Overview & Reviews
A midcycle refresh brings a six-speed automatic transmission (in place of last year's five-speed auto) and minor upgrades to the braking system. All 2008 Toyota Avalons have new headlamps, a revised front fascia and a more compact keyless remote, while the Limited gets chrome door handles. Inside, the wood-grain and metallic surface treatments are updated, while a nine-speaker audio system with an MP3-compatible CD changer and auxiliary audio jack is now standard on all models except the Limited. An eight-way power front passenger seat is included in the XLS and Limited, and the latter also comes with Bluetooth.
- Seats five adults in comfort, attractive cabin design with high-quality materials, composed and quiet ride, powerful and efficient V6, available upscale amenities, high crash-test scores.
- Expensive for its class, refined nature leaves little room for personality, rear seats do not fold.
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 109.00-
Excellent Avalon - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By DRJ356 - March 15 - 6:13 pmI have been driving my 08 Avalon Limited for just over a year & have 20k on it thus far. Overall I am quite pleased. Ive had zero mechanical problems. This car is supremely comfortable to drive & ride in - easily equal to my wifes Lexus. I commute 30 miles each way daily and this car makes the trip very pleasant. Comfort is excellent for 5 adults. Interior is outstanding but with a few cheap materials (plastic doors on console). Im 64" & 250 and have good space. Center console is a bit intrusive. Buy Garmin 700-800 GPS and save $2k. Its stupid not to include a back-up camera as standard equipment on a Limited.
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Meant for comfort, not active "driving". - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By Ron - January 19 - 9:30 pmJust bought a 2008 used, with 33k miles. Replaced a 2001 Solara SLE. Avalon seats have more adjustments, but less padding. Faux wood steering grips not as comfortable as leather. Road noise well-muted. Its so quiet at idle that I got confused once and didnt realize it was still running. LOVE the smart key. Good sound system for a car. LCD is real nice for the radio and climate controls. No squeaks or rattles, feels like driving a Swiss watch. BIG car, but doesnt look or drive like it. Controls oddly placed, but most-used ones are on wheel. Handles comfortably, but not "fun" to drive; powerful, but not a race car. Wafts you along in your own little bubble instead.
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Tough in the Snow - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By CTToyota - April 3 - 12:36 am2008 Toyota Avalon Limited. Great car, good looking, very nice ride. However with the traction control there is no way to disengage. In snow/Ice sometimes you need to spin your wheels. Once the traction control engages it shuts down the power and wheel spin. great for some things, terrible in the snow when you need wheel spin. Other than that, no complaints.
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Entry/Exit Not Easy - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By Petals - September 13 - 5:20 amI had a 99 Avalon and now 08. New Avalon has smooth and solid ride and gives sense of safety. Turning radius is tight for a big car and this is a plus. I miss the bench seat in the 99. Entry and exit on new Avalon is terrible. I am female-56" (sr) and have to practically back in to enter and swing my legs out (they still hit the side of car) to exit. Door is too big and heavy. Toyota might be trying to appeal to younger buyer and may lose seniors if high beltline, heavy doors and entry/exit are not improved. My husband who is 511" cannot get into this car without extensive planning and exact maneuvering-not enough leg room for driver. Need more room in front-not back
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Just what I wanted, but... - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By judy - August 11 - 6:53 amI was so thrilled to purchase an Avalon Limited in October 2007. It was everything I wanted in a luxury car, except for the battery. In April 2008 when I went out to start it the battery was dead and the car had to be towed. Again in September 2008 the exact same thing happened, except this time rusty water was also dripping out of exhaust, which could not be explained. Even though the work was done under warranty, I am now nervous when I go out of town for fear it will not start. Other than this problem it is a great car. Wish I could feel at ease with it again.
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Great Car - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By Funeral Director - June 5 - 6:03 pmLove this car, navigation is a pain with the little wheel, should be touch screen. Metal is a little cheap got stuck in snow went to push on trunk by Toyota name and trunk bent in tow spots was $100 to get dents taken out. Got nitrogen in tires and during summer I average about 42.5 mpg on highway. Exterior does scratch at the slightest touch. Trunk was scratched by a box touching the trunk.
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Great Car Except Float Handling - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By rfcn2 - March 30 - 8:44 amWhen I went shopping in 2008 I really wanted a Caddy CTS or an Acura RL. CTS could not be ordered with blue tooth for phone or laser cruise control. CTS by far drove the best. My Dad passed away about this time and left me a 2001 Avalon. It was a basic one but was very comfortable and got great MPG. So as almost an afterthought I went to Toyota dealer. They had the features I wanted and the car was 15 grand less than Acura. I really planned to hate the Toyota. I now think it is one of the best cars I have owned. Still is floaty and poor on curvy roads. Still overpowers the front wheels if too much gas is given. A great value IMHO. Amazing MPG for something this fast.
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Check the tranny fluid - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By BillBren - February 8 - 6:46 pmRegarding my 2008 Avalon - On 4 occasions I have put the shift lever into reverse and it doesnt engage right away. On one occasion it shuttered when I backed the car up. The car doesnt seem engage in reverse and then slips. I had a very experienced mechanic check the tranny fluid. You have to drop a small pan in the 08 to check the fluid and it had small metal shavings in the pan. I reported this to Toyota USA.
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Nice Ride - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By Cardriverdavid - July 15 - 5:33 pmThe car has a nice ride, but in the 6 months of ownership, the dash has several rattles, and I have noticed several misaligned panels. I wish the dash was not so far forward or large, the front seat area needs to be larger for longer trips. I love the controls, but not the gray paint of the hidden radio panel. The ride is the best feature. I drove a 2008 ford taurus recently, and the ride felt more solid and flat, like a german car, and was just as nice as the toyota. Wish I knew about that car earlier.
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It is what we thought it would be... - 2008 Toyota Avalon
By iknowhatikno - May 17 - 5:20 pmIf you are looking for a used Avalon, this is the year to start from. The revised 6 speed transmission is a marked improvement in smoothness, gas mileage, and reliability over the 5 speed autos from 2005-07. There are numerous websites and complaints about thse tranys). Also, the car was freshened on the exterior and has an Ipod plug. The one issue with the 08 model year is the headlamp assemblies, which are a well-documented problem. The good news is that Toyota extended the warranty for the headlamp assemblies for 5 years and 75000 miles from the original in service date. But you have to call Toyota because many dealers will rip off the unsaavy. The Avalon is otherwise a great car.
