Video: Driving Northwest: The Toyota Venza

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Over time most family oriented vehicles have developed some sort of stigma. Why, why do we hurt the ones who love us?  Station wagons are labeled as dowdy.  Minivans?  Dowdy times two. Truck-based SUVs have become the very symbol of everything that’s wrong with … well, everything it would seem. Only the classic four-door sedan and the current darling of the auto world - car-based crossovers - are spared wholesale loathing. 

Toyota’s new rig is called Venza. Among the auto writers gathered at the Palo Alto press event there’s some question over whether it’s a crossover or a tall Camry wagon; since Venza is partially built on the popular sedan’s architecture I’ll go with crossover because a wagon simply gets the sedan roofline extended back to the bumper. With its added ride height, raised roofline and available all-wheel drive, Venza is much like the first generation Highlander but with a better tailor. It wears a sharp sheetmetal suit.  It’s intended to snag “active boomers” and small families.

Bring on the competitors

The five-passenger Venza’s competition is the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, Chevy Equinox and Mazda CX-7.  Let’s throw in Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Outlander and Dodge Journey for fun even though they can be ordered to seat seven.  Venza is screwed together in Georgetown, Kentucky.  A little bit of trivia: Toyota says the name is a combination of “adVENture” and “MonZA,” the Italian race track not the late Chevrolet coupe.  Precious few Venzas will be found on any racing circuit anywhere in the world though. 

Venza has a few tricks up its sleeve. Much like Ford’s Flex, the door sills are recessed in toward the seats with a low profile. Not only does it mean entry and exits are more graceful, but pant legs stay cleaner too. Toyota says the center console is sculpted in a 60/60 fashion.  In plain English that means both driver and passenger feel as if they have ownership of 60 percent of the instrument panel real estate. Could be a marriage saver.  Parents will appreciate a flexible center console up front that has enough room for a small purse and a cable routing system good for a number of different ways to stash an MP3 player.

Simplified buying … sort of 

There’s only one trim level here.  No S, L, SE, LX, SXT, Sport or Bill Blass models to confuse. Just Venza.  Choose between two engines -  a 268 horse V6 or a 182 horse 4-cylinder that will be available the first part of 2009.  After that, decide on front or all-wheel drive. Transmissions are 6-speed automatics with manual control. Toyota says this simplifies things but buyers still have to ponder which of the eight option packages to go with. Want Bluetooth phone connection? That’s part of the $1,090 JBL Synthesis surround sound system. It has the slick ability to receive stereo Bluetooth from MP3 players but Venza has no USB port or dedicated iPod integration.

Venza starts at $27,600 and can climb to over 37 large if you go crazy with the extras.  These include a panoramic glass roof, voice activated nav system, high intensity headlights with automatic high beams and keyless ignition. Resist all temptation and a base Venza still comes with niceties like dual-zone climate control, XM satellite radio, HomeLink, and 19-inch alloy wheels (20-inch on V6 cars).  All-wheel drive is a reasonable $1,450 and only nicks 1 mile per gallon off the EPA averages of 22 MPG for the V6 and 25 for the 4 cylinder.  At this time there are no plans for a hybrid version.

Driving ambition

Most of my short driving time is spent in the four-cylinder. Buyers that want to adventure with the family will find its acceleration just fine. Push the throttle to the floor and the transmission kicks down a few ratios, the engine definitely making itself known. Really though most owners won’t be driving this rig that way. Speed Racers leaning toward the Monza side of Venza’s name will want the powerful V6.  During a short spin in one the low end torque was certainly tempting. 

KING

There's an upscale look to this Toyota, especially in the rear pillar detail that they call brushstrokes.

One advantage of the 6? With an optional package it will tow 3,500 pounds (2,500 pounds with the four-cylinder). Yes, the V6 is faster but in everyday driving the 4 is just fine. You make the call here; it’s why test drives were invented.  For the record Toyota expects a 50/50 mix of engines. 

The pleasant road handling is similar to Camry. There’s not a lot for the hard core enthusiast driver here. In the same way many Toyotas steer, there’s a detached manner when it comes to road feel. Ride quality is quiet and comfortable though a little firmer than might be expected. Folks living in hilly Seattle will appreciate Hill-Start Assist Control that keeps this car from rolling back when starting on steep grades. Considering Venza’s spacious cabin, it would be a good family road trip car.

Room with a view

Everyone will find a comfortable driving position with a tilt/telescope steering wheel and seats available in cloth or leather. The chair’s textured surface matches the instrument panel embossing, which matches the etching on a few of the grille slots.  Buttons and knobs that operate the interface are easy to understand.  There’s plenty of storage cubbies to misplace things in; the change drawer to the left of my pre-production tester feels flimsy.  Something to check up on.

Safety first 

To go with the expected crumple zones and six airbags, the driver gets knee units. Active headrests for the front seats help to reduce whiplash. Venza gets a full compliment of standard electronics to keep it out of accident situations. VSC (stability control), TRAC (traction control), ABS (anti-lock brakes) and EBD (brake assist) should help keep occupants A-OK (hopefully you know that one).  

Open wide

Since Venza is a little broader than Camry, the back seat has a good amount of space for three adults. There are map pockets and a folding center armrest with cupholders. Leg and foot room is generous plus the seats recline 14 degrees. They don’t slide fore and aft if you want to expand the cargo area though. As expected the seatbacks split and fold.

Moving to the cargo area, Toyota claims the hatch opening is the widest in class. Helping out even more is a low load floor that’s good for getting pets to get in and out.  Handy remote levers to lay the back seats down are nicely placed and there are some small storage areas to hide things. Too bad the front passenger seat doesn’t fold flat to help with long items. Venza can hold a lot of stuff but keep in mind the stylish forward rake will cut into usability a bit. Sorry, no Costco TP test this week.  I’m on the road and away from my usual stash.

Toyota bumps up against Lexus

There’s an upscale look to this Toyota, especially in the rear pillar detail that they call brushstrokes.  Those who don’t care about badges may see it as a bargain Lexus RX350.   Some will call it a crossover, others a station wagon.  Toyota calls it “the car optimized" but doesn’t really care what you label it, so long as the expected run of 60,000 sells. In the end Venza is a comfortable, stylish and usable vehicle that should serve families well.  Only time will tell if Americans will come to regard crossovers the way many view station wagons, minivans and SUVs.  But right now, Venza will appeal to a lot of buyers.  Don’t leave it off your test drive list.