2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: Car Seat Check
CARS.COM – Toyota’s full-size Avalon was updated for 2016 with minor exterior styling tweaks and more standard equipment. For this Car Seat Check, we tested the Avalon Hybrid with leather seats. It offers the same amount of rear legroom as the non-hybrid version, which is plenty for two child-safety seats. However, complicated Latch connection prevented this large sedan from getting many A grades.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two, but three car seats could fit depending on the brand and configuration of seats.
What We Like
- There are three tether anchors on the rear shelf; they’re clearly visible and and connection was easy.
- Once we removed the head restraint, the forward-facing convertible fit well.
- The outboard seats’ buckles are on stable bases, making them easier for kids to grasp. Once we removed the head restraint, the booster fit well on the lightly bolstered seat.
- We did not need to move the front passenger seat forward to fit the rear-facing infant or convertible seats.
What We Don’t
- The two sets of Latch anchors are set high up against the seatback cushions, complicating connection. The leather upholstery is also stiff, further complicating access. We struggled to find and connect to the anchors with both the infant’s hooklike connectors and the convertible’s rigid ones.
Grading Scale
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.
C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-6 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
