Originally Posted by monitor
What the hell is an Avalon? My friend says that it's a stretched Camry. If that's so, bag it. IMO, nobody in his right mind would drive a Camry anywhere except to the grocery store.
The Avalon was the first Japanese car to be classified as a "Full Size" under the EPA rules. It is essentially a wider and longer Camry, with a bigger engine and some nice luxury fittings. Think of it as a damn good Buick.
For 2005, they decided to make it an inexpensive Lexus. Big bump in engine output and while Hertz probably will not get the full-tilt luxury edition, the XLE they will buy have significant improvements.