Compare the2022 Toyota AvalonVS 2021 Lexus IS Series

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Avalon are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The IS Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Avalon has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The IS Series doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Avalon and the IS Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Avalon is safer than the Lexus IS Series:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Avalon is safer than the Lexus IS Series:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Avalon for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the IS Series (2/25000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Avalon’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Avalon’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the IS Series’ camshafts. If the IS Series’ belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Lexus is ranked third.

The Avalon’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 60 more horsepower (301 vs. 241) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 258) than the IS 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Avalon’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 41 more horsepower (301 vs. 260) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 236) than the IS 300 AWD’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Avalon gets better mileage than the IS Series:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The IS Series requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the IS Series (113 inches vs. 110.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the IS Series.

The Avalon Touring uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The IS Series doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Avalon a Mid-size car, while the IS Series is rated a Compact.

The Avalon has 14.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the IS Series (104.3 vs. 90.2).

The Avalon has 1.5 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 8.1 inches more rear legroom, .8 inches more rear hip room and 3.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the IS Series.

The Avalon has a much larger trunk than the IS Series (16.1 vs. 10.8 cubic feet).

The Avalon Limited/Touring has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The IS Series doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Avalon and the IS Series have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Avalon is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The IS Series prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Avalon has standard extendable sun visors. The IS Series doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Avalon has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the IS Series. The Avalon Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the IS Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Avalon offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The IS Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the Avalon owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Avalon will cost $2845 to $6960 less than the IS Series over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Avalon is less expensive to operate than the IS Series because typical repairs cost much less on the Avalon than the IS Series, including $151 less for a water pump, $63 less for a muffler, $463 less for a starter, $228 less for fuel injection and $904 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Avalon will be $6095 to $9032 less than for the Lexus IS Series.

The Toyota Avalon has won recognition from these important consumer publications: