The 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD and Camry TRD Leave Their Boring Reputation Behind [News]

Toyota's biggest sedans shrug off their stodgy heritage

2020 Toyota Camry TRD and Avalon TRD
[Photo: Toyota]

Toyota is punching up the 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD and Camry TRD with some track-tuned upgrades.

Okay, friend to friend, what’s going on Toyota? We knew the Camry and the Avalon as comfortable, reliable, and unassuming means of transporting perfectly pleasant people from A to B. Then you went and revamped both cars and made them sharper to drive and more aggressively-styled than ever before. But we can’t stop there, can we? What’s next, a Corolla TRD? No, that would be crazy…(do it, Toyota).

Apparently, Toyota Racing Development didn’t think so, because they fitted aero body kits to the 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD and Camry TRD. Wait, what? Apart from the two-tone paint scheme, TRD took the standard XSE versions of both these cars and went nuts with the go-faster bits. The Camry TRD even has a freaking wing on the back, not to mention the 19-inch TRD wheels. Both cars are “track-tuned” with stiffened chassis, larger brakes and an abundance of TRD badges.

Some Go To Match The Show

Contrary to what we previously believed, it’s not all about looks either. TRD fitted special shock absorber and different coil springs to the Avalon TRD and Camry TRD. As a result, both cars sit 0.6 inches lower to the ground than their stock counterparts.

The 2020 Toyota Camry TRD also gets chassis improvements, with beefier front and rear sway bars and thicker underbody braces. That means the Camry TRD is 44 percent stiffer in the front and 67 percent stiffer in the rear than the normal car. The Camry TRD and Avalon TRD get 12.9-inch front brake rotors with dual-piston calipers (instead of single-caliper units on the standard XSE).

The one area you won’t see a difference is under the hood. Both cars retain their 3.5-liter V6 engines, with 301 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. As before, both cars run their power to the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. However, both cars are louder than before thanks to TRD catback exhaust systems. So they’re no faster, but you will hear them coming.

Looking the part

On the appearance front, each car has a two-tone paint scheme, red brake calipers, and red stitching on the interior with TRD emblazoned on the headrests. The black, SofTex leather-trimmed seats have ultra-suede inserts. And just in case you think it’s still boring, there are bright red seat belts.

Pricing isn’t available yet, but both the Avalon TRD and Camry TRD will go on sale in fall 2019. At any rate, it’s nice to see Toyota shrugging off its reputation for making humble, unassuming cars for models with a bit more gusto.