Toyota Avalon Overview

Preliminary intelligence on the Toyota Avalon suggested this car would: (A) share the same chassis as the Camry, and (B) be little more than a high luxury version of that popular midsize sedan.

Well, the Avalon is here. And here's how our intelligence reports graded out.

A: Correct. The Avalon rides on a Camry chassis, with a stretched wheelbase. It also shares the Camry assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky.

B: Incorrect. Although the Avalon uses the same engine as the Camry V6, tweaked for a bit more power, as well as the same smooth 4-speed automatic transmission, it's essentially an all-new car. It doesn't look like the Camry, and the two cars don't share any exterior pieces. The Avalon is also roomier, particularly in the rear-seat area, it's a little more agile and, of course, it's more expensive.

The Avalon is designed to compete with bigger front-wheel-drive domestic cars such as the Dodge Intrepid, Pontiac Bonneville, Chevrolet Lumina and Ford Taurus. It replaces the stodgy old rear-drive Toyota Cressida, which disappeared from the lineup in 1993, and it's the biggest passenger car ever to wear the Toyota emblem in the United States.