The name "Pronard" was
coined from the French verb "prфner," which means "to extol" or
"to advocate." It is bestowed on the recently updated Toyota
Avalon for in the Japanese market.
The first- and second-generation Avalon had its exterior styled
at Toyota's California design center, CALTY, with the interior
designed in Japan. It was engineered by Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC)
in Toyota City, Japan, and was jointly developed by TMC and the
Toyota Technical Center (TTC) headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI. It
is produced at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK),
and exported to Asia.
The Avalon is made to order, catering to America's solid
citizenry who appreciate the car's intermediate-size sedan package
offered at a reasonable price, in both initial purchase and
running. It has full-size, five-/six-seat accommodation, cavernous
luggage volume, comfortable and quiet ride, and vice-free
handling, as well as Toyota's renowned quality and reliability.
The original Avalon found its way across the Pacific to Japan,
retaining the nameplate, but with extra equipment to qualify as an
entry-luxury sedan. Because the car is made in America it was also
admitted to Korea where Japanese imports are banned. Its reception
in Japan, however, was lukewarm at best. Toyota is renewing its
effort with the second-generation Avalon, now renamed Pronard, in
the competitive and crowded Japanese market, where Toyota touts it
as "a full-size luxury sedan, offering discerning car owners a
unique, self-expression alternative."
There is more to the car than meets the eye, which may see a
perfectly ordinary, homely Avalon sedan. As with the
first-generation Avalon, the new Avalon/Pronard is on a stretched
Camry front-wheel-drive platform. The Japan-bound Pronard is built
on assembly line No. 1 at TMMK—the same as the Avalon—and is
powered by the Kentucky-produced 1MZ-FE light-alloy,
quad-camshaft, 24-valve, 3.0-L V6. The engine employs a VVT-i
continuously variable intake valve timing system and the ACIS-IV
variable acoustic induction system, the latter varying the intake
tract length in three stages. The engine produces 158 kW (212 hp)
at 5800 rpm and 299 N•m (220 lb•ft) at 4400 rpm on a 10.5:1
compression ratio, requiring premium-grade unleaded gasoline, and
meets Japan's stringent T-LEV standards, vs. the U.S. Avalon's LEV
qualification. The engine is mated to an electronically
controlled, four-speed automatic with either column shift
(six-seat) or floor shift (five-seat).
The Pronard employs a new electronically controlled PPS, short
for progressive power steering, which varies steering effort
according to vehicle speed—lighter at stand-still and lower speed,
then progressively heavier as velocity increases. A small stepping
motor actuating the control valve alters the PPS's hydraulic
pressure. The U.S. Avalon is fitted with engine-speed-sensing
variable-assist power steering.
The suspension's mechanical components are shared with the
Avalon, with front MacPherson struts and rear struts located by
parallel transverse links and longitudinal links and checked by
anti-roll bars. The top-of-the-range Pronard model, the G-package,
features "Skyhook-TEMS."
The electronically controlled suspension automatically alters
the individual shock absorbers' damping characteristics to attain
a level ride and stable handling, as though the car is suspended
in midair, thus the name "Skyhook." Additionally, the driver can
choose one of four damper settings ranging from Comfort to Sport.
The standard brake system combines ABS with electronic brake
distribution (EBD), brake assist, traction control (TRC in
Toyota's nomenclature), and vehicle stability control (VSC). The
engine and transmission control and the TEMS suspension modulation
are centrally managed in conjunction with the VSC to achieve
optimum stability under varying conditions. The TRC and VSC apply
individual brakes to obtain maximum traction and stability. VSC is
optional in the U.S. Avalon. The Pronard is equipped with standard
dual SRS airbags and front-seat side airbags.
Externally, the top-of-the-range G-package includes
high-intensity discharge (HID) low-beam headlights. Door-mounted
rearview mirrors electrically fold as well as adjust, an essential
feature in Japan's tight parking spaces. In the interior, the
Pronard's instrument display is Toyota's "Optitron," a back-lit
unit that changes colors from white dials during day to blue-green
at night.
The "Electro Multi-Vision" 7-in liquid-crystal color display is
situated in the center of the instrument panel and provides
navigation guidance, FM multi-source information, and
instantaneous and trip fuel-consumption data. The U.S. Avalon is
fitted with a multi-information display including a compass, but
with no navigation feature. In the Pronard, the doors are locked
when the vehicle reaches a preset vehicle speed, while the
transmission lever actuates the U.S. Avalon's locks. The Pronard's
fuel lid is electrically released, while that of the Avalon is
cable-operated.
Jack Yamaguchi
AEI August 2000
|
Более 2000 руководств
по ремонту и техническому обслуживанию
автомобилей различных марок
|
 |
|
 |
