2009 Toyota Venza Lockhart TX

November 7, 2008   By Greg Ary



2009 Toyota Venza
DriverSide Overview
The 2009 Venza is an all-new model for Toyota that splits the difference between its Camry sedan and the Highlander crossover. In spite of its tall-wagon proportions, Toyota is not calling it a wagon or a crossover but rather “the car, optimized.” In reality, however, it’s little more than a station wagon version of the Camry—and a very nicely styled one at that—with comfortable seating for five (no third row is available) and a spacious, unique interior and cargo area. Though it shares much of its mechanicals with the Camry/Highlander, the Venza neither looks nor feels at all like either, and overall, we find the Venza the most appealing of the three. However, all that style and substance don’t come cheap: at $25,700 to start, it costs thousands of dollars more than the Camry.








What It's Like
The Venza’s expressive exterior styling is sort of a surprise from conservative Toyota, and we approve. The interior is full of clever storage solutions, and the huge rear seat not only offers tremendous hip- and legroom, but the split seatback reclines to an angle that’s actually comfortable. The optional V-6 is strong and silent, while the four-cylinder model achieves great fuel economy. And of course, being a Toyota, the Venza simply oozes quality.

What's Not to Like
However efficient, the all-new four-cylinder is taxed by the Venza’s mass. There are also some ergonomic curiosities, and the cabin is pretty dark when the optional panoramic moonroof is not ordered.

The Drive
DriverSide Impressions
Toyota’s family cars usually carry a distinctly soft tune, prioritizing comfort over performance almost religiously. That bodes well for passengers, who don’t usually care about things like steering feel and would rather have a smooth ride and a lack of wind noise. Drivers will find base models to be slow and relatively numb—not problematically so—but the V-6 model, which features bespoke wheels and tires and suspension tuning, is much faster, and much more communicative. Both models share the same six-speed automatic with a manual shift gate. Still, this car is relatively ill-suited to “enthusiastic” driving.

Engine and Drivetrain
The Venza’s base engine is Toyota’s all-new 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The engine is both large and powerful for a four-banger, with 182 horsepower and 182 lb.-ft. of torque. While the specs may seem a little underwhelming on paper, it works for the small size.

Interesting Vehicle Features and Options
Among the many cool features found throughout the Venza is the dash cubby specifically designed to hold music devices such as the iPod (complete with a hole underneath through which wires can be discreetly be connected.

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