Congrats on the new ride!

 

Thanks! And she is a great new ride!

My new Avalon Hybrid came home today. I'm posting two pictures, which show the lovely lines in the sheet metal. I hope you can see them, since I'm not really sure how photo posting goes on this site.

I'm pleased with the way she looks. All the angst concerning the 'gaping mouth' is Toyota marketing's fault. How many posts have there been decrying the front end and saying 'Who would buy a car with a mouth like that?'

Thing is, Toyota's marketing used photos that were mostly taken from a very low (waist level) perspective. Those photos do show the uniqueness of the car, but emphasize the mouth when taken from the front quarter. I myself was skeptical about whether I'd like the front end. Turns out, I do! When you view it from a distance of 3 to 10 feet when you're standing up, the lower grill sort of disappears. You focus on the headlights and chrome of the upper grill and the bottom part recedes.

The rear 3/4 view is the best angle for me. I can clearly see the concave upper sheet metal of the doors, and it looks great. Enjoy!

Other impressions to follow.

 

I moved from a 2007 Avalon Touring to this new 2013 Avalon Hybrid Limited. I was never disappointed with the MPG of my 2007. Overall, I was getting about 27.5 MPG. I got as high as 32.5 on long highway stretches under good conditions. Amazing, really, for such a powerful V6.

So I'm hoping to do better in the new one. So far, with less than 50 miles on it, my average isn't good. But it's cold here in Northeastern Ohio. My new hypermiling hobby is just getting underway. It is a thrill to see the car kick into EV mode!

In contrast to my 2007 Avalon, I've noted the following dimensional changes:

1. The 2013 is a different configuration. I now sit down in the car. It really is more sporty. I feel like my butt is six inches closer to the pavement. The new car's windshield is more raked, and what I'm looking through seems six inches narrower than the 2007.

2. The new car seems somewhat narrower, shorter and lower. It's noticeable in the garage. Sitting in it, the headroom and shoulder room is less, but the knee room and foot space seems bigger. It's just a different configuration. I'll have to get used to it.

3. Trunk room on this hybrid is reduced. It's narrower because of the 12 V battery taking up right side. (Although the Nav DVD handler on the left side of the trunk is gone, so we gain room there. Trunk depth is reduced somewhat by the hybrid battery. Trunk height may actually have gained marginally. Overall, I can hold about one less basketball than previously. I'll have to deal. My hybrid loses the little passthrough to the back seat. No more long, narrow stuff can be carried that way.

4. The rear windows don't go all the way down. They leave about 2.5 inches of glass showing when fully down. I can no longer carry Ikea items bridging the rear doors.

5. Toyota cheapened the front door pockets. They used to be big and they pulled out a couple inches. Now, they're like most cars and hold noticeably less stuff. They could have kept the old feature and should have.

On the plus side for the 2013:

1. There is now a small storage compartment to the left of the steering wheel. I wish it were bigger, but it is about the same size as the little cubby I had and loved on my 1992 Honda Accord.

2. The e-bin is nice. It's equipped with power and USB connections, and the lid is nicely done. Later, it will include an option for wireless cell phone charging.

3. The rear is still a nice place to travel, although it's a bit tighter and no longer reclines. It does have heated seats and better climate control.

I'll have more to say tomorrow.

 

Further observations

Okay, so I just got back from an 85 mile joy ride after topping off the tank with 1 gallon of gas. Now I have my baseline for my first fill up.

The trip I took went from the far southwest side of the Cleveland Area over to the far southeast side. Destination, Hudson, OH. Via the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Bet not many of you knew Cleveland has a National Park. It follows the Cuyahoga River Valley and the old Ohio and Erie Canal. It's quite lovely on a 50 degree January day. We dodged bikers and dog walkers. We stopped at one of the visitors' centers and got information from the Ranger on duty. We'll be coming back later in the season. We saw the blue heron nesting site that will be reinhabited in another six weeks or so. BTW, there is also a scenic railroad in the valley. Something for the grandkiddies.

I'm really glad we took this trip. My wife played the the satellite radio and liked it. I played with the accelerator and liked it. The car seemingly has as much power on demand as the 3.5L V-6 in my previous Avalon. It's less, I'm sure, but it doesn't seem that way. Some real get up and go on demand. Of course the instantaneous MGP readout goes to the mid single digits on those occasions.

I get a visceral thrill whenever the car kicks into EV mode. All on it's own. The instantaneous MPG readout is 99.9 when that happens. it happened a good bit on this trip. The driving was very mixed, from speed limits of 25 mph to 65 mph. And there were a lot of ups and downs. We finished with the trip computer showing 37 mpg. I think that's not bad at all considering the newness of the car and the fact that the driver wasn't in the squeeze out the MPG mode.

Some further observations about my new wheel:

1. The trunk doesn't thunk the same way when the inside release is pushed. Sounds slightly less solid. BUT!! the trunk lid has a little handle inside that is a very nice touch. We did some grocery shopping on the way home, and I think the new trunk will serve us just fine.

2. The gas filler door no longer has an inside release. Now, you just push it in and it opens, so long as the car is unlocked. That's an improvement in my book, as is the way the gas cap holder works now.

3. The cup holders on the console are deeper, so the beverages are less likely to shift and spill.

4. Sport mode makes a real difference in the throttle and steering response. I very much like it and will use it whenever twisties show up in the road ahead.

5. I'm liking the blind spot monitoring. It works.

6. The electronics in the 2013 Avalon are way ahead of what I had in the 2007 Avalon. We only used satellite radio and the navigation, but I like them both. Later we'll try out Entune for Pandora and I Heart Radio. The energy and gas consumption monitoring on this car is very good.

7. Never had Smart Key before. I like it! It's starting to become second nature.

So I now have a whopping 135 miles on the new car. I park it on the far reaches and smile whenever I approach it. Damn, though. These windows need tinting.

 

One further observation

I've read most of the Camry Hybrid posts, including those about B mode on the shifter. Never seen it, but it seems basically designed for long, steep downhill stretches where use of engine braking is needed because the hybrid battery is full up and the disc brakes need relief.

The Avalon Hybrid does not have B mode. It has manual shifting that mimics the manual shifting I had on my previous V-6 Avalon. Pull the shift lever from D over to the left, and you can pretend it's a six speed transmission. The center MID display even turns into an electronic tachometer. It's nifty.

I've always been one to use that feature on the previous Avalon, especially since the car it replaced was a 2004 Acura TSX manual and my other car is a Jeep Wrangler with a 6-speed manual.

We did four laps of CONUS in the old Avalon, and I can tell you there are plenty of places out West where you want to downshift when comin' down the mountain. Can't wait to do a lap in the Hybrid.

 

From what I've read, the best use of S mode is for downhill driving. You'll take a fuel mileage hit if you use it as a manual shift substitute, because it'll be engaging regenerative braking all the time, and that isn't a loss-free process. Maybe this is why the V6 Touring and Limited have shift paddles, but the Hybrid Touring and Limited don't.

 

Downhill driving is the only situation where I'll use the S mode.

I'd say the Hybrid doesn't have paddle shifters because it doesn't exactly have a transmission. Rather, Hybrid Synergy Drive, which is like a continuously variable transmission and not at all like the transmission on the V6 Avalon. The 'gears' are simulated in the hybrid's S mode while the computers go about adjusting RPM, valve timing, fuel injection and electrical energy conversion. The trade off is less gas mileage for less disc brake usage. And maybe an increased feel of driver control.

 

HD Radio

Spent some time before the games investigating HD radio in Cleveland. Turns out there are 16 HD stations in the area, with most of them offering 2 and sometimes more channels. this is far more HD than most cities. I picked the 8 stations I like and put them into the Avalon's channel presets. Let me tell you, HD radio sounds good. FM sounds like a CD. AM sounds like FM. Sounds superior to XMSirius. Some people say the Avalon radio is not the greatest and I won't argue. But to my old ears, it's plenty okay. I did turn the surround off.

 

Congrats on your new purchase...

 

Any more impressions now that you've had a few more days with it?


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Any more impressions now that you've had a few more days with it?

The Avalon has sat in the garage for the past two days. Weather here in Northeast Ohio has turned really cold. Now there's snow. I have a Jeep Wrangler for days like this. And let me tell you, the heater on that sucker is awesome, and heats up fast. I've yet to try the Avalon Hybrid in such conditions, but the news on the Camry Hybrid forum is that heat comes on slow and gas mileage sucks on short trips. I wouldn't expect better from the Avalon.

I have been studying the manuals. The basic Owner's Manual is 512 pages. Lots of diagrams and considerable white space. And lots of words. Lots of words. I think it could have been condensed by 15 to 20 percent, but I suspect the ace Toyota legal team wouldn't have allowed that.

I'd say the manual is no more than average amongst manuals i've dealt with. And I always read the manuals.

I have the Hybrid Limited with the Technology Package. That adds up to a boat load of electronics and a front windshield full of sensors. The manual does warn not to replace the windshield with other than a genuine Toyota part.

One thing the manual clears up, which I was concerned about, is the actions of the pre-collision system. From the Toyota web information, I wasn't clear that the system actually applies the brakes if it detects a collision is immanent. It does. And I think I saw evidence of that on my joy ride. I came on a sudden big dip in the road. The car applied the brakes as it thought the rise in the road was a collision hazzard. Shocked me some, until I figured out what happened. I'll have to see how it behaves under real world driving. The manual has a list of conditions that can trigger the pre-collision system. It can be turned off, but I'm an aging driver and I don't expect to ever do that.

 

Homelink garage door opening

The temperature outside is 5 F and with windchill -11. Oh, and there're 3 new inches of snow on the roads. The Avalon's not going anywhere, and neither am I. Being retired has it's advantages.

Yesterday I worked on getting the car's Homelink to open the garage door. Following the instructions in the manual did not work. Repeating the instructions did not work. Trying it one more time after rereading the manual did not work. Damn, I'm thinking. Do I have to call Toyota or, horror of horrors, go to the dealer?

I was pretty sure the manual must just be deficient. After all, my previous Avalon's Homelink worked and every car before that which had it worked. Probably not an issue with my garage door opener.

So I went to the Homelink site and looked at their instructions, which are somewhat different than the Avalon's manual's instructions. I'm happy to report that following Homelink's own instructions (which include two extra steps and twice as much button pushing) worked. A small, expected luxury.

Since I'll be in all day, I'll try getting a few more electronic things working on the Garage Queen. I want to watch Finding Nemo on the nav screen.

 

Yesterday I worked on getting the car's Homelink to open the garage door. Following the instructions in the manual did not work. Repeating the instructions did not work. Trying it one more time after rereading the manual did not work. Damn, I'm thinking. Do I have to call Toyota or, horror of horrors, go to the dealer?

I was pretty sure the manual must just be deficient. After all, my previous Avalon's Homelink worked and every car before that which had it worked. Probably not an issue with my garage door opener.

So I went to the Homelink site and looked at their instructions, which are somewhat different than the Avalon's manual's instructions. I'm happy to report that following Homelink's own instructions (which include two extra steps and twice as much button pushing) worked. A small, expected luxury.

It was really easy for me. Grabbed my garage remote, aimed it at the homelink, pushed two buttons, Done! Not sure why you had issues and did more steps. Glad you got it working though.:thumbsup:

 

Smart key

I've liked the smart key. Wasn't sure how I'd react, since it's the first one for me. I was afraid I'd forget to shut off the car before getting out. Not a problem. For me it's been intuitive to hit the power switch after putting her in Park. The seat then automatically moves back, giving me a sign 'message received'. I was surprised that the clock doesn't immediately turn off, but it stays on. Don't know for how long. The rest of the dash pretty much goes dark. There is an option to customize the 'goodbye' screen on the navigation. May try that if I can think of a picture I'd like to see. Maybe blown kisses from a grandchild?

You get two sets of keys with the car. And you better never lose one given the $400 cost of replacement. Can't just go to the hardware store for a new one.

Our practice has always been to keep the spare key tucked away and only carry it when we go on an extended trip away from home. We keep the loyalty cards for distant grocery chains on the spare key fob. Nice to get dollars off on a bottle of wine to enjoy in the hotel room a thousand miles from home.

So with the Avalon's electronic key, the spare gets little use. I found in the manual (page 125) that you can turn off the radio receiver on a key. This will minimize battery depletion. So that's what I've done.

 

I've liked the smart key. Wasn't sure how I'd react, since it's the first one for me. I was afraid I'd forget to shut off the car before getting out. Not a problem. For me it's been intuitive to hit the power switch after putting her in Park. The seat then automatically moves back, giving me a sign 'message received'. I was surprised that the clock doesn't immediately turn off, but it stays on. Don't know for how long. The rest of the dash pretty much goes dark. There is an option to customize the 'goodbye' screen on the navigation. May try that if I can think of a picture I'd like to see. Maybe blown kisses from a grandchild?

You get two sets of keys with the car. And you better never lose one given the $400 cost of replacement. Can't just go to the hardware store for a new one.

Our practice has always been to keep the spare key tucked away and only carry it when we go on an extended trip away from home. We keep the loyalty cards for distant grocery chains on the spare key fob. Nice to get dollars off on a bottle of wine to enjoy in the hotel room a thousand miles from home.

So with the Avalon's electronic key, the spare gets little use. I found in the manual (page 125) that you can turn off the radio receiver on a key. This will minimize battery depletion. So that's what I've done.

I have to agree on the smart key. I also like the option to lock the doors by simply pressing the front portion of either of the front door handles.

 

Toyota Owners' Website

This afternoon I got an email from Toyota giving me an ID and password to sign into my Toyota Owners online account. I did it, and it's a big whoop. They have How-to videos, but not for the 2013 Avalon Hybrid. Links to info on Safety Connect and Entune didn't work. A page that's supposed to explain the whole dashboard lightshow is "not yet available for the 2013 Avalon Hybrid". So what's it good for? Links to the online owner's manuals. Of course you can get those without being signed in. The one thing I might appreciate is my car's service history. I've already got two items on mine: new car prep, and switching the tires and wheels. Shows date and mileage and brief description. So long as service is done by a genuine Toyota dealer, it's supposed to show up here. If not, it allows you to add services performed by self or third party. Might be of value at trade in time.

I'm told the mailman should bring a full information packet on Toyota Care and Roadside Assistance sometime in the next 2 to 8 weeks.

 

Toyota Roadside Assist App and Safety Connect

I remembered the dealership sales manager, as he was shaking my hand and congratulating me on my new car, strongly suggested I put Toyota's Roadside Assistance App on my smartphone. He said just search for Toyota on Google Play or iTunes.

Well, I just now stuck it on my phone. No installation issues. You input your name, email, phone number and VIN. Here's Toyotas description of the app:

"Toyota Roadside is a new app for Toyota owners eligible for the Toyota Care plan. It puts you directly in touch with a roadside assistance agent who can quickly dispatch reliable and professional roadside assistance to your exact location via GPS-enabled technology, 24/7/365. It even provides the service provider’s E.T.A., as well as updates throughout the event. The app allows the user to enter a profile for more efficient service. We invite you to download the complimentary app today!"

My car has Safety Connect, with a one year free subscription. There's an SOS button on the overhead console that connects you to a person that can call roadside assistance or 911. In the event of airbag deployment or a severe rearender, you don't even have to push the button. It calls you to ask if you're alright. Toyota On Star.

So do I need the Roadside Assist app? I'm thinking yes, because if I'm locked out of the car, I want to give them a buzz and I can't push the SOS button.

So as of now, I have (1)Safety Connect, (2)Toyota Roadside Assistance, (3) Triple A, (4) towing from my car insurance. Yes, I need to skinny it down.

 

Electronic Customization

There are 40 different items that can be customized on this car. You can do 16 through the navigation interface, and 24 require the dealer. We're talking stuff like buzzers, seats, lighting control, locking, smart key functions.

So far I've seen fit to change only some lighting functions. I've reset the amount of time the headlights remain on after the car has been shut off from the default 30 seconds to 0 seconds. No need to expend battery power on that. On the old Avalon I had to hit the key fob locking button twice to get immediate shut off. Now the Smart Key can stay in my pocket.

The other change I made was to the interior lights. Now they turn off 7.5 seconds after I enter the car, rather than the default 15 seconds.

I'm not sure if there will be other changes I'll want to make. The defaults on the new Avalon are the same as what I got used to on the old Avalon. Who knows though, there's bound to be a buzzer that gets annoying. I had to shut off the seat belt chime on the old Avalon, but somehow in this one, buckling up seems very natural. And the the driver's seat moves into driving position when you buckle the belt.

 

There are 40 different items that can be customized on this car. You can do 16 through the navigation interface, and 24 require the dealer. We're talking stuff like buzzers, seats, lighting control, locking, smart key functions.

So far I've seen fit to change only some lighting functions. I've reset the amount of time the headlights remain on after the car has been shut off from the default 30 seconds to 0 seconds. No need to expend battery power on that. On the old Avalon I had to hit the key fob locking button twice to get immediate shut off. Now the Smart Key can stay in my pocket.

The other change I made was to the interior lights. Now they turn off 7.5 seconds after I enter the car, rather than the default 15 seconds.

I'm not sure if there will be other changes I'll want to make. The defaults on the new Avalon are the same as what I got used to on the old Avalon. Who knows though, there's bound to be a buzzer that gets annoying. I had to shut off the seat belt chime on the old Avalon, but somehow in this one, buckling up seems very natural. And the the driver's seat moves into driving position when you buckle the belt.

So if I am reading the manual correctly, in order for me to change my locks from driver only to all 4, I must visit my dealer to have this taken care of? I not...where am I not finding how to do it myself?

 

Do you have a list of the dealer modifiable options? Sounds pretty cool and its always good to know what presets are possible to change on the car rather than being told "we can't do that!" by the service advisor.


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Do you have a list of the dealer modifiable options? Sounds pretty cool and its always good to know what presets are possible to change on the car rather than being told "we can't do that!" by the service advisor. They are listed in your OM.


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Thanks!


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Playing 'Brave'

Yesterday I tried twice with two different DVDs to get the car to show me a movie. It loaded the disc just fine, and it played me the sound track. But no video. I did as the the manual said, but no luck.

Today, I took a third disc, backed the car into the driveway, called the Toyota support number and while I was on hold, loaded up the disc. Regina at the help center said, 'how can we help you?' And I answered, 'well, looks like you're 2 minutes too late!'

Yup, while on hold, the disc began playing. The disc menu worked, playback worked. Sound worked. Maybe the car was happy to be out of the garage in in the sunlight.

Now I just need to find a reason to ever watch a movie in the car. It won't play unless the car is in park. Someone on the Camry forum was working on a hack to get on the move movies. But I guess I'll side with the Toyota lawyers: it's a real potential safety hazard.

So, I'm thinking on days when Mrs. Nilnoc fancies a turn around the shopping mall, I could stay in the car and watch a movie. Days when it's warm enough to stay in the car. Not a 20 degree day like today.

After the DVD issue was solved, I had some questions for Regina about Entune. But I'll get into that tomorrow.

 

Yesterday I tried twice with two different DVDs to get the car to show me a movie. It loaded the disc just fine, and it played me the sound track. But no video. I did as the the manual said, but no luck.

Today, I took a third disc, backed the car into the driveway, called the Toyota support number and while I was on hold, loaded up the disc. Regina at the help center said, 'how can we help you?' And I answered, 'well, looks like you're 2 minutes too late!'

Yup, while on hold, the disc began playing. The disc menu worked, playback worked. Sound worked. Maybe the car was happy to be out of the garage in in the sunlight.

Now I just need to find a reason to ever watch a movie in the car. It won't play unless the car is in park. Someone on the Camry forum was working on a hack to get on the move movies. But I guess I'll side with the Toyota lawyers: it's a real potential safety hazard.

So, I'm thinking on days when Mrs. Nilnoc fancies a turn around the shopping mall, I could stay in the car and watch a movie. Days when it's warm enough to stay in the car. Not a 20 degree day like today.

After the DVD issue was solved, I had some questions for Regina about Entune. But I'll get into that tomorrow.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/311-4th-generation-2013/431322-nav-dvd-bypass-switch.html

 

Nav DVD Bypass Switch

Wow, all that and over $300 to boot. I'm thinking I'll pass. Rather carry around a portable DVD player if someone needs that kind of entertainment on the move.

Thank you, though. Now I realize it was setting the parking brake while the car was in the driveway that allowed the DVD to play. The day before, I was trying to get it to work in the garage, where I don't set the parking brake.

 

The big advantage of the bypass switch is that you keep full functionality of the radio and nav while the car is moving; enter in new destinations, dial the phone with the touch screen, etc.


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Without the bypass, can you or your passenger go through music folders while the car is moving?

 

Toyota Customer Care

After Regina didn't help me with the DVD payback, I asked her about getting Entune running on my Avalon. At delivery time, the salesman called over the service dept. tech that they all turn to in pairing Blue Tooth and getting Entune running. It took him a couple tries, but he did get Entune operational on my car and he downloaded the latest car software.

The other day I tried getting it working again as the car sat in the garage. The Bluetooth pairing was sticking and the car had no problems making phone calls. But when I tried to fire up Entune, I kept getting a message saying an application must be running on your phone. See Toyota.com.

I was already making sure Entune was up and running on my phone when trying to get it running on the car.

So Regina turned out to be the 'receptionist' at the call center. She quickly passed me to Sharee. Sharee and I spent some time going through all the steps I'd already taken, with the same no luck result. I figured she didn't really understand the car or Entune and was just reading me the steps in her manual. Anyway, after about 10 minutes, she gave up and said she'd pass me to one of the tech experts.

That's how I got to be buddies with Roger. Not to bore you, but it turns out there are certain operating conditions on the phone that have to be set. I have the Samsung Galaxy S3 on the Sprint network. When at home, to save power, I keep WiFi on, Bluetooth off, mobile data off, and GPS off.

Of course, since Entune uses the phone to get its data, Bluetooth has to be on (which I knew), and mobile data has to be on (which I knew but might have been neglecting to set), and WiFi has to be off (which I did not know). Apparently, with my phone, the WiFi was stepping on the Bluetooth.

Anyway, we set the phone up for in-car use. And….. nada. Still was getting the same error message. We checked to be sure Entune on the phone was running and connected to the car. The app said it was.

Roger told me to sign out of phone Entune and then sign back in. Which necessitated a trip from the driveway back into the house to look up my Entune password. Roger stayed with me.

Finally, after getting the phone setting right, reinitializing Entune on my phone and making sure it was paired with the Avalon -- it worked!

Oh happy days!

Roger stayed on the phone with me while I ran Entune through its paces. (I'd been using my landline phone through all this. Roger said it's been a real problem for them when people call in for help on the cell phone they're trying to set up. So if you need to call Toyota for this kind of thing, best to use a second phone line.)

Pandora worked. Open Table worked. I Heart Radio worked. Bing worked. I'll never sign up for Movie Tickets.

I opened up Saved Destinations. Nothing in there. I asked Roger what that was, how to get something in there, and what it would be good for. Roger didn't know. But he said he'd put me on hold while he got a Galaxy S3 to test it with on his end. I told him okay, but the battery on my home phone was getting drained and I might get a disconnect. He said if that happened he'd call back.

The landline phone did die. My wife and I went out in the Jeep. While I'm sitting waiting for my wife to do a shop, Roger called back. He apologized that it was 90 minutes later, but he'd had other customers in the meantime.

'Saved Destinations' gets populated when you use Bing on your phone to find a destination, then touch the 'save it' option. It transfers over the the car's Entune. Then you have a saved destination. Unfortunately Bing doesn't map destinations. It only gives you the business name and a phone number. Useless.

I have lots more to say about Bing on Entune. Nothing positive. Next post.

The bottom line of this post is that the Toyota call center will stick with you to get things working on your car. It's located in Torrance, CA, near LA. Call the the main Toyota assistance number 800-331-4331. Choose option 4, then option 2. The call center is big, they speak English natively, there is expertise there, but you may not hit it with the first person you talk to.

I now have a case number with them, and if I have to call back for something, I can get to the expertise in fewer steps. And I can ask for Roger, who left the Indiana cold in 1978 for sunny California and never looked back. They let him drive a 2013 Avalon once to familiarize himself, and he loved it.

 

Bing on Entune

Bing is worse than useless. It's a menace.

It's set up with 17 categories of places one might be interested in finding locally, especially when traveling:

Restaurants
Gas Stations
Shopping Malls
Hotels
Hospitals, Fire & Police
Airports
Entertainment
Groceries
Banking/ATM
Parks and Beaches
Coffee & Tea
Dental Care
Dealers
Auto Detailing
Florists
Nightlife
Train Stations

I don't know about you, but Florists? Really?

It uses your current location to offer a list of establishments in each category. Here's where it becomes menacing.

I checked the Bing results for my own area. What a nightmare! It gives me:

- Banks that closed two years ago.
- Sleaze bucket mom and pop motels and a Hampton Inn that's no longer a Hampton.
- A list of fire and police stations, but not the nearest hospital.
- The shopping mall at the top of the list is a parking lot for a craft store and a closed Blockbuster.
- The Coffee & Tea list shows a local maker of coffee pots and an outfit that produces 'coffee' from dandelions and other backyard weeds.
- Coffee & Tea also shows all the Denny's and several Starbucks, including one that's 15 miles away.
- Local freight train offices, but not commuter rail stops.
- An Entertainment establishment that is a lady in a house that produces art work of pin up girls.

There's more, but you get the idea. Who knows, maybe the results are only bad for my neighborhood. But I'm convinced I'd be a moron to follow the new Toyota ad slogan 'Let's Go Places' and then use Entune Bing when I get there. Could be pretty funny, though.

Oh, and one more thing. What information does Bing actually give you? Basically, an etablishment's name and phone number and distance from your current location. There are grayed out stars for a rating, but hardly any place has a rating. It doesn't map. If I were Microsoft, I'd be consulting my lawyers, unless Microsoft had a hand in development of this travesty.

BTW, I asked Roger yesterday about Toyota's software release schedule for Entune. He said there basically isn't one that he was aware of. As opportunities come up, they'll be added to Entune.

 

Entune

Here's my Entune wrap up. In it's current iteration on my Avalon, there are six apps:

Bing
Saved Bing Destinations
Movie Tickets
Open Table
I Heart Radio
Pandora

Said my piece already about Bing. Worst app ever.

I find Open Table is of limited use on my home computer. We don't go out to eat much. We don't often go to places that accept reservations. When we are on the road, we check into the hotel, ask the desk for dining recommendations, go to the room and do a little Yelping and Googling and TripAdvising to decide where to eat dins. Usually works out that we don't regret our restaurant choice. Cannot see using Open Table on Entune. Ever.

We seldom go to the movies. Around here, the ticket line is never so long that it's worth buying a ticket ahead of time. So who needs Entune's Movie Tickets? Not me.

Never played with I Heart Radio before yesterday. While on hold with Roger, I tuned into one of the featured stations, KIIS 102.7 in LA. Sure hit it at the wrong time, since it played me nearly 5 minutes of commercials. I suppose if I had a favorite station in some distant big city I might like to get it this way. I suppose I could use it if I were traveling the boonies where the only stations are country or gospel. Dunno. Have to play with it. Jury's out.

Pandora is good. One more way of playing music in a car that is chock full of ways of playing music. My big question with Pandora and I Heart will be how stable my phone's data connection will be as we do laps of the USA. Since I'm on a Sprint unlimited data plan, I'm not worried about data usage. I'm kind of curious though, how many megabytes per hundred miles Pandora consumes.

So, if Toyota thinks I might sign up for a $130 per year paid subscription to Entune when my three year complementary service is up, they better get busy improving the sucker.

Fortunately, I don't need Entune to enjoy the electronics in my new Avalon.

 

Trunk report (or boot report if you're down under?)

Trunk space was one of the things I was worried about when turning in my 2007 Avalon for the new hybrid. When my wife and I go on 4000 mile jaunts, we pack a trunk really full. Also, my other car is a 2005 Wrangler which, even though we keep the back seat out, holds very little unless you take the top off and let things stick up.

When we were car shopping we looked at the Lexus ES hybrid. That car was nice, but the trunk is definitely too small. The Avalon's is larger. Nominally, the TAH trunk is about a half cubic foot smaller than the old car. But it's shaped a lot different, which caused me to get out the measuring tape this morning and go exploring.

First off, I want to say that there is an external trunk release that is really nice. You can keep the Smart Key in your pocket and press a rubber membrane to open the trunk. I know Ford now has this thingie where you kick the underside of the bumper to open the Escape's hatch. But really, what a way to filth up your pants leg. The Avalon's trunk lid goes up very vertical. And it does not seem to be likely to fall down and boink you. The torsion bars seem to be sufficient for the job.

Inside the trunk, the finish is on a par with the old Avalon. Sort of this gray, feltie liner stuff. It proved durable enough on the old car. The carpeted trunk mat that comes with the carpeted floor mats is noticeably smaller than my old one. And, it seems to weigh a fraction of what the old mat weighed. Not sure the carpet is lighter weight, but the rubber backing is.

The opening of the trunk is smaller. You have about a 40" x 18" usable opening. Inside, the usable depth is about 34", although the maximum depth is about 36". Usable width is around 52", which is only 2" less than the width of the car's back seat. All these dimensions are less than the old Avalon. However, where I think we gain is in the vertical dimension. I never measured the old car, but I'm pretty sure the new one, giving us 19" in usable height is larger. And the usable height is throughout the trunk. The rear speakers in the old car really stuck down into the trunk and took usable space towards the back. Maybe this is why some think the new car's sound system is not as good.

Taking off the carpeted mat, there is a felt mat underneath. It's pretty stiff and not so easy to remove. Under that is a styrofoam piece covering the spare tire. The top of this piece has waffle indentations that hold the jack and tire iron. Several waffle indentations remain for storage of small stuff. I'm thinking flares.

When you pull out the styrofoam piece, you get to the temporary spare. It is secured face down, which means you have to remove it to check the tire pressure. Which you'll want to keep at 60 psi. There is no TPMS on the spare. So you probably need to go through the bother a couple times a year of hauling it out and checking it. Unless your roadside assistance guy can inflate to 60 psi.

It seems there is enough room in the spare tire well to hold a full size tire. I'm thinking there is, since TN member 'cardinals1970' down at the Lexington, KY plant told us back in October that the Avalons headed to the Middle East have full size spares. I'm wondering if the bolt holding down the temp spare will work for a full size rim and tire.

There is a bonus space down below. It's over on the left side of the trunk under the floor. Dimensionally, it's 4"x4"x16". However, it's roughly triangular shaped and the actual volume is half of what 4"x4"x16" would give you.

One last observation. The power for the high mounted brake light comes from inside the trunk. But you cannot access the LED lights from there. Better hope they last the life of the car, or you're looking at a bitch to get to them by removing the rear package shelf. I don't think we have any worries.

So the 2013 Avalon Hybrid trunk is limited in size. I do know it will hold two carry on bags and a wheeled Igloo MaxCold cooler with lots of room left over for a camera bag, a computer bag and some dirty laundry. And a bit more, since I checked. Tripwise for us, it's a go. Trips to Home Depot? Maybe not so much. Especially since the passthrough to the rear seat is gone on the hybrid.

This coming week I'm going to see how much I can really do with just voice control of the electronics.

 

Voice Dialing

Since it hasn't snowed in over 24 hours and the sun came out, the roads are dry. Time for a ride.

Love driving this car. I'll probably never get over the thrill of seeing the EV light come on and know I'm running on battery power. This is my first tank of gas, and I already know the MPG is pooched because I had the car in the driveway powered up for an hour while I dealt with the Toyota help desk last week. I'm not going to worry about mileage until the next tank of gas. So I can enjoy the smooth accelerative power of the car. Observing gentle break-in behavior, of course. On a below freezing day with careless abandon (though I do coast up to red lights) the car's showing 33.1 MPG on a 20 mile round trip. Suburban driving. I'm satisfied. I know under the same circumstances, with gentler driving, the old V6 Avalon would show about 10 MPG less.

So I wanted to call my sister from the car using voice commands. It did not go well. The car doesn't readily understand me. Much repeating of commands and trying to dial the wrong Gail. I think we have to spend some time with each other to overcome our failure to communicate. I have to learn car-speak. Also, I'm pretty sure I need to rework my contacts list to get it so the people I'm likely to want to call have only a first name and no first names are duplicated. I can do that.

Finally, I found another hidden storage compartment. A very small one. The rear seat of the hybrid and the gas models evidently use the same parts. Make sense. When you pull down the center armrest, it exposes a locking door to the trunk. On the gas model, you get a pass through. On the hybrid, you get a little compartment hiding a trunk release cable. The compartment is big enough for a point and shoot camera, a cell phone, a wallet. Not much, really, but who knows?