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Review: 2009 Toyota Venza; nothing unique, just another midsize crossover
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Though it's stylish and fuel-efficient, the new Toyota Venza adds little to the midsize
crossover class.
Before Toyota unveiled its 2009 Venza, it had described its upcoming product to journalists as a “crossover sedan…a unique blend of sedan and sport utility vehicle.”
But although Toyota continues to insist that the Camry-based Venza is “70 percent sedan, 30 percent SUV,” it’s the identical crossover formula that has produced numerous similar tall midsize station wagons over the years.
Toyota doesn’t just want you to like its new Venza. It wants you to think the Venza is unique. Which makes sense, if you look at Toyota’s lineup. There are already two midsize SUVs in it – the truck-based 4Runner and the car-based Highlander – plus the near-midsize truck-based FJ Cruiser and car-based RAV4. For the Venza to seem anything but redundant, Toyota is pretending the crossover is a new phenomenon.
The Venza comes out to compete directly against products from Ford and Nissan that fall into the same part of crowded SUV lineups. Like the Venza, the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano are midsize 5-passenger crossovers with a heavy emphasis on style.
So the real question isn’t what the Venza is. It’s quite obviously the same sort of car-based crossover as those vehicles. The real question is whether it’s better.
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As Nissan did with its redesigned 2009 Murano, Toyota has positioned the Venza upscale. It’s evocative of the existing Lexus RX350 (and even more similar to the upcoming 2010 model) on the outside, and the interior styling and materials resemble Lexus’s latest fare as well, with lots of curves and a two-tone of beige and grained gray. But while the interior materials and appearance would certainly have been serviceable in a Lexus, the assembly quality isn’t up to even this vehicle’s price tag of $33,000 as tested. Many plastic panels on the dash were misaligned, including the speaker at top-center.
At least while not everyone will love the swoops of the instrument panel or the black stripes that outline the optional leather seats, the interior styling is relatively clean compared to that of quite a few other premium SUVs. There are also a useful array of deep bins throughout the interior, and the salesman was particularly impressed with a setup that held cell phones and iPods in clear view while their charger or input cords disappear out of sight into a storage cubby.
Another of the key points Toyota is pushing about the Venza is the low ride height of a sedan combined with the high seating position of an SUV. Yet although this is common among crossovers, the Venza pulls it off better than most. The step-in really does feel very similar to a Toyota sedan’s, even as drivers get in to find themselves sitting higher with a better forward view than in he average crossover.
The seats themselves are comfortable but unexceptional, without the coddling comfort of a true luxury vehicle. The rear seat is quite comfortable and well-shaped, mounted high off the floor and reclinable. There’s plenty of leg and head room too, and three should fit across in reasonable comfort.
However, the Venza’s styling cuts into its both its luxury and its practicality.
First, the rear of the car is less steeply sloped than in most crossovers, cutting into cargo capacity. Though there’s a fair amount of floor space (more than enough for the ribbon that's left over after no one gave this Venza for Christmas), bulky objects won’t fit well behind the rear seat, and the luggage capacity of under 31 cubic feet is less than what’s offered by many compact SUVs, despite the Venza’s exterior size. The styling also cuts into rear visibility; the large side mirrors help.Secondly, the Venza’s especially large 20-inch wheels (standard with the V6 engine) make the car slam over bumps more stiffly than the Camry on which it’s based, and add to the road noise. As the Venza is clearly not designed to put the sport back in sport-utility vehicle, with safe but unexciting handling, it should have a smoother and quieter ride.
A strong point for the Venza’s driving dynamics is the 3.5-liter V6, shared with numerous other Toyotas and Lexuses and offering a desirable combination of refinement, power, and gas mileage. The front-wheel-drive Venza driven for this review is rated for 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway – better than many V6 midsize sedans and far better than any crossover of similar size and power. Even Toyota’s compact RAV4 only beats the Venza’s fuel economy estimates by one mile per gallon on the highway.
A less powerful but even more fuel-efficient four-cylinder version isn’t on sale until next month, and a salesman said it may come even later to the D.C. area.
The four-cylinder model will also help the Venza overcome another of its weaknesses: a fairly high price. While it’s a bargain compared to the Lexus RX350, and while sticker prices aren’t outrageous, the relative newness of the Venza limits dealer discounting. Fitzgerald Auto Malls is currently taking only around $2,000 off the sticker price of its Venza inventory, compared to closer to $4,000 on the Nissan Murano (which has nearly the same sticker price as a comparably-equipped Venza, according to pricing site TrueDelta.com) and Toyota’s own roomier Highlander SUV.
Like the Venza, the Highlander is a car-based midsize crossover SUV. It’s also based on the Camry. It has the same 4-cylinder and the same V6 engines. And although TrueDelta says its sticker price is higher than that on a comparable Venza, its extra discounts more than make up the difference.
The difference is that the Highlander doesn’t pretend to be stylish. The rounded-box shape is anonymous in its class. The Venza’s shape may suggest the Lexus RX, the front end may suggest the Ford Edge, and the taillights may suggest the Volvo C30, but the overall impression of the car isn’t of something forgettable. The Highlander is forgettable.But the Highlander’s boxy shape gives it a lot more cargo space – 11 extra cubic feet behind the rear seat and an extra 25 cubic feet if you fold the rear seat down. It also doesn’t have the Venza’s super-size wheels that hurt its ride comfort.
The Venza is not a better car than the Highlander. But is it a better car than the style-focused competition: the Ford Edge and the Nissan Murano?
The Ford Edge suffers from too many low-quality interior materials, uncomfortable rear seating, and excess weight. These flaws make it a less-than-stellar competitor for the Venza. But the Murano on the other hand offers everything the Venza does (except for the Toyota’s surprisingly high gas mileage) along with more luxurious interior appointments, while costing less to buy.
If the Venza were unique, as Toyota falsely insists it is, it would be a good choice for someone who’s looking for the practicality of an SUV with the comfort and maneuverability of a sedan. But it’s not unique. There are existing vehicles that accomplish that same task, and do a better overall job. Shop around.
Vehicle tested: 2009 Toyota Venza FWD V6
Vehicle base price: $25,975
Vehicle price as tested: $33,059
Test vehicle provided by: Antwerpen Toyota of Clarksville, Md.
For more info: http://www.toyota.com/venza/
Photos by Brady Holt.
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