2020 Toyota Avalon

The Toyota Avalon is a large sedan full of surprises. The interior is refreshingly premium and elegantly designed, making great use of its ample acreage. While many full-size sedans offer vast stretches of visually empty surfaces and poorly scaled features, the Avalon’s cabin features an abundance of interesting angles and a variety of materials. It’s a comfortable and inviting place to be.

The 2020 Toyota Avalon, now in its fifth generation, comes in five different trims: the XLE, XSE, Touring, Limited and new TRD. The standard engine is a 5.5-liter V6 paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. A hybrid powertrain is available on the XLE, XSE and Limited trims. The hybrid variant uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a continuously variable transmission with 176 horsepower and horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque.

The V6 models can achieve an estimated 22 mpg in city driving, 31 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg combined. The hybrid variants are estimated to get 43 mpg in city driving, 44 on the highway and 44 mpg combined.

The Avalon’s on-road performance is admirable, both in the hybrid and gas-powered powertrains. The conventional version accelerates to 60 mph in a respectable (but unimpressive) 6.1 seconds, while the hybrid gets there in a much more leisurely 7.8 seconds. Both iterations display stable and comfortable behavior leaning into turns with only marginal body roll or lean.

The Avalon TRD is mostly an appearance package, though the upgrade does feature sport-tuned suspension. There are three driving modes: Eco, Normal and Sport, which is the most entertaining setting and gives the Avalon a jolt of personality to match its edgy styling.

Onlookers are curious about the Avalon TRD, especially when it’s coated in Toyota’s Supersonic Red paint. The package also includes 19-inch black wheels, TRD cat-back dual exhaust with polished tips, a piano black grille and rear spoiler a side and rear aero kit (that makes the car so low it’s scary to pull into some driveways) and TRD badging throughout. Any color that will contrast against black will help all the exterior detailing pop.

The TRD interior is undoubtedly the high point to the package. The black SofTex seats feature ultra-suede inserts, red contrast stitching and red seat belts (a fun add). They feel sporty enough the match the aluminum pedals, which only the driver sees, but just knowing they’re there adds a bit of race-car mystique not always offered by a large sedan.

Despite the fun flair on the TRD iteration, the Avalon’s exterior styling is tricky. It has a reputation as a subtle, full-size people pleaser, but the oversized grille is divisive and could be considered an attempt to replace it its loyal fanbase with a fresh crop of younger buyers. It also could be a carryover from Lexus’ design language that just doesn’t translate as well. Identity crises aside, the Avalon’s over-styled appearance does boast some nicely executed creases and character lines.

In terms of infotainment, the digital accessories are capable and smartly designed. A 7-inch touchscreen is standard across the lineup and is Apple CarPlay compatible (Android Auto is still missing). A wireless phone charger is standard on all the but the base XLE. Though the wireless charger is handy, the particular device is slow to charge and also takes up prime storage real estate in the center console. Overall, the Avalon cockpit lacks practical small-object storage, a source of frustration for parents or anyone who routinely shleps lots of things.

Lack of any type of storage is a counter-intuitive proposition for the Avalon, which boasts miles and miles passenger space. There is a generous 42 inches of legroom in the front seats and 40 inches in the rear. The large sedan comfortable sits three adults in the back seat, and kids swim in elbow room, even with car seats (their short legs also will have trouble kicking the seat back, a plus for parents everywhere). Trunk space also is cavernous (16 cubic-feet) and a 60/40-splitting rear seat allows for flexible cargo loading.

Beyond any knock on its wild styling, the core of the Avalon is high quality. There’s a reason that Toyota has remained one of the largest carmakers in the world for decades: its cars engineered to deliver a strong, smart and durable experience, even if the styling is disjointed or on the other end of the spectrum, vanilla. The Avalon, in that vein, is an excellent car to buy, and one that will serve any owner quite well for a very long time.