The 2021 Toyota Avalon is not a car that you would think Toyota would choose to add the TRD package to; the Camry yes this one no. After all the Avalon is better known for transporting its owners to an early bird dinner followed by a compelling game of bingo.
The changes are not only underneath, Toyota has made the TRD version look like it's ready for some serious canyon carving, the grille is bigger, almost Lexus-like, the black mirrors, roof, and rear spoiler add a touch of menace. The overall look says "get out of my way" it's sharp and aggressive in its design. Add those cool-looking 19inch matte black alloys and you are ready to roll.
What's in the TRD package?
It gets stiffer coil springs and larger front and rear sway bars, upgraded shocks, and it’s lowered by 0.6 inches. Toyota also adds some rigidity with new under-body braces, the downside meaning the rear seatbacks are fixed in place so no visits to the garden center for those long items. At the front, you get 0.9-inch-larger brake rotors with two-piston calipers and a great sounding cat-back exhaust system.
To make it corner better the TRD Avalon comes with Active Cornering Assist, a brake-based torque-vectoring system that slows the inside wheel in a corner to help the car rotate and turn in more and it works when we showed it some twisty mountain roads. Did I mention that it has red seat belts?
Nothing has changed under the hood, it's still the 3.5-liter V6, making 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission which in Sport mode will hold RPMs all the way to the red line.
