Another example: The Smart Key on the Limited. To use it, we just walked up to the car. At a touch, all four doors unlocked. We sat down. Foot on the brake, we touched the Start button and the car hummed, more like a computer than an automobile. There is no key, no fumbling, only a perfectly convenient entry.
Like the rest of the car, the suspension is set up primarily for comfort. On tight roads some body roll can be induced. Yet the Avalon held any reasonable line through a corner we cared to strike, protesting only at careless tossing, absorbing pavement irregularities at the apex with little apparent concern. It's a front-wheel-drive configuration, with struts controlling L-shaped lower control arms, and a multi-link/strut arrangement in the back, so the car tends to squat slightly coming out of corners, and pull through them from the front. Handling, if not highly sportive, is extremely well balanced.
The Touring grade, by contrast to the Limited, is set up for sharper handling performance, with stiffer 17-inch wheels, Michelin MXV4 tires, and stiffer shock tuning. It has quicker reflexes, at the expense of some ride comfort and noise control, but does supply a very secure, on-center feeling through the twisties. Steering, in both cases power rack-and-pinion, manages to avoid the over-assisted vagaries common to large SUVs and domestic family sedans.
The engine and transmission provide unobtrusive performance. As the car slowly transformed us from aggressive testers into relaxed tourists, we loafed along, absorbing local color and the flavor of the environment. Fifth gear is a very relaxed overdrive, allowing the engine to maintain cruise with minimal effort. As we mixed with commuters and lunch-break traffic, the car remained understressed, quietly relaxed, and undemanding.
Later in the day, we addressed a steep mountain pass with some determination and were rewarded with 280 horsepower backed by a five-speed automatic that knows when to shift. Our speeds were in the 30 to 50 mph range when we began to operate the transmission in manual mode, tap-shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear and revving up and down through the corners.
The V6 pulls strongly at higher rpm (and right up to the 6200 rpm redline), but remains remarkably quiet in the process. It's a 4-valve, double overhead-cam power plant, with aluminum block and heads. The short stroke means that it likes to rev, and it has very low reciprocating mass, with very low friction cam gear. These are the characteristics of a long-life, efficient everyday car engine with exceptional passing power. Our forays into canyon carving were not perfectly consistent with this type of design, and yet they were not frustrating, either. The horsepower is there, and the transmission will allow you to access it. Add the tighter suspension of the Touring model and the Avalon is decidedly sporty. But that's not what the Avalon is about. It's a car that makes everyday use a pleasant experience, a versatile cruiser and around-town chariot that shortens long trips, thoughtfully insulating occupants from jagged loose ends of the real world. The original Avalon was the same, and this generation is as well. Only, it's 33 percent more powerful. The new V6 is rated by the EPA to deliver 22 mpg City/30 mpg Highway.
It's a smooth powerplant, and the low vibration is no accident; an active control mount cancels low-rpm motions of the engine. Transmission upshifts are governed by third-generation electronic software with specific engine mount tuning to reduce shift shock. Part-throttle upshifts are barely noticeable.
Our Limited had the optional Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, and Brake Assist. These are dynamic systems that remain in the background until wheel slip, or skidding, is detected. VSC helps keep a skidding vehicle on the road by braking certain tires instantly. We activated the traction control by hammering the throttle from a standing start, with one side on pavement and the other on a sandy shoulder area. Sure enough: no wheelspin, just a smooth departure. We're told it works on wet surfaces and snow-covered roads, anyplace with mixed friction driving surfaces.
Brake Assist steps in when you stab the brakes, as if you were in a panic stop. Very hard, sharp application of the brake pedal automatically triggers the ABS response, slowing the vehicle quickly in anticipation of a possible impact. The idea is, if an impact can not be avoided, the system can at least make sure it happens at a lower (safer) speed. Next Page