The Detroit Newspapers's view

A few months ago when I was writing a magazine story about gastric-bypass surgery, I spent an evening listening to a support group counsel obese patients on the dramatic changes they would experience after their operations – right down to the cars they drove.

It turned out that several of the prospective patients drove the Toyota Avalon, a roomy, six-passenger sedan with a big bench seat in the front.

They said the Avalon was one of the few sedans they could fit into and get comfortable behind the wheel. Some said they looked forward to the surgery because it would enable them to get into smaller vehicles someday, like the Audi TT or Chevrolet Corvette.

I thought about those people at the recent media launch of the redesigned 2005 Toyota Avalon, which is on sale now.

They undoubtedly will be disappointed to learn that the bench seat has gone away in the full-size Avalon, which has been “downsized” in a certain respect to a five-passenger vehicle even though the wheelbase has been stretched four inches.

“There wasn’t enough demand to sustain it,” explained Ernest Bastien, vice president of Toyota Motor Sales USA’s vehicle operations group. “The installation rate on the bench seat was less than 8 percent.”

There’s little doubt that most other buyers will love the changes to the redesigned Avalon, which is so gorgeous inside and out that it looks like it belongs in the lineup of Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand.

The new Avalon signals the end of the not-so-flattering nickname, “Toyota’s Buick.”

Avalon gets a powerful new engine for 2005 and one of the best rear seats in the business. And the sedan, which one buff book once derided as the “Ward Cleaver of sedans, synonymous with bland,” gets a hefty dose of sex appeal, with such sporty features as Toyota’s first dual-exhaust system and a new floor-mounted shifter.

There’s even a push-button start feature on the Limited model and special “mood lighting” – a panel illuminated by overhead white LEDs – on models with a sunroof.

The 2005 Avalon ranges in price from $26,890 for a base XL to $34,080 for a top-of-the-line Limited model. Prices include a $540 destination charge.

I drove several versions of the Avalon at the car’s introduction here and then got back into a $35,169 Avalon XLS back in Detroit a few weeks later.

The XLS test car had three options: a $2,540 voice-activated DVD navigation system and JBL stereo with a six-disc, in-dash CD changer; $1,090 vehicle stability control bundled with traction control and heated front seats and a $199 package that included a trunk mat and floor mats.

My drives in the Avalon coincided with similar test drives in February of its principal domestic competitors, namely, the 2005 Buick LaCrosse and the 2005 Mercury Montego.

The Georgetown, Ky.-built Avalon outshines the LaCrosse and the Montego in most respects, even though the base Avalon is $3,395 more than the Buick and $1,895 more than the Mercury.

I had a hunch during January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit that the Avalon was the sleeper vehicle of the event. My feelings were confirmed after spending lots of time in the Toyota, especially as a rear-seat passenger. If you need a larger sedan for hauling passengers on long trips from Michigan to Florida, the Avalon is an excellent choice.

There is a flat floor in the rear, which means the middle-seat passenger does not have to straddle a transmission hump and intrude on the foot space of the other rear passengers.

The redesigned Avalon has a five-position rear seat that can be reclined with a manual lever. The one drawback to the reclining seat back in the rear is the lack of a split-folding seat. Designers say they couldn’t do both things – make the seat recline and flip and fold. They were only able to build in a small pass-through door in the seat back to accommodate long items. I wrote a single word in my notebook after my first Arizona trip as a rear-seat passenger in the Avalon: “Relaxing!”

Avalon further benefits from a new double overhead cam 3.5-liter V-6 engine that Toyota says is the most powerful V-6 ever offered in its U.S. model lineup. The V-6 delivers 280 horsepower and 260 pounds-feet of torque. That’s a big jump from the 210 horsepower generated by the old 3.0-liter V-6. The new engine provides plenty of power when you’re loaded down with passengers, luggage and golf clubs.

The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The EPA says it returns 22 miles per gallon in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway.

And there’s a new remote engine starter that is a real benefit in all kinds of weather because it starts the car and triggers the climate-control system to preheat the cabin or cool it down using the most recent temperature settings.

The Avalon’s engine specifications alone provide a solid argument for choosing the Toyota over the LaCrosse or the Montego. The Montego’s 3.0-liter V-6 makes 203 horsepower, leaving the Mercury sedan grossly underpowered, especially with more than two adults aboard. The LaCrosse’s base 3.8-liter V-6 delivers only 200 horsepower.

The Avalon also trumps the competitors when it comes to safety features. The Toyota sedan has standard side air bags, as well as standard side curtain air bags that protect all outboard passengers. There’s also a new standard driver’s knee air bag and antilock brakes. You’ll pay extra for side air bags in the Montego and LaCrosse.

My biggest criticism of the front-wheel-drive Avalon, especially as someone who lives in the icy Upper Midwest, is that it can’t be ordered with all-wheel-drive, unlike the Montego. But even in the dead of winter in Michigan, I had no problems getting around in the Avalon, even though all-wheel-drive capability is a priority for me in the cars I buy or lease.

Any second thoughts about Avalon seem to fade away once you get into the cabin and appreciate how it just seems to flow around you in a mix of upscale materials.

If you have any questions about the quality of the Toyota flagship sedan, just spend a few minutes studying the phenomenal detailing and workmanship on the door inserts with top-stitching that rivals the finest designer clothing.

Toyota executives aren’t shy about describing the Avalon as a car for the “mature buyer.” The good news is that they’ve shaved years off the car’s image, and therefore your own, with the redesign and made it seem like the best buy in its class.