2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Full Test Review

Knock it, no way. '13 Avalon hybrid is drop dead gorgeous. Competitors like new Impala Eco are touting 25 city / 35 hwy. Avalon's got that whupped.

 

Now acdii should test drive the Ford Fusion and the Lexus ES300 hybrid, so we have his full set of comparisons!

 

Acdii did you test another Fusion from the dealer, other than your own, what mpg did you get there?

 

Yes I did, and the results were not much different than mine. It felt a little easier to get it into EV, but I didnt have the luxury of a long test like I did with the Toyota's, and traffic was too heavy to maintain a steady speed.

As far as the MPG difference, the Camry was only 1.3 MPG under city, and most of the drive I did was over 45 MPH, with only city driving at the beginning to warm up the car. I took both cars on the exact same path, and traffic was pretty much the same for both. It was a 30 minute trip, with hills, so it was a very fair test, and both passed with flying colors. The Avalon didn't hit 40 until near the very end of the trip.

The one thing I found that you can count on, when you test drive a Toyota hybrid, provided you know how to drive a hybrid, you will get the EPA ratings, or get very close to it, but on the Fords, not going to happen.

Since there are no Lexus dealers near by, I wont be able to road test one, but if I could I would.

 

Whoops, I didn't make the connection between Acdii and the Fusion.

 

LOL not quite infamous yet!

 

I just bought one last week and with 150 miles on the odometer I'm getting 28 mpg but It's probably too new to tell!

 

if it's the original tank from the dealer, you'll want to wait for the second tank. please keep us informed tho, some are considering avalon and 28 would be very disappointing. how do you like it otherwise? thanks!

 

Yes, 150 miles is not enough to get an accurate idea what your mileage will be. You have to learn the car, which can take several K miles too. When I road tested one I was able to hit 40 on the dash with it, and it was cold that day too. Then again I was actually trying to get good MPG in it so was playing the game.

 

If the Avalon Hybrid's real world mileage was as good as the C-Max Hybrid's real world mileage, comparatively it would only get about 33.6 mpg!

 

A better comparison for TAH is with the Fusion hybrid. It is rated the same as C-Max hybrid but the real world MPG is a bit higher from what I've seen.

NiMh triumphs over Lithium. I know, I know, it is not only about the battery but the entire car.

 

OK, I think we're probably in "that demographic" everyone is dancing around, and we're in the market and are going to buy a new car this year. Both my spouse and I are in our late '60s, and we wouldn't even consider buying a $40K car, let alone a $44K car, having already rejected the idea of the Honda PHEV on those grounds. Do we have the money? Yes. Do we regard the Avalon Hybrid as a good use of that money? No. We've driven a number of new cars (Outback, Prius 'v', VW Passat TDI, ICE Accord, and Ford Fusion Hybrid, and there are any number of comfortable, safe, efficient vehicles in that "family sedan" size for $35K. To us, the Avalon would be throwing thousands down a rathole, about buying a Lincoln MKZ instead of the Ford Fusion Hybrid. (I suppose at this point I'm supposed to insert some self-effacing Internet acronym like "IMHO" or "YMMV." How about no.)

And I understand our TV remote just fine, and have no trouble configuring our home wi-fi network, router and all. Imagine that.

 

If you do not drive large distances each year or have many very short drives, I agree. I drive at least 55 miles any time I get in my car and do 30,000 miles a year, so operating costs trump capital expenditure.

 

to each his own, that's why there are so many models.

 

Bubs, I mean Rico....love your avatar!

 

I wouldn't believe those reviewers all that much. C&D tells you clearly they are driving it not like a hybrid owner. CR just is just a whacky bad test.

Internet polls are rife with self selection, so you likely will be different, but here is fueleconomy.gov
Compare Side-by-Side
in order of reported fuel economy they go
fussion hybrid 39.3 > c-max 38.8 > camry hybrid 38.5 >avalon hybrid 37.3

The fords seem to do better in the city, the toyota on cruise control over 60mph.YMMV.

Not much between these. If you want a avalon hybrid I would not let fuel economy stop you, its really good unless you compare it to a prius. The camry and fusion hybrids are less expensive and use a little less gas.