Why didn't Avalon and ES just switch badges ?
06-07-13 | 07:14 AM
#16
Taking the looks of the vehicle out of it I can tell you the ES drive is far superior to the Avalon, forget the fancy gadgets of the Avalon and just drive the car. The ES is much quieter, when you run over bumps they feel nice and squishy in the ES while the Avalon hits them with more of a thud. Look and feel the interior and how tight things are, nothing to rattle down the road. It is a better built vehicle with a better suspension. The one downfall I noticed was the ventilated seats are much cooler in the Avalon. *shrug* my 0.2 cents.
The Avalon hybrid is about the quietest car on the road at 70 MPH..The gas powered Avalon must to be close.
"Avalon engineers stole a move from the Lexus playbook by creating safe-room silence inside. At 59.8 decibels the Avalon recorded one of the lowest 70-mph cruise noise readings we've measured in any car in recent memory — including such costly equipment as the Bentley Continental GT (61.6 decibels) and the Audi A8 L (60.9 decibels)."
http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/avalon...road-test.html
06-07-13 | 09:30 AM
#18
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and yet
The Avalon hybrid is about the quietest car on the road at 70 MPH..The gas powered Avalon must to be close.
"Avalon engineers stole a move from the Lexus playbook by creating safe-room silence inside. At 59.8 decibels the Avalon recorded one of the lowest 70-mph cruise noise readings we've measured in any car in recent memory — including such costly equipment as the Bentley Continental GT (61.6 decibels) and the Audi A8 L (60.9 decibels)."
http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/avalon...road-test.html
"Avalon engineers stole a move from the Lexus playbook by creating safe-room silence inside. At 59.8 decibels the Avalon recorded one of the lowest 70-mph cruise noise readings we've measured in any car in recent memory — including such costly equipment as the Bentley Continental GT (61.6 decibels) and the Audi A8 L (60.9 decibels)."
http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/avalon...road-test.html
The Lexus is quieter, drive and compare, there is no mistaking it. when you hit stuff in the Avalon you hear it more than when you hit things in the lexus, it just absorbs it.
Last edited by Bower; 06-07-13 at 09:42 AM.
06-07-13 | 10:44 AM
#20
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I've read many of the reviews of both the ES and Avalon and IMO discussion of road noise, build quality, fit & finish etc. are just beauty is in the eye of the beholder quibbles. The cars are VERY similar and any differences are minor. It just comes down to personal preference. If you're cross shopping in this segment you can't go wrong on either.
06-07-13 | 01:05 PM
#21
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I for some odd reason really prefer the looks of the Avalon more. It looks more stylish maybe not as elegant as the ES. But at night , the Avalon just looks so amazing while the ES just looks like any other car.
Apart from the steering wheel , many reviewers actually loved the Avalon's interior more than the ES and as far as refinement , cabin NVH levels , ride go ,they are all on par with the ES.ctually
In most markets Toyota's customer service is actually excellent I believe it's no different in the US as well.
From everyone's reply below , I figure the only thing the Avalon lacks is the badge value and the spa that some customers would get from Lexus. Is it worth the extra money , is up to the customer.
Apart from the steering wheel , many reviewers actually loved the Avalon's interior more than the ES and as far as refinement , cabin NVH levels , ride go ,they are all on par with the ES.ctually
In most markets Toyota's customer service is actually excellent I believe it's no different in the US as well.
From everyone's reply below , I figure the only thing the Avalon lacks is the badge value and the spa that some customers would get from Lexus. Is it worth the extra money , is up to the customer.
06-08-13 | 11:54 AM
#25
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From my experience, the Toyota dealers are no better than the run of the mill dealers. They're not as professional as Lexus, in both the sales and service. I'm not talking about the 'spa' treatment either.
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06-08-13 | 12:04 PM
#26
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Toyota also benefits from having dealers competing with each other, while there are far fewer Lexus dealers. That said, car stealerships are very 20th century anyway, they're businesses depend entirely on information asymmetries, and Tesla is starting to change the ways these things are sold.
06-08-13 | 12:15 PM
#27
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Having bought from both, my experience was exactly the opposite. The Lexus dealer was typical car salesman, he could have been selling me a used Ford and I wouldn't have known any difference, while the Toyota guy was super easy to deal with.
Toyota also benefits from having dealers competing with each other, while there are far fewer Lexus dealers. That said, car stealerships are very 20th century anyway, they're businesses depend entirely on information asymmetries, and Tesla is starting to change the ways these things are sold.
Toyota also benefits from having dealers competing with each other, while there are far fewer Lexus dealers. That said, car stealerships are very 20th century anyway, they're businesses depend entirely on information asymmetries, and Tesla is starting to change the ways these things are sold.
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06-10-13 | 08:21 AM
#29
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Just so you know.
I don't own either car, I am in the market to buy one and I am looking at both of these cars. I like the look and drive of the Lexus more, and I like the colder seats and rear climate control + heated rear seats of the Avalon, I own two Toyotas now, so my opinion is far from biased.
06-19-13 | 04:35 PM
#30
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Just attended a county fair that includes displays of Toyota/Chevrolet/Ford vehicles.....
I sat in an Avalon and had the opportunity to assess my impressions following 4 months of ES300h ownership. While the dash conventions of the Avalon seem a bit more contemporary, I appreciate the elegance of the ES and certainly note the subtle interior refinements.
No buyers remorse, and I attempted to cross-shop both prior to purchasing. The Lexus and Toyota dealerships are adjacent, but the Avalon hybrid was fairly new. The salesman "did me the great favor" of letting me sit in a standard version, but made the barest of efforts to pursue a sale. Said he'd call me when the hybrids arrived..... still waiting! FTR, I did not cloud the issue by stating my interest in an ES - not that is should matter.
I sat in an Avalon and had the opportunity to assess my impressions following 4 months of ES300h ownership. While the dash conventions of the Avalon seem a bit more contemporary, I appreciate the elegance of the ES and certainly note the subtle interior refinements.
No buyers remorse, and I attempted to cross-shop both prior to purchasing. The Lexus and Toyota dealerships are adjacent, but the Avalon hybrid was fairly new. The salesman "did me the great favor" of letting me sit in a standard version, but made the barest of efforts to pursue a sale. Said he'd call me when the hybrids arrived..... still waiting! FTR, I did not cloud the issue by stating my interest in an ES - not that is should matter.