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Comments
My last several Buicks didn't allow this, as I recall.
On future models, I can see a better separation between these two buttons.
Certain options are (literally) grayed out, once you start moving. I guess the biggest annoyance is limiting your ability to change your destination. You are allowed to change your destination to 6 preset destinations in memory plus any emergency' POI (points of interest).
However, you cannot enter a brand new address destination when your moving.
I haven't tried calling Toyota about trying to dis/able this option. I can reason that a non-driver can be changing the destination while I concentrate on driving. :shades:
Another, positive feature was the ability to easily go to standard transmission coming down the mountains whether the engine could do the majority of the braking. I was amazing to me to see how easy it was to down shift and not have a clutch to contend with while not stripping the gears The sunscreen was great to reduce the sun coming through the back window and even at nights to reduce the bright headlights additionally.
On the screen I gpt 34.6 mpg a few times but averaged between 28-31 mpg during fillups depending on the conditions (highway driving). Outside of damaging the front bumper of the car from bottoming out from the low overhang of the Avalon it was a joy driviing the Limited.
Paul
Paul
I just bought avalon touring 05. My baby needs DVD system on it. I would love to invest in a portable DVD player like toshiba or sony, however, how do I put that thing secure behind the seat? Are there any other options? I don't want to install on the roof becaue i am leasing the car and don't want to damage or invest on things that i can't take it with me.
Please suggest.
Thanks,
mark
There is a company by the name of Invision which happens to be a subsidiary of the company that makes the headrests for Toyota. They have a unit that replaces the factory headrests with NHTSA approved headrests with DVD screens in them. The standard unit includes 2 headrests each with individual DVD players which can be "synched" together to show the same DVD or show individual DVD's. They both have game inputs and wireless headphones. Can be hard-wired into a power line or you can use the DC adaptor in your lighter jack. Not all dealers have them, so you may have to call around.
Hope this helps.
Ken
I expect they chose the trunk lid as the mounting point since it's a lot easier to run the wiring to it there than on the roof. My aftermarket XM radio on another car came with instructions to put it as close to the center of the roof as possible and to put it on a metal portion of the car.
I've been following this forum for quite a while now (been here since havalong first got his car) and I have heard of alot of problems, but none of them worry me quite as much as the transmission hesitation. My mother is in the market for a new car and the first one that came to my mind was the Avalon but I don't want her stuck with a lemon. Am I just worried too much or do I have a good reason to be concerned?
Thanks to all who reply.
wayoutthere
http://www.xmfanstore.com/showproduct.php?id=cmatchroadyant
I would recommend the Avalon without hesitation (pun intended).
In my experience over nearly 5 months my Avalon has continued to have a few "sometimes indecisive transmission" episodes, but this behavior is infrequent and harmless. It can happen when stepping on the gas after having slowed down from cruising speeds to a near-stop (while in D). The engine revs up quickly and more than I would expect necessary but the car does not lounge forward excessively; it still accelerates smoothly. It seems as if too low a gear was selected but the clutch is gently and gradually engaged. This is not a "hesitation" in the sense that acceleration was not delayed. It just seems as if the wrong gear was selected, but the car advances smoothly anyway and soon shifts up once or twice to the right gear for the intended motion.
I've been catching up with recent posts lately, one suggested that the adaptive transmission memory doesn't operate when you shift over to S ("manual shift") and select 4; I'm now testing this.
Some earlier posters have reported different, more serious transmission problems, though. If you remain concerned maybe you can arrange to thoroughly test-drive the car before you accept delivery.
Best wishes,
havalongavalon
Gary
thanks alot
It's interesting but I also was testing my transmission in 'S' mode but in 5th gear. It seems like that helps and transmission shifts smoother. Do you think there is a difference between selecting 4 or 5? My thought is if you are on the highway, you better off with 5.
Regards,
yurik
Gear V is an overdrive ratio designed to put the highway gas mileage of the 2005 Avalon into the elite range..30 mpg plus for a car this size. There is no benefit to overall performance or speed at any time except the gas mileage increase. Gears I thru IV should give you all you need below 55-60 mph. After that, Gear V begins to make some difference in the mileage. Experiment a little...you will see.
I was traveling, so I couldn't reply sooner to your post #7288 where you said, "Don't the speedometers of the US Avalons show both miles and kilometers. MPH on the outside and KM on the inside. Just the opposite of the Canadian models. However the odometer would show miles. Why would Transport Canada not allow a person to bring a brand new car into Canada just because of the different odometer calibration? We'll have to look into this!! ... I just checked on the Transport Canada website and the Avalon is approved for import into Canada. No mention of required changes to the speedo or odometer."
Friends who have imported (used) cars both ways across the border, either to take advantage of price differences or model availability, had to have the car inspected and sometimes modified to meet local requirements. Canadian minivans imported into the US required expensive replacement of the speedometer/odometer instrumentation by a bonded mechanic. But a US model Toyota Land Cruiser (only available in Canada as the far more expensive Lexus Land Cruiser) met a checklist of over 150 items without needing any modification.
It is reasonable that the US Avalon is approved for import into Canada, since it includes daylight running lights and other safety features required in Canada. If this approval extends to the Limited, which is not sold here, then you or I could have crossed the border in a couple of hours and bought a loaded Limited from a US dealer, and for less than we paid for our Canadian XLS Avalons... Something that is disheartening for us, but prospective Canadian Avalon buyers may really want to look into!
Regards,
havalongavalon
Further to what fin said, the only difference between selecting 4 or 5 while in 'S' mode is that you decide what will be the highest available gear. In either case the transmission will automatically select a gear between 1 and 4, or 1 and 5, according to driving conditions. Controlling the highest available gear is useful when you want to reach higher RPM without automatically shifting, or to assist the brakes on downhills.
But an additional benefit that was recently discussed is that when you go into 'S' mode, the adaptive transmission memory is de-activated. This will help if you don't like the shifting behavior that may develop when you are driving in 'D' mode.
And I agree with you, when you are driving on the highway it's best to shift in 'S' and 5, this will cover the entire range that you have in 'D' mode but without any annoying learned shifting patterns.
Regards,
havalongavalon
Today I looked at several new Nisson altimas". Their workmanship is much better than my Limited. Ange1
I like the Avalon and its styling. I think its bold and "Lexus-like". However, some of my biggest gripes are the lack of fold down seats, fold in mirrors, and no trunk lock. In my area, another problem is that the dealerships have rude personnel and they do not respond to pricing/availability questions quickly. In contrrast, the Honda dealerships in my area are generally very good and the personnel are nice.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up my new XLS from a Toyota dealer in the north eastern Atlanta area. Within a day, I realized that the Bridgestone EL400's were VERY noisy. Lots of drumming and grainy roadnoise on anything but very smooth surfaces. It ran much noisier than my '02. Even my wife commented on how noisy the car was, and she is usually oblivious to anything car related. I emailed the Toyota salesperson requesting that they switch the Bridgestones for the Michelins. I hadn't even put 20 miles on the car. I didn't get a reply, so I called again and left a message. I hadn't received a call back the following day so I called, got voicemail. I eventually had the salesman paged and as soon as he got on the line he was arrogant and aggressive. :mad: He told me that it was my fault that the car was noisy because I declined the $699 Toyogard package! He said that the manager wouldn't switch the tires but they would send the car "back to port" to get Toyogard installed for $699. I insisted that he ask the manager to switch the tires, but he told me the manager was out playing golf and wouldn't be back until the following day.
Naturally, I didn't get a call back the next day, and to make a long story short, the dealer gave me a run-around and the general manager didn't return phone calls or emails. Great management. :sick:
I called Toyota Customer Service and opened a case number. They said they would contact the S.E. Toyota representative and the dealer. I didn't expect to hear anything back, so I went to a corporate owned Bridgestone store and told them about my dissatisfaction with the EL400's. They made a phone call to Bridgestone corporate who authorized the tires to be switched out for Turanza LS-V's if I paid the difference in cost, which was minimal. I have LS-H's on my '02 Avalon and LS-T's on our Sienna, and they are a superb smooth riding and very quiet tire, so I was ecstatic to receive this kind of service. Bridgestone ordered the set for me.
The next day I received an email from the dealer where they said that Toyota had contacted them regarding my complaint and Toyota had asked them to switch the tires for the Michelins, but they wanted $100 for their effort. I had the Turanza LS-V's installed and my new Avalon now glides along in smooth silence. The Turanza LS series are an exceptional tire and a very good match for Toyotas. I can't say enough good things about Bridgestone's customer service. I am now a customer for life. As for that pathetic Toyota dealer in Duluth - I will never walk into that dealership again and I will certainly be spreading the word about how I was treated. A number of my clients have been very impressed with my Avalon but I will suggest that they purchase from another dealer - and specify Michelin tires before signing. At least Toyota Corporate followed up and tried to put things right, which I appreciated.
Otherwise, this is one incredible car for the money... If only the Toyota dealers :lemon: were up to the standard of the car.
Cna somebody please let me know exactly what's happening wiht tires. I just bought touring and put 76 miles already. I am not seeing much noise wiht the default tires (as I used to drive pilot which grinds more than a tractor).
changing to michelin is free from toyota?
thanks,
drb
I think a problem that my be partly causing a hesitation is the engine RPM is pretty low in town running 30- 40 MPH and when we accelerate, it takes seconds to get going the way we expect it to.I find shifting into 4th gear when driving somewhere below 40 MPH in town works well.I am trying to determine at what speed the transmisson automatically shifts into 5th gear. I have not been able to follow the tachometer close enough to determine this shift point.I feel, at less than about 40 MPH, the car compression slows the car down more then noted in 5th gear doing about 50 MPH, so I assume it is in 4th gear. Does anyone know the typical speed that the transmission shifts into 5th gear? Remember when you get to open highways return the transmission to 5th.
Despite all the defects repaired by the dealer and my gripes about the Limited, it still is an okey car. If you would ask me today, if I should have bought another model car, my answer would have to be yes. Ange1
What don't you like about the Avalon? What would you have considered buying in its place?
I immediately checked for all the items people have commented on, my exhaust pipes are straight and even, my Drivng'Fog lights aren't loose, my doors don't stick (except when my daughter pulls on the rear door just as I'm unlocking and then I have to lock and unlock again...lol). About the only distortion I can find in the rear window is by the defroster, radio and GPS wires and that seems to be more from looking through the window at an angle, I can't notice anything when looking throught the rearview mirror.
I have Michelin's and I have no drift, except on roads with a huge crown in the middle, and the Tranny is so smooth I haven't been able to tell where ae the shift points are yet because I need to watch to see when the Tach drops.
I don't think there will be fold down rear seats because of the recliners. I have found several problems with the owners manual, they should really hire english speaking proof readers, and make them try every instruction as written.
I recently took my first trip 200 miles each way, and it was awesome, 30 to 31 MPG at 65 to 70 with 3 adults, luggage and the air on constantly since the temp was 90+ with high humidity. Used the Nav, no maps the whole trip, found addresses we were going in the phone book and never asked directions, in fact, several other people traveling with us would follow me to the restaurants, malls, etc. I was like the Pied Piper..LOL.
The best test though is taking the car to the car wash. Those guys and gals see every type and model of car there is, new and old, fancy and plain, and they are mostly young. At the car wash on my trip the guy that delivered the car came over and said that is one sweet ride. He said the other guy that was helping sweep out the car and clean the windows said.."I'll take it, just deliver it to my driveway!"..LOL One attendant at the car wash near my home asked "what is the difference between that and a Lexus?"..I replied, "about $7.500."
So yes, I'd buy this car again, and I believe they are getting better with each one they build, given my experience compared to some of the earlier pioneers that bought the 1st 15,000 made. Happy motoring....
Does anyone have any experience concerning this? I was planning to have my side and rear windows tinted.
zekeman1"
I agree. If you do nothing, you deserve what you get. Here is another option to use that may get you to a much higher level at Toyota. These go to a very high level within the corporation. I sent one to Cadillac and had a response within hours. Try it. When I don't get satisfaction at the bottom, I try to drop down from the top. Works much better. The little guy has no clout.
http://www.planetfeedback.com/consumer/
If you go over to the Edmunds Lexus RX330 Problems forum, you'll see that it's had a few pesky issues including wind noise, odd clunks and thunks and in early models, some transmission problems.
Toyota may be able to export the Toyota Production System that strives for assembly perfection to North America, but they can't export their Japan-based Supply Chain's extensive expertise and component/product quality. For many years here in North America, many of the parts for cars built here were sourced in Japan.
That leads me to feel that the other thing that has impacted Toyota North American quality is the shift to a higher % of the parts sourced in North America, which is likely one of the other byproducts of bringing the executive from Nummi to TMMK (Georgetown). His extensive experience working with GM counterparts and their suppliers at NUMMI would be a strong asset for him to drive the effort to increase the % of NA content.
I think that our expectations that North American-made Toyotas will ever equal those assembled in Japan is naive. Similarly, we ought to recognize that the highest quality Toyotas made in North America are in the past for some time to come.
I drove the new Altima's when they first came out, and they were definitely lacking in some areas. They have had a few years to 'dial them in'. I'm sure Toyota will do the same here. I had expected some resolution of the issues for 06, but it doesn't sound like they did anything. Let's hope they did, but didn't tell us yet.
Duluth where? Dealers in other 'Duluths' may be getting a bad rap.
Yoshio Iniaba, CEO
Toyota Motor Corporation
25 Atlantic Avenue
Erlanger, KY 41018-3188
In addition, it was mostly engines/transmissions that were sourced from Japan. <Most of the parts were U.S. or "North American" if you look at the Federal window stickers showing Part Content for those years.
As far as the transmission issue, I'm not sufe how big a problem it is with the Avalon even though there is an increasing number of posters here. Based on their comments, it appears to be due to software or other issues. If Toyota did not fix it wilt the ES 330, they will not fix it anytime with the Avalon. They have not been very proactive in doing recalls (i.e. the engine foam problem.) However, as Consumer Reports, indicates a new model is just going to have more bugs than an older model.
I think the problems in general among all car companies is the rush to contain manufacturing costs due to the competitive nature of the industry where incentives and discounts are the norm.
My wife had an experience similar to your car wash story when she went to pick up our Limited at the window tinting place. They told her they sorry but she could not have her car back. Being quite concerned, she asked why not? They said "because we like it too much"
I put a Kenwood subwofer box in the trunk and it seemed a lot fuller, and the factory speakers had some highs as well as nice seperation.
Adding some bass really made a difference.
Moe
zekeman1
The only drawback, I'm afraid, is as far as I heard, the traction and stability controls don't work when transmission is in 'S' mode
Everything is fine with the tint; no problems.
35% all over, in compliance with WA State law.