Detroit Auto Show 2018: 2019 Toyota Avalon

Toyota chose the 2018 North American International Auto Show to reveal their latest large sedan: the 2019 Toyota Avalon. Avalon is a name that Australians haven’t seen for more than a decade, but whilst our Avalon was replaced by the Aurion in 2006, the North American market received three more generations of the car.

The Avalon has zero chance of making it to Australia due to a lack of a right-hand drive format, though it does provide a look into possible future technology for Australia. Most significantly, the Avalon is the first Toyota product to feature Apple CarPlay smartphone integration – a feature that Toyota Australia are considering for our market on products such as the new Camry.

What sets the Avalon apart from the Camry is size – this car is a size larger than the already large Camry. In the North American market, it competes with cars such as the Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Kia Cadenza, Hyundai Azera and Nissan Maxima – all of which aren’t offered in Australia. Its appearance is much like a larger Camry – the angular front end has been sharpened, with even more sharp angles and an even larger grille than the Camry. The headlights are slimmer than the Camry’s units, and are now all-LED.

The body of the 2019 Toyota Avalon is even more coupe-like than the Camry, with a sleek windowline, muscular haunches and quite an elegant overall shape. The tailights are joined in the middle with a red strip, and like the front, they are totally LED and much more aggressive in overall shape.

The cabin of the 2019 Toyota Avalon is quite different for the brand – instead of the somewhat fussy designs we’ve come to expect from them, the Avalon’s cabin is simple and elegant. The centre stack reaches in a single loop from the centre armrest to the top of the dashboard, with coloured leather trim featuring swoopy patterns featured on the doors and seats.

Centrepiece of the 2019 Toyota Avalon’s cabin is a new infotainment system with Toyota’s new Entune 3 software. The screen is large, and offers a whole multitude of connection options – a wi-fi hotspot, Toyota’s Remote Connect with smartwatch services, Amazon Alexa connectivity, wireless phone charging, up to five USB ports and finally Apple CarPlay connectivity. Curiously, there isn’t Android Auto on offer. Music lovers can select a 1,200-watt 7.1-channel JBL stereo system.

Underneath the 2019 Toyota Avalon sits Toyota’s new TNGA platform – the same one that underpins the Prius, C-HR and Camry and will likely underpin every new Toyota product from now onwards – which means that it is much more space efficient as well as dynamic than the previous Avalon. Two drivetrains are available in the Avalon – a 3.5-litre V6 with direct injection and a 2.5-liter hybrid variant with the new Dynamic Force engine. The V6 is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, whilst the hybrid features a newly-stepped ratio CVT automatic.

All variants of the 2019 Toyota Avalon are equipped with Toyota Sense P as standard, which means that you receive pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection and autonomous emergency braking, radar cruise control, lane departure warning with steering assist and automatic high beam as standard. Blind-spot monitoring with rear traffic alert, back guidance monitoring, a panoramic 360-degree parking camera and rear traffic alert are available on higher-spec models – as is mostly the case with the Australian-specification Camry.

Although the 2019 Toyota Avalon won’t ever make it to Australia – Toyota Australia says that there isn’t a market above the Camry for a sedan – parts of its technology such as Apple CarPlay are under consideration for our market. The 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and slinky styling is already offered in the new generation Camry, so much of the Avalon is already offered in Australia.

Stay tuned to Chasing Cars for more news from the 2018 North American International Auto Show.