For the most part, the bigger the vehicle gets, the more you’ll have to pay for it and the less fuel-efficient it is. Similarly, the more luxurious a vehicle is, the more you’ll have to pay for it and the less fuel-efficient it is. The problem isn’t size, but perception. A luxury vehicle shouldn’t feel weak, so they get bigger, more powerful, and less efficient, engines. The latest technology to find widespread acceptance in the automobile market is hybrid technology, which indeed costs more, but is much more efficient.
In the case of hybrid vehicles, one might think that, in order to offset the cost of the technology, they would make the car smaller, or take out some of those nice luxury features. The 2013 Toyota Avalon, all-new for this year, and like many other vehicles in the Toyota lineup, comes in a hybrid version. The Avalon hybrid turns everything we know regarding the relationship between luxury, size, and fuel economy on its head.
Starting at just under $36,000, the Toyota Avalon Hybrid is certainly not small, fitting four average adults very comfortably, with trunk space and power to spare. A lot of the things that we’d expect in the much more expensive Lexus lineup of luxury vehicles have influenced the design of the new Avalon, including suspension design, aerodynamics, and noise insulation, as well as the sound system and leather seating and steering wheel. On top of all this, the Toyota Avalon Hybrid is rated at 40-mpg.
