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 Volkswagen Passat 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 Passat 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 Passat doesn't offer knee airbags.

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 Passat doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 5 points, IIHS rates the Pre-Collision System in the Avalon as “Superior.” The Passat scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Avalon Limited/Touring offers optional Rear Cross-Traffic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Passat doesn't offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Passat 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 Passat have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

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 Volkswagen Passat:

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 Volkswagen Passat:

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

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 103 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Passat has not been fully tested, yet.

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

The Avalon's corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Passat's (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Avalon's warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Avalon has a standard 582-amp battery. The Passat's 480-amp battery isn't as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it's being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Avalon's reliability 12 points higher than the Passat.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 65 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 24th.

The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 127 more horsepower (301 vs. 174) and 61 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 206) than the Passat's 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Avalon is faster than the Volkswagen Passat:

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 Passat.

The Avalon stops much shorter than the Passat:

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Passat (113 inches vs. 110.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is .7 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Passat.

The Avalon Touring handles at .85 G's, while the Passat pulls only .79 G's of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Avalon Touring executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Passat R-Line (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G's vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G's).

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 Passat doesn't offer active noise cancellation.

The Avalon has 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Passat.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Avalon's trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don't intrude into the trunk. The Passat's useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

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 Passat doesn't offer an easy entry system.

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 Passat doesn't offer a heads-up display.

The Avalon's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passat has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

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 Passat can't use the remote to operate the windows.

The Avalon's speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn't have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Passat's standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Passat's mirrors don't automatically adjust for backing.

The Avalon's standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Passat offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don't dim.

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 Passat doesn't offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Avalon Limited/Touring's standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Passat doesn't offer a heated steering wheel.

The Avalon has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won't have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Passat SE/R-Line.

Both the Avalon and the Passat 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 Passat 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 Passat doesn't offer wireless personal charging.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Avalon is less expensive to operate than the Passat because it costs $54 less to do the manufacturer's suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Avalon than the Passat, including $62 less for a water pump, $345 less for a muffler, $205 less for a starter, $14 less for a fuel pump, $25 less for front struts and $61 less for a power steering pump.

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