2005 Toyota Avalon Review

Interior

Inside, the 2005 Toyota Avalon’s design is just as attractive as the outside. Generous use of leather and soft-touch plastics, accented by faux, brushed aluminum and some of the best fake wood trim we’ve laid eyes on gave our Limited a very upscale look and feel. Aesthetics aside, we especially applaud the designers’ efforts to make an interior with a fair number of bells-and-whistles look clean and uncluttered. The lack of the usual confusing jumble of buttons, joysticks, and knobs makes this a lesson in user-friendly interfaces we’d like to see product designers everywhere take to heart.

This ergonomic streamlining begins with audio system controls housed behind a panel that opens and closes smoothly with a touch of a finger. Controls for the dual-zone climate control, navigation system, and trip computer are similarly hidden away in a panel that lowers from a space just below the audio system and ahead of the console-mounted shift lever.

The controls that remain exposed are among the best we’ve used. Classy Optitron gauges and the center-mounted, seven-inch color LCD display are bright and easy to read. The translucent buttons flanking the audio system cover are large and substantial, making it easy to find the setting you’re looking for with a quick glance. Another nice touch is the subdued backlighting that makes these buttons every bit as easy to use at night. The leather and wood-trimmed steering wheel also includes audio and climate control buttons, though the main controls were so user-friendly we rarely felt the need to use the auxiliary features.