Overview & Reviews

One of the most significant events in the Toyota Avalon's lineage took place with the introduction of the current fourth-generation model. In addition to breathing some much-needed life into the historically bland nameplate, this generation also saw the debut of a hybrid version of this full-size sedan.

Besides boasting the key attributes of the conventional Avalon, which include a high level of comfort, an elegant interior and generous trunk capacity, the Avalon Hybrid benefits from a very efficient powertrain shared with the Camry Hybrid. This results in an impressive EPA-estimated 40 mpg combined rating, which is a number we usually associate with much smaller economy cars, not large sedans with luxury leanings. Equally impressive is that the Avalon Hybrid's performance doesn't suffer much as a result.

Whether or not fuel economy weighs heavily on your large sedan purchase, we would recommend the Toyota Avalon Hybrid as a must-see.

Current  Toyota Avalon Hybrid
The current Toyota Avalon Hybrid comes in XLE Premium, XLE Touring and Limited trim levels. All are powered by a 156-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder that joins forces with an electric motor to bring total output up to 200 hp. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) routes power to the front wheels. Despite the reduction in power compared to the standard Avalon's V6, the Avalon Hybrid still accelerates to 60 mph in an admirable 7.7 seconds -- only about a second slower than the V6 model.

XLE Premium feature highlights include keyless ignition and entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a rearview camera and an eight-speaker audio system with USB/iPod integration. The XLE Touring perks include driver seat memory functions, a navigation system and Toyota's Entune smartphone app integration system. The Limited tops it off with xenon headlights, upgraded leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and an 11-speaker JBL premium sound system. Adaptive cruise control and adaptive high-beam headlights are optional for the Limited.

In reviews, we've been impressed by the Avalon Hybrid's confident and effortless road manners. The precise steering has a firm, responsive feel to it and the hybrid powertrain does a surprisingly good job of moving the car with authority. As an added bonus, the Toyota Avalon Hybrid's cabin is even quieter than the already serene V6-powered model. Traditional Avalon drivers may notice the ride is marginally stiffer than its predecessors, but we applaud the added road-holding confidence and find the blend of comfort and performance to be well balanced.

Used Toyota Avalon Hybrid Models
Introduced for 2013 and based on the fourth-generation Avalon which debuted that same year, the Avalon Hybrid has seen no changes since other than a minor shuffling of standard equipment.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 61.00

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  Fantastic car - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By hayguy - September 9 - 12:07 am

  My history of five BMWs, two Lexuss, one Mercedes added a 2013 Avalon Hybrid Limited with the tech package. I have put 9,000 miles on it since June and it is probably the best car I have owned. It is very stylish inside and out, luxurious, quiet, quick and very frugal on fuel. On a recent trip to Mesa. Az, the Kanab, Ut. to Mesa leg with speeds from 75 to 90 yielded an actual mileage of 38.2 MPG. Passing on the two lane roads was amazing. Accelerating from 70 mph and pulling back into lane over 100 mph…with a hybrid! This car does not lack for power! In Blizzard Pearl the car receives constant compliments and people often stop me to ask questions about it. What a car!

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  Best Kept Secret - The New Avalon Hybrid Limited! - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By cd7 - June 4 - 3:05 pm

  This is my first hybrid. I am loving the 40+ MPG I am getting!! This is amazing. The safety extras like cross traffic, pre collision, 10 air bags, etc. are great. I am getting spoiled on the warnings for backing up and changing lanes. This car is comfortable and roomy in the front and the back seats. Love the technology package, and the wireless charger! Love the heated and ventilation seats. Love the leather everywhere. Its an awesome car! I like the tighter drive. I believe they are attracting young drivers too. I had some 20-30 year olds stating they loved how this car handles, and were thinking about buying one. And my parents who are older love it! Best kept secret out there! Luxury!

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  An amazing Hybrid sedan ... Wow Toyota! - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By bimmer18 - May 17 - 8:44 pm

  For the last 9 years Ive been driving my Sweet BMW 5 series and what a joy it was to drive on a daily basis. The power and road feel was superb but the maintenance was starting to get excessive. I have never owned a Toyota anything... The technology that is engineered in this vehicle is utterly amazing. I love the Hybrid engine and transmission, its really quite astounding. The car handles well, it has excellent low end electric torque. When driving in econ mode the entire hybrid system takes control and superbly enhances the Avalons fuel consumption. The car is quite and has good rad feel.

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  Almost Perfect Sedan: Long Range Machine! - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By sonomabear - April 10 - 7:52 pm

  Other than 2 interior minor problems due to cheap materials, this car has been perfect! I average 39+ MPG without babying it. I leave it in "Eco" mode unless in the mountains -- then I put it into "Sport" mode and have a great time shortening the winding roads! "Normal" & "EV" modes are worthless. Why I left Mercedes E Class: The limited Avalon has more safety features tan Mercedes even offers yet is over $20K less out the door. Front facing RADAR makes driving extremely comfortable. I arrive relaxed after a few hours of California Interstate Insanity... set the RADAR cruise to 75 MPH and have satellite music playing softly. Six thousand mile trip was flawless.

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  Best I have ever owned - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By bill1941 - December 9 - 8:27 am

  Purchased my Avalon Hybrid 2 weeks ago and cannot believe how Toyota developed a "near perfect car". During the first week, after being completely blown away at the overall quality, inside and out, the gas mileage was a shocker!! The first tank of gas delivered 47.7 MPG. Now on the second fill-up and am averaging 44.6 MPG. Driving has been mixture of highway and city/town. WOW. What a surprise. Great value!!

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  Great car - 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By rob260 - December 5 - 3:56 am

  Ive had the 2014 Avalon XLE Touring Hybrid for about three weeks now. Im really enjoying the vehicle so far. The fuel efficiency has been as advertised for the first 1000 miles. Ive done a mixture of highway and city driving and have been averaging just below 39 mpg according to infotainment system. This vehicle fit my needs perfectly. I needed a daily driver that was really fuel efficient but had the space I needed to haul kids and sports equipment on the weekends. Check and check for this Avalon. Its pretty impressive to have a large sedan get this fuel efficiency and provide a large trunk and rear passenger space. The hybrid option was a no brainer for me.

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  First Hybrid and loving it! - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By chanchu1 - September 29 - 2:47 pm

  I was skeptical at first, but as many have stated, Toyota has been making hybrids for quite some time. Every person I know that owns a Toyota hybrid raves about their vehicle. That was the convincing point for me. The vehicle is comfortable, stylish and gets the MPG advertised. We commute 180 miles daily. Owned and commuted with a 2013 Accord that was very reliable but extremely uncomfortable. So far, our new Avalon has exceeded our expectations...

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  Mixed review - 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By S S - September 20 - 4:33 am

  Having been a Toyota owner now since the late 90s I unfortunately have to say that things have been going down hill as far as my experience with Toyota and this Avalon. I have had more little issues come with this car than the total of all my other Toyotas. So Ill start with the issues. 1) The tires, Bridgestone Turanzas are by far the worst tires Ive ever had. I finally got rid of them at 17k. Increasingly noisy, poor traction, very harsh ride, like stones. I test drove an Avalon with the Michelins on it and they were much better. My car was located and I had no idea these poor quality tires existed until driving this care for a few weeks. I replaced them with Pirelli P7s and they are much better tires on this car. 2) The headliner started falling down around the rear of the sunroof. The dealer attempted the first fix from Toyota and succeeded in getting fingerprints all over the headliner. This is not to be confused with the headliners falling down near the rear window on the 2013s, this is another issue. The second time I took it back Toyota had come up with another fix and it worked, and the dealer succeeded in getting finger prints all over the headliner and complained about having to clean them off because the tech had used gloves and he couldnt have done it? Well at least that defect if finally fixed. 3) The chrome trim at the bottom of the rear passenger drivers side window started lifting up. You can push it down, but it comes back up if you raise the window. The dealer said theyd call when they get the replacement, havent heard in over a month. Ill need to remind them. 4) The vinyl on the armrest is cracking on a corner. Toyota uses vinyl all over on these leather interiors FYI. The cracking is occurring on a sharp wrap around surface where you dont even touch it. The vinyl material surface is flaking off. Others on the TN website are reporting the same issue but much worse in some cases. Toyota did replace the armrest under warranty. 5) The radio just dies in AM or FM mode. You can move from station to station (as if in mute) but no sound. If you stop the car and re-start its fine. And of course the dealer is unable to help since it only does it once in a while. So thats my list of issues at 20,000 miles. The negatives you will want to make sure you are OK with on these cars 1) Harsh ride, better tires help but Toyota seems to think people want a car that rides harsh and handles so-so instead of a car that rides nice and handles so-so. 2) The seats are pretty firm and as time goes on you feel like you are riding on the seat frames. Poor design for comfort. 3) The power lumbar is very poor, the adjustment is very limited and its hard to find a comfortable position. My 2012 Camry was much better. 4) The NAV unit is absolutely horrible. Unfortunately Toyota sticks you with this NAV and mediocre stereo. The NAV updates are near $200 and only available once a year. If you ask the dealer, they dont seem to know much about it. I use my iPhone most of the time its much more intuitive, roads are updated constantly, and the GUI is much simpler. 5) The Entune firmware is like something from the early 2000s. Its horribly slow, and the Bluetooth setup needs to be re-paired every now and then since it gets messed up. Toyota has really fallen behind with this firmware, the apps are ancient and my iPhone blows it away, yet my iPhone cant interface with the display. There is all these harassing screen warnings that I eventually figured out to disable for the most part, but I now rarely use it since its so dated compared to phone apps. Most people I know with Toyotas rarely use their NAVs or Entune, if ever. So the likes 1) MPG, MPG, MPG incredible. For a full size car its hard to believe you can get 40-45mpg with a little finessing and attention to mpg increasing techniques. 2) The drivetrain is great. The Toyota Hybrid Drive System is flawless so far and the transitions between Electric and ICE drive is hard to notice. The ECVT transmission has no shift points and is smooth as butter. The drive power delivery is quiet and smooth. 3) I like the brakes, they have a balanced amout of effort stopping power. 4) Steering is precise and well balanced as far as effort and road feel for a car this size. The steering wheel design is also great. Very comfortable. 5) The exterior is attractive IMO as is the interior. Great aesthetic design again IMO. So the bottom line is the 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Touring is a very nice looking car inside and out with an excellent proven Hybrid drive train that delivers excellent MPG for a car this size. Where it falls down is the harsh ride, firm seat bottoms, poor interior quality material (vinyl), and some pesky quality fails at 20k.

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  Great car; questionable mileage claims - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By scott_k - September 3 - 12:14 am

  Love the comfort and surprisingly peppy engine (outside of eco mode). Controls are ok, certainly better than our Lexus hybrid with the mouse set-up. Nice and quiet; handles well for a luxury car. Nice design and lines; much more modern than all previous Avalons. Have just 1,800 miles on the car, but dont ever approach 40 or 50 MPG as some reviewers have. I suggest you do the math, and not believe the car calculations. Heated seats heat up quickly and hot; and I like the ease of the climate control system. Stereo is average.

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  Limited Avalon Hybrid review (Lexus es300h compared) - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By jxanders - July 23 - 8:22 pm

  I started the Hybrid sedan research 3 months ago. I decided on the Lexus es300h - I put the deposit and ordered the car with the features I wanted. During the 3 week wait for the Lexus I saw the Avalon Hybrid online. During lunch I decided to go take a look, but didnt have time for a test drive. The exterior comparison was about the same for me; almost the same side profile look. The front & back of the car is different, but I liked both the same. The Interior was the difference maker. The Avalon just felt better and the controls made more sense. Plus the fact with the Limited Avalon model compared to the Lexus had more features than the Lexus and was $4500 cheaper!