For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Avalon have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Avalon are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 2 Series Gran Coupe 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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

The Avalon Limited/Touring offers an optional Bird's Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 2 Series Gran Coupe only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn't help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Avalon and the 2 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Avalon its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 116 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 2 Series Gran Coupe is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Toyota's powertrain warranty covers the Avalon 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 2 Series Gran Coupe. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 2 Series Gran Coupe ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Avalon's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 20th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. BMW is ranked 12th.

The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 73 more horsepower (301 vs. 228) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 258) than the 228i Gran Coupe's standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Avalon XLE's standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Avalon Limited/Touring's standard fuel tank has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (15.8 vs. 13.2 gallons).

The Avalon offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The 2 Series Gran Coupe's suspension doesn't offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 7.9 inches longer than on the 2 Series Gran Coupe (113 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

The design of the Toyota Avalon amounts to more than styling. The Avalon has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (.27 to .3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Avalon get better fuel mileage.

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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer active noise cancellation.

The Avalon has .7 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear headroom, 5.9 inches more rear legroom and 4 inches more rear shoulder room than the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

The Avalon has a larger trunk than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (16.1 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

The Avalon Limited/Touring's standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver's seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer an easy entry system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don't exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Avalon's available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the 2 Series Gran Coupe's headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer extendable visors.

The Avalon has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the 2 Series Gran Coupe. 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 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Avalon Limited/Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer air-conditioned seats.

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 2 Series Gran Coupe 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 $865 to $4705 less than the 2 Series Gran Coupe over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Avalon will be $4875 to $8243 less than for the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.

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

The Toyota Avalon outsold the BMW 2 Series by 23% during the 2021 model year.