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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 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 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 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 4 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Avalon the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 145 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 4 Series Gran Coupe has not been tested, yet.

Toyota's powertrain warranty covers the Avalon 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 4 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 4 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 46 more horsepower (301 vs. 255) than the 430i Gran Coupe's standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The 4 Series Gran Coupe requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Avalon has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn't available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the 4 Series Gran Coupe don't have a run-flat feature, either.

For better maneuverability, the Avalon XLE's turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the 4 Series Gran Coupe's (37.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Avalon Limited/Touring's turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the 4 Series Gran Coupe's (38.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Toyota Avalon may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 450 pounds less than the BMW 4 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 4 Series Gran Coupe (.28 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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 Series Gran Coupe is rated a Compact.

The Avalon has 13.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (104.3 vs. 91).

The Avalon has .2 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

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 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn't offer an easy entry system.

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

The Toyota Avalon outsold the BMW 4 Series by 6% during the 2021 model year.