS light comes on...
If you think about it for a minute though, there is more reason to keep the laser-assisted CC active when you wash/wipe BECAUSE that is when you can not see thru the windscreen.... and the laser will be able to 'see' for you..?
I had a rattle that was very difficult to locate and although my Toyota dealer could hear the rattle, they, like me, had a difficult time locating the source of the noise. Well, after three service visits to Toyota and a drive with the local Toyota Rep, they found that the rattle was actually coming from the moonroof and after two days in the shop, my Limited was finally fixed. I'm not sure if this could be the source of your rattle, but you can verify if this is the problem area by applying upward pressure on the moonroof while driving. If the rattle goes away, then this is the source. Good luck.
Hi: I have an 05 XLS and wanted the Touring but it didn't have VSC available at the time. Why did I want the Touring? Firmer suspension/better handing = more fun and safer handling car. Coming from a Maxima SE, the lost cushiness going to a Touring would've been meaningless to me.
Were I in your shoes, I'd go for the Touring - you can always buy some wood kit for the dash/door inserts if you don't like the faux aluminum trim. As for the leather, be glad you'll be getting the dark charcoal - it's the nicest color combination out there (IMHO). Many on this forum have lamented the lack of avaiability of dark charcoal leather in the other trim levels.
Regarding the wheels, like the interior trim, they are things easily changed. If you live in the snow belt you might actually find it advantageous to buy another set of wheels mounted with snow tires, thereby eliminating your wheel dilemna 3-6 months out of each year. Conversely, these changes (wheels specifically) can be costly, but no car out there is perfect.
Put another way (from a hetero male perspective), you can look at the Avalon Touring as a nice looking woman with a great personality who doesn't dress well (with your dislikes about the car being the woman's sense of style). Now let say the XLS is a nice looking, well dressed woman with a bad personality (with its suspension being the bad personality).
Which would you choose? My point is that it's a lot easier to get a woman to change her clothes than her personality (just try succeeding with the latter) :P .
You can easily change the things you don't like if you get the Touring, but changing the suspension on an XLS is like trying to change the woman's personality - not gonna happen. I've been longing to replace my XLS shocks/struts with those of the Touring, or get an aftermarket setup, but the aftermarket doesn't yet support our Avy's suspension, and No Toyota mechanic can tell whether or not installing the Touring suspension in the XLS is a simple swaping of parts.
Another point about "appearance" of a car/its features: I'm spending a lot more time driving a car than I am looking at it, so any gripes about the car's exterior I can live with (the Avalon is no beauty in car design circles anyway). As far as the plastiluminum is concerned, the aftermarket wood kit is a cheap fix (you might be able to buy real wood too), and if you aren't a "do-it-yourselfer" any car customizing shop will do the install for a nominal fee.
What I should do is just trade the 05 XLS in for an 06 Touring. What you should do is completely up to you. Hope I've helped. Let me know what you decide. Regards, Deanie
Whats up guys, I have a 2005 xl that has a soft rattling sound fron the front passenger side. I only hear it when I start driving after the car was parked for a while. I don't hear it over bumps or rough roads. Does anyone know what's wrong with it? I don't think it's the door panel though. :confuse:
Hey Guys...I'm a recent owner of a 06 Avalon XLS (Phantom Grey Pearl). I have to say the more I drive this car more I love it everyday. I was actually waiting around in the dealer parking lot waiting for the Solara Sport that I was about to test drive and while I was killing time and waiting, I sat in a nearby Avalon XLS and I immediately fell in love. The design is a bit more on the conservative side, but my main purchasing points were: 265 HP engine (I like Power) 21/30 MPG (I do alot of driving) Stylish/Sleek interior Reasonably roomie in the front and exceptional room in the back W/reclining rear seats. Very Decent JBL sound system. $30,900 price tag!
I really feel The Avalon offers satisfied luxury for a very decent price.
I only wish there were more MODS for the car but I am satisfied enough the standard options as is.
MODS to look for in the future: Air Intake Exhaust Lowering Springs * These mods I haven't found available. I would appreciate any links leading to these MODS of an 06 AV. :confuse:
It sounds like your Bluetooth is an aftermarket unit and not integrated with the JBL and steering wheel buttons. What does it say on the Bluetooth (brand)? I'll be interested to hear how you like it.
This would be my first posting. I'm interested in upgrading to the HID system. I got the 2006 Avalon XLS, I'm almost positive that changing the complete Halogen housing to the HID housing should suffice. Please advise if anything else might be needed. Help!!
Hi, I just installed the reverse backing system from Awell and wanted to spread a word of warning: when measuring out the location of the sensors, do not measure from the ground up but measure from a point on your bumper, e.g. the lower or upper edge as previously suggested. It turns out there is about a 1/2" difference in height between the rear driver and passenger side on my brand-new Avalon (as measured from the floor to the lower edge of the bumper). I wonder if others have noticed this too?
Also, the dark grey sensors that I ordered are a perfect color match with my phantom gray pearl.
The system works just fine and it helpful. $109 and 3hours of work.
Regards, Andre
ps I'd be happy to offer help/pics to anyone who needs it.
I have the same rattle in my 06 xls avalon with 3400 miles. Mine is in the right rear c-pillar. Its more of a poping noise. I found if you push on the c-pillar area you get the same poping. Their is an airbag located here so iam thinking this my be the problem. I did not want to investigate to much with the airbag here. Its almost sound like when you apply pressure their you are hearing the bag poping not sure but think thats it. I also had a rattle in the rear deck found it to be where you ancor a child safety seat their are little plastic covers that cover the ancor points. The covers where rattling. I opened them up and their are some little plastic catches on the covers i bent them out alittle to make the covers fit tight it stopped the rattle. I also have some rattles in the dash around the radio think i would have to do some searching yet to fix them. The radio cover and all other covers have buttons to open them these button rattle some. It just to much cheap plastic in these cars.The rattle you are hearing below the steering wheel my be just below the knee airbag their is a plastic cover it will rattle if you tap it with your hand. My sun roof rattled on the purchase drive home. I felt around the sun roof with it open moved a few things around and hasn't rattle since. I think the avalons where rushed to hit the market and just not enough attention to fit and finish where given. With sometime i think i will have them all fixed. Hope this helps.
The main thing you will need is lots of money. HID's as a replacement part are pretty expensive. Beyond that, they operate on a ballast (like flourescent) so, yes, you need the whole unit and any special wiring devices. Check with a local Toyota dealer for parts requirements, then see if aftermarket lights are available and less expensive from another source. Several other members here will have more detailed knowledge of the actual conversion procedure, if you can do it.
I'm having trouble with the "joystick" on the NAV controller in my 06 Limited. When scrolling in any direction the control frequently "selects" an entry even though I haven't pressed the center of the button. Regardless of how careful I am to press the edge of the joystick this happens unpredictably. It's a nuisance since I then have to backspace to erase the erroneous selection.
Before I take it in to my dealer, I'm wondering if others are having trouble with this. And, if so, does anyone have a suggestion. Thanks.
BTW, this is my ONLY complaint after owning the car for a month. It is smooth, quiet, rattle free, and powerful. In short, it is AWESOME!
While some radar, mainly military and commercial aircraft, is powerful enough to cut through rain, the radar used on cars is not. (There would be a lot of melted bumpers if it was.) :surprise: Because of this, the radar cc cuts off when there is enough rain to use the wipers or when the radar senses anomalies due to rain or snow. It's a safety thing.
Happens all the time. I think you'll just have to live with it. I much prefer five-way buttons, up/down/left/right/enter to a rocker type selector. When it picks something you don't want, just hit "back" to return to the menu.
The HID units are completely self-contained and use the same receptacle as a 9006 halogen bulb, so the standard harness will plug into them. BTW, they're $1134.00 apiece. You'll need two.
had a very minor fender bender where the HID lense was scratched, which of course, required the replacement of the entire assembly. The repair invoice said $961.00 for the one complete assembly - which may be Toyota's discount price to the insurance cos. jhvelez, if you are serious about doing this - suggest you try anythingtoyota.com.
Could owners of '06 Avalon XLS let me know how your transmission behaves? Mine seems to shutter/slow(noticeable) when it shifts from 1-2 and from 2-3. I can barely detect the shift from 3-4 and 4-5 though. I'm just curious if mine is "within normal specs" as a toyota rep would say or not. Thanks!
This is the normal operation for this piece of junk car. I know, I own one. The dealer will tell you that its the transmission "learning" your driving habits.
Do you notice the engine tap and noise yet?
How aboput the terrible raod noise from the lousy tires on anything but perfedct roads?
Yes..I've noticed the engine tap/noise :-(. I'm afraid the engine/tranny will go before 100k miles.....the noise road noise isn't that bad..except for wind at over 80mph
Hi Andre - I am Jesse Morgan. I live in Indiana, and just bought an XLS Limited. I would be interested in pictures of the installation if possible. Thanks much.
Welcome to the world of legendary Toyota engineering and reliability - which is now truly a legend of the distant past.
Your transmission is unfortunately "normal" - that is, "normal" for a modern Toyota.
I cured the tire noise by replacing the crappy OEM's with Bridgestone Turanza LS-V's. See my previous posts on sizes etc. More info at http://www.tirerack.com
Guys, I know I owe you more instructions on fixing the rattles - I will follow up shortly.
My wife got a new 2006 Honda Pilot last week and the drivetrain comparison with the Avalon is inevitable. Both are 3.5 liter V6's, both use drive by wire systems with 5-speed transmissions.
The difference is amazing. The Pilot has instant throttle response opposed to the Avalon's soggy hesitation, the transmission is seamlessly synchronized, with none of the hunting and slipping the Avalon suffers from, and gear changes are as smooth as silk. The powertrain is quieter and sweeter than the Avalon, smoother at idle and the computer management systems feel consistent, completely "integrated" and completely normal. Honda got it right and Toyota have it wrong.
Sure the Avalon has more power, but I'd trade that small power advantage for the seamless power delivery, quiet and smoothness of the Honda engine and there are no rattles or funny noises. The gaps between the fenders are tighter than the Avalon and the build quality seems spot-on.
After experiencing the Pilot, if Honda made a larger car than the Accord with the Pilot's 3.5 liter V6, my new Avalon would now be on a Honda used car lot.
Another laser rader issue. It stops working when the sun is low in the sky and shines on the opening. Error C-2 shows up and explains it does not work in direct sunlight.I guess it works on perfect days. ange1
We had the same problem on our '06 Avalon Limited and returned the car to our dealer the first week of ownership. They checked with Toyota and drained the transmission and refilled with new fluid and made some adjustments to the on board computer. Haven't had a problem since! I think the shudder was happening because of the car falling into too low rpms after shifting. I notice now that the car runs in a little higher rpms at the same speeds, but the problem has been eliminated.
I recently purchased and installed Color matched mudguards on my Blizzard Pearl 06 Limited. They really look nice (not too large) and are molded to fit the body shape. The color matches perfectly, and they are very easy to install yourself.
Although they are "genuine" Toyota parts, they are not available from most "non-Gulf States" dealerships. My dealership in Washington only offered the dark grey/black mud guards.
I ordered color matched mud guards on-line from "TRD Parts 4U" (I don't want to antagonize our gracious host by posting a web site, so you'll have to figure it out from there). TRD Parts 4U is actually a dealership (Toyota of Dallas) who discounts "genuine" Toyota parts on the internet.
The price: $33.26 per set (need front and rear sets) $66.52. Shipping TX to WA $9.99. Total cost $76.51 Delivery time: Four days. (Note: the web site lists these parts as 2005, but 05 and 06 parts and colors are identical)
The Installation: Very easy. Instructions and all required hardware are provided. Tools required are a phillips screwdriver, a 3/8 inch wrench, a drill, and a 1/4 inch bit. Total time of installation: Less than 1 hour. The front: Installation requires no drilling at all, just remove existing screws and replace them with the provided screws which are slightly longer. No need to remove tires, just turn the wheels to give you some work space. The rear: I found it best to remove the wheel to give you the required work space and to ensure the drill holes you must make were "square". Don't let the "drill holes in your new car" scare you. You would have to work very, very hard to screw this one up. It's basically a "no brainer" if you use the new mudguard as a template (It's all covered in the instructions). In any event, you just drill two (per mud guard) 1/4 inch holes in the plastic lip of the rear body panel which faces the tire, attach the provided clips and screws and you are done. The holes drilled are not on the surface of the body panel, so you do not damage the vehicle's appearance even if you wanted to remove the mud guards at some later time.
I found this to be a good (and inexpensive) way to "dress up" your Avalon while at the same time providing some rock nick protection. Rod
Interesting. My wife drives a Pilot and we love it. I am currently looking for my next vehicle and am strongly considering the Avalon Touring. But, with a second kid on the way soon and because we like to take various weekend trips, we are also considering the Odyssey minivan (my wife and I would alternate driving the Odyssey and Pilot). I drove the Odyssey and it basically felt like driving the Pilot...except that you get more stuff to play with inside. So, if we got the Odyssey vs. an Avalon (or another car), the only thing we'd be missing out on is some power/speed and, of course, we'd have that minivan stigma following us around.
My concern with the Avalon...other than this interesting transmission issue....is that once we pack up the double stroller in the trunk, that we would not have a lot of room for luggage even for a weekend trip...and we don't want to put all of our miles on the Pilot.
I checked both the Odyssey and Sienna last year. The former has lots of power but the Sienna is more civilized and was my choice. However, I saw an Avalon on the lot and after trying it was converted. It is a very close second to the Lexus GS that it replaced - in some respects, it is superior. If you need more space than an automobile offers, the Sienna would be my pick. I plan to pass along my 2005 Avalon to a family member and replace it with a 2007 model when they are available - the car is close to perfect. Fuel consumption is remarkably low, the thing is very quiet, interior space is commodious, power is beyond adequate. Even apart from the significant cost difference, I see no reason to go back to Lexus, although I was well-satisfied with mine, and it, too remains in the family.
catman: I have three kids, a toddler, preteen and teenager and we all fit very comfortably in the Avalon. We fit strollers and luggage in the trunk OK, even though the trunk is a bit smaller than the old Avalon. Size-wise the Avalon is spot-on. The only gripes I have about the Avalon is the transmission hesitation and the terrible build quality which unfortunately completely spoils what would otherwise be a very nice car. You may be lucky and get one that was accidentally screwed together properly, or perhaps try to get one of the early made-in-Japan 2007 Camrys instead. A small number of Camrys are being imported from Japan until domestic production ramps up and they will probably be better built than domestically built Toyotas. Otherwise I'll give you a good deal on my 5,000 mile XLS - at least it has been derattled (for now)...
Agree: We also have an 06 Limited and I wrote Toyota about how user "unfriendly" the Nav System is. Drove a TL and ES330--their nav Systems so much better. I'm sorry I didn't just buy a Garmin GPS and save over $1,000. Like you, I think $$ for $$ the Avalon is no doubt the best buy--roomy, faster than a BMW, church quite, suberb build and awesome ride---plus 28 MPG in day-to day driving. Bob
Hi: I own an 05' XLS and had luggage concerns similar to yours - two young kids (one stroller/pack-n-play crib). Before I bought the Avalon, I had an old Maxima (sold it) and my company car is a Chrysler Sebring Touring (small car).
My dragon-in-law is staying with us until the youngest becomes 2 and 1/2 yrs old, so I needed real seating for five, good power, high reliability, safe handling/braking/performance numbers, good fuel econ & strong reliability. Seating for five - Avalon was the only choice short of a minivan or an SUV. But Minivans and SUV's don't handle/accelerate/brake particularly well, they range from "not great" to "bad" on gas, but offer superior luggage capacity. I travel to NYC from MD 4-6 times per year and renting a minivan/SUV that frequently would be prohibitively costly.
So, How do I manage with five passengers on trips in an Avalon XLS? A pair of Saris roof load bars and a 15 cubic foot cargo box costing $500-$600 (Thule or Yakima will do as well, but are far more complicated and less aerodynamic). Even when fully loaded with the box, I still get 25-27 hwy MPG @70-75mph and when the trip's over I remove the box and load bars and get my 27-29 highway MPG again. It's a total of 20-30 minutes to install/remove each trip an elegant and solution to a temporary and relatively infrequent problem. Gas ain't getting any cheaper and to expect it to is a bad bet.
The one time every 2-3 years I'd actually need more capacity than I have between my trunk and cargo box (hasn't happened yet), I'd rent a larger vehicle. You already have a Pilot, why not get a car you'd enjoy more that's more responsible to own (better mpg), more fun (more horsepower and less weight = quicker/faster vehicle, which translates to safer as well). Hope I've helped. Please post what you plan on doing. Regards, Deanie
lofgren, alan and deanie...thanks for the input. I still have a few months before my current lease expires (though I might be able to convince the dealer to take it back early without penalty). I'll keep you informed as to what I do. Alan...I think I'll pass on the XLS. If I get an Avalon, its going to be a Touring....and, right now, I'm still leaning towards getting the Avalon.
catman: Do yourself a favor and check out the Hyundai Azera. That car surprised and impressed the heck out of me. It is solidly built, has a smooth and integrated powertrain/transmission and no rattles! Hyundai are offering a lease special on the Limited. If more folks discover it, I think it could become an Avalon-killer.
The Azera does have a nice ride, it has room and power, but it's nowhere close to being an Avalon killer. The styling is a bit dated, it looks like a late 90's Pontiac Bonneville in my opinion.
I find that shifting to the S mode seems to reduce the hide and seek games played between the engine and transmission. Anyone else notice improvement in S mode?
I had My avalon XLS about one month and have the problem exactly same as your, will bring the car back to dealer later to check this problem. Hope they can fix this and will update you later.
I test drove the Azera 10 minutes after my first test drive of the Avalon (I like to try various cars back to back to back for a better comparison). Anyway, I know what the numbers say, but the Azera felt quite a bit slower/more sluggish than the Avalon. I don't bring a stop watch for the 0-60 time, but I believe I get a sense for how the car performs as I race up to 60 (actually, I like to punch it up to 80 and then see how it feels crusing at 80). I felt that the Azera's engine was working so dang hard to get up to 80 and, perhaps, that's why it felt sluggish. When I feel the engine working hard, I feel like I'm working hard. On the flip side, the Avalon was as smooth as any car I've tested on the way to 80. I know you guys are mentioning this transmission shutter issue, but I've tested an Avalon on 3 separate occasions now (looking for different things) and I didn't notice any shutter...but I will test it one more time to specifically look for this.
Anyway, maybe I'll try the Azera again as perhaps I got a bad one on the test drive. Or, perhaps, I was still getting over the feeling of getting thrown back into my seat testing the Charger RT (which I tested right before I tested the Avalon that day). The Charger was a beast that had absolutely no problem getting to 80....and the Avalon was so smooth getting to 80....that anything in between (the Azera) was probably not going to cut the mustard that day.
I use only the 'S' mode and have found no noticeable transmission problem. The Avalon drivetrain, in spite of being front rather than rear, seems about the same as my Lexus GS. In my experience, these drive-by-wire designs all lack the degree of sudden acceleration response provided by their predecessors. Many years ago, I had a Mercury 428 cu. in. beast that was an immediate rocket sled... but with slower 0-60 time than this Avalon. And the Mercury got about 12 mpg when it was treated gently...
The transmission hesitation and general electromechanical confusion is most apparent in stop and go traffic when it has to change and adapt quickly, or if you suddenly press the throttle to pull away quickly. I test drove 3 Avalons before getting mine, and didn't feel anything amiss with the transmission until I started using it in heavy traffic. It just doesn't do what you would expect it to, thumps, clunks and slips and sometimes gets completely out of sync with the situation. Toyota consider this a normal "characteristic" of the transmission. Test drive in traffic if you are concerned about this issue.
2005 Toyota Avalon - Hesitation & Lousy Shifting by tome1 Mar 15, 2006 (1:36 pm) Bookmark | Reply | E-mail Msg In June 2005,we purchased a new Avalon. Almost immediately,we started noticing that the low speed shifting was not smooth (jerky). This is most noticeable when slowing down and then accelerating as you would constantly be doing in city driving. At the same time,a hesitation would occur. I have spoken to the dealership and opened an incident report with Toyota. All that I've been told is that this "characteristic" of this 5 speed transmission and the way that it is controlled by the computer. The hesitation is again "computer" related in conjunction with the wonderful "electronic" accelerator control. I just recently opened a complaint in NHTSA web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) as a result of a close call we experienced because of this lousy performance in the Avalon. We were exiting a major interstate and had to quickly merge into a heavily travelled secondary highway. As I slowed and then proceeded to accelerate,the engine RPM died off and then when the car decided to shift it lunged forward at high speed. This all happened in the span of 1 or 2 seconds but was enough delay that it frightened all in the car. I've been reviewing Edmunds for similar problems with other Avalons and see that I'm not alone here. Has anyone gotten "ANY" satisfaction from Toyota on these problems???
Comments
People who are willing to go out and spend $60k for the wonderful LS, are generally more concerned with labels than they are with value. Difficult to justify otherwise. In fact, if you really think about it, $35k for an Avalon also difficult to justify. But, we are all entitled to our pleasures, aren't we?
And, FWIW, you would not be the only one that would be bothered passing 6 cars on the freeway that are the same as yours - a Camry kind of problem!
I drove the new Camry SE this week, and while I found it to be a nice car and a great leap forward for the Camry, it's not nearly as nice as the Avalon. The power is good and the transmission was fairly smooth (some slight throttle lag but not too bad), but the ride was real bumpy. The seats were too firm and I felt like I was getting bounced around in a grocery cart. The Avalon Touring is worlds above the Camry in terms of ride quality.
Other than that I thought it was a nice car, probably the other trims will ride much smoother.
as for the interior of the Av Touring vs. the Av XLS, the Touring is nice. Personally, I can't stand fake wood on most cars...and Toyota can keep the wood they use in the XLS/Limited. That hammered aluminum look in the Touring is nice. Aluminum pedals would be nice.
as far as price, it looks like you can get an Av Touring with the upgraded stereo and sunroof for about the same price as the Camry XLE.
I'll post instructions on the other fixes soon...
Thanks in advance,
Doug
I have an annoying rattle/tapping/ticking noise coming from the shelf/roof area in the back. The dealor put some "spacing" where the headliner meets the back windshield which helped with the roof rattle a bit.
But, the shelf/C-pillar rattle is driving me NUTS! and I can't isolate it. I've sat in the back with someone else driving the car trying to find it....no luck......any ideas?
I don't have the laser-assist version, as its only the XL Avalon... but it sounds like there still may be some sort of connection between the CC and the wash/wipe...
I am sure that there is a fault somewhere because the cc light flashes and the ABS light comes on...
If you think about it for a minute though, there is more reason to keep the laser-assisted CC active when you wash/wipe BECAUSE that is when you can not see thru the windscreen.... and the laser will be able to 'see' for you..?
I have an 05 XLS and wanted the Touring but it didn't have VSC available at the time. Why did I want the Touring? Firmer suspension/better handing = more fun and safer handling car. Coming from a Maxima SE, the lost cushiness going to a Touring would've been meaningless to me.
Were I in your shoes, I'd go for the Touring - you can always buy some wood kit for the dash/door inserts if you don't like the faux aluminum trim. As for the leather, be glad you'll be getting the dark charcoal - it's the nicest color combination out there (IMHO). Many on this forum have lamented the lack of avaiability of dark charcoal leather in the other trim levels.
Regarding the wheels, like the interior trim, they are things easily changed. If you live in the snow belt you might actually find it advantageous to buy another set of wheels mounted with snow tires, thereby eliminating your wheel dilemna 3-6 months out of each year. Conversely, these changes (wheels specifically) can be costly, but no car out there is perfect.
Put another way (from a hetero male perspective), you can look at the Avalon Touring as a nice looking woman with a great personality who doesn't dress well (with your dislikes about the car being the woman's sense of style). Now let say the XLS is a nice looking, well dressed woman with a bad personality (with its suspension being the bad personality).
Which would you choose? My point is that it's a lot easier to get a woman to change her clothes than her personality (just try succeeding with the latter) :P .
You can easily change the things you don't like if you get the Touring, but changing the suspension on an XLS is like trying to change the woman's personality - not gonna happen. I've been longing to replace my XLS shocks/struts with those of the Touring, or get an aftermarket setup, but the aftermarket doesn't yet support our Avy's suspension, and No Toyota mechanic can tell whether or not installing the Touring suspension in the XLS is a simple swaping of parts.
Another point about "appearance" of a car/its features: I'm spending a lot more time driving a car than I am looking at it, so any gripes about the car's exterior I can live with (the Avalon is no beauty in car design circles anyway). As far as the plastiluminum is concerned, the aftermarket wood kit is a cheap fix (you might be able to buy real wood too), and if you aren't a "do-it-yourselfer" any car customizing shop will do the install for a nominal fee.
What I should do is just trade the 05 XLS in for an 06 Touring. What you should do is completely up to you. Hope I've helped. Let me know what you decide.
Regards,
Deanie
265 HP engine (I like Power)
21/30 MPG (I do alot of driving)
Stylish/Sleek interior
Reasonably roomie in the front and exceptional room in the back W/reclining rear seats.
Very Decent JBL sound system.
$30,900 price tag!
I really feel The Avalon offers satisfied luxury for a very decent price.
I only wish there were more MODS for the car but I am satisfied enough the standard options as is.
MODS to look for in the future:
Air Intake
Exhaust
Lowering Springs
* These mods I haven't found available. I would appreciate any links leading to these MODS of an 06 AV. :confuse:
Regards,
Derrick
I just installed the reverse backing system from Awell and wanted to spread a word of warning: when measuring out the location of the sensors, do not measure from the ground up but measure from a point on your bumper, e.g. the lower or upper edge as previously suggested. It turns out there is about a 1/2" difference in height between the rear driver and passenger side on my brand-new Avalon (as measured from the floor to the lower edge of the bumper). I wonder if others have noticed this too?
Also, the dark grey sensors that I ordered are a perfect color match with my phantom gray pearl.
The system works just fine and it helpful. $109 and 3hours of work.
Regards,
Andre
ps I'd be happy to offer help/pics to anyone who needs it.
Before I take it in to my dealer, I'm wondering if others are having trouble with this. And, if so, does anyone have a suggestion. Thanks.
BTW, this is my ONLY complaint after owning the car for a month. It is smooth, quiet, rattle free, and powerful. In short, it is AWESOME!
Because of this, the radar cc cuts off when there is enough rain to use the wipers or when the radar senses anomalies due to rain or snow. It's a safety thing.
Steve
Regards
Do you notice the engine tap and noise yet?
How aboput the terrible raod noise from the lousy tires on anything but perfedct roads?
Al
jesse
Thanks,
jesse
Your transmission is unfortunately "normal" - that is, "normal" for a modern Toyota.
I cured the tire noise by replacing the crappy OEM's with Bridgestone Turanza LS-V's. See my previous posts on sizes etc. More info at http://www.tirerack.com
Guys, I know I owe you more instructions on fixing the rattles - I will follow up shortly.
My wife got a new 2006 Honda Pilot last week and the drivetrain comparison with the Avalon is inevitable. Both are 3.5 liter V6's, both use drive by wire systems with 5-speed transmissions.
The difference is amazing. The Pilot has instant throttle response opposed to the Avalon's soggy hesitation, the transmission is seamlessly synchronized, with none of the hunting and slipping the Avalon suffers from, and gear changes are as smooth as silk. The powertrain is quieter and sweeter than the Avalon, smoother at idle and the computer management systems feel consistent, completely "integrated" and completely normal.
Honda got it right and Toyota have it wrong.
Sure the Avalon has more power, but I'd trade that small power advantage for the seamless power delivery, quiet and smoothness of the Honda engine and there are no rattles or funny noises. The gaps between the fenders are tighter than the Avalon and the build quality seems spot-on.
After experiencing the Pilot, if Honda made a larger car than the Accord with the Pilot's 3.5 liter V6, my new Avalon would now be on a Honda used car lot.
Although they are "genuine" Toyota parts, they are not available from most "non-Gulf States" dealerships. My dealership in Washington only offered the dark grey/black mud guards.
I ordered color matched mud guards on-line from "TRD Parts 4U" (I don't want to antagonize our gracious host by posting a web site, so you'll have to figure it out from there). TRD Parts 4U is actually a dealership (Toyota of Dallas) who discounts "genuine" Toyota parts on the internet.
The price: $33.26 per set (need front and rear sets) $66.52. Shipping TX to WA $9.99. Total cost $76.51
Delivery time: Four days. (Note: the web site lists these parts as 2005, but 05 and 06 parts and colors are identical)
The Installation: Very easy. Instructions and all required hardware are provided. Tools required are a phillips screwdriver, a 3/8 inch wrench, a drill, and a 1/4 inch bit. Total time of installation: Less than 1 hour. The front: Installation requires no drilling at all, just remove existing screws and replace them with the provided screws which are slightly longer. No need to remove tires, just turn the wheels to give you some work space.
The rear: I found it best to remove the wheel to give you the required work space and to ensure the drill holes you must make were "square". Don't let the "drill holes in your new car" scare you. You would have to work very, very hard to screw this one up. It's basically a "no brainer" if you use the new mudguard as a template (It's all covered in the instructions). In any event, you just drill two (per mud guard) 1/4 inch holes in the plastic lip of the rear body panel which faces the tire, attach the provided clips and screws and you are done. The holes drilled are not on the surface of the body panel, so you do not damage the vehicle's appearance even if you wanted to remove the mud guards at some later time.
I found this to be a good (and inexpensive) way to "dress up" your Avalon while at the same time providing some rock nick protection.
Rod
My concern with the Avalon...other than this interesting transmission issue....is that once we pack up the double stroller in the trunk, that we would not have a lot of room for luggage even for a weekend trip...and we don't want to put all of our miles on the Pilot.
Thoughts?
Bob
I own an 05' XLS and had luggage concerns similar to yours - two young kids (one stroller/pack-n-play crib). Before I bought the Avalon, I had an old Maxima (sold it) and my company car is a Chrysler Sebring Touring (small car).
My dragon-in-law is staying with us until the youngest becomes 2 and 1/2 yrs old, so I needed real seating for five, good power, high reliability, safe handling/braking/performance numbers, good fuel econ & strong reliability. Seating for five - Avalon was the only choice short of a minivan or an SUV. But Minivans and SUV's don't handle/accelerate/brake particularly well, they range from "not great" to "bad" on gas, but offer superior luggage capacity. I travel to NYC from MD 4-6 times per year and renting a minivan/SUV that frequently would be prohibitively costly.
So, How do I manage with five passengers on trips in an Avalon XLS? A pair of Saris roof load bars and a 15 cubic foot cargo box costing $500-$600 (Thule or Yakima will do as well, but are far more complicated and less aerodynamic). Even when fully loaded with the box, I still get 25-27 hwy MPG @70-75mph and when the trip's over I remove the box and load bars and get my 27-29 highway MPG again. It's a total of 20-30 minutes to install/remove each trip an elegant and solution to a temporary and relatively infrequent problem. Gas ain't getting any cheaper and to expect it to is a bad bet.
The one time every 2-3 years I'd actually need more capacity than I have between my trunk and cargo box (hasn't happened yet), I'd rent a larger vehicle. You already have a Pilot, why not get a car you'd enjoy more that's more responsible to own (better mpg), more fun (more horsepower and less weight = quicker/faster vehicle, which translates to safer as well). Hope I've helped. Please post what you plan on doing.
Regards,
Deanie
Nice car but feels generic.
The Avalon is an Azera killer in resale value...
NWBLIZZARD
Anyway, maybe I'll try the Azera again as perhaps I got a bad one on the test drive. Or, perhaps, I was still getting over the feeling of getting thrown back into my seat testing the Charger RT (which I tested right before I tested the Avalon that day). The Charger was a beast that had absolutely no problem getting to 80....and the Avalon was so smooth getting to 80....that anything in between (the Azera) was probably not going to cut the mustard that day.
Test drive in traffic if you are concerned about this issue.
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In June 2005,we purchased a new Avalon. Almost immediately,we started noticing that the low speed shifting was not smooth (jerky). This is most noticeable when slowing down and then accelerating as you would constantly be doing in city driving. At the same time,a hesitation would occur. I have spoken to the dealership and opened an incident report with Toyota. All that I've been told is that this "characteristic" of this 5 speed transmission and the way that it is controlled by the computer. The hesitation is again "computer" related in conjunction with the wonderful "electronic" accelerator control. I just recently opened a complaint in NHTSA web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) as a result of a close call we experienced because of this lousy performance in the Avalon. We were exiting a major interstate and had to quickly merge into a heavily travelled secondary highway. As I slowed and then proceeded to accelerate,the engine RPM died off and then when the car decided to shift it lunged forward at high speed. This all happened in the span of 1 or 2 seconds but was enough delay that it frightened all in the car. I've been reviewing Edmunds for similar problems with other Avalons and see that I'm not alone here. Has anyone gotten "ANY" satisfaction from Toyota on these problems???