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First Impressions: 2019 Toyota Avalon Touring

2019 Toyota Avalon Touring Style and sophistication, but at what price? By Cherise Threewitt, Contributor, Car-ED.com | October 2018 The Toyota Avalon, the brand’s large sedan, gets a full redesign for 2019. We had an opportunity to see the all-new Avalon in top-tier Touring trim at the Midwest Automotive Media Association Fall Rally in October and came away impressed… with one major caveat. It’s a well-rounded car and it wears its new styling well. Here are our impressions of the Avalon based on a short drive around the Autobahn Country Club grounds in Joliet, Illinois. Unfortunately, this Toyota was allowed on the street course only, no track, but we got a good sense of the car during that time. The Avalon’s cabin is nice without being ostentatious. The seats, trimmed in synthetic leather, offer lots of adjustments, and the perforated steering wheel feels good in the hands. The center console is high and comes up to meet a high armrest, which creates a strong division of space between driver and passenger and makes the car feel nice and roomy. We didn’t have much time to play with the infotainment system, but, like other current Toyota models, it seems nice and straightforward. Unfortunately, the whole cabin feels a little too angular — almost like the designers were trying to remind us of the front grille. The dash line is really swoopy with a [...]

First Impressions: 2019 Genesis G70

2019 Genesis G70 Hyundai's luxury brand delivers a world class sport sedan. By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor, Car-ED.com | July 2018 What is this vehicle? The 2019 Genesis G70 sport sedan is the first product from Hyundai's new luxury division engineered specifically as a stand-alone model, a car developed from the start to take on a wide range of luxury rivals, including the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Lexus ES350 and Acura TLX. Entering the luxury field can be a daunting task, especially when you consider how much weight is given to badge prestige and name recognition. Say the name "Genesis" to most car shoppers and, let's admit it, you're going to be hard pressed to find someone who immediately thinks of a Korean luxury brand, not a 1980's pop rock group. While the Genesis name has graced several high-end Hyundai sedans over the past few years, the G70 is the first model introduced now that Genesis is its officially a spin-off brand. Will Hyundai be able to convince luxury car buyers to consider giving its upstart sport sedan a chance? Based only on the G70's spec sheet - which is chock full of available performance goodies, like a twin-turbo V6 and 6-speed manual transmission - the initial impression is that the established luxury players could be in for a surprisingly strong new challenger. Who is this vehicle for? The Genesis G70 [...]