The 2014 Avalon Limited Hybrid is a top-of-the-line choice for the mature driver. Imagine yourself being seated in a five-star restaurant, your seat being gently scooted up to a candle-lit dinner by your grandmother’s kind of gentleman. Silky Smooth. The driver’s seat memory system has got your number for the perfect seat settings and the outside mirrors “wink” into place with its own memory system.
Now that you’re sitting pretty in the premium perforated leather-trimmed 10-way power driver and 8-way power passenger seats, it’s time to drive. Imagine zero to 23 in the blink of an eye in this 2.5 liter with 4 cylinder Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about the Avalon’s get-up-and-go capacity with sport, eco and EV driver modes. It’s easy to want to skip the irksome, but necessary, start and stop of city driving, and just hit the highway. With electronic power steering, 10 airbags and rain-sensing windshield wipers, this four-door is my first choice for road trips in a sedan.
The premium 11 JBL, GreenEdge speakers introduce a live band in your car. Though the windows were up, I quickly looked around to see if anyone around me felt the music too. No. Just me. The sensation is almost like going to the dentist and feeling guilty about getting nitric oxide because it makes you feel way too good about sitting in the dentist chair. Can driving a car make you feel this good? Yes. Being a passenger is not too shabby either. My passenger’s said they felt like they were “gliding” and “floating.”
Uber-organized drivers will appreciate the perfectly placed armrest with a tray in the console compartmentalized for any number of small items you normally drop in the ashtray or the passenger’s seat.. The rest of us are fine with one hole to drop everything in. Of course, that shouldn’t be acceptable in this cypress pearled-colored car that is nothing short of style in motion. The organization within this luxurious ride extends to the three-zone climate control with air filtration and rear seat vents.
I could go on. But I’ll stop to say that you may need to do some saving for this Avalon and it’s more than worth it. The MSRP is $41,400. The MPG is 40/39 city/highway.
