Toyota Avalon XL (1998) – Into the Wild

The Avalon is the largest sedan in its range in all markets (except Japan) in which Toyota supplies it. With its wheelbase of 2.72 meters, it is therefore an oversized model – certainly by 1990s standards. However, the XL in its name does not affect that size. Every – like this one – American-built Avalon is the same size and all trim levels start with the letters XL. So it is the largest internationally sold Toyota of that time, but not an extra large one.

Five generations of the Toyota Avalon have now passed, all of which were built in Kentucky in the United States, among other places. The model was introduced in 1994 as the indirect successor of the Toyota Cressida. Where that model still had six-cylinder in-line engines and rear-wheel drive, the Avalon introduced a V6 and front-wheel drive. That V6, a 3-liter, 190 horsepower example, was the only engine option for the first-generation Avalon, both before and after the facelift. The Avalon photographed is one after the facelift, which took place in 1997.

In 1998, the typical brown model rolled out of the factory, to be shipped to the Netherlands two years later. Here the car found a second Dutch owner after another two years and that person is probably the reason why it is still in such good condition: from 2002 to 2021 he or she cherished it. The current owner has been allowed to call himself that way since May of this year and has only recently been able to enjoy his acquisition.

Also as a six-seater

This can apparently be done with up to four other people at the same time, because the Avalon is quite spacious as the largest Toyota sedan on the American market. At the time, the car was also optionally available with a bench instead of ordering two front seats, which made the Avalon XL a six-seater: it had an automatic transmission lever mounted on the steering column to facilitate this. This copy ‘just’ seems to have two front seats.

As mentioned, Toyota is now on the fifth generation of the Avalon and the model is still one that we cannot enjoy in Europe. Although; the current Lexus ES is on the same platform and has similar dimensions to the current Toyota Avalon in the United States – and that is a car that we do know here. The Toyota Camry is of course back on the European market, but that model is just a bit smaller with a 10 cm shorter length.