stabilizer bars.
Toyota's hard work on noise abatement has resulted in a quiet driving experience and the suspension keeps
road irregularities from invading your privacy. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering is effortless,
with just enough effort built in to provide good road feel.
The seats provide good support and there's enough bucket in the buckets to keep you from moving around in
corners. There is reasonable room in the rear, so you shouldn't feel guilty about putting good friends back
there.
Fickle Connecticut weather allowed us to test the Avalon in just about every driving condition imaginable:
dry, wet, wet with leaves, snow, snow turning to slush and back to dry. For many people, front-wheel drive has
changed their confidence in inclement weather. Add traction control and some drivers begin to take slippery
conditions for granted. Traction control works well, reduces the effect human error and inspires confidence.
But, as with anti-lock brakes (ABS), drivers should not let technology replace sensible driving technique. The
laws of physics still apply.
When the traction control system detects even the slightest loss of traction, it instantly reduces torque to
the slipping wheel. The driver's role is to let up on the gas until traction is returned.
We activated the system several times, sometimes on purpose, sometimes when we applied too much power on a slippery road. Each time, power was instantly reduced and control was regained. Slippery, low-speed corners present a traction problem, but traction control reduces the chance that the rear end of the car will lose traction and cause the car to spin. No matter how much throttle is used, the system will only apply the amount of power that the front wheels can accept without spinning. So forward progress is drastically limited in extremely slippery conditions. Next Page