Think I've converted my mom from Acura/Honda to Toyota (Thoughts on Avalon?)

My mom has had tons of transmission issues with her 03 TL. Well even today apparently Honda and Acura still struggles with this. I told her an Avalon would be a sensible comparative choice to the TL.

Was wondering if any of you have had experiences with the latest gen Avalon? (2012-Present)
I was recommending she take a look at the 2015s in particular, which was the year before they had the silly aggressive looking front-end.

 

I had a TL Type S and loved it but the transmission was a known defect. After having the transmission replaced 2x I had to sell it. The Avalon is a much different car than a TL, it is more like a Buick whereas the TL is much more sporty.

 

The Avalon does have a 3.5L V6 in it, so I was hoping it would still have some oomph. Plus it's a 6 speed vs the 2003 TL's 5 speed auto. Maybe the Avalon is a lot heavier? The MPG seems about the same between the 03 TL and 15 Avalon.

 

The Avalon will have a softer ride, will be less sporty.

 

Probably not a bad thing. Have you ridden in/driven one?

 

Yes it was a smoother ride

 

Nice. So I just looked up the specs, looks like the 2015 Avalon produces a tiny bit more torque and HP than the 03 TL. Can't seem to find the curb weight of either vehicle though..

EDIT: wow, curb weight is nearly identical.

2015 Avalon: 3,505lbs
2003 TL: 3,494lbs