Toyota Avalon

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Toyota Avalon

Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	1995–present
Predecessor	Toyota Cressida
Class	Full-size
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout

The Toyota Avalon is a full-size car produced by Toyota in the United States. It was also produced in Australia, but production stopped in July 2005, as the Toyota Avalon was replaced by the Toyota Aurion. It is produced as a front-wheel drive four-door sedan.

The Avalon filled the gap left since the cancellation of the Toyota Cressida in the American market in 1991. The new Avalon was a large car, whereas the Cressida was an upper-level mid-size, was rear-wheel drive, and had the a I6 engine. The Avalon however, was front-wheel drive and had a V6 engine.

The first Toyota Avalon rolled off the assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky on February 21, 1994 as a 1995 model. A second generation model was released in the United States and Japan in 1999.

1 First generation (1995-1999)
2 Second generation (2000-2004)
3 Third generation (2005-present)
4 Replacement in Australia
5 References
6 External links

[edit] First generation (1995-1999)

First generation

Production	1995–1999 (US) 2000-2005 (Australia)
Assembly	Georgetown, Kentucky Altona, Victoria, Australia
Engine	3.0 L 1MZ-FE V6
Transmission	4-speed A541E automatic
Wheelbase	107.1 in
Length	190.2 in
Width	70.3 in
Height	55.9 in
Fuel capacity	18.5 US gal
Similar	Dodge Intrepid Mazda Millenia Mitsubishi Diamante

Facelifted first generation Avalon

The 1995 Avalon was a completely new model built in the same plant as the Camry. It was positioned higher than the Camry, making it Toyota's flagship. The Avalon was based on a stretched Camry platform and had a 3.0 L V6 engine making 192 hp and 210 ft·lb. of torque.

For 1998, Toyota made minor updates to the front and rear fascias and updated the power rating to 200 hp and increased torque to 214 ft·lb. The Avalon also offered an available front bench seat for full six passenger seating. Its column shifter was the first such feature in a Toyota car since the 1982 Corona.

In 1999, Toyota sold the old tooling for the Avalon to Toyota Australia, which launched this Avalon as an "all new" model in June 2000. The Australian Avalon therefore had an identical body to the original 1995 Avalon. It was a fairly large disaster, being called "boring" by critics and never sold well at all. Buyers preferred the V6-powered Camry instead and when the 2004 facelift failed to lift sales, Toyota Australia marketed it towards taxi fleets with a specially developed dual-fuel (LPG and petrol) engine. Eventually the Avalon was laid to rest in mid-2005.

The Australian model was built in the Melbourne suburb of Altona, made in both right hand drive for Australia, New Zealand and some parts of Asia, and left-hand drive for the Middle East. The Camry is also made at this same plant, mainly for export.

[edit] Second generation (2000-2004)

Facelifted second generation Avalon

Second generation

Production	2000-2004
Assembly	Georgetown, Kentucky
Engine	3.0 L 1MZ-FE V6
Transmission	4-speed A541E automatic
Wheelbase	107.1 in
Length	191.9 in
Width	71.7 in
Height	57.1 in
Fuel capacity	18.5 US gal
Similar	Mazda Millenia Mercury Sable Mitsubishi Diamante

The second generation Avalon grew larger in almost every respect. The Avalon was still based on the stretched Camry platform and had a 3.0 L V6 shared with the Toyota Sienna, Lexus RX300, Lexus ES and the Toyota Highlander, making 210 hp and 220 ft·lbf. of torque. However, its size was similar to the Camry.

This Avalon was available in two trims: the basic XL and the upscale XLS. The Avalon received a minor facelift for the 2003 model year, with a new grille and modified headlights and taillights.

This second generation Avalon also featured a built-in 115V AC power inverter, the first car with such a feature. This feature was dropped in the third generation Avalon, yet the Toyota Matrix and Scion models now offer this feature.

This second generation Avalon was exported to the Japanese market where it was labeled as the Toyota Pronard. Due to poor sales, Toyota will not export the third generation Avalon to Japan and thus, the Toyota Pronard has been discontinued.

[edit] Third generation (2005-present)

Third generation

Production	2005-present
Assembly	Georgetown, Kentucky
Engine	3.5 L 2GR-FE V6
Transmission	5-speed U250E automatic
Wheelbase	111.1 in
Length	197.2 in
Width	72.8 in
Height	58.5 in
Fuel capacity	18.5 US gal
Similar	Buick Lucerne Ford Taurus Mercury Sable

The 2005 Avalon was a complete redesign from the previous generations. It is Toyota's largest, most luxurious, and most expensive sedan model sold under Toyota name (not Lexus). The Avalon features a 3.5 L 268 hp V6 engine and a myriad of advanced technological features. The 3.5 L engine is shared with both the Lexus ES350 and the Toyota RAV4. The new Avalon, introduced to the public at the 2005 North American International Auto Show, offers more distinctive styling than previous generations, which were known for their conservative styling. This redesign also dropped the availability of a front bench seat, a feature once common among large American sedans such as Buicks. The current Avalon is available in XL, Touring, XLS, and Limited trim levels.

Due to new SAE specifications, power has dropped to 268 hp and torque has dropped to 248 ft·lb for the 2006 model year. However, this is due to being rated on 87 octane fuel. When supplied with 91 octane, the enigne matches the 272 hp, 254 ft·lb rating of the same engine in the Lexus ES 350. Stability control is also expanded to the XL and Touring models, and a keyless remote start is optional.

Car and Driver, which had called previous Avalons "Japanese Buicks", rated it at the top of a group of large premium sedans in 2005.^[1]

[edit] Replacement in Australia

The Toyota Aurion is the replacement for the Toyota Avalon in Australia and is built at Toyota's Altona, Victoria plant alongside the Toyota Camry. The Aurion was designed with the Australian large car market in mind and Toyota hopes to make more sales with the Aurion than the relatively unsuccessful Avalon. The Aurion has an Australian-tweaked version of the 2GR-FE V6 engine currently powering the export Avalon. A special supercharged version is also available on some models.