2013 Toyota Avalon

The 2013 Toyota Avalon is available in four trims, namely the XLE, XLE Premium, XLE Touring, and Limited. All three trims are well-loaded with features for their asking price. They all come with a powerful V-6 engine, premium materials, a large back seat, and a more standard set of features. 

Which trim should you buy?

The XLE Touring trim makes more sense when you compare the list of features and price. It comes with many features like fog lamps, blind-spot monitors, 18-inch alloy wheels, premium audio systems, etc. So, you get most of the creature comforts for the price you pay. If you are willing to shed more bucks and want to pamper yourself even more then, the Limited trim is the way to go. 

The 2013 Avalon is powered by a 3.5L V-6 engine, producing about 268 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential shift and is available in a front-wheel-drive configuration only. The performance of the engine is good and responsive. However, don’t expect a thrilling performance that would bring a smile to your face. The 0-60 mph sprint takes about 6.3 seconds and a quarter-mile drag is done in about 14.5 seconds.

The Nissan Maxima is the most powerful sedan off the lot and does a 0-60 mph in just 5.8 seconds. The Buick and Chrysler sedans take about 6.3 seconds and 6.9 seconds respectively. However, the Buick LaCrosse offers a higher top speed than all the rivals and also outputs the most firepower but owing to higher curb weight, loses out to Maxima in the acceleration game.

The 2013 Avalon is one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its segment. It offers 21 mpg, 31 mpg, and 25 mpg, in the city, on the highway, and in combined driving conditions respectively. It is equipped with a fuel tank to hold 17 gallons of gas. With a full tank of gas, the Avalon can travel up to 357 miles, 527 miles, and 425 miles, in the city, on the highway, and in combined driving conditions respectively.

The Maxima offers 22 mpg in mixed driving conditions and with a fuel tank capacity of 20 gallons, it can travel up to a maximum range of 440 miles in combined conditions. The Chrysler 300 and Buick LaCrosse are less efficient than their Japanese counterparts and offer 21 mpg and 20 mpg, in combined conditions respectively. If the Avalon had a bigger fuel tank, it could have been a range champion. 

The 2013 Avalon offers comfy interiors without compromising on practicality. The cabin is loaded with premium materials and gets an attractive interior design. The Avalon seats five and gets features like a dual-zone automatic climate control system, intellitouch controls for climate control and audio system, leather-trimmed, heated, and power-adjustable front seats as standard from the XLE trim itself. 

You also get access to ventilated front seats and heated rear seats in the Limited trim. The central armrest is comfortable for both the front seat passengers and houses a storage compartment. Also, there are storage beans and cupholders in the entire cabin to assist you with your goodies. Although, we hoped for a better ride quality as it feels stiffer on bumpy roads and could have been more comfortable. 

The Avalon gets one of the better cargo capacities as compared to the competition. It also gets decent legroom for the rear seat passengers. However, Chrysler and Buick sedans take the space game a notch higher and offer better rear passenger legroom. The Chrysler 300 offers the best cargo capacity in the competition, but only by a small margin as compared to the Avalon. The LaCrosse offers the least cargo capacity. Some of the standout interior features of the 2013 Avalon are:

• Three-zone climate control (Limited)
• IntelliTouch controls for climate control and audio system 
• Backup camera
• Leather-trimmed multi-stage heated front seats
• Heated rear seats (Limited)

How intuitive is the 2013 Avalon’s infotainment system?

The 2013 Avalon’s infotainment system is feature-packed from the base trim itself. It is powered by Toyota’s Entune software. It is equipped with a 6.1-inch touch screen display and features like AM/FM with CD player, USB port, AUX jack, 8-speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, etc. are offered as standard across all the trims.

As you climb the trim ladder, you get access to a larger 7.0-inch touchscreen display, navigation, SiriusXM radio, and HD radio, premium JBL audio system with 11-speakers, advanced voice recognition, etc. The Entune software also supports iHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable, and Pandora for added convenience to the passengers. However, the Entune software could have been more intuitive as the rivals offer much better and easy-to-use infotainment systems. Some of the standout infotainment features of the 2013 Avalon are:

•  6.1-in. touch-screen
• MP3/WMA playback capability
• 8/9 speaker audio system (XLE and XLE Premium)
• 7.0-in. Touch-screen (Limited)
• SiriusXM radio (XLE Touring and Limited)
• Premium HDD Navigation (Limited)
• JBL audio system (Limited)

The 2013 Avalon comes with a thoroughly updated styling. The 2013 Avalon now looks good from any angle you look at it. The front fascia looks sleek with long headlamps and a V-shaped chrome grille adds to its charm. The use of chrome on the grille and door panes looks premium and adds a touch of elegance. With a wide range of exterior colors to choose from, precisely nine of them, you can be sure to get one as per your desired choice.

The side profile is plain and not many character lines except a single straight one over the door handles add to its styling. The rear profile looks good and the rear tail lamps are elongated to wrap around the quarter panel. The wheels get different designs as well, depending on the trim you choose. Overall, every design looks good and blends well with the overall design language of the car. 

The Avalon is the lightest sedan of the lot, followed by the Nissan Maxima, Buick LaCrosse, and Chrysler 300. Being light weight helps with better fuel efficiency. The Chrysler 300 has the longest wheelbase and thus it can offer better legroom than the competition. A longer wheelbase also adds to the stability while driving on highways. The Avalon gets a shorter wheelbase but provides enough legroom for the rear passengers. Some of the standout exterior features of the 2013 Avalon are:

• High Intensity Discharge (HID) Quadrabeam headlights (Limited)
• Wide-angle fog lights
• LED tail lights 
• Color-keyed heated power outside mirrors
• Acoustic noise-reducing windshield
• Dual chrome-tipped integrated exhaust

Like other cars from Toyota, the Avalon also comes with Toyota’s Star Safety System. It is a suite of safety features like vehicle stability control, traction control, ABS, EBD, brake assist and smart stop technology. The chassis is designed to ensure the safety of the passengers by incorporating front and rear energy absorbing crumple zones and side impact door beams. The NHTSA has given it an overall 5-star safety rating in its crash tests, which is enough to testify to its safety quotient. Some of the standout safety features of the 2013 Avalon are:

• Blind spot monitoring 
• Rear cross traffic alert
• Side impact door beams
• Collapsible steering column 
• Tire pressure monitoring system 
• Anti-theft alarm system. 

The 2013 Avalon is a well packaged offering from Toyota. With its revamped styling, the deal has got even sweeter and it looks distinctive on the road. It offers many creature comforts for the price you pay and is high on safety quotient as well. Plus, you get the trust, reliability and better resale value of a known Japanese brand. The Toyota Avalon also offers good fuel efficiency and better handling for its size. So, it's a no-brainer for us and worth buying in its class.