Toyota Venza

Kelly Foss, www.car-data.com

In writing about some of the new vehicles being introduced today, they are often described moreby what they ‘aren’t’ rather by than what they ‘are’. Take the new Toyota Venza for example. It’snot a sedan, it’s not a wagon, it’s not a minivan, it’s not an SUV, it’s a’? The people at Toyotabravely describe it as a crossover vehicle that is 70% sedan and 30% SUV. Regardless of what it’scalled, I found the vehicle to be pretty compelling.

The Venza is a combination of the Camry midsize sedan and the Highlander CUV in the Toyotalineup. Think of it as a taller sedan with upscale features and a utility cargo area with a hatch.Yah, that’s it.

The Venza comes in 4 iterations. These are the 4 cylinder front and all wheel drive, and the V6front and all wheel drive models. The V6 is the very popular 3.5 liter unit found in many Toyotavehicles but the 2.7 is a totally new and efficient engine. It produces 182 horsepower and isconnected to a 6 speed automatic transmission. This large 4 has more than enough horsepower to movethe 3,700 pound Venza down the road handily but can also get you about 30 miles per gallon in areal-world freeway cruise. The front wheel drive drives very well and the on-demand all wheel drivecould be useful if you live in areas with bad winter weather and/or mountains. You can also get atow package which offers a 3,500 pound tow capacity.

This car is a roomy 5 passenger machine with 34 cubic feet of storage behind the seats and over108 cubic feet in max cargo mode! The interior is very comfortable with elevated seating and lotsof head room. It’s a breeze to get in and out of. The interior trim is upscale yet not luxurious.The instrument panel is very attractive and the gear shifter is on the dash board leaving theconsole area between the front seats unobstructed. You can get a panorama sunroof system, in-dashnavigation with an upgraded audio, rear seat DVD entertainment and you can even change the fontsize on the in-dash information screen which also is the display for the backup camera. This is aquiet vehicle but with an open cargo area in the back, don’t expect a library-silent ride. Also,where is the cooled/ventilated seat option that’s offered on the Avalon? The half of the countrythat lives in a warm climate wants this option as much as the other half that live a cold climatewants heated seat option.

The Venza is endowed with all of Toyotas considerable safety systems. These include all theregular air bags plus knee bags for the driver, stability control, traction control, hill startassist etc.

The Venza should do well. It gives the sedan crowd the driving experience they are used to witha large dose of utility, good fuel economy and a starting price of about $26,000.