The 2019 Toyota Avalon was a full-size sedan and, at the time, Toyota’s flagship four-door in the United States. The car was not a rumor or a future model: it was the fifth generation of the Avalon, revealed in 2018 and on sale as a 2019 model. Toyota built the fifth-generation Avalon in Georgetown, Kentucky, and discontinued it in the United States after the 2022 model year, later replacing it with the Crown. It was a genuine, on-sale model year car, not a concept or a rumor.
What the 2019 Avalon Is
The Avalon has been Toyota’s largest front-wheel-drive sedan since the first generation arrived for the 1995 model year, positioned above the Camry. From the third generation onward it used a longer-chassis layout with extra rear legroom, and from 2013 the Lexus ES shared that extended platform. The Avalon was also sold in Canada, China, South Korea and the Middle East, and it takes its name from the legendary island of King Arthur. In the US it sat at the top of Toyota’s sedan line above the Camry.
The first Avalon went on sale for the 1995 model year, built alongside the Camry in Georgetown, Kentucky and powered by a 3.0-liter V6. Each generation grew larger and more luxurious, and the third-generation car that arrived for 2005 introduced the extended-length chassis that later generations, including the 2019 model, benefited from.
Fifth Generation (XX50; 2019–2022)
The fifth-generation Avalon, model code XX50, went into production in April 2018 and used Toyota’s TNGA GA-K platform, the same architecture that underpinned the eighth-generation Camry and the Lexus ES. It was sold for the 2019 through 2022 model years in the US. Its dimensions were a 113.0-inch wheelbase, a 196.0-inch overall length, a 72.8-inch width and a 56.5-inch height, with a curb weight between roughly 3,560 and 3,715 lb.
The 2019 Avalon came in XLE, XSE, Limited and Touring grades, with the hybrid offered as XLE, XSE and Limited. Toyota gave the XLE, Limited and XSE thicker stabilizer bars and stiffer spring rates than the base car, while the Touring grade added adaptive variable suspension that adjusts damping continuously.
Exterior
The XX50 Avalon adopted a lower, wider stance than its predecessor, with a long hood, a fast roofline and standard LED lighting. The sportier XSE and Touring grades added a distinct front fascia, larger wheels and a rear spoiler, while the top trims used adaptive variable suspension. The design introduced a more upright, premium-looking front end than the outgoing Avalon.
Interior
As Toyota’s flagship sedan, the Avalon emphasized rear-seat space and comfort. Limited and Touring models were fitted with a standard 14-speaker audio system, which Toyota said was the most speakers in the segment. Higher trims offered a head-up display, heated and ventilated seats and a power rear sunshade.
The infotainment was Toyota’s Entune 3.0 system, with a premium audio package and available embedded Dynamic Navigation on several trims. The layout kept physical controls for climate and audio rather than moving everything to a touchscreen.
Engines and Hybrid
Two powertrains were offered at launch in the US. Toyota quoted a starting MSRP of $35,500 for the 2019 Avalon.
- A 3.5-liter V6 (2GR-FKS) producing 301 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque, driving the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic.
- A 2.5-liter Dynamic Force four-cylinder hybrid (A25A-FXS) rated at a combined 215 net horsepower and using a power-split hybrid system with a continuously variable transmission.
Toyota noted that the Avalon Hybrid was the only full-hybrid vehicle in its segment. For the 2021 model year Toyota added an all-wheel-drive Avalon using the 2.5-liter four-cylinder; front-wheel drive remained standard across the range. For the 2020 model year Toyota added an Avalon TRD, based on the XSE and using the same 3.5-liter V6 with a sport-tuned suspension and exhaust. US sales of the Avalon in 2019 totaled 27,767 cars, of which 6,552 were hybrids.
Pricing, Trims and Safety
US trim levels included XLE, XSE, Limited and Touring, with the hybrid offered in XLE, XSE and Limited forms. Toyota Safety Sense P was standard, bringing a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, full-speed radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist and automatic high beams. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Avalon its Top Safety Pick+ rating, with a Good rating in every major category for cars built after September 2018.
In IIHS testing the Avalon scored Good in the small-overlap front, moderate-overlap front, side, roof-strength and head-restraint evaluations, and its front crash-prevention system earned the institute’s Superior rating. The IIHS named it a Top Safety Pick+.
End of Production
Toyota discontinued the Avalon in the United States after the 2022 model year. Its role as Toyota’s large sedan was taken over by the sixteenth-generation Crown (S235), which reached North America as a lifted, all-wheel-drive fastback. Buyers in China could still buy an Avalon, where the model continued to be built and updated after US sales ended.
In China the Avalon carried on well past the US run and received further facelifts for the local market, so a shopper searching for a new Avalon today is most likely looking at the Chinese-market car rather than a US one. The Crown that followed used a hybrid powertrain and available all-wheel drive, a different formula from the front-drive Avalon.
Related Toyota model reviews on this site: 2019 Toyota Auris Review, Car Review, and 2019 Toyota Altis Review.
