I want full-size sedans to become cool because this 30-something mama found a lot to love about the 2013 Toyota Avalon. My 73-year-old father-in-law seemed to be just as enamored with it as I was, but that’s understandable. The redesigned Avalon is one heck of a cushy car.
The 2013 Toyota Avalon could make just about anyone happy with its enormous backseat, comfy front seats and a trunk that’s double-stroller ready.
When is it going to be OK for young families to start driving these large sedans regularly without feeling like we’ve borrowed Grandpa’s car? I’d take the 2013 Avalon over a family-friendly three-row SUV any day.
The Avalon has a smooth ride, but don’t be fooled, if you need a kick of power, it’s there thanks to the 3.5-liter V-6 engine. I found the car’s acceleration impressive. We took the Avalon to Las Vegas, and it was the ultimate road-trip car. The available adaptive cruise control kept my lead foot in check on the long desert highway, and when patches of traffic came up en route, the car handled all the braking for me. Now that’s luxury.
One thing that could keep young families from fully embracing this full-size sedan is the price. The 2013 Avalon starts at $31,885, including a $795 destination charge, but to get all of the luxury features that I fell so hard for in my Limited trim test car, the price soars to $42,494.
EXTERIOR
Prepare for a double take. At first glance, you might mistake the redesigned 2013 Avalon for a bona-fide luxury car. Throughout my weeklong test drive with the Avalon, I kept checking the badging to confirm it was a Toyota. It’s a looker.
Despite its sleek, sloping roofline, the Avalon is easy to get in and out of. The door openings are large, and it was low enough to the ground that my 2-year-old could climb in and out of it by herself.
Families will marvel at the nearly endless trunk space. I picked my jaw off the ground after I was able to stash my stroller in the very back of the trunk and still had a substantial amount of space remaining. The Avalon’s rear seats don’t fold, but the trunk was so big that it wasn’t a problem.
The Avalon has a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. It gets an EPA-estimated 21/31 mpg city/highway, and I was impressed that I averaged 24 mpg city/highway combined during my weeklong test drive. Even though the Avalon is luxurious, it remains down to earth and only requires regular unleaded gasoline.
SENSE AND STYLE
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Excellent
Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Some
INTERIOR
The inside of the Avalon is where things really get interesting. The center stack is striking; there’s a large touch-screen and capactive-touch controls replace actual buttons. The touch controls work well. In other cars I’ve tested they were either too sensitive or too slow; the Avalon’s function just the way I intended them to. The materials used throughout the cabin are upscale and enhance the pleasurable driving experience. Two words describe the standard leather seats: like buttah.
The 2013 Avalon is slightly smaller than the previous generation, but my family and I couldn’t tell. We had tons of room inside. My husband positioned the front passenger seat to allow him to fully stretch his legs, and my daughter, who was sitting behind him in her convertible safety seat, couldn’t touch the seatback with her feet. In a pinch, this five-seater could accommodate three adults in the backseat; it could easily handle three children who were out of child-safety seats.
Also worth noting is Toyota’s optional Entune multimedia system and the ease of operation and conveniences it provides. It delivers one of the best smartphone integration experiences I’ve tested. I could use an app to find my next destination ahead of time on my smartphone, sync it to the multimedia system and be on my way.
Other gush-worthy upgrades include heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and a power rear sunshade to keep the sun off my kiddo and complaints to a minimum. With four cupholders, four bottleholders, two seatback pockets and plenty of cubbies, the Avalon is bound to make everybody in the family happy.
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT
Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore
SAFETY
The 2013 Avalon has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It received the top score of Good in moderate-overlap front, side-impact, rear and roof-strength crash tests. It hasn’t undergone IIHS’ newest small-overlap front crash test. It received an overall safety score of five stars out of five. It earned five stars in the side-impact test and four stars out of five in the front and rollover tests.
The two sets of lower Latch anchors in the Avalon were difficult to use because they’re positioned against the seat cushions. I also needed to remove the head restraint to install my daughter’s forward-facing convertible seat correctly. Find out how the Avalon performed in Cars.com’s Car Seat Check.
The Avalon Limited has standard front-wheel drive, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with brake assist, an electronic stability system, traction control, a backup camera with rear parking sensors and 10 airbags, including knee airbags in the front row and seat-mounted side-impact airbags for both rows.
It has an optional blind spot warning system, which I think is a must-have in any car, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and auto high-beam headlights.
Get more safety information on the 2013 Toyota Avalon.
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