2003 Toyota Avalon - Consumer Guide Automotive

Category	XL w/bench seat Rating (See All Ratings)	Large Car Average Rating

Acceleration	5	5.5

Fuel Economy	5	4.6

Ride Quality	8	6.8

Steering/Handling/Braking	5	5.5

Quietness	7	6.3

Controls	7	5.6

Room/Comfort/Driver Seating (front)	7	6.9

Room/Comfort (rear)	8	5.9

Cargo Room	4	5.8

Value within Class	8	6.9

Total Score:	64	59.8

Ratings: Maximum 10 points per category

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2003 Toyota Avalon Review

A minor facelift and an available navigation system for the top-line model are 2003 highlights for America's only import-brand full-size sedan. Built on Toyota's 1997-2001 Camry sedan platform, Avalon comes in XL and uplevel XLS models. They share a V6 and automatic transmission, plus standard antilock 4-wheel disc brakes and front side airbags. Both are offered with a front bench seat for 6-passenger capacity, or with front bucket seats. XLS offers an optional antiskid system with traction control and full-power brake assist. Besides detail styling changes front and rear, the 2003 Avalons get new-look gauges. A new option exclusive to XLS is a DVD navigation system with dashboard screen and remote control. XLS also gains standard rain-sensing windshield wipers.

Competition

Heading up the field as Best Buys are the Chrysler Concorde and Dodge Intrepid twins. They have real room for six, exceptional road manners, plenty of power, and hefty manufacturer discounts. Toyota's Avalon and Buick's LeSabre are our Recommended choices. Both have room for five and offer a comfortable ride (with modest handling capabilities). If you are looking for towing ability and don't want an SUV, Ford Crown Victoria, with its rear-drive layout and body-on-frame chassis, is an option. Ford has updated it nicely over the years and it comes at a reasonable price.

News

Sources expect Avalon to be redesigned for 2005--provided it's not killed off. Toyota is said to be unsure of what to do with its full-size sedan. For one thing, sales keep falling: off 20.2 percent year-to-year in calendar 2001, another 16.8 percent in '02. Some of that loss may reflect intramural "cannibalizing" from the latest Camry, which costs less than Avalon but is a close match for size, performance and refinement. A larger, costlier Avalon would restore proper marketing distance from Camry, but also risks encroaching on the premium Lexus line. What to do? We'd guess Toyota will decide to leave Avalon behind.

2003 Toyota Avalon Road Test >

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