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 Mazda6 doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear 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 Mazda6 doesn't offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Avalon has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Mazda6 doesn't offer knee airbags.

The Avalon has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Mazda6 doesn't offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Compared to metal, the Avalon's plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda6 has a metal gas tank.

Both the Avalon and the Mazda6 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Mazda6:

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 Mazda6:

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 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn't pay scheduled maintenance for the 6.

There are over 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mazda 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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 23rd, 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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 14th.

The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 114 more horsepower (301 vs. 187) and 81 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 186) than the Mazda6's standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 51 more horsepower (301 vs. 250) than the Mazda6 Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition's standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Avalon is faster than the Mazda6:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Mazda6 Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Avalon, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Mazda6.

The Avalon stops much shorter than the Mazda6:

For better traction, the Avalon Limited's tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mazda6 (235/45R18 vs. 225/55R17).

The Avalon Touring's tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mazda6 Touring/Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition's 45 series tires.

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 Mazda6's suspension doesn't offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Mazda6 (113 inches vs. 111.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is .2 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Mazda6.

The Avalon Touring handles at .85 G's, while the Mazda6 Signature pulls only .81 G's of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Avalon Touring executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Mazda6 Touring (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G's vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G's).

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 Mazda6 (.285) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Avalon get better fuel mileage.

The Avalon has 4.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mazda6 (104.3 vs. 99.8).

The Avalon has 2.3 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mazda6.

The Avalon has a much larger trunk than the Mazda6 (16.1 vs. 14.7 cubic feet).

The Avalon uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Mazda6 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

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 Mazda6 doesn't offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the Avalon and the Mazda6 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 Mazda6 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

If the windows are left open on the Avalon the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Mazda6 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Avalon's driver power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Mazda6's power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Avalon's standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the Mazda6 Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition.

When the Avalon Limited/Touring is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Mazda6's mirrors don't automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Avalon and the Mazda6 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Avalon has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Mazda6 doesn't offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Mazda6 doesn't offer wireless personal charging.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Avalon is less expensive to operate than the Mazda6 because typical repairs cost less on the Avalon than the Mazda6, including $128 less for fuel injection, $64 less for a fuel pump and $90 less for a power steering pump.

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

The Toyota Avalon outsold the Mazda6 by 16% during the 2021 model year.