Toyota Avalon

The latest Avalon is known for its spacious interior, abundant luxury features and refined ride. Although this year's model brings a refresh with some new styling (front/rear ends and instrument panel), more standard features and a reduction in trim levels from three to two, the 2011 Avalon is otherwise similar to the one that debuted six years ago.
That's fine with us, as there is so much to recommend the Avalon. Though its exterior looks smaller than most of its rivals, the Avalon manages to offer more space within the cabin. Meanwhile, the backseat is among the most accommodating anywhere, with standard reclining seatbacks, abundant headroom and an available power rear sunshade.
And then there is the car's remarkable combination of performance and fuel efficiency. The standard 268-horsepower V6 engine accelerates the Avalon more rapidly than similarly powered competitors while still returning impressive fuel mileage estimates of 20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway.

The Toyota Avalon's interior feels upscale and inviting thanks to its glowing gauges, attractive and ergonomic control layout and high-quality materials. This year's redesigned dash and center stack, along with standard wood and metallic accents further the luxury ambience, making the Avalon impressively similar to its upscale cousins from Lexus.
Standard safety equipment on the 2011 Toyota Avalon includes antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, active front head restraints, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags and a driver-side knee airbag.

• Width: 72.8 in.
• Height: 58.5 in.
• Length: 197.6 in.
• Ground clearance: 5.3 in.
• Front track: 62.2 in.
• Rear track: 61.6 in.
• Wheel base: 111.0 in.
• Base engine size: 3.5 L
• Cam type: Double overhead cam (DOHC)
• Cylinders: V6
• Valves: 24
• Valve timing: Variable
• Torque: 248 ft-lbs. @ 4700 rpm
• Horsepower: 268 hp @ 6200 rpm
• Turning circle: 36.9 ft.
• Base engine type: gas