Toyota's flagship, Avalon, gets a refresh for the 2019 model year and comes in a hybrid model as well.
The North American International Auto Show is being dominated by trucks this year with some notable exceptions, such as the fifth generation Toyota Avalon.
The 2019 Avalon unveiled in Detroit, with its 113-inch wheel base, sits on Toyota’s New Global Architecture platform, and is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 or Toyota Hybrid System powertrain, which is coming to market right along with the V6 to give consumers more choices when it arrives in showrooms.
The new Avalon also has several new features, such as standard Apple CarPlay and Dynamic Auxiliary Turn Signals, available authentic Yamaha wood and aluminum cabin accents, and Engine Sound Enhancement that are used in a Toyota product for the first time.
In addition, the 2019 Avalon utilizes what the Japanese automaker describes as a trifecta of new lighting elements such as signature DRL and Parking Light with Technical Laser Ablation, which allows light to transmit through its transparent areas encased by a laser-ablated, metallized inner lens.
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The laser ablation creates a specialized texture with intricate patterning.
Avalon’s LED taillights also implement laser ablation on Limited and Touring’s units, as well as Dynamic Auxiliary Turn Signal. The three-dimensional Aero Fin Jet makeup insets the reverse indicator below the rear lamp, effectively widening the look of the lamp housing.
Drivers will appreciate the standard passive and active safety benefits through Toyota Safety Sense, Avalon’s handling has been refined with Adaptive Variable Suspension, also a Toyota first, that, quite positively, has Avalon outperforming its peers in the full-size arena.
For its fifth generation, the exterior styling of the Avalon received a compete makeover from Toyota’s U.S.-based design, engineering and manufacturing entities at Calty Design Research Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The exterior elements provide Avalon with an “expressive” look that reflects a mixture of performance-focused personality as well as a sense of the vehicle’s spacious interior dimensions.
The adaptable platform allowed for an exterior that is also longer, lower, and wider than before on previous versions of the Avalon. New stamping techniques also aided in shaping the car’s sculpted forms and complex surfaces.
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Avalon’s dimensions echo the seductive physiques of high-dollar premium sedans. The cabin, however, keeps its characteristic low-profile heritage by extending the space for the rear seats by 7 inches.
Avalon’s various height measurements have been trimmed: overall by 1 inch rear deck by 0.8 inches. The front and rear overhangs are shorter but the Avalon is wider and the wheelbase is two inches longer to reinforce car’s premium aura and sporty stature.
Avalon’s fluency in luxuriousness and exhilarating extroversions isn’t restrained to its provocative looks. Its TNGA platform’s thin structural pillars and broad windshield to the sense of interior spaciousness for driver and passenger.
On the inside, the Avalon is equipped with A JBL performance audio system is standard on Limited and Touring grades and is available on XLE and XSE grades. XLE and XSE passengers can listen to crisp tunes on a standard eight-speaker system having Entune 3.0 Audio Plus with Connected Navigation Scout GPS Link App and Entune 3.0 App Suite Connect, featuring new in-vehicle third-party applications. Apple CarPlay is standard on all grades.
Entune 3.0 Toyota Connected Services include: Safety Connect and Service Connect with a three-year trial period, and Remote Connect with a 6-month trial. Wi-Fi Connect Powered by Verizon trial with up to 2GB within 6 months and Entune 3.0 App Suite is subscription-free.
The system’s new 9-inch capacitive touchscreen can be pinched and flicked, just like personal mobile devices.
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Avalon will also feature Toyota’s first integration of smartwatch or Amazon Alexa-enabled device connectivity, as part of Toyota Remote Connect. This innovative connection allows drivers to lock/unlock their doors, start their engine, or check their fuel level, all from the convenience of their smartwatch or Amazon Alexa-enabled device. It’s voice controllable too, and compatible with select Android or Apple devices.