Small drawers on the door panels tilt open on toothed tracks instead of just sliding open. Carpeted covers give a finished appearance to old-style gooseneck trunk hinges. The hinge bars disappear into covered tunnels instead of hanging awkwardly in the way or squishing luggage when the trunk lid is slammed. The trunk opening is cut low so you don't have to lift cargo high. A lap-shoulder safety belt enhances safety in the middle rear seating slot.
Some makers still cheap out and use a less-safe lap belt.
A notch lets you close the console without pinching the cellular phone cord that's draped to connect with the 12-volt outlet in the console. There's no sense from behind the wheel that Avalon is a compromise car. But the styling seems a sour note in that nearly perfect blend. The previous car was bland but not unattractive. The '00 is aggressively bad from some angles.