2011 Toyota Venza
by Jim Prueter - 5/2011
Excellent crossover or merely a modern station wagon?
(Note: This review was written in February 2009 about the 2009 Toyota Venza. Little of substance has changed however the review was updated to include what’s new for both 2010 and 2011 model years)
Toyota refuses to call its all-new vehicle a “crossover,” nor will it utter the words “station wagon” or “hatchback.” To describe the Venza, a name derived by combining the words “venture” and “Monza,” the name of an Italian racetrack, Toyota refers to it with the term “car optimized.”
Call it what you want, to me it’s a station wagon. Officially, the U.S. government calls it an SUV.
Venza fits squarely between a Camry and Highlander SUV. In fact, its chassis is derived from both the Camry and Highlander and built at the same Kentucky manufacturing plant as those vehicles.
Whatever you want to call it, we think the Venza looks gorgeous both inside and out. It also offers several options in power, including front- or all-wheel-drive, with a choice of a new 2.7-liter, 182-horsepower 4-cylinder or a 3.5-liter, 268-horsepower V-6.
We drove the V-6 Venza which comes with front-wheel-drive, electronic stability control, traction control, and antilock brakes. Venza has 8.1 inches of ground clearance, identical to the Highlander, and shares much of the same suspension system, however, Toyota goes out of its way to declare that it isn’t an off-road vehicle.
Outside, the V-6 versions get huge 20-inch wheels and dual tailpipes while the 4-cylinder models come with 19-inch wheels. The prominent brushed aluminum-look grille is busy and bordered by super-slim headlamps. We loved the look. The side profile strongly resembles the Lexus RX and the rear liftgate incorporates half the taillamps.
Inside, there’s seating for five though the middle passenger in the second-row won’t have much room. There is, however, plenty of legroom and headroom. Three-row seating isn’t offered. The second-row splits 60/40, and seatbacks recline and fold forward, but not flat for extra cargo space. Low doorsills help with ease of entry and exit and the doors seem extra wide.
Front seats are roomy and comfortable. Our tester came with optional leather seating, nicely grained to match the dash, with the instrument panel and door trim finished in two-tone black and tan.
Plastic mahogany-look inlay trim around the center console and door armrests wasn’t very convincing. The console itself was rather unique, with a lid that slides back and forth rather than flipping open. Unfortunately, it slides over the cup holders when there isn’t a beverage in them.
There’s a driver information center located center top of dash that provides readouts for outside temperature, time, mileage, average mileage, and other information. We liked that the font size was adjustable, making it easy to read.
Other things we liked were the dual beverage holders in the front doors, tilt and telescoping steering column, proximity lock and ignition key, push button starting, and one-touch up/down for all four windows.
Our 2011 tester included a $4,345 Premium Package with heated leather seating, power front passenger seat, color matching folding side view mirrors, back-up camera, and windshield wiper de-icer. That includes a $2,580 package with voice-activated touch-screen DVD navigation system with JBNL synthesis surround sound AM/FM four-disc in-dash CD changer with MP3 playback capability, Blue-tooth phone compatibility and 13 speakers. For $1,680, you get a rear seat DVD entertainment system and a $220 tow prep package with engine oil cooler, larger radiator fan, and heavy-duty alternator, $269 floor and cargo mats, and an $85 rear bumper protector.
Toyota also offers a two-row, two-piece panorama sunroof. It’s lots of glass and nice if you like to soak in sun and fresh air.
We thought the handling was good and generally quiet in terms of road and engine noise, but found the ride with the huge 20-inch wheels was too firm, amplifying every imperfection of the road surface. We didn’t drive a 4-cylinder model, but thought the V-6 and the 6-speed automatic performed exceptionally well. The digital trip-computer readout on the information center indicated we averaged 22 miles per gallon.
Other standard safety gear includes active head restraints, front- and side curtain airbags for both rows of seats, and a driver’s knee airbags. The 2009-2011 Venza earned the highest possible “Good” rating for frontal offset, side impact and roof strength crash test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It was also awarded a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration awarded the Venza three stars out of five for frontal crash tests and rollover, five stars for side crash, and an overall four out of a possible five stars.
Overall we thought the Venza to be an excellent vehicle loaded with appealing features, easy to drive, and comfortable to ride in — another well-done product from Toyota.
New for 2010
Venza added Bluetooth and a standard USB port for connecting an MP3 player to the audio system.
New for 2011
There are no changes for the 2011 Venza.
