page_title: Toyota Avalon
section_title: Second generation (XX20; 1999)
hierarchical_section_title: Toyota Avalon / Second generation (XX20; 1999)
caption_attribution_description: English: 2000–2002 Toyota Avalon. Photographed in Canada.
context_page_description: The Toyota Avalon is a full-size car produced by Toyota. It is Toyota's largest front-wheel drive sedan and serves as its flagship vehicle in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, China and the Middle East. It was also produced in Australia from April 2000 until June 2005, when it was replaced in November 2006 by the Aurion. The first production Avalon rolled off the TMMK assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky, in September 1994. A second-generation model was released in the United States and Japan in 1999.
  Toyota marketed the Avalon as a replacement for the Cressida, a model discontinued for the American market in 1992. While the Cressida was an upper-level midsize rear-wheel drive car with a straight-six engine, the Avalon is front-wheel drive, powered by a V6 engine. In recent years, there has been considerable overlapping with its platform mates, the Camry V6 and the Lexus ES, although the third-generation Avalon was distinguished by offering extra legroom. Since 2013, the Avalon was introduced on a platform that is shared with the Lexus ES.
  As of 2013, the Avalon is sold in the United States, Canada, China, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the Middle East.
context_section_description: The second-generation Avalon grew larger in almost every respect, except wheelbase. It was still based on the stretched Camry platform and was powered by a 3.0-liter 1MZ-FE V6 engine equipped with VVT-i, shared with the Toyota Sienna, Lexus RX300, Lexus ES, and the Toyota Highlander, making 210 hp (157 kW) and 220 lb⋅ft (298 N⋅m). of torque and paired to a 4-speed automatic. The coefficient of drag had been reduced to Cd=0.28.
  This Avalon was available in two trims: the basic XL and the upscale XLS. Standard features include electroluminescent Optitron gauges, 4-wheel disc ABS, front torso side airbags and 15" alloy wheels. Optional were a JBL audio system, a navigation system, Vehicle Stability Control, and a front row bench seat, allowing up to six passengers—a characteristic of large sized cars. However the front center seat is a tight fit for an adult passenger. Dual climate control, larger 16" wheels, and driver's and passenger's power seats were also available.
  This second-generation Avalon also featured a built-in 115 V AC power inverter, the first car with such a feature. This was dropped in the third-generation Avalon; yet, the Toyota Matrix, Sienna, and Scion models now offer such an inverter.
  The Avalon received a mid-cycle facelift for the 2003 model year, with a new grille and modified headlights and taillights. The minor interior changes included a woodgrain-style trimmed steering wheel for the XLS, slightly modified gauges, and a chrome emblem steering wheel added onto the XL (once only standard for the XLS).
  This second-generation Avalon was also exported to the Japanese market as the Toyota Pronard (トヨタ・プロナード, Toyota Puronādo), derived from the French word "prôner" for "extol", "commend", or "praise", between 2000 and 2004, replacing the first-generation sold as the Avalon. The Japanese Toyota Pronard was reassigned from Toyopet Store and was now exclusive to the former Vista Store network as Toyota Netz Store locations, slotted between the larger Toyota Aristo and smaller Verossa and Altezza. Some of the optional equipment installed in the Pronard, to enhance its luxury, was the TEMS ride control technology. Due to poor sales, Toyota did not export the third-generation Avalon to Japan; thus, the Toyota Pronard has been discontinued.
  In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) frontal crash test the Avalon received a "Good" overall score with the "Good" in all six measured categories.
  There was no Australian production or sales of this or later models.
caption: 2000–2002 Toyota Avalon (Canada)
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