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New Venza Review

4736 Views 24 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  someguy123
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
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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.
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 though it was based more on the Avalon.
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.
For me, the Venza was the perfect fit. Time will tell, but I think a niche market exists for it.

I wanted something that had a sporty look, good performance, could haul stuff for my business and had plenty of room for 4 people. The Highlander imo looks a little dull and I don't need the extra seats while the RAV does not appeal to me at all. Too compact and I was not a fan of the interior.

My other considerations were the Murano and Edge. If not for the Venza, Toyota is not even on my radar.

Cheers!
I think the Canadian pricing of the Venza makes it stand out compared to a similarly equiped RAV4; and the Murano is like 10K more expensive

Agree that the Highlander is too big for our family :)
For me, the Venza was the perfect fit. Time will tell, but I think a niche market exists for it.

...
My other considerations were the Murano and Edge. If not for the Venza, Toyota is not even on my radar.

Cheers!
I'm in full agreement with TechSeller - looked at the Murano and the Edge and I was ready to plunk my dollars on the Murano, but my wife showed me the Venza after my daughter just bought a Matrix. The access into the front and the back seats with her bad hip and knee clinched it for the Venza. The Venza has everything I need and the V6 is a good performer for me and uses regular gas.

The right fit at the right time

Cheers
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.
With the up-sizing, weight, 3rd row seat, etc, Toyota had no product in the RX marketplace.
I love the Ford Edge!!!!
I though it was based more on the Avalon.
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...????
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:
  1. The one common comment from everybody who sat in the Forester (including me) was that the doors sounded unbelievably tinny.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
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Thanks for sharing. Everyone has there opinons. I still like mine no matter what they say.
Sulu,

you are essentially correct with regard to the camry legacy as it relates to much of the toyota current model lineup. The Avalon IMO is a stretched camry.... I feel I am not giving up much driving comfort, if any, transitioning from the Avalon to the Venza....

I took the following dimensional info from the Toyota site:

Wheel Base Width Length Height Hip Shoulder
Camry 109.0 71.7 189.2 57.7 54.6 57.7
Venza 109.3 75.0 189.0 63.0 56.0 60.0
Avalon 111.0 72.8 197.0 58.0 55.8 59.4

Forrester 103.0 70.1 179.5 66.9 56.0

The biggest change from camry to Venza is the added 3.3" in width and obvious added 5.3" in height


My Fiancee had a Forrester for 8-yrs and traded to the 06 RAV and wouldn't go back..... she's 5'4" and does well in the RAV but a backup camera would give her more comfort in backing up since there is a major blind spot in the left rear...

Just touch tone as you slog your way through all the pertinent research?!!?
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We belong to one demographic Toyota is aiming the Venza at. Namely empty nest boomers. My wife absolutely LOVES "her" Venza.
We belong to one demographic Toyota is aiming the Venza at. Namely empty next boomers. My wife absolutely LOVES "her" Venza.
How/where do I get in line to become one of the "NEXT" boomers..??
Venza

We spent a lot of time shopping for the perfect three-row vehicle and couldn't find anything we liked better than our 05 Odyssey. Then we dropped the third row and narrowed the focus to 5-passenger vehicles, which I guess is the demographic the Venza is targeted for. We find the front and rear seats in the Venza the most comfortable of any vehicle in the marketplace. We put our money where our mouth is and bought one. Kept the Odyssey, too.
We downsized from a Sequioa. We are a family of four, that range between 6' (14 year old daughter) to 6'5" (myself) I couldn't be comfortable in ANY of the Highlander's seats. The Venza fit us all perfectly. We bought one in December with the Panoramic roof, and couldn't be happier.:clap:
Another new review

Motor Trend: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/112_0906_edge_murano_venza_comparison/index.html

1ST PLACE: TOYOTA VENZAThe most carlike crossover here, the Venza doesn't sacrifice sport or utility.

2ND PLACE: NISSAN MURANO SLAn eye-catching, fun-to-drive rig that can't match the winner's quickness or value.

3RD PLACE: FORD EDGE SPORTGargantuan wheels and hefty curb weight spoil an otherwise fresh offering.
Another new review

Motor Trend: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/112_0906_edge_murano_venza_comparison/index.html

1ST PLACE: TOYOTA VENZAThe most carlike crossover here, the Venza doesn't sacrifice sport or utility.

2ND PLACE: NISSAN MURANO SLAn eye-catching, fun-to-drive rig that can't match the winner's quickness or value.

3RD PLACE: FORD EDGE SPORTGargantuan wheels and hefty curb weight spoil an otherwise fresh offering.
Thanks for sharing. Since we are on a roll, here is another from a couple weeks back on the driving.ca website. This guy recognizes all the positives we do and loves how it drives! :)

http://driving.canada.com/research/viewroadtest.spy?artid=106626&pg=1
Thanks for sharing. Since we are on a roll, here is another from a couple weeks back on the driving.ca website. This guy recognizes all the positives we do and loves how it drives! :)

http://driving.canada.com/research/viewroadtest.spy?artid=106626&pg=1
Nice review

Any ideas on the quiet winters tires he refers to on his Ontario vehicle - presumbly it would have been supplied by a Toyota dealer.

Cheers.
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