2009 Toyota Avalon User Reviews

Pros

Beautiful design, very roomy, very smooth drive on the highway,

Cons

Rough ride over bumps, heavy vehicle whiles driving it will tend to bounce up & down at high spee

Purchased As Not Purchased

I just rented this car this weekend and i had my likes and dis-like about this vehicle. i have always been a little curious about the Avalon. I did enjoy the drive on I-95 on the highway from Baltimore to Philadelphia, but through the the city driving i did not enjoy the drive, you could feel everything on the road. plus when you make a sharp turn the car, seems to lose control. over all a nice traveling vehicle, but i still would choose a DTS over this car anyday, even if the Avalon, out last the Cadillac DTS for 9years, but who buys a Cadillac for it to last 9years? When u buy a Cadillac or a Lincoln it is for Style and when u have had it for 3years it time for a Newer Style. the Avalon is pretty, but it is not a car that i would buy or pay $34,000 i would buy the Nissan Maxima @ $34,000 before i`d buy the Avalon....read morehide

Pros

for the money excellent

Cons

have to remove rear seat headrest to see out the rear window

Purchased As New

excellent highway car fast stable comfort 30 mpg highway, good in the snow 40k on a 2007 just gas and oil (same as the my old camry 100k miles no problems) this is not a city car backing up it has poor visibility out the rear window even with the rear seat headrest removed (I'm 6 ft) there is no perfect car and it is pricey for some people so don't dismss the simular camry...read morehide

Purchased As New

I know we are talking about the 2009 Avalon but, I just wanted to say that I bought a 2007 and have been extremely happy with everything about it. The front wheel drive makes you wonder why Detroit hasn't learned from there losses in sales. I took a road trip not to long ago and at times I was getting 38.4 mps per gal. With a v-6 and big vehicle you could not have asked for better. My wife is 5' 9" and says she has more leg room when sitting in the back seat then she does when sitting in her father's Cadillac. I am one of those people who just has to get my vehicle in for it's oil changes and tire rotation on time. I just had to purchase new tires, the ones that came with the car were worn after 55000 miles, yes, 55000 miles. I bought the vehicle in Sept. of 2006 and have had any problems with it. I also credit my service advisor at Camelback Toyota in Phoenix. He stays right on top of needs and does his best to see that taking care of my Avalon is first, the money secondary. He knows he can still make money for the company but because of the way I am treated I would never change dealers or vehicles. By far one of the best cars I have ever owned....read morehide

Pros

Best driving and riding car I have ever driven

Cons

Navigation system is miserable (and Toyota knows it)

Purchased As New

I have purchased and driven many cars over the years and I have to say that the 2009 Avalon is the best driving and riding cars I have ever driven. Very quiet, good sound system, the laser guided cruise control is a great feature. BUT, if you NEED an at least "functional" Navagation system then stay away! The system cannot (always) find addresses of places that have been at their location for years. The voice command (you telling the system what to do) is worthless it takes 5-6-7 times if at all before it inderstand what you are saying. Toyota knows of this problem just use any search engine and search for Toyota GPS problems. Other than that it is a great car....read morehide

Pros

Interior room, soft seats, ok highway mileage but poor around town

Cons

Small trunk, bland styling, no door molding protection, pricey, soggy brakes and handling

Our Avalon has proven that extensive research pays off when buying a new car. Just because it's a Toyota doesn't automatically mean it's flawless or give it a free pass. For starters Toyota service stinks. We have had ours in for numerous issues including rattles, suspension clunks, steering, warped brakes and the odd transmission which sometimes likes to shift smooth and sometimes doesn't know which gear it wants to be in. They did resolve the warped brakes by replacing the factory rotors with "upgraded" units from a different supplier. So far the shuddering is mostly gone but for how long? The steering system has had a consant rattle since the car had 5,000 miles and the dealer cannot figure it out. They reprogrammed the transmission controller which helped the roughness but it hesitates when calling for more power climbing a hill. We are going to try another dealer which is about an hour away to see if they can resolve the tranny and noises. The interior of this car is pretty roomy and comfortable but we dislike some of the silver plastic on the dash which is already starting to wear off in paces. The trunk is very small when you want to carry anything other than grocery bags but at least it's lined with nice cloth material. The brakes, when they don't pulsate, are rather mushy adn high speed handling is ponderous. The 3.5 liter V6 is quick enough but when you boot it around town mileage drops to the mid teens. Toyota needs to make bodyside moldings standard equipment like they always used to so the doors are protected and the exterior is dressed up a bit. Overall, I think a lower priced car like a Hyundai Sonota or Malibu may make more sense....read morehide

Pros

excellent fuel economy and smooth ride on long trips -so far.

Cons

trunk seems a little smaller than my 1998 Toyota XLS

I would definitely recommend the Toyoya Avalon Limited to any body looking for "the best bang for the buck". I recently traded a 2006 Toyota Avalon Limited (that was on a 3yr lease) for a 2009 Toyota Avalon Limited. My wife and I will probably be riders of Toyota Avalon Limited cars for a long while. Also, the workmanship and human factors are the ultimate....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy for it's size, nice acceleration, roomy, quiet !!

Cons

brakes are a little spongy

Terrific value for the price, especially when compared with other cars in it's class.

Pros

I have a 2008 Aavalon Limited. I sold a Caddy to buy this car. It get's 25MPG city and 31-33 MPG Hgw

Cons

I can't find a thing wrong with this car

One of the best riding most economical cars I have ever owne. The ride is exquisit. Drove it from Ohio to Florida AND GOT 33.2 mpg avg.

I would highly recommend this car to anyone who wants a big car feel with great performance.

The V6 is awsome as far as pickup goes.

Pros

Awesome fuel economy, huge inside, nice seats, good solid car.

Cons

Door seals not adequate, sunroof whistle, transmission on acceleration.

This is a great car minus some very small minor but annoying quibbles; the transmission can't figure out what gear to engage on hard acceleration while moving. The plastic bit break way too easy, including the glove box latch. Some plastic piece are low quality with sink marks all over them. Spoiler being the worst.

I'm 6'6" and 300 lbs, and this car fits me, that's a statement to the size, the gas milage is unbelieveabel for such a large car. It cruies effortlessly at 70-80 miles an hour. The synthesis stereo system rates up there with the best available.

I will buy this car again, not since the Ford Taurus SHO have I said that about a vehicle. If you don't need the size a Camry may be a lower cost choice.

Recently drove a Buick Lucerne as a rental, the cars are similiar but the seats, brakes, and overall ride are not in the same class. However the Buick was quieter, did I mention door seals that give up the ghost in a few weeks. When I got the car I couldn't hear the engine run. I ground the starter twiice because I didn't realize it was on. 4 weeks later, you can hear the engine and everything else.

I wanted the STS Cadilac, for appearance and engine performance reasons but it was too small inside. Shoulder width. However in lieu of the price of gasoline, I'm glad I chose the Toyota.

As I said some minor annoyances keep this car just short of world class. Are you listening Toytoa? Dealers are very very American in nature. I.e statments like: they all do that, transmissions in all car can't select gears???? The problem is drive by wire is slow??? Last I checked electronic controls were as fast as light!!!!!

The dealership relation is a joke.

Last point my 06 Avalon lost it's AC unit in the second year just our of warranty, and the compressor was $1300 alone, the whole rebuild a cool $2K. Last time I paid service costs that high my hood emblem was a 3 pointed star from Stuttgart. And this ain't no Benz to be sure.

It might be better if Toyota would massage out the last wrinkles. I'm not sure who Aisin is but they make ALL the plastic pieces that broke on my O6, and with the exception of a few changes for 09 they are the same....read morehide

Pros

elcellent fuel economy on REGULAR gas

Cons

none -

Love the reclining seats in back seat - also large cabin area - lots of leg room -