The Toyota Avalon has long been recognized for its blend of comfort, performance, and reliability. For the 2024 model year, the Avalon continues to uphold its reputation, particularly in vehicle safety. Rigorous testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has provided valuable insights into the Avalon’s crashworthiness. This analysis delves into the safety performance of the Toyota Avalon, based on detailed evaluations.
The IIHS conducted small overlap frontal crash tests on the Toyota Avalon, specifically on models manufactured after September 2018 (covering 2019-2022 models and relevant to the 2024 design). These tests are designed to simulate a collision where just the front corner of the vehicle strikes another vehicle or a solid object. Toyota proactively enhanced the passenger frontal airbag design for Avalons built after September 2018, modifying its shape and vent hole size. This modification aimed to improve occupant protection, especially in passenger-side small overlap frontal crashes, demonstrating Toyota’s commitment to continuous safety improvement. To ensure accuracy, IIHS and Toyota conducted two sets of tests: one before and one after this critical airbag modification. The official safety ratings account for these enhancements, providing a comprehensive view of the Avalon’s safety performance.
The Toyota Avalon earned a “Good” rating – the highest possible – in the overall evaluation. This “Good” rating extends across critical aspects of crash safety, including the structure and safety cage of the vehicle. A robust structure is fundamental to occupant protection, and the Avalon’s performance in this area is commendable. Furthermore, in passenger injury measures, the Avalon also achieved “Good” ratings across all categories: head and neck, chest, hip and thigh, and lower leg and foot. These ratings indicate a low risk of significant injuries to passengers in a frontal crash scenario, highlighting the effectiveness of the Avalon’s safety design and features. Similarly, the driver injury measures mirrored these positive results, with “Good” ratings across all body regions. This consistent performance for both driver and passenger underscores the Avalon’s comprehensive approach to occupant safety. The evaluation also considered passenger and driver restraints and dummy kinematics, both of which received “Good” ratings. This aspect assesses how well the seatbelts and airbags work together to control occupant movement during a crash, minimizing potential injuries.
Detailed technical measurements from the crash tests provide further insight into the Avalon’s protective capabilities. In terms of occupant compartment intrusion on the passenger side, measurements were taken at various points. For instance, the lower hinge pillar max intrusion was 3 cm, and the footrest intrusion was 3 cm in the modified airbag test (VTP1825). Passenger injury measures showed favorable outcomes. The Head Injury Criterion (HIC-15) was recorded at 184, and there was no hard contact for the head. Neck tension was measured at 1.2 kN, and the maximum chest compression was 21 mm. Driver injury measures also indicated strong protection. The HIC-15 for the driver was 202 in test VTP1825 and a lower 104 in the earlier test VTP1818, again with no hard head contact. Chest compression for the driver was 28 mm in the later test. These detailed metrics, alongside the “Good” ratings, affirm the 2024 Toyota Avalon’s commitment to safety. The consistent “Good” ratings in structural integrity, occupant injury measures, and restraint systems, coupled with specific technical data, position the Toyota Avalon as a safe and reliable choice in its class. For those prioritizing safety in their vehicle selection, the 2024 Toyota Avalon’s performance in IIHS crash tests offers compelling reassurance.
