The all-new futuristic looking Toyota Venza with its optional two-panel panoramic sunroof, firm import car-like ride, low-step in height, chrome accented door handles and simple, but elegantly designed Lexus-like upscale leather interior combines the best qualities of any cross utility vehicle (CUV) on the road today. Owners of the new Venza can have the best of both worlds: the utilitarian space of a SUV and the functionality of a minivan with out having the stigma of either.
Unlike Toyota’s hybrids, the automaker is a little late coming to the market place with a large CUV. However, within time, the Venza’s cutting edge design and the name badge on the hood will definitely move it to the front of the class. Based upon some of the standard equipment, such as the standard 20-inch tire and wheel package and dual chrome exhaust pipes, it‘s obvious this sporty Camry-like looking CUV was designed specifically for the American market.
To match the cutting edge design, located underneath the hood was a peppy 3.5 liter 6-cylinder engine capable of producing 268-horsepower. While I was pleased with the smooth shifting transmission, I expected better gas mileage out of the Venza. In fact, in these days when GMs seven-passenger CUVs are achieving more than 400 miles off a tank of gas, I was barely able to squeak out 350 miles in the five-passenger Venza. (According to fueleconomy.gov, the Venza achieves 19 miles in the city and 26 miles on the highway.) However, if you’re looking for fuel-efficiency, one can always opt for the less powerful 2.7 liter 4-cylinder engine, which produces 182-horsepower and better gas mileage.
Outside of my concerns with the gas mileage, the Venza was loaded with a number of upscale features typically expected from its luxury division – Lexus. Some of the high-end features on the Venza included heated front seats, a dual temperature control climate system, a rear back up camera located in the voice-activated touch screen navigational screen, a push button keyless starter, High Intensity Discharge Headlamps (HID) and a power rear tailgate.
And for those who are true music lovers, like me, the Venza doesn’t disappoint, containing a crystal clear JBL 13-speaker system with Surround Sound and a 4-disc in-dash CD changer (located behind the flip-out navigational system). The system is also MP3 compatible with playback capabilities, too. Oh, yes, and if you wired with a Bluetooth phone, you’ll have no problem using the hands-free system in the all-new Venza. What more could you ask for?
Inside the cabin of the Venza, there were loads of comfort features. The roomy passenger and rear cargo compartment contained lots of storage and container holders for cups and bottles and cargo hooks for groceries, too. Unfortunately, with Toyota’s attention to detail, the Venza I reviewed was lacking a cargo cover to hide valuables even though it was equipped with a heavily tinted rear privacy glass. Unless you’re seated in the rear partial reclining 60/40 seats, you wouldn’t notice the valuables located in the cargo area.
And if you need a rear DVD system to entertain your family (friends or co-workers), you’ll have to forgo the $1,800 two-panel panoramic sunroof. However, to have the roof and DVD, you could add an aftermarket DVD to the rear seat headrest.
Besides all of the nifty features I noted, there were a few quirks Toyota could rectify to make this a flawless vehicle (if that’s possible). Being that I am a music lover, my navigational screen integrated with the music system continued to display a road map as opposed to the audio system. Being that I love music, I would have preferred having the name of the artist or radio program displayed as opposed to a street map.
Added to the list of quirks, I didn’t like the location of the joy-stick like gear shift lever sticking out of the instrument panel. This was definitely a sign I was driving a Japanese made vehicle, although it was designed specifically for the U. S. market. And I found the hand held keyless remote to not be somewhat flimsy not as sturdy as some of the other automakers with a similar system.
Other than the few quirks I mentioned above, the all-new Venza may be a little late to the party, but it won’t be long until it climbs to the top of the American consumers shopping list. The Venza is available in four trim levels as either a front-wheel drive or an all-wheel drive outfitted with either 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder engine. Pricing for the Venza starts at $25,975 and tops off at $38,525. Just think: the Venza could possibly rival Lexus’s sister division updated RX.
Unlike Toyota’s hybrids, the automaker is a little late coming to the market place with a large CUV. However, within time, the Venza’s cutting edge design and the name badge on the hood will definitely move it to the front of the class. Based upon some of the standard equipment, such as the standard 20-inch tire and wheel package and dual chrome exhaust pipes, it‘s obvious this sporty Camry-like looking CUV was designed specifically for the American market.
To match the cutting edge design, located underneath the hood was a peppy 3.5 liter 6-cylinder engine capable of producing 268-horsepower. While I was pleased with the smooth shifting transmission, I expected better gas mileage out of the Venza. In fact, in these days when GMs seven-passenger CUVs are achieving more than 400 miles off a tank of gas, I was barely able to squeak out 350 miles in the five-passenger Venza. (According to fueleconomy.gov, the Venza achieves 19 miles in the city and 26 miles on the highway.) However, if you’re looking for fuel-efficiency, one can always opt for the less powerful 2.7 liter 4-cylinder engine, which produces 182-horsepower and better gas mileage.
Outside of my concerns with the gas mileage, the Venza was loaded with a number of upscale features typically expected from its luxury division – Lexus. Some of the high-end features on the Venza included heated front seats, a dual temperature control climate system, a rear back up camera located in the voice-activated touch screen navigational screen, a push button keyless starter, High Intensity Discharge Headlamps (HID) and a power rear tailgate.
And for those who are true music lovers, like me, the Venza doesn’t disappoint, containing a crystal clear JBL 13-speaker system with Surround Sound and a 4-disc in-dash CD changer (located behind the flip-out navigational system). The system is also MP3 compatible with playback capabilities, too. Oh, yes, and if you wired with a Bluetooth phone, you’ll have no problem using the hands-free system in the all-new Venza. What more could you ask for?
Inside the cabin of the Venza, there were loads of comfort features. The roomy passenger and rear cargo compartment contained lots of storage and container holders for cups and bottles and cargo hooks for groceries, too. Unfortunately, with Toyota’s attention to detail, the Venza I reviewed was lacking a cargo cover to hide valuables even though it was equipped with a heavily tinted rear privacy glass. Unless you’re seated in the rear partial reclining 60/40 seats, you wouldn’t notice the valuables located in the cargo area.
And if you need a rear DVD system to entertain your family (friends or co-workers), you’ll have to forgo the $1,800 two-panel panoramic sunroof. However, to have the roof and DVD, you could add an aftermarket DVD to the rear seat headrest.
Besides all of the nifty features I noted, there were a few quirks Toyota could rectify to make this a flawless vehicle (if that’s possible). Being that I am a music lover, my navigational screen integrated with the music system continued to display a road map as opposed to the audio system. Being that I love music, I would have preferred having the name of the artist or radio program displayed as opposed to a street map.
Added to the list of quirks, I didn’t like the location of the joy-stick like gear shift lever sticking out of the instrument panel. This was definitely a sign I was driving a Japanese made vehicle, although it was designed specifically for the U. S. market. And I found the hand held keyless remote to not be somewhat flimsy not as sturdy as some of the other automakers with a similar system.
Other than the few quirks I mentioned above, the all-new Venza may be a little late to the party, but it won’t be long until it climbs to the top of the American consumers shopping list. The Venza is available in four trim levels as either a front-wheel drive or an all-wheel drive outfitted with either 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder engine. Pricing for the Venza starts at $25,975 and tops off at $38,525. Just think: the Venza could possibly rival Lexus’s sister division updated RX.
To view more car reviews, click here. And to compare the Venza against one if its major competitors, the Chevy Traverse, click here.
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