Budhah

Actually I am looking for a nice priced 04 Avalon XLS to drive on nasty days while the LS430 sits in the garage. My wife makes fun of me for washing the bugs from the car before going to bed.. LOL...

A 2000 Avalon that I bought my turning 16 son, is what made me look into Toyota cars. There are many times that I compare the two. and am happy to own both.. Drove a new 09 Avy before buying the LS, but felt that it rode a bit stiffer and not as quick as the 2000 that the son has. Both cars give excellent head and hip room, over many other mid size cars. Other son has 08 Impala and I have a bit of problem with entry because of neck surgery, that is not evident in either the Avalon or LS. May not be fair to compare cars 8 years difference in age, but the Avalon rides and drives much nicer than the one year old Impala. Having driven it only a few times, I could tell that the Chevy product has deteriorated a good bit in the 12k miles it has been on mostly highway to and from Purdue. I hate to think what will happen to it when it has 170k and 9 years of road use like the Toyota product.

We recently had an surpise "Inland Hurricane" through here, that had 2"+ hail, and lots of cars were damaged. The 2000 Avalon came through without a scratch,,, So did the wife's Merc van... LOL Driving through the winds was a bit fun, but saw many people having trouble holding the road. Cross winds up to 106 MPH.. Wife was in her van in Macy's parking lot, and feared it would turn over.

03 ES

good review.
i still hate the 05+ avalon. Its a great car and all, but that motor....
I work for toyota and ive been seeing people blow those damn 2GR 3.5 V6 engines sky high when the poorly designed rubber VVTi oil line bursts and sprays all the motor oil over the road and undercarriage.

AlexusAnja

Shirley you must be kidding...

Which rubber oil line are you talking about? I have a colleague that has an Avalon and wonder if he knows anything about this. Very interesting for sure...

Someone said the LS doesn't "beat" the Avalon in fuel mileage. That's like saying the LS doesn't beat a Civic in gas mileage. If you consider that it's a 4.3 V8 vs. a 3.5 V6, pulling about the same weight, and the LS having much better torque and feel, then the LS does beat the Avalon in fuel mileage.

I don't believe those that claim 30 mpg on highway with the Avalon, but I can believe 28 mpg. I've done 25-26 mpg consistently (driving like an old guy of course, not going beyond 70 mph and on cruise) on highway with my LS and I'll drop that 2 mpg any day for the LS over the Avalon.

SerasLibre

Yes, I actually changed the VVTi line myself on my Avalon BEFORE I sold it. I never planned on selling the car and didn't want to risk losing my engine. You don't expect this to happen with a Toyota, but as long as you look under the hood regularly, you should be able to catch it way before it becomes a problem. And by the way - the new "redesigned" replacement hose and timing cover just has a new part number, NOTHING has changed.

On my trip back from SC to NJ after picking up my LS, going up to 90mph, mostly 80mph, with traffic and two accidents that ended up costing me an hour delay total, I averaged 26.5mpg. Sticking to the speed limit, at 70-75, I can easily see the LS creeping up on 30mpg. My avalon eastily reached 31mpg when doing pure highway travel.

I forgot to mention in my review a BIG plus for the Avalon in the colder climates is front wheel Drive. With snow tires it is truly unstoppable.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Yes, Smartaccess was a stand-alone option.
Out of the 12-15 or so '04+ LS430's I've driven and checked out, I've never seen one without Smartaccess. I wonder what % came without it?...
One thing I don't like about it is that you supposedly either need to keep the key away from the car when the car is parked at home in the garage (to preserve key battery life), or switch the system off. That's very annoying, IMO. DOES ANYONE KNOW how long the battery life (in the key) will be if you leave the key in the car?

danxp

ok... i'll ask...

how does one know/tell if the odometer's been rolled back? and $300? that's sounds pretty cheap for someone to mess with your future liveliness...

AlexusAnja

Okay, I've seen several people on the forum do this, but smartaccess or not, why would you leave the key in the car? The only reason I can think of is so it's with the car and you don't need to look for the key... but with that said, do you guys leave the house keys on the door?

Specifically with smartaccess, you don't need to remove the key from your pockets, so why would you remove the key so to put inside the car? I know you can't lock the door with keys in car anyway, so that's a moot point, but to just leave it in there unlocked, seems strange to me.

As for checking rolled back mileage, you can't really tell, unless you do a service history report and see that previous mileage of service does not match the current mileage. So, if it says it got maintenance at XYZ Lexus at 56,599 miles, but your current mileage is 25,448... then DUh !!!!

Other than that, nothing I know of to check for sure that it rolled.

danxp

i read somewhere in the manual that there is everything is recorded internally and can only be accessed via a subpoena or something to that effect...

Tee

I never take my Smart Key out of my pocket until I get home and drop it on the night stand, I have no reason to take it out. I leave the valet key in the secret drawer for easy access if i need t valet or when the car gets detailed.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

SerasLibre, nice review, I too am a a mechanical engineer, here are my inputs:

Your ML trim LS430's suspension is intentionally tuned softer, it traded responsive handling for comfort. Go try a LS430 with the sport suspension, it handles better then even the touring model Avalon.

Yes, at the limit, the much bigger 4 pistons caliper on the LS430 grab a lot harder then the Avalon.

You should have look for a CL trim car, they don't cost much more then most ML trim. The interior of the CL/UL car is much more amazing with the even softer leather and most importantly, the door handles on all the doors and the lower portion of the dash and center console are leather wrapped, it makes it looks A LOT more luxurious.

Again, should have looked for a CL trim car, the double pane side glasses makes the regular LS430, seems noisy.

I hate that too, saying my LS430 looks like a Mercedes is like an insults to me. Even though I do believe Lexus copied the look of the S-class for the LS430

That is because your Avalon is a newer design.

Spot on, the problem with the LS430's HID is they are aimed too low, their output is actually excellent. Once aim properly, they are the brightest/widest HIDs available.

The AFS is kind of pointless, but fun to watch though.

Most Mercedes features are kind of lame.

That is very cool.

The folding mirrors are very cool, but they don't last very long if you use them constantly. And Lexus only sell the mirror as an entire assembly at MSRP of $700 each. I had both my mirrors replaced twice under warranty, now I don't fold them if I don't have to. Just a heads up.

I see that as a huge upgrade

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

The car is in the garage, so why take the key out? Take it out and you have to be sure you remember to put it wherever you keep it in the house, be sure it doesn't get washed in your pocket, etc., remember to get it before you go outside and put your shoes on and then remember that you don't have the key, or come in from driving one of the other cars or otherwise being outside and want to go somewhere in the LS or just back it out of the garage to wash it or something (you DON'T wear your filthy shoes in the house, do you? ) Just MUCH simpler and more convenient to leave it in the car.
See above reasons for leaving it in.

I'd just like to know how long it will take to drain the battery, and for that matter, if there are any other "mechanical" reasons not to leave it in.

hoonunya

from the manual that I found at http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/my-lexus/home.do

Battery power saving
When doors are locked, the smart key system transmits
electromagnetic waves to the outside of the vehicle at regular
intervals. For this reason, the vehicle battery will be
discharged if the vehicle is left for a long time. If the key is left
within the effective range of the smart key system outside of
the vehicle, the key and the vehicle transmit electromagnetic
waves periodically.
If these conditions continue for a long time, the battery in the
key and vehicle will be discharged and from the sixth day,
smart unlocking operations will become slow.
To prevent the batteries from being discharged, the smart key
system is automatically deactivated in the following conditions:
 If there is no smart door locking operation for more than 14
days
 If the key is left within the effective range of the smart key
system outside of the vehicle for more than 10 minutes
To reactivate the smart key system properly, perform any of the
following:
(a) Press the lock button on the outside door handle while
carrying the smart key.
(b) Perform a wireless remote control operation.
(c) Insert and turn the key in the keyhole of the door.

INFORMATION
 To maintain communication with the vehicle, smart
keys (including master keys) use built−in battery
power. The battery service life is about 1 to 3 years
on average. If battery power becomes insufficient,
replace the battery with a new one.
 The smart key continually receives electromagnetic
waves, and if it receives strong electromagnetic
waves over a period of time, the battery can be
drastically run down. Therefore, avoid storing smart
keys near any electrical appliances.
Here is a list of electrical appliances which may have
adverse effects on the smart key performance: TVs,
personal computers, cellular phone or cordless
phone recharger units, electric light stands and
fluorescent desk lights
Note that you should always keep such electrical
appliances at least 1 m (3 ft.) away from the smart key.


According to this you can run down the battery in the smart key and the battery in the car.
I guess they're saying that if you have a cell phone in your pocket than the pocket that you put your smart key in should be three ft. away.

AlexusAnja

Okay, who wants to be the scientist and just leave their car keys in the garage with their LS and see how long the battery lasts. Then we'll all know how long it will last. I don't think anyone here will know for sure until SOMEONE DOES IT !!!

Tee

I vote for AlexusAnja to do it, and i expect a thread with an excellent detailed write up of his scientific research.

Budhah

Humm,, well to put things in Perspective,, Today I went out and bought a 02 Avalon XLS to drive during inclimate weather. It rides nicely and would save My Baby for better days. The price was right,, under KBB and might just sell it for a bit of profit, should there be someone that wants a good bargain. This car might not drive as well as the LS but is still a sweet alternative, for bad days.