2002 Toyota Avalon Sorrento review from Australia and New Zealand

On taking delivery of the vehicle, I noticed that the cowling above front passenger leg area had dropped. This was fixed on the first service.

The head lining where it meet the top of the driver's door has pulled away from the strip. It appears that it has been cut too short and will not tuck back under the strip. Will advise dealer at next service.

I was surprised that the paintwork was not as good as what I expected. Overall the paintwork is beautiful, however there is some debris in the paint on the bonnet and some runs on the roof and a wheel arch.

I am very impressed with the car. It is very smooth and responsive and handles well. It has plenty of get up and go, surprising for an engine which is a relatively small V6.

The seats are firm and comfortable. The instruments are well distributed and controls simple.

The engine is very smooth and quite. The transmission is excellent.

I would like to see Toyota introduce a fold down rear seat allowing large items in the boot to intrude into the back seat area. At the present time, there is a little door which opens when the rear centre armrest is folded down which allows a set of skis (for example) to be place in the boot and intrude into the rear passenger compartment.

My model (Sorrento) does not have a remote boot release. I regret I did not get this option.

I have dressed up the car a little (alloys came with the package and look great). I have added a sports mesh grill, stainless steel rocker panels (ordered from the U.S.) and a stainless steel exhaust tip. It looks stunning!