Have you guys ever heard people say that everyone in California drives a hybrid? Well, that’s not necessarily true but a lot of people in California do drive hybrids. At least it seems that way anyhow. I went to San Diego for my bi-annual visit this past December and Toyota was kind enough to lend me their new Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited during my trip. And guess what? I fell in love! The only other hybrid I had driven up until this point was the Toyota Prius which wasn’t my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Prius but it just doesn’t have as much pick-up-and-go as say my BMW. Driving the Avalon Hybrid Limited was such a different experience from the Prius though. I felt that the drive was VERY comparable to that of my BMW or any other high end luxury vehicle. It was able to get up to speed quickly and easily and the drive was extremely smooth. My mom even mentioned how she felt that it drove like a luxury vehicle while she was riding in it.

This car also has so many cool features that my current car just does not have (time for an upgrade I think). For one, it has safety features like the pre-collision system with pedestrian detection. This feature uses an in-vehicle camera to detect when you are too close to someone or something and if you don’t break in time it may even employ the breaks to reduce to your speed. I can’t lie, this did come in handy once or twice – those California parking spots are no joke! The aerial view back up camera was also a godsend for parking in those small spaces as well. You can check out more of their safety features here!

Other than safety features I really enjoyed the built in touch screen navigation (even though I lived for 13 years in San Diego I still need this sometimes!), wireless charging, heated and ventilated front seats, and the luxury feel of the leather seats.

Also did I mention this car gets 43 MPG for highway and city?! Um, my current car gets 23 city MPG (insert sad face emoji here). On the Toyota site it outlines details of the Avalon Hybrid in comparison to similar cars on the market so you can see how it stands up against the competition. I also think its worth mentioning that people commented on my car more than once within a 3 day period. They would say ‘oh that’s the new hybrid!’ or things along those lines. I thought it was kind of funny because people don’t tend to comment on my car or I’ve never had that happen before but this car really stands out. It looks super sporty and like a luxury vehicle but it’s still affordable and extremely efficient. The regular Toyota Avalon Hybrid starts at $36,500 – the Avalon Hybrid XSE starts at $39,00 and the Avalon Hybrid Limited (the one I was driving) starts at $42,800. You can check them all out here.

Have you guys had the chance to experience the Avalon Hybrid yet? If so what did you think?! Let me know in the comments below or feel free to email me or DM me on Instagram if you have any questions about my experience with the car.

Also check out my experience with the Toyota Camry XSE last summer!