2019 Toyota Avalon debuts with world’s biggest grille

As most of the automotive market’s attention shifted in favour of crossovers, the executive sedan market is not as profitable as it once was. So the arrival of the 2019 Toyota Avalon must liven it up to survive. 

The new Avalon is a completely overhauled version of the old one. It is built on the Toyota New Global Architecture platform (TNGA) which underpins the current Camry and Prius. This promises a quieter ride. Every dimension of the 2019 Avalon has grown compared to the old model. The rear cabin is almost 20cm longer which has translated to more space for the rear passengers. The looks of the 2019 Toyota Avalon builds on the smaller Camry but with many sharper lines. The LED headlights and taillights are not enough to balance out that desperately massive grille, intended to make the car stand out more. The XSE and Touring trims will have even better looks with piano black finishes, a boot spoiler, diffuser panels and quad exhausts.

The interior of the 2019 Avalon is obviously a lot more opulent. Though it takes some stuff from the Camry, it looks far more luxurious than it. In the dash, there is a 9-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system which comes with Apple CarPlay making it the first Toyota vehicle to feature it. But it still doesn’t get Android Auto. It also has Amazon Alexa connectivity which allows users to talk to the echo device to lock and start the car remotely. Other amenities include five USB charging ports, wireless charging, a 7-inch trip computer and a 10-inch heads-up-display.

There are a bunch of standard safety systems like 10 airbags, pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams and blind spot monitoring. Over these, you can add a panoramic parking camera system and a rear cross-traffic braking system.

The power comes from a 3.5-litre V6 engine with an optional hybrid setup. It is said to be more powerful than the current model but Toyota gives no numbers. Making a rather easy guess, the outputs should be around 305 hp and 362 Nm as that’s what the same engine produces in the Camry. This mill can be paired with a new eight-speed automatic gearbox. The optional hybrid setup uses a 2.5-litre inline-four engine with two motors. A nickel-metal hydride battery saves the power for the motors.

Expect the Avalon to make its UAE, KSA and GCC debut by early next year.