That’s my two dilemmas. The details:
I’d be fine in either one (you could even add the ES hybrid, but more $$). All have the same drive train. The only real difference is the interior room and options. I’d get the Camry LE, but that’s because I don’t want a sunroof. You can’t avoid a sunroof on the Avalon hybrid, I think.
I’d rather get a new one to make sure I know how it’s been treated, so if that moved me to the Camry, I’d be ok with that.
The Camry and Avalon and Lexus ES-350 are all built on the same platform. They share probably 95% of all parts.
How about a comparison of ride and seat comfort?
I strongly recommend you try them out and see - they’ll be similar, and it’s always a very personal choice with that. Prior years the Avalon would like be smoother/floatier, but they’ve apparently firmed it up overall, so it’s hard to tell.
I bet the seats are very similar. But I don’t know that as a fact.
And I just checked, the Camry Hybrid XLE can be had without a sunroof, so that’s where I’d likely end up (if I could find one).
I know that sunroofs used to leak. Is that still a problem? Or is it just that you don’t want to be illuminated?
But #1 is the key.
Sunroofs could also be noisier than normal. I think mine makes more noise than… I don’t know how to grammarify the rest of that sentence. I want more people to drop their cash on a hybrid Avalon. I was impressed with the one I saw. If we are ever overrun with zombies you might need the bigger size for ramming power. The fuel economy was great too.
It’s getting hard to find cars without a sunroof, it’s become a mandatory ‘option’ in many cases. Like with the Camry, if you want leather or the fancy stereo, you have to get the sunroof. If you want any Avalon hybrid or any ES, ditto…
You have to be pretty tall for the sun roof to be an issue.
I’m 6’3…any my oldest son is 6’5. We both have more then enough headroom in my wifes ES-350.
Yep, all my height (6’5") is in my torso. No cars with sunroofs work, just about. Even a Tahoe with a sunroof is a problem. I must have found one of the 1% of ES300s without a sunroof in '96, can’t get it that way now.
Toyota stiffened up the Avalon suspension, perhaps too much
Consumer Reports no longer gives it top marks for ride quality
That is probably why the Camry now rides beter than the Avalon
If it were me, I’d get the new Camry Hybrid. I don’t need the Avalon’s extra size.
Personally, I think sunroofs are overrated
They cut into the headroom
And let’s face it, how many of us use that sunroof more than once or twice a year?
Drive them both and decide for yourself. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks with respect to ride quality. But as long as we’re quoting reviewers, Edmunds likes the ride quality of the new Avalon compared to the last generation, which they thought was too soft. Now, if you wanted Your Father’s Oldsmobile but bought the last generation Avalon because it was the closest thing to YFO, then you might be disappointed, just like the grannies at CR. And the Avalon looks better than the Camry, too.
I’m only a little taller than average and often find sunroofs a problem. It’s not the sunroof itself, but the area next to it having to be lower. As for the Avalon versus Camry, they’re both good, so buy the size you like. I doubt the ride will actually be worse than the Camry, but the old one used to be a lot softer and the new one isn’t. Personally, I consider the Camry ride about as soft as I’d ever want.
I don’t like sun roofs…I don’t like the sun beating down on me. Wife rarely uses her sun roof.
the only time my sunroof opens is when I hit the unlock button twice and hold it down to open the front windows and sunroof to let some of the heat out of my car when I get off work
so what is the price difference between used and new? How long are you going to keep the car? Remember, a used car coming off of 3 yr lease will have maybe just more year left on the tires and the tires will be the biggest expense for a newer used car.
The 2014 Avalon and Camry are new generations. A 3 year old version may be a nice car and good buy, but not the same cars as the 2014 models.