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Toyota wants to market the new 2009 Venza as a car -- in other words, not an SUV. (Their original plan was to call the Venza a "crossover sedan". Yikes!) We actually went back and forth with Toyota over who would go to the Venza press preview. Toyota wanted me, About.com's resident car guy, to attend; we thought Jason, our SUVs guide, should go. Due to extenuating circumstances -- Jason has a life and I don't -- Toyota got their wish and I traveled to Pennsylvania to try out the new Venza. So what is it and how is it? Read on.
Larger photos: Front - rear - interior - all photos
- Easy ingress/egress
- Car-like handling
- Radical (for Toyota) styling
- Excellent four-cylinder engine
- Still feels like an SUV when it comes to parking and maneuvering
- New model; Toyota's most car-like crossover utility vehicle
- Price range (including options): $26,695 - $38,805
- EPA fuel economy estimates: 18-21 MPG city, 25-29 MPG highway
Immediately after driving the Venza, I called Jason and said, "We sent the wrong guy." The Venza is not a car, it's a crossover SUV. How do you differentiate? It's not something I can put a firm set of numbers on; some vehicles just feel like cars, others feel like crossovers. The Venza feels like a crossover.
But take heart, Toyota: It's a good crossover. And it certainly has some very car-like attributes, like its choice of four- or six-cylinder power. The four-banger is an all-new 2.7 liter engine that does the work of a V6, turning out 182 horsepower and 182 lb-ft of torque and delivering strong acceleration and surprisingly decent fuel economy (I averaged mid-20s on my test loops). The handling is notably car-like, though the Venza still parks like an SUV. And Toyota has gone to great pains to eliminate some major SUV pains -- like the flat door sills (no tripping when you get in and out) and easy-to-reach rear seatback release handles. The Venza gives you an SUV driver's view out over the road, while back-seaters enjoy reclining seatbacks and limousine-like legroom.
Toyota's desire to label the Venza as a car is no doubt a knee-jerk response to the rise in gas prices and the anticipation of a backlash towards SUVs. (The Venza was conceived several years ago when SUVs were still hip and crossovers were the Next Big Thing.) As my friend Jeff likes to say, "You can stick a candle in a cow patty, but that doesn't make it a birthday cake." The Venza is what it is. What it is, is a crossover -- and a rather good one, if you ask me. That's why you'll find my extended review of the Toyota Venza on About.com's SUVs site. Check it out here. -- Aaron Gold
