Toyota Avalon

Here in the midwest and other places where it gets cold and snowy, all-wheel drive vehicles generally outsell their front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive variants. While a good set of winter tires is always a help when driving on slick surfaces, being able to send power to all four wheels can be a big help in providing vehicle stability and control.…

Toyota Racing Development (aka TRD) is charged with making the highest performance versions of Toyota’s production vehicles, though in recent years, their focus has been on trucks and SUVs.…

The notion of a Toyota Avalon being tricked out by TRD has always seemed a bit odd to me. I mean sure, it’s now got a powerful 301hp V6 under the hood, and the chassis is stiffer than it’s ever been, but still, the Avalon is one of those cars that’s ideal for long road trips, with its cushy, whisper quiet interior, and comfortable suspension.…

While the current generation Toyota Avalon is a very nice car indeed, frankly it’s a bit dull. Sure, it’s smooth and quiet, but with its average buyer being in the mid-60s, it’s never really been designed to thrill.…

When you think Toyota and hybrid, likely the Prius probably comes to mind first. However, at 95Octane we like our hybrids with a little more to them than the Prius.…