New Avalon hints at future of Toyota

Following much international hype and anticipation, the all-new 2013 Avalon was officially unveiled by Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributors of Toyota in the UAE at a special press launch event. The fourth generation Avalon has been radically reimagined and embodies Toyota’s new brand direction and commitment to developing more emotionally engaging vehicles. The American team’s new design formula delivers an athletic, bold design whilst maintaining the much revered premium and elegant DNA of the previous vehicles. “The American team has reimagined the Avalon to symbolize Toyota’s exciting new design and product direction for future vehicles. With its highly spacious, superb interior quality and excellent user friendly technology the new vehicle will continue to appeal to existing drivers. We also expect the new vehicle to attract the attention of a younger demographic due to its striking and bold design features,” said Simon Frith, Managing Director, Al-Futtaim Motors, upon unveiling the car. Athletic and Muscular yet Graceful Exterior: From the exterior, the car defines a sleek and expressive profile that helps communicate a sense of motion even when it is at rest.  Designers, originally inspired by the motion of a swimmer doing a butterfly stroke, tried to reproduce the combination of a muscular yet graceful look and load the car’s exterior with all the necessary traits to reflect this image. The new Avalon, which is slightly more compact, provides a bolder front perspective due to a wider, more assertive grille design and a redesigned front light cluster. The car displays better proportion with a lower vehicle height, sloping roofline, lowered beltline that accentuates a strong stance, and reduced front and rear overhangs. Key exterior design elements include the square Double-eye PES (Projector Ellipsoid System) headlamps and elegant DRL (Daytime Running Lights) that provide excellent night time visibility while helping define a narrower, more taut and muscular exterior expression. At the rear, high-performance LED tail lamps are adopted which are more integrated with the revised rear-body styling. Elegant Premium Interior: The all-new 2013 Avalon’s interior elaborates on the exterior’s elegant, athletic theme to create a premium interior experience that combines technology and craftsmanship with an artistic level of sculpted surfaces. The sculpted dash panel covered in supple, hand-stitched premium soft-touch material helps add to the sense of the cabin spaciousness. The new Avalon’s interior surfaces are finished in premium materials, unique smoke chrome trim surrounding the centre panel, and high-quality glossy panel trim around the gear lever. Seats are fitted with luxurious cushioning and covered with premium leather, giving the passenger the utmost luxury and comfort experience. The new Avalon’s front seats offers improved body positioning, from the power seats with built in memory, resulting in higher levels of comfort for longer travels.  An electric seat cooling system has also been adopted to help enhance the driver and passenger’s comfort. The Avalon's centre console includes a convenient tray, ideal for the storage of electronic hand-held devices. The console area is also equipped with a USB port, AUX input terminal and 12-volt power outlets to help facilitate device interface and charging. The car features a class leading JBL surround audio system with 11 speakers including 2 sub woofers and 12 channel external JBL synthesis amplifiers. A Display Audio System with 6.1-inch touchscreen has been adopted and offers audio system operation, Bluetooth compatibility, customizable vehicle settings, driving information such as fuel consumption, and operation of iPod® and USB devices. With the exception of the basic model the Avalon features a Premium HDD Navigation system that includes a 7-inch, high resolution touchscreen display. The system utilizes split-screen capability where audio and vehicle information can be displayed together with a map on the main navigation screen. The Avalon’s interior surfaces are available in 3 colour themes; Flaxen, light grey and black. V6 Engine: The powerful and fuel efficient 3.5-liter V6 engine delivers  273 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and provides the new Avalon with excellent acceleration.  If offers 3 different drive modes: Normal, Eco, and Sport. While the Eco mode prioritizes fuel efficiency, giving the Avalon the best in class fuel economy title, the Sport mode helps create a fantastic and engaging driving experience. Top class fuel efficiency is achieved thanks to the sculpted, athletic exterior design which helps the body cut through the wind with an exceptionally low coefficient drag of 0.276. Handling, steering and drivability: The Avalon’s steering wheel has been designed to help improve the driver’s tactile feel and control, enhancing driver confidence behind the wheel. Beside the four-direction audio switch the steering wheel features a cruise control switch, DISP (Display) TEL (Telephone switch), a button for voice recognition calling as well as a vehicle-to-vehicle distance switch for Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Additionally, large paddle-shift toggles attached to the steering wheel help create a more dynamic driving experience when required. The Avalon offers vastly elevated levels of control and handling thanks to a revised suspension. The front suspension is tuned to provide outstanding ride comfort, but also flat cornering with enhanced agility. The dual-link rear suspension design helps the vehicle achieve an ideal balance between ride quality and handling precision by improving rear stability. Advanced Technology: The new 2013 Avalon offers a long list of convenient, user-friendly technologies as one would expect with the Toyota brand’s flagship sedan, in addition to features that enhance the car’s functionality, capability and the level of safety. The new Avalon comes with a Smart Key System as standard and the car is also available with a rear window power shade that blocks direct sun rays for the rear passengers. Safety Technology: For added safety, a Dynamic Radar Cruise Control feature is also available to help control speed and keep a safe distance from the vehicle running in front. The radar controls the vehicle speed within a pre-set range to help maintain vehicle to vehicle distance. Additionally, a pre-collision system that helps mitigate the effects of vehicle impact is available in the car. The Avalon features Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). 16-inch ventilated disc brakes are adopted for the front and rear brake systems. The car is equipped with a total of 10 airbags including driver and front passenger airbags, front & rear seat mounted side airbags, curtain-shield and driver & front Passenger knee airbags. Offered in 8 colours the all-new Avalon is available immediately across all Al-Futtaim Motors showrooms in 4 grades; “S” for AED128,000; “SE” for AED 134,000; “SE+” for AED 149,000 and “Limited” for AED  154,000. Albawaba Business