Earlier this year, we reported that the 2022 Toyota Avalon will be the last model year for the flagship sedan. Due to low sales and the popularity of full-sized cars dwindling quickly, the Avalon is the latest casualty. For its final model year, the Nightshade Edition joins the lineup with the hybrid powertrain as standard equipment.
The 2022 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is the latest addition to Toyota’s growing Nightshade Edition lineup. Based on the XSE grade, it adds a piano black mesh grille, black side mirror covers, a rear spoiler, black badges, black window surrounds, black door handles, a black shark fin antenna, and black 19-inch alloy wheels. You’ll be able to get the Avalon XSE Nightshade Edition in Midnight Black Metallic, Wind Chill Pearl, or Celestial Silver Metallic. Inside, the Nightshade Edition gets black perforated leatherette upholstery with Ultrasuede inserts and aluminum interior trim.
Toyota also upgraded the safety suite on the 2022 Avalon to the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (TSS 2.5+) system. That builds on the TSS 2.0 system with emergency steering assist, curve speed management when adaptive cruise control is active, and front automatic emergency braking that works at intersections. It can also detect pedestrians and cyclists in lowlight situations. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear automatic emergency braking are also standard on all Avalon models.
Powering the 2022 Avalon Hybrid is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder coupled to two electric motors, a lithium-ion battery, and a planetary gear set. The total system output is 215 hp, which is the same as the Lexus ES 300h. Like other vehicles on the TNGA-K architecture, the Avalon Hybrid’s lithium-ion battery is placed under the rear seats. Hybrid models also get Toyota’s Auto Glide Control (AGC) system, which enables the car to coast longer. In Sport mode, the planetary gear set mimics a six-speed transmission and can be manually “shifted” via the paddle shifters on the XSE Nightshade Edition. The EPA rates the 2022 Avalon Hybrid at 43/44/44 mpg city/highway on the base XLE grade. XSE Nightshade Edition and Limited models are EPA-rated at 43 mpg across the board.
Pricing for the 2022 Avalon Hybrid starts at $37,400 for the base XLE grade. The Nightshade Edition costs $41,725 while the range-topping Limited checks in at $44,675. Add an optional package and you can easily tack on up to $2,720 more on the XLE grade for built-in navigation and a 14-speaker JBL audio system. The same two features are part of an optional package costing $1,720 in the XSE Nightshade Edition. Top-of-the-line Limited models get the upgraded audio system and built-in navigation as standard equipment. Its only available option is the Advanced Safety package, which includes a surround-view camera with a perimeter scan feature and parking sensors.
The 2022 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is on sale now. If you’re interested in one of the last examples of this big, cushy cruiser, you better act quick because production is slated to end in August 2022. Since it first debuted in 1994 as a 1995 model, the Avalon has been built at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant. The hybrid powertrain first appeared in the fourth-generation model when it got the same 200-hp system from the seventh-generation Camry.
