Overview & Reviews

For 2014, the Toyota Avalon sees no changes other than a minor shuffling of standard and optional features.

• Large trunk
• Quiet and upscale interior with roomy seating front and rear
• Above-average fuel economy.

• Ride quality might be too firm for traditional Avalon buyers
• Cumbersome setup process for Entune.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 36.00

• 

  Want my 2003 Acura TL back - 2014 Toyota Avalon
  By CL - January 18 - 6:34 am

  I am so glad I leased this Avalon because I cant wait to get rid of it. It has so many blind spots it is not safe to drive. Cant see the hood because the dashboard sits so high so cant judge where the front of the vehicle is. Front bumper sits too low. Road noise is deafening. With the crappy low profile tires that came on it the ride is very uncomfortable and you feel every bump! Navigation system has no way to just shut it off and no way for a passenger to program it while vehicle is in motion. Not user friendly at all. Sound system is inferior to my Bose system in my Acura. Seats were very uncomfortable on a long road trip and lack of lumbar support in passenger seat was disturbing. Only good thing is leg room in the back and the trunk is spacious but lacks a cargo net which I love in my Acura. With 175,000 miles my Acura rides better, is quieter and has better gas mileage than this Avalon. And to think the Avalon was my dream car turned nightmare!!!

• 

  We Call It "The Turnip" - 2014 Toyota Avalon
  By Dave Kopczynski - August 28 - 4:17 am

  After owning nothing but Camrys since 1989, and being completely satisfied with them, we decided to "upgrade" to the Toyota "Flagship", assuming that it would be nicer than the Camrys. This was the biggest car buying mistake of my life! Our 2014 Avalon Limited has the harshest ride and the most road noise of any car we have ever owned. We refer to it as "The Turnip" because we feel the ride and noise would be what you would expect from a turnip truck used on a farm to transport vegetables. The seats are about as comfortable as sitting on a sheet of plywood. Understand that we think the deep metallic red Avalon is one of the prettiest cars on the road. We get a lot of compliments on the appearance of the car, and I always try to sell it to the people making the compliment. However, when new people ride in the car, the comment is something like, "What were you thinking? Did you even drive this thing before you bought it?" Regrettably, I didnt drive the car; I went entirely on Toyotas reputation for quality and the terrific Avalon reputation for a quiet, almost luxury car ride, in an affordable vehicle. Toyota says they redefined the ride to appeal to a younger (40-ish) group of potential buyers. I really dont see where a "neck-snapping" noisy ride would appeal to people in any age group. A few other complaints: 1. Navigation system is already out of date; 2. Analog and digital speed indications are different; 3. Rattles are starting to appear; 4. Sound system is very unimpressive compared to systems in our other cars. I have tried several times to trade this car for something (almost anything) else. Car dealers KNOW the Avalons new reputation, and the trade-in value is below the low end of the Kelly Blue Book range of values. The saddest event was when I test drove a Ford F-150 pickup truck and the ride quality and lack of road noise was FAR superior to the Avalon. Summary: If you feel you simply MUST consider this car, take it for an EXTENDED test drive before signing the paperwork!! Drive down a highway at 60 MPH and just listen to the road noise!! There doesnt seem to be adequate sound insulation in the body. READ READ READ the reviews!!! Better yet, buy something else. Update: After trying several times, we have not been able to get rid of this car. Dealers know that this is not the quiet comfortable car that Avalon used to be. The car has very low mileage and is in absolutely flawless condition, but we have not been able to get within $2000 of KBB or NADA trade in value. This car was a very poor choice. Update 2/17: We still own this car because we have been unable to get any kind of a reasonable trade-in on the vehicle. We keep the car as a spare when someone in the family needs a car when their car is in the shop, etc.. This is not a problem since we have four cars for two drivers. We purchased a new all-wheel-drive SUV last November. Sadly, the SUV rides far better than the Avalon and, unbelievably, is quieter. The most annoying thing about this Avalon is that it could have been a wonderful car if they had only left it alone and kept the fantastic quiet comfortable ride for which Avalon was know up to the 2013 model. I enjoy reading other Avalon reviews where the Avalon is compared to "the Flintstones car with granite wheels". At least I get a couple laughs out of the $35000 I threw away on this car.