The steering wheel tilts and telescopes over a substantial range, and it's wrapped with leather on all but the base Avalon XL. The wheel spokes have buttons to adjust audio and climate settings, and they're also a great compromise: big and easy to find, but not confusing. Wipers and lights follow Toyota's familiar pattern, with the light switch on the left stalk and wipers on the right. Everything, from window and mirror switches to armrest heights, is just as we like them: Again, it's one of Toyota's best arrangements.
Avalon's basic dashboard layout is clean and simple, but not simplistic. Its so-called Optitron gauges are large, crisp and easy to see through the top half of the steering wheel. The large LCD informational display is located right in the center of the dash, above the switch stack. It offers a wide range of information, like inside temperature settings, outside temperature, time, date and fuel range, in large, easy-to-read script.
A touch-release cover below the LCD screen lifts to expose the audio controls. Those most frequently adjusted, including the tuner and volume control, are bigger than the knobs in most other cars. The six-CD changer is standard in all Avalons for 2008, and so is an audio jack to connect iPods or other MP3 players. The upgrade JBL audio package adds Bluetooth capability and 360 watts of output. It sounds fantastic, though we could certainly live with the standard stereo.
The primary temperature, air flow and fan adjustment knobs are huge, located on either side of the stereo and prominently back-lit in pastel turquoise that reminds us of Miami Beach. They operate with a firm, steady action, and they're nearly impossible to miss when the driver reaches a hand from the steering wheel.
The sunroof button and overhead light switch are located above the rearview mirror, with a drop-down sunglasses holder. One omission inside the Avalon is its lack of individual reading lights for front seat passengers, and the omission glares more because the interior is generally so nice. Buttons for the seat warmers are dials offering a range of heat intensity, located on the center console next to the gear selector.
The center console itself is simple but effective, with three touch screen doors. One door exposes the cupholders, and the others, storage compartments. The larger compartment has two power points and the audio jack. There's also a felt-lined change bin.
Avalon's door pockets have no lining material, and the hard plastic allows items such as sunglasses to slide (and potentially scratch) easily. Still, those pockets are wide and deep, and we love how they swing open like a folder to allow an easy reach inside. The glove box will swallow a whole lot of gloves, along with a clutch or handbag.
The Limited model comes with a rear glass sunshade, operated by the driver. A new feature for 2008 automatically lowers the sunshade if it's up when the driver engages reverse, then lifts it again when the driver selects drive.
Avalon's rear seatbacks recline over a limited range (still a rare feature), and the feeling of roominess carries through in back. Leg room for rear passengers surpasses that in many taxis: With the driver's seat adjusted for a 5-foot, 9-inch driver, a 5-foot, 9-inch passenger had enough room to stretch legs fully, with feet pointed under the front seat. The rear bench's width is impressive, too. Three-across seating is no problem here, and accommodations are improved by the flat rear floor. Headroom comes in the shortest supply, but it's still adequate. That 5-foot, 9-inch passenger was brushing his close-cropped hair on the headliner with the rear seat back in its most upright position. Adjusting the rear seatback to maximum recline added an inch or two of headroom.
Individual reading lights are provided for both rear passengers, and two adjustable air vents on the rear of the center console. The rear door pockets don't fold open like those in front, but there are stretchy map pockets on the front seatbacks. Noting a fixed grab handle over each door and a folding armrest in middle of the seatback, we've covered the amenities in the rear half of the Avalon cabin. The rear armrest drops a little too low for our taste, and the shallow cupholders built into it are more like cup stabilization points. They are cupholders only if there is a hand helping hold the cup.
Trunk capacity is substantially less than, at 14.4 cubic feet, than in similarly sized competitors such as the Ford Taurus (21.2 cubic feet), Chrysler 300 (19.7), and Chevrolet Impala (18.6), and less than in Toyota's smaller Camry sedan (15.5).
That 14.4 cubic feet still provides a lot of room for luggage or a serious shopping binge, but Avalon is further hampered by its basic shape. The trunk is long but relatively narrow, with much of the available space stretching forward toward the rear seatback, under the rear glass and shelf. The trunk lid raises itself once you pop it, something many trunk lids don't do. The trunk opening is smaller than that on other cars in Avalon's class and small relative to the trunk's volume, so large items that might fit in the trunk may not fit through the opening.
A locking pass-through allows longer items such as skis to slide into the cabin between the outboard rear passengers, though Avalon does not offer the folding rear seatbacks available on some competitors. A standard, removable cargo net hangs within easy reach across the trunk opening to keep items such as plastic grocery bags from dumping or sliding around during transport. Next Page