Used 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) Consumer Reviews

Impressed Overall, with some caveats

Overall, I am very happy with my Avalon Hybrid Touring. It has an attractive exterior styling that I have not tired of. As a previous Avalon owner, I do not find the ride to be a problem. When I test-drove the vehicle, it did seem more firm, but now I don't even notice it. The interior styling and materials are top notch. People getting into the car often comment on how nice it is and ask whether it is actually a Toyota. Trunk space is certainly adequate. A feature which is new to me are the cross traffic alerts and blind spot monitoring. Both have already prevented accidents. Pulling out of a grocery store parking space with a large SUV on either side, the system alerted me to a truck which was moving too fast and not paying attention to cars pulling out of spots. Another time as I made a left turn, the system alerted me of a car to my right also turning, having not realized there were two left turn lanes. I will never buy another car without these features. Some of the descriptions about how it runs in all electric mode are misleading. "EV Mode" setting is worthless for two reasons. One, it rarely works. With the least bit of acceleration or speed, it will kick out of EV mode. Equally relevant, "Eco Mode" will use all electric when the speed, acceleration, and battery level are sufficient. The all electric mode can pull you up a decent hill if going slow enough, or travel at a speed of up to about 40 mph if on a flat road with steady speed. But in any event, there is only enough charge for about a mile before the battery depletes. The mileage figures are also a bit off. Since I living in a very hilly area and my trips are short, my city mileage is always worse than my highway. During the summer, my average mileage combined was around 40, with closer to 44 for highway driving. In the winter, my city driving is getting around 35-37 mpg. If the outside temperature warms up or I have been driving longer, I can see the mileage improve. The only thing I hate is the navigation system. It is confusing to operate, and the voice command system might as well be in another language. There is a function which allows you to "teach" the system to recognize your voice, but it didn't help. If you say "Find Florist," you can get anything from Fast Food to something bizarre like Hospitals.