Police Journal OnlineOct 2000
Volume 81 Number 10

"serving the protectors"		 Police Journal Online Cover

Made For Australia

By Jim Barnett

The new Toyota Avalon is an impressively refined vehicle. Drawn from the United States, it has undergone three years of development and been completely re-engineered into an Australian version suitable for our country’s unique driving conditions.

Avalon comes in four equipment grades: Conquest, CSX, VXi and Grande. These all have:

Additional comfort-and-convenience features include headlamp auto-off function, tilt-adjustable steering and driver’s seat height adjustment and lumbar support.

Power comes from a revised and more powerful version of the 3.0-litre, quad cam, alloy V6 engine which is fitted to Camry. This new engine delivers a healthy 145kW of power at 5,200 rpm, only 2kW less than the VT Commodore 3.8-litre engine.

With quick off-the-mark acceleration, effortless cruising and plenty in reserve for safe overtaking, Avalon shows its 3.0-litre engine is easily up to the task.

Avalon exhibits low NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels, and is smooth and quiet on the road. Its engine is mounted on a separate sub-frame using sophisticated liquid-filled engine mounts. In turn, the sub-frame is mounted to the chassis using rubber insulators, thus insulating the passenger compartment from engine vibrations.

The Police Journal test drove the top-of-the-range Grande in the city and suburbs, and over a long highway haul to Broken Hill on corrugated unsealed roads. It performed superbly in all conditions, and returned good fuel economy: 11.3 L/100km around town and 10 L/100km on the highway.

Avalon’s four-wheel independent McPherson strut suspension offers good balance of road holding, spirited cornering and comfort. It soaks up the worst corrugations on unsealed roads. Large headlamps ensure a wide, long-range field of vision for safe highway driving at night.

Beautifully appointed, Grande particularly impresses with its roominess and ride quality. And, even after a six-hour drive, one can’t complain of seat discomfort or cramped conditions. The driving position is excellent, and further enhanced on Grande by an infinitely-adjustable electric driver’s seat and electrically-adjustable steering column.

For space and comfort, an excellent rear seat design caters well to passengers. It offers good shoulder and thigh support and affords good visibility. Each passenger enjoys a headrest and three-point seat belt.

The dash layout is fresh and smart, with all necessary controls placed at the driver’s fingertips. The cabin’s many storage areas - on all models - feature:

  1. A centre console bin with armrest.
  2. Front door bins.
  3. Rear map pockets.
  4. Front and rear drink holders.

A foot-operated park brake leaves the console area uncluttered, and Avalon’s boot - with 523-litre capacity - features a wide, flat floor.

Avalon is priced at $28,490 (Conquest) and $34,490 (CSX, with extras such as ABS, front side airbags, air-conditioning, cruise control and six-speaker CD player). At $37,990, VXi comes with alloy wheels, electric driver’s seat, climate control, some wood grain and leather trimmings and an alarm with panic mode.

The Grande - which features just about everything - retails for $48,490. Without its leather trim and the moon roof, however, its price can be reduced by thousands.

A large sedan with a 3.0-litre engine and front-wheel drive may be considered incapable of competing with Commodore and Falcon, but Avalon will prove to be a worthy opponent.






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The Police Journal Online is an official publication of the Police Association of South Australia and is published monthly.
Editors of kindred publications can seek permission from the Editor to re-publish any Police Journal Online article.

Copyright 2000  The Police Association of South Australia




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