This was posted at another forum and thought I would share it here. A not so positive review of our beloved Venza!
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/editors_notebook/0904_2009_toyota_venza_awd_v6/index.html
All I can say is that I went to the Auto show after listening to all the hype about the new Forester and was extremely disappointed. So to it seems are many of the owners on the forum at Edmunds! Tons of complaints about poor finish, creaks, rattles and crappy audio.
The interior was a snoozefest and the doors were unbelievably "tinny". I'm sure it has it's strengths but he can have it...lol
I too spent some time at the Toronto Autoshow with both the Forester and the Venza (although it was difficult to get much time in the Venza because of the crowds). I was also disappointed with the Forester, after all the hype about it.
Some specific comments I had and/or overheard about the two vehicles were:
- The one common comment from everybody who sat in the Forester (including me) was that the doors sounded unbelievably tinny.
- The Forester is more of an SUV rather than a station wagon (car) on stilts, just like the RAV4 is meant to be an SUV rather than a car. So the roof is very tall and the interior is more basic and truck-like than car-like (i.e. less "luxurious" and less refined). The Outback is more car-like than the Forester. The Venza is more car-like.
- Unlike Toyotas, the Forester's rear centre seat shoulder / seatbelt anchors in the ceiling (rather than the seatback itself, as in most Toyotas), as do the child safety seat tethers. So if we were to get the Forester, I would not be able to see out the back window because of the maze of safety belts and tethers.
- I was surprised how easy it was to get in and out of the Venza because of how big it looks in the pictures. The seats were at just the right height to slide in and out without having to climb up or crouch down. Both the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano sit higher. If the knee-jerk response is that Toyota is catering to the senior crowd again, so be it; I personally prefer the ease of entry and exit of the Toyota.
- The interior of the Venza can seem rather bland (another overheard comment that I could sympathize with), but that is a typical Toyota trait. I personally prefer the simple ergonomics of Toyotas to a wall of buttons.
as much as i love toyota, i agree with the editors point on the large number of crossovers and suvs in toyotas lineup. i just dont get the reason for the venza; it's based on the camry and competes with the murano. i thought that's what the highlanders for.
I think the Venza is the true successor to the Gen1 Highlander. The Gen1 Highlander was more car-like and was the Camry station wagon of the time. The Gen2 has grown larger and taller, more like an SUV than a station wagon. There seems to be a market for tall station wagons, like the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano and Mazda CX-7; there are even rumours that Honda will soon get into the game with a raised version of an Accord wagon. Toyota no longer had a competitor in this niche but now it does. If it sells, I won't blame Toyota for bringing out another in a broad range of SUVs/CUVs; blame the buying public (and what is old saying: "The customer is always right?").
I personally think that the Venza may be a bit too big for our tastes. (My wife thinks it looks absolutely huge, as large or larger than the Mazda CX-9, and she is rather short, so is afraid of driving a large car; she finds my Gen6 Camry a bit too large.) That is one reason I also looked at the Forester, but they are not direct competitors. I think the Forester is more of a competitor to the RAV4 than the Venza; the Forester is more SUV-like and quite a bit smaller and narrower inside than the Venza. Now, if Toyota had a station wagon in a size that fit between the too-small Matrix and too-large Venza, that would be more to our taste. The RAV4 could be that vehicle, but my wife does not like the RAV4, and as the new family vehicle, my wife will likely be driving it a lot. We will have to check out the Venza; if we can feel comfortable in it, it may be the compromise vehicle.
FWIW, I read the Toyota-sourced specs that identified the components of the platform as: Front pan = Highlander, Middle pan = Camry , Rear pan = Venza-specific design...????
What's the difference, in the end? The Highlander, Avalon, Sienna, and Lexus RX and ES are all based on the Camry, so if the Venza is based on the Avalon or Highlander or Camry, it is still basically a Camry.
