The Toyota Avalon is a full-size sedan that has served as Toyota’s flagship in the United States since 1994. The fifth-generation car, coded XX50, made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2018 and went on sale in the United States in May 2018 as a 2019 model. The 2021 Avalon is the third model year of that generation, which was built at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant and ran through the 2022 model year before the model was discontinued in the United States.
The Avalon name has been used across five generations and more than 25 years of U.S. sales. The fifth generation moved onto Toyota’s TNGA GA-K platform, the same front-wheel-drive foundation used by the Camry and Lexus ES, giving it a lower, stiffer structure than the model it replaced.
Avalon generations at a glance
Toyota launched the first Avalon for 1995, built in Georgetown, Kentucky, as a large front-wheel-drive sedan positioned above the Camry. A second generation arrived for 2000 and a third for 2005, growing in size and equipment each time. The fourth generation, coded XX40, went on sale for 2013 and ran through the 2018 model year; it is this car, not the 2021 model, that offered the XLE Plus and similar grades. The fifth generation, coded XX50, replaced it for 2019.
After U.S. sales ended, the Avalon continued to be produced in China, where the model remained on sale into the mid-2020s with local facelifts. That means a shopper looking at a 2021 car is looking at a U.S.-market Georgetown build, the flagship sedan that Toyota sold in North America for the last three seasons of the nameplate’s 28-year run.
What “XLE Plus” actually refers to
Buyers researching a “2021 Toyota Avalon XLE Plus” should note that no such trim exists. The XLE Plus grade was introduced by Toyota for the 2016 model year Avalon, a fourth-generation car, and it covered both gasoline and hybrid versions. It was not carried over to the fifth generation. The 2021 Avalon was instead offered in a set of trims that does not include an XLE Plus, and the current lineup is documented on Wikipedia’s Toyota Avalon page.
The real 2021 Avalon trims
Toyota listed ten variations for the 2021 Avalon. The V6 gasoline model came in XLE, XSE Nightshade, Limited, Touring and TRD grades; the hybrid came in XLE, XSE and Limited grades; and all-wheel drive was offered on the XLE and Limited, Toyota’s announcement confirmed. The XSE Nightshade Edition, with blacked-out exterior trim, was new for 2021.
Engines and performance
The Avalon’s standard engine is a 3.5-liter V6 producing 301 horsepower, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. The Avalon Hybrid combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors for a combined 215 horsepower, sent through an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. For 2021 Toyota added all-wheel drive for the first time; the AWD cars use a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and an eight-speed automatic, and the system can send power to the rear wheels when traction is limited.
New for 2021
Beyond the introduction of all-wheel drive, the 2021 Avalon gained several updates. The hybrid switched from a nickel-metal hydride battery to a lighter lithium-ion pack and added a Vehicle Approach Noise system to warn pedestrians at low speed. Toyota added Android Auto compatibility and USB-C charging ports, and introduced the XSE Nightshade Edition. The sporty Avalon TRD, introduced for 2020, gained an available summer tire option for 2021.
Fuel economy
The EPA ratings for the 2021 Avalon separate the drivetrains clearly. The V6 is rated at 22 mpg city, 31 highway and 25 combined in most trims, and 26 mpg combined for the XLE. The four-cylinder all-wheel-drive model returns 25/34/28. The Avalon Hybrid is the most efficient at 43 mpg city, 43 highway and 43 combined, with the Hybrid XLE rated at 44 mpg combined.
Interior and safety
Inside, the Avalon offers a wide, low dashboard with a large central touchscreen, available leather and genuine wood trim, and either a bench-like or Sport-tuned seating layout depending on grade. Toyota Safety Sense is standard and includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist and automatic high beams. The Touring grade adds Toyota’s Adaptive Variable Suspension.
The Avalon is a five-passenger sedan with a rear bench, giving it more rear legroom than the Camry on its longer GA-K wheelbase. Toyota also fitted the fifth-generation car with available heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display and a 14-speaker JBL audio system on top grades, along with the brand’s first use of Dynamic Auxiliary Turn Signals and authentic Yamaha wood trim. The hybrid’s switch to a lithium-ion battery for 2021 freed a small amount of additional cargo space.
The Avalon was a slow seller in a shrinking large-sedan segment, and Toyota ended U.S. production after the 2022 model year, as Car and Driver reported in 2021. That makes the 2021 car one of the last of the line.
Price
For 2021, Toyota held the Avalon’s entry price steady at an MSRP of $35,875 plus a $955 destination charge, Kelley Blue Book reported. The Avalon Hybrid XLE began at $38,095, and the range-topping TRD and Touring grades cost considerably more.
Related Toyota guides on this site: 2020 Toyota Tacoma Redesign and Review, 2021 Toyota Rush Release Date and Review and Car Review.
