2008 Toyota Avalon

The Toyota Avalon is one of the most consistently praised large family sedans on the market today. Its careful design and spacious interior ensure that it can seat five adults without evoking comparisons to a sardine can. Cabin storage is plentiful, fit and finish are impressive, and controls are logical and nicely laid out. Steering is precise (though a little light for some tastes) and the Toyota Avalon sports a surprisingly taut turning circle for its size. The Avalon posts perfect five-star results in government crash testing. Reviewers note that the Avalon's fuel economy is better than average for its class, and is even superior to some smaller sedans'.

A few articles do highlight some drawbacks. The rather soft suspension can induce some float on all but the Touring version, and the nose-heavy Avalon tends to dive a bit during abrupt stops. Cargo space is compromised by the rear wheel housings and trunk hinges, and the reclining feature on the rear seats prevents them from folding down. The Toyota Avalon is one of the more expensive large sedans, but most reviewers claim that when compared with rivals such as the Chevrolet Impala (*est. $21,365 to $28,345) or Nissan Maxima (*est. $28,270 to $30,520), it's money well spent.

Review coverage for the 2008 Toyota Avalon is both plentiful and helpful. We found reviews at two of our most consistently credible sources, Consumer Reports magazine and ConsumerGuide.com. Motor Trend and Car and Driver magazines each feature analysis of smaller-scale comparison testing involving Touring versions of the Toyota Avalon, though both of these articles date from earlier model years. Editors at Edmunds.com provide a detailed one-vehicle evaluation of the 2008 Avalon, with some informal comparison contained within.