Episode 10: Toyota Avalon vs Nissan Maxima

In this episode, it’s Toyota Avalon vs Nissan Maxima, two Japanese automakers fighting against each other. Why is Jonny complaining about gas prices? Why is the Toyota Prius so popular? Listen to this week’s The Pit Stop Podcast hosts Eli and Jonny to find out…

In this episode, it’s the 2021 Toyota Avalon vs the 2021 Nissan Maxima. Jonny starts this episode by making fun of the name Avalon and compares it to the name of the makeup company “Avon”. Then Jonny complains the gas prices are high in NY, and he thinks it might reach California gas prices soon.
Then Eli starts explaining the history of Toyota. Kiichiro Toyoda was the founder of Toyota Motor Company in 1937 after many years running a textile company which he inherited from his father. But there’s more to the story. In 1923 there was an earthquake in Tokyo and the city’s main railway was damaged, so they basically needed cars to put out the railway fires and for cleanup and to transport things right, so the Tokyo Municipal Electric Bureau ordered 800 US trucks from Ford. So naturally Ford was like this is fantastic that Tokyo wants our cars, and they opened the Ford-Japan Assembly in 1925. And they started importing roughly 18,000 vehicles to Japan yearly. So Kichiro Toyoda’s textile business was doing well for many years, and he was watching and learning what was happening with Ford and cars and decided to start a separate division in his company focused not only on cars but also on producing and refining steel and iron, manufacture and sale of aircraft and general machinery and obviously focusing on research and innovation. So after many years of research and employing the right people and getting all materials and building a factory, in 1937 Toyota Motor Co. LTD was established in Japan. And they made some small trucks and cars for a couple of years but in 1957 Toyota Motor Sales USA was born. The Toyota Corolla that everyone knows was built in 1968 and sold over 30 million cars in more than 140 countries. Then in 1989 Toyota branched out and formed a luxury line of cars called Lexus and in 1991 Lexus surpassed Mercedes and BMW as being the #1 luxury imported brand in the US.
Jonny then explains Nissan was founded in 1933 in Japan by Yoshisuke Aikawa. When the company was first founded, it went straight to the Tokyo stock exchange with the ticker “NISSAN”. And in 1958 it came to the US under a different name, “Datsun”, which they changed in 1960 to Nissan in the US as well. And they quickly started producing memorable cars like the Nissan Skyline which was driven and used by the Japanese Mafia. Then Jonny mentions that the 2021 Nissan Maxima base MSRP is $27,090 and comes with a 3.5L V6 engine with 300 Horsepower, Front Wheel Drive, 18 Gallon Tank, 20 MPG in the city, and 30 on the Highway.
Then Eli defends the Toyota Avalon XLE which is the base model base MSRP is Starting price is $35,975 and goes as high as $46,870 if you go with the highest model and add all the packages. And they redesigned the entire exterior of the car for the 2021 model. The front is completely different, they changed the grille and front bumper, and they changed the taillights in the back as well and made them look sleeker. A significant improvement from the previous body. The Avalon is available with FWD or AWD for the same cost. It also has a 14.4 Gallon Tank, with 25 MPG in the city and 34 MPG on the highway. In addition, it has a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine with 205 HP, which Jonny mentions is too slow compared to his Maxima. But Eli thinks since the Toyota Avalon weighs 100 pounds less than the Maxima and is $1000 cheaper than the Maxima, it’s the smarter choice. Some base model features of the Toyota Avalon are Heated mirrors with a blind-spot monitor, 17-inch alloy rims, backup camera, 7-inch screen where the instrument cluster is, heated front seats not leather seats though, lumbar support, heated steering wheel, eco mode, normal and sport modes, remote keyless entry, USB A and USB C ports, 9-inch touch screen in the center console, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, pre-collision braking, lane departure assist auto high beams, and Jonnys favorite feature the stolen vehicle locator.
Eli stated that without Toyota being the first to experiment and develop certain cars, other automotive brands would not have certain types of cars today. Cars like the 1997 Toyota Prius which was the first-ever hybrid car produced. Then the 1999 Lexus RX300, was so popular it represented almost 40% of Lexus sales when it came out.
Both Jonny and Eli agree Toyota and Nissan had a rivalry back in the day and still do to this day because they produce some insane cars in the past. 1985 Toyota MR2, 1984 Toyota Corolla GT-S, 1992 Toyota Supra MKIV, 1967 Toyota 2000GT, 2012 Lexus LFA, 2003 Nissan 350Z, 1963 Nissan Datsun Fairlady, 1989 Nissan 240SX AKA Silvia, 1989 – 2002 Nissan Skyline and the 2009- Present Nissan GTR are just some examples of the legendary cars produced by these 2 companies.
Some famous people who own a Toyota and or Nissan are Usain Bolt who has 3 Nissan GT-R’s. Robert Downey Junior has a GTR, 50 Cent has a Toyota Land Cruiser, Jessica Alba & Danny DeVito & Ryan Gosling & Leonardo DiCaprio & Matt Damon & Bradley Cooper & Orland Bloom all have a Toyota Prius, and there’s a long list of actors who have a Toyota Prius, Mark Wahlberg has a pimped out Toyota Sienna, Christian Bale has a Toyota Tacoma, Tom Hanks has a Scion XB which is a Toyota Brand.
If Jonny had to pick 1 vintage car from each brand, his choice of Toyota would be the 1992 Toyota Supra MKIV and Eli agreed he would pick that car as well. But Jonny would pick a 1963 Nissan Datsun Fairlady, whereas Eli would pick the 1989 Nissan 240SX.
Ultimately they take it the polls, and after combining the results from both Instagram and TikTok, they end up with a tie with people voting 50% for the Toyota Camry and 50% for the Nissan Maxima.