| 2004–2010: | 2010–2012: }} }} The Avalon underwent a redesign for 2005, and was unveiled to the public at the
January 2005 North American International Auto Show. It went on sale in February 2005. Toyota reportedly cut the Avalon's production development time down from 29.5 months to 18 months. The third generation Avalon was not sold in Europe or Japan. The third generation Avalon was larger than previous versions, with
Calty styling and ; the Avalon also became the first Toyota to use a single piece wiper blade design. The redesign dropped the front bench seat option, a feature once common among large American sedans such as
Buicks and
Cadillacs, and featured a semi-flat rear floor to help increase rear passenger comfort. The Avalon was the first Toyota to use
Dual VVT-i in the US market in an all-new 3.5-liter
2GR-FE V6 engine which met ULEV certification and had a power output of with a 0–60 time of 6.0 seconds. The engine was mated to a 5-speed sequential shift automatic. Due to changes in the
SAE's testing procedures, power dropped to and torque dropped to for the 2006 model year. Actual power output did not change. The Avalon came in four trims: the standard (base) XL, Touring, XLS, and Limited. The XL model included 16" alloy wheels, while other trims came with larger 17" wheels. Performance-oriented tires were fitted to the Touring and Limited trims. The XL included dual-climate automatic temperature controls and steering wheel-mounted audio and climate controls. The Touring trim offered faux aluminum and all-black leather interior, a sport-tuned suspension, unique powder-coated gray wheels, and a trunk lip-mounted spoiler. The XLS introduced standard cargo nets, six-disc CD changer, a power sliding-glass moonroof,
electrochromic auto dimming rear-view and driver's side-view mirrors, four-way passenger power seat and a
HomeLink transceiver. The high-end Limited trim offered air-ventilated seats with a power driver's seat cushion length adjuster, Toyota's
Smart Key System with keyless
push-button start and entry, a quieter acoustic windshield,
rain-sensing windshield wipers, an upgraded 12-speaker
JBL audio system, "in-glass" LED turn signals on the side mirrors and a wood-trimmed steering wheel and shift gear lever. A
navigation system was optional for every trim level other than the XL version. The Avalon had a flat rear floor design and reclining rear seats.
Vehicle Stability Control was optional on all trim levels. Other options included a keyless Remote Engine Start, glass breakage sensor, rear window power sunshade and, on Limited models, a
Dynamic Laser Cruise Control system.
HID lighting with auto-leveling was standard on Touring and Limited grades. On 5 December 2011, Toyota announced that Toyota Avalons assembled in the US would be exported to South Korea and shipped from Port of Hueneme in Oxnard, California.
Yearly changes • 2005, for the 2006 model year: Toyota expanded the availability of Vehicle Stability Control to XL and Touring trim levels. • 2006, for the 2007 model year: the tire pressure monitoring system became standard across all trims and the navigation system made optional for the Touring trim level. • 2007, for the 2008 model year: Avalon released received a mild facelift. Rear tail lights received subtle tinting, and the front fascia was redesigned. Other changes included a six-speed automatic transmission, chrome exterior door handles for the "Limited" trim, restyled alloy wheels for the "Touring" and "XLS" trims, a built-in remote key, upgraded rear brakes, and
Bluetooth integration with all JBL Synthesis audio systems. "Touring" models received a color-keyed grille, "XLS" and "Limited" models had a chrome grille, and all models included an in-dash six-CD changer. • 2008, for the 2009 model year: Avalon offered a few changes: Vehicle Stability Control [VSC] became standard on all trim levels, and the Touring version was no longer offered. XLS and Limited leather seats now offered a Dark Charcoal color, and the Indigo Ink Pearl exterior color was replaced with Cocoa Bean Metallic. • 2009, for the 2010 model year: Offered two updates: all passenger windows received an automatic up/down function, as opposed to just the driver and front passenger's side, and a new accelerator pedal was redesigned. • 2010, for the 2011 model year: The facelifted Avalon went on sale in April 2010, with revised styling and only two trim lines: a base Avalon model and a more upscale Limited trim. A
backup camera became standard using either the rear view mirror or navigation screen for a display, and exterior side mirrors with integrated turn signals now folded in. The updated navigation system now had real-time traffic updates. Other changes included a redesigned instrument cluster and center console, new wood-style trim, new sheetmetal, and a different rear and front fascia design. The front and tail lights included LED piping, and fuel economy was slightly improved to an EPA-estimated 20/29/23 (city/highway/combined) mpg rating. The revised Avalon had a new brake-override control. It had an improved suspension system and a 12-speaker JBL Synthesis system which was only available on the Limited trim. 17" wheels were also standard on both trims although the Limited model has 10 spokes. Other exterior differences on the Limited included HID projector headlamps.
Safety The Avalon came standard with
anti-lock brakes,
electronic brakeforce distribution,
brake assist, dual
front airbags, front row
side torso airbags, front and rear
side curtain airbags, and a driver's
knee airbag. For 2009 models,
Vehicle Stability Control and
traction control became standard while active head restraints were added. In 2010, the Star Safety System was added for the 2011 model year. The Avalon was subject to the
2009–11 Toyota vehicle recalls. 2011 and later model years come standard with a brake-override system. The Avalon received a "Good" overall score in both the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) frontal offset and side impact tests. In 2009, with the new head restraints the IIHS awarded the Avalon its
Top Safety Pick accolade. A "Good" rating in IIHS the roof strength test IIHS earned the 2011 model year the organization's "Top Safety Pick 2010" designation. The 2011 model year also received the "Top Safety Pick 2011" recommendation.
Reception Car and Driver, which had called previous Avalons "Japanese
Buicks," rated it at the top of a group of large premium sedans in 2005.
Edmunds.com,
Motor Trend and
Automobile Magazine also rated it top in their own comparisons.
Consumer Reports rated the Avalon at the top of its tested group in the large and upscale category, scoring ahead of five other sedans in the January 2010 issue. In 2010, the 2011 model year Avalon competed against the Ford Taurus and received first place awards from
Motor Trend. == Fourth generation (XX40; 2012) ==