Yeah, I see your point, it's gotten better.
No, the whole point of your thread was, to start another nerveracking Toyota bashing debate. No one is drinking kool aid here relax.
See there you go again, there is no such thing as good press when it comes to car makers having defects in their cars.
As for the comment that was posted I think by Flybrian, you have a point about the Avalon as being point less. However, I think it's for people who want something between a Camry, and a Lexus. Although, I might argue that for similar money, you can get an ES. As the for SUV debate, I believe that there are many. However, they all run on different platforms. The RAV4 is off a stretched Corolla, the Highlander off a stretched Camry, the Land Crusher is off it's own, and the Sequoia is off the Tundras (with or without the snapping camshafts :-P). Oh yeah, I forgot the 4RUNNER, which runs off the Hilux if I'm not mistaken. It all depends what the customer wants, I think it's a matter of choice. Although, if we have the Sequoia, then why do we get the Land Crusher for? Might as well rename the Sequoia into the Land Crusher badging. However, one might argue that the GMC/CHEVY debate might be a matter of customer's choice. Some perfer GMC, some might chevy, you choose.