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 Arteon 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 Arteon 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 Arteon doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Avalon and the Arteon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee 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, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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 Arteon has not been fully tested, yet.

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

The Avalon's corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Arteon'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.

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 Arteon.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, 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 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.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Arteon 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 seven-speed automatic is available for the Arteon.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Arteon (113 inches vs. 111.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is .3 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Arteon.

For better maneuverability, the Avalon XLE's turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Arteon's (37.7 feet vs. 39 feet). The Avalon Limited/Touring's turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the Arteon's (38.7 feet vs. 39 feet).

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 Arteon (.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 Arteon doesn't offer active noise cancellation.

The Avalon has 7.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Arteon (104.3 vs. 96.5).

The Avalon has .9 inches more front legroom, 1.5 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom, 8.3 inches more rear hip room and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Arteon.

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 Arteon doesn't offer a heads-up display.

The Avalon will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Avalon will retain 46.36% to 47.7% of its original price after five years, while the Arteon only retains 39.15% to 40.07%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Avalon will be $5553 to $7700 less than for the Volkswagen Arteon.

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

The Toyota Avalon outsold the Volkswagen Arteon by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.