Originally posted by red99sesport:
Agreed, the Avalon competes with the 500 and the Fusion competes with the Camry. Wonder who would win the Avalon / 500 comparison. I think the Avalon would. It is a much more luxurious car, it is more powerful, and it has some features not often found in its price bracket like a reclining rear seat. It also has many optional features the 500 doesn't offer like: laser contolled cruise control, a keyless go type system, heated and cooled front seats, etc.



The Avalon would almost assuredly win. But the Five Hundred, as boring as it may be, is no slouch either if that's the kind of car you're looking for. The Five Hundred actually has a higher closing rate than the Avalon does, so people looking for that kind of car obviously are liking it quite a bit.

I think a lot of it boils down to the market of buyers not really caring about all those cool gadgets that the Avalon has. The Five Hundred has the basics down like bBeing rated the 'safest car on the road', having the largest interior cabin space and the largest trunk space in its' class, having an AWD option, and having best-in-class fuel economy doesn't hurt either thesedays, particularly among the price-conscious, fixed-income seniors that the car is aimed at. When 1-in-5 car buyers are over the age of 60, making a car that appeals to them, however boring and relatively gadget-less it may be, can be extremely lucrative.

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