My '93 V6 takes a good bit longer to warm up than my '94 I4. I think it is just the nature of the beast.

 

I've always been surprised at how quickly our 1mz-fe V6s warm up on our old Avalons. My 01 has a new radiator, and the 03 has a new water pump, so it doesn't seem to be due to reduced flow. Dash needle starts to move within 1/2 mile of 30 mph driving.

First thing to check is your actual engine temp. What you see among the instruments in the dash can be all over the place, accuracy-wise. At least check it among the live data on your OBD reader, but if not available there, then a cheap infrared heat gun would tell you better ballpark numbers.

Winter alternative would be a radiator cover, a wind block that goes between the outside world and the outer surface of your radiator (search auto radiator covers -- and ignore the hits that refer to the already-in-place plastic shields.) These used to be part of life, and still are, at least for over-the-road trucks and buses. Some classic cars had venetian-blind type slats (movable louvers) that could be opened and closed via a push-pull knob on the dash.

 

was concerned about the amount of time the car takes to warm up.

How long does it take? My old '92 (different V6) and my '96 Avalon (same V6 as yours) both reached normal operating temp in a 3-4 miles, regardless of outdoor temp. Normal operating temp = gauge needle horizontal, which is halfway between the H & C marks.

 

My 01 1MZ idles high until it reaches operating temp, which is about 3 minutes. Hopefully you used an OEM tstat, and installed it correctly with the jiggle valve pointed up.

 

The 1MZ's in my former 99 Solara as well as my current 03 and 04 Avalons all take a while to warm up when the outside temps are cold. I usually get interior heat from the vents in a few minutes. The reluctance to shift into a higher gear usually ends a few minutes later.