It can get confusing when you look on Toyota’s website and see how many SUVs and crossovers the company offers (for now, let’s all group them together as “SUVs” regardless of platform). Would you believe seven? We have the popular RAV4 though, as it has grown over the years, we now have the Corolla Cross playing the RAV4’s old role, though that replaced the recently discontinued C-HR. The large Highlander is somewhat the Camry of Toyota SUVs, while the 4Runner (the SUV version of the Tacoma pickup) starts to veer into truck territory. Still need more room and moxie? Then you can move into the Tundra-based Sequoia.
So, where does the Venza fit in?
If you recall the original Venza, it arguably looked like a short-wheelbase minivan with crossover pretentions, somewhat like the late Mercedes R-Class. That generation was discontinued in America after 2015, but a new generation was reintroduced for 2021. Interestingly, only an AWD hybrid is available for the American market.
This vehicle begs the question: What is the raison d’etre of the Venza? What does the Venza offer that can’t be found in the hybrid version of the RAV4, a car with a similar footprint?
Exterior
The current Venza bears little resemblance to its former self. Its tidy proportions contrast with the manspreading presence of its competitors, as SUVs tend to lean into their physical presence (even those within the Toyota umbrella). There are some styling flourishes that are shared with other Toyotas, like the Camry grin or the wide hips of the Highlander. Overall, the Venza comes off as inoffensive, almost like a linen suit from Walmart — the quality is easily apparent, but clearly the designers didn’t go to Italy for their internships.
The Nightshade Edition for the mid-level, $38,330 XLE adds several stylistic touches like black acrylic grille with smoked chrome accents, blacked-out and smoked trim and badges, 19-inch gloss-black alloy wheels, black roof rails and mirrors, and LED fog lights, among others. The Nightshade Edition is limited to three colors: Wind Chill Pearl, Celestial Black, and Ruby Flare Pearl. MSRP is $39,455, which is more than $5,000 more than the entry-level LE.
Interior
Like most SUVs, the Toyota Venza features two front bucket seats with a huge console. Desire a bench seat? Sorry, but to paraphrase King Kong Bundy, “FIVE,” as there’s no room for six unless you have a stow-away at the drive-in. The instrument panel can be configured in several manners, all a confusing array of information that may or may not be important to your daily jaunts. Seats are heated AND ventilated, which comes in handy for the winter and summer months in Arizona. SofTex-trimmed seats are the only available choice for the XLE, and they do the fake leather thing well (the LE uses fabric-trimmed seats, while the Limited uses perforated SofTex trim that allows for ventilation). As to be expected in an upscale SUV, the eight-way power driver’s seat with lumbar support gives you a way to find a sweet spot for your back, and a memory function allows you to save it. Ambient lighting complements the comfort proposition.
If you are familiar with other SUVs in the Venza’s class, it’s easy to notice that the Venza comes up short in terms of usable space, especially with the amount of storage space behind the rear seats (60/40 split). If your calling is hauling, then you may be disappointed that the Venza cannot haul the same volume of merchandise as its contemporaries (such as my wife’s Volkswagen Tiguan, for one). For those wanting a utilitarian vehicle with a similar footprint to the Venza’s could go across the showroom and check out the RAV4, which has the capacity to hold more groceries and what-not. So, then, remind me what’s the purpose of the Venza?
A quick inspection of the capacities and measurements shows the RAV4 to be close to the Venza on the ground, but not in packaging. The wheelbase is shared (105.9 inches), and interior passenger volume is close. However, cargo volume is where the disparities start to show themselves, with the RAV4 offering 37.6 cubic-feet of storage in the back, or 69.8 cubic-feet with the rear seats folded. In comparison, the Venza is 28.8 and 55.1, respectively. Going from a RAIV4 to a Venza will be noticeable.
The base Venza LE features an eight-inch multimedia screen that handles the usual Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibilities. Move up to the XLE or Limited and the screen will be upgraded to a much more satisfactory 12.3 inches. On the other hand, the LE and XLE utilize an analog instrument panel that features a speedometer, hybrid power meter and your average multi-informational display (“MID,” this one seven inches and in color) for total information overload. The Limited features a customizable, 12.3-inch MID display in conjunction with a color 10-inch heads-up display.
Perhaps the neatest aspect of the interior is the Star Gaze fixed panoramic roof with what Toyota calls “power sunshade.” An option on the XLE and Limited (and, when ordered, the roof rails are deleted), Star Gaze is a sunroof that doesn’t open. Rather, at the press of a button, the glass goes from opaque to transparent, letting natural light in without the visuals — or the searing sun. Pretty neat stuff, though if you yearn for natural air, you’ll have to settle for the windows.
Performance
Our Venza was entirely competent throughout different environments, with any handling deficiencies not apparent in our regular drives. It remained composed and compliant, lacking the stiffness you’d expect from a Teuton though, if we pushed the Venza to its limit, we’d expect to say it typically leans to the soft side, similar to other vehicles in its class.
All Venzas in the American market feature a 2.5-liter “Dynamic Force” four-cylinder with 176 horsepower. That doesn’t sound like much, but the electric motor allows the Venza to stretch its legs with 219 horsepower. Again, that doesn’t sound like much, but it is enough to get up to speed in most situations provided you manually select the proper drive setting. For example, if you’re going to remain in ECO drive mode, you end up being the kind of driver you loathe being behind. When shooting for miserly fuel economy, we found ourselves changing to the Sport mode so we could reach the upper echelons of the power band and, hence, experience more brisk acceleration while entering a highway or any other opportunity to get up to speed. It’s almost like the overdriving gears of yore in an inverse manner. There’s no need to fuss about it, of course, but it’s a symbol that as impressive the technology is behind modern vehicles, small engines (with turbo or hybrid complements) pushing two tons have their limitations.
It wasn’t too long ago that an engine twice as large was required to move a vehicle this heavy, yet here we are with a 2.5-liter four that achieves mileage that was minicar territory 20-30 years ago. Cars of the Venza’s stature used to have six-cylinders as mandatory equipment (at least for the American market), but manufacturers have been trying to eke out every last drop of efficiency and, hence, have been using techy smaller engines as of late. They lack the smoothness of the sixes, but we bet most consumers won’t blink an eye despite some buff books remarking that the Venza’s engine is somewhat buzzy at times. Chances are if you’re the Venza’s target market, you will be just fine.
The Venza is rated at 40 MPG city, 37 MPG highway and 39 MPG combined. With mixed driving both around town and up the mountains, we achieved 38 MPG, which is quite astounding compared to the Tiguan that’s in my driveway.
Features
The Toyota Venza XLE Nightshade Edition comes with a range of features that include the following, among others:
- Height-adjustable, hands-free power liftgate with jam protection
- Black, roof-mounted shark-fin antenna
- Wireless smartphone charging
- Four USB charge ports plus one USB data port
- Dual-zone climate control system including rear seat vents
- Front driver and passenger doorsills and illuminated footwells
- Six-speaker audio
Safety
A range of safety features include:
- LED projector headlights with Automatic High Beams
- LED taillights and stop lights, including center stop light
- Integrated backup camera with projected path and dynamic gridlines
- Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control
- Traction Control
- Electronic Brake-force Distribution
- Brake Assist
- Smart Stop Technology
- Eight airbags
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
- Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
- Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
Conclusion
The Toyota Venza is a fine reflection of how far automobiles have come over the past two decades. During Y2K, no one could have imagined a car straddling two tons could achieve close to 40 MPG in mixed driving, if not highway. Besides fuel efficiency, the Venza does everything you’d want in a daily driver, and it does them competently. However, we have reservations due to the lack of utility in this sport utility. Don’t get us wrong — it has utility, but it’s noticeably lacking compared to other vehicles in its class. It may all depend on your needs whether the Venza fills the need that you have. If you’re not sure yet you’re entranced by the Toyota brand, it would behoove you to check out the RAV4 Hybrid and see if it does a better job. Considering they both have the same wheelbase, the RAV4’s extra utility may come in handy, though you’d simply have to tolerate the aggressive styling of the RAV4, which isn’t necessarily a bad tradeoff.
