I’m not sure why Toyota made a TRD version of the Avalon… But I’m glad they did.
The Toyota Avalon TRD is unexpectedly striking. It makes an otherwise invisible car catch your attention. And in a way, those are the best kinds of cars, because your expectations get completely blown out of the water when you never had any expectations to begin with lol. The engine is the same N/A 3.5 V6 making 300hp. And the car’s still FWD. So – the TRD badge doesn’t take the Avalon from an all-out Bruce Banner –> to Hulk transformation. The car’s not on any sort of mega-steroids, it’s just… in a sharper outfit. And that’s fine…
Hell it’s actually kinda slick. Because the Toyota Avalon has always been a good/strong/solid car. But they come so diluted in comfort & sanitization, that no one really cares. Even the people who own Avalons don’t talk about Avalons. But in TRD trim, here we are lol, talking about it.
The Avalon TRD sits on subtly lower/tighter suspension. The TRD wheels, aero, and accents are darker & slicker. That off-tone Toyota TRD paint stimulates your eyeballs, and breaks the monotony of everything else on the road. The TRD exhaust is real, with bonafide tips in back (not just faux tips built into the bumper). Seating is still soft & plush, but instead of the typical basic-beige interior… you get sport accents on black interior, TRD re-trimmed seats, red belts, a better steering wheel, etc.
And while I still wouldn’t classify the Avalon TRD is an all-out driver’s car, that’s ok… because in certain aspects, I enjoyed driving it. I think this is right where the Avalon TRD needs to be. The TRD side of it engages you, while the Avalon side still extracts you from all the chaos on the road. If you want one, better find one now, because the TRD model is cut for 2022, and the Avalon as a whole is scheduled to be cut for 2023.
Subscribe to S3 Magazine here.
