It's a wagon. It's a crossover. It has cartoony 19-inch dubs, yet has a ride your grandmother would like and a name she'd confuse with a drug she saw advertised during Jeopardy! The 2011 Toyota Venza is a strange creation, one rife with contradictions and difficult to properly define. There is one thing we're sure of, though; it makes a great family vehicle.
The Venza has the basic body dimensions and interior space of a midsize crossover SUV -- think Ford Edge or Nissan Murano -- but with one significant exception: The Venza is nearly 4 inches shorter in height than its rivals, and technically this puts it in the same camp as a wagon, not a crossover. Its wagon-style dimensions also make the Venza feel more like a car from behind the wheel compared to Toyota crossovers like the Highlander and RAV4, although we certainly wouldn't call it athletic. Instead, like other Toyotas, the Venza puts an emphasis on comfort and ease of driving.
The Venza's strange body style isn't the only thing that stands out, however. Unlike with most midsize crossovers, the Venza features a four-cylinder base engine. This provides sufficient power, but given that the bigger V6 achieves similar fuel economy, it would be foolhardy to not at least consider shelling out a few more bucks for the big engine. This is one of the best -- and possibly the top -- V6s in the crossover class. If that weren't incentive enough, going with the V6 gets you even bigger, 20-inch wheels.
In the front cabin, the Venza is filled with a variety of innovative storage solutions. By placing the shift lever up high on the center console, space opens up for several storage bins. You don't get the same sort of versatility in back as you would in the more utilitarian RAV4, though. The Venza's rear seat doesn't slide, it's not split three ways and there's no option for a third row. The backseat does recline, but that's common among its competitors.
That might be nitpicking, as would complaining that interior-materials quality doesn't quite live up to the standards of the class best. Certainly, the 2011 Toyota Venza is a strong contender whether you're in the market for a wagon like the Subaru Outback or a midsize crossover like the Edge, Murano and Chevy Equinox. The Venza is also a more likable and stylish choice than the similarly conceived Honda Accord Crosstour. When a vehicle is such an indefinable oddity, it's bound to draw comparisons to such a diverse range of vehicles, but against them all, the Toyota Venza stands tall on its big wheels.
The Venza's two rows of seats can be finished in cloth or leather. The 60/40-split rear bench seat features reclining backrests, and the sections can be folded using levers in the cargo area. Interior features include:
- Standard dual-zone automatic air conditioning
- Standard six-CD changer
- Standard cruise control
- Standard tilt/telescoping multifunction steering wheel
- Optional navigation system
- Optional backseat entertainment system
EXTERIOR
Despite its practical hatchback body style, the Venza manages to look rather stylish in person. Credit the car's proportions and interesting rear styling, which features swoopy taillights. The front of the Venza is defined by a large grille that could easily be at home on an SUV. Exterior features include:
- 19-inch wheels standard
- 20-inch wheels optional
- Optional two-piece glass roof
- Optional power liftgate
ENGINE
The 2011 Toyota Venza gets the electronic brake override but is otherwise a mechanical rerun of the 2010 Venza.
About 50 percent of Venzas are ordered with the four-cylinder engine, a 2.7-liter that continues rated at 182 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque (consider torque the secret sauce of acceleration and horsepower the prime ingredient in momentum). Availability of a four-cylinder engine in a midsize crossover is a relatively recent development, though it’s becoming a trend as automakers seek to maximize fuel economy. The leading edge of the trend is turbocharged four-cylinder engines of around 2.0-liters. They provide the gas mileage of a four-cylinder with the power of a small V-6 – though at an initial purchase price equivalent to that of a V-6. Venza’s four-cylinder relies on a relatively large displacement to furnish power and torque in the upper range for non-turbo engines its size. The 2011 Toyota Venza’s available V-6 is a 3.5-liter again rated at 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque; both are fine numbers for engines this size.
Both Venza engines again mate with one transmission, a fully contemporary six-speed automatic. The gear lever sprouts from the dashboard just right of the steering wheel and can be moved within a separate gate for manual-type shifting. That gives the driver additional control to, for example, harness engine braking in hilly terrain or sharpen throttle response in urban freeway traffic.
Venzas with either engine are available with front-wheel or extra-cost all-wheel-drive (AWD). Venza isn’t intended for off-roading, so the AWD’s main role is to automatically redistribute power front-to-rear to maintain traction on slippery road surfaces. An antiskid system, also known as stability control, is standard and is designed to prevent sideways slides. An optional towing package allows Venza to trailer up to 3,500 pounds, same as most light-duty SUVs.
Venza is by no means a small or lightweight wagon, but the four-cylinder is surprisingly game, furnishing good go around town and adequate punch for hills and highways. The V-6 provides fine all-around performance and is in fact sufficiently muscular that you’ll find AWD a useful antidote to the torque-steer veering that afflicts powerful front-drive vehicles during rapid acceleration from low speeds.
Venzas with the four-cylinder engine come with 19-inch alloy wheels and those with the V-6 have 20s; this was the first Toyota of any sort with wheels that large. In either form, the 2011 Venza corners with reasonable poise. Its steering can feel annoyingly slow, numb, and unnatural in turns, though, oddly, these negatives seem to affect V-6 models more than four-cylinder versions. Sadly, the big wheels and tires that help give Venza its street cred detract from the ride quality, no matter the engine. Nasty bumps thump, sharp tar strips jar, and road noise infiltrates the cabin.
As for Venza’s connection to the sudden-acceleration controversy, model-year 2009 and 2010 Venzas were among Toyotas recalled for a replacement driver-side floormat that wouldn’t interfere with the gas pedal. Venza was not among Toyotas sited for a sticking gas pedal. The automaker did, however, include 2009-2010 Venzas among its first cars recalled to retrofit an electronic system that enables brake-pedal application to override the accelerator.
All model-year 2011 Venzas have the brake-override system and it’s bundled with several other features as part of a marketing effort Toyota calls the Star Safety System. Star Safety also includes the antiskid system as well as traction control for better grip off the line, antilock brakes for more secure stops, and brake assist that automatically applies full stopping power in emergencies even if the driver fails to apply full bake-pedal pressure.
Every 2011 Toyota Venza comes standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags, a driver knee airbag and front-seat active head restraints. In Edmunds brake testing, the Venza came to a stop from 60 mph in 122 feet regardless of engine.
The Venza has not been rated using the government's new, more strenuous 2011 crash-testing procedures. Its 2010 rating (which isn't comparable to 2011 ratings) was a perfect five stars in all frontal- and side-impact tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Venza its highest rating of "Good" in the frontal-offset, side and roof strength tests.
reference:www.edmunds.com,iguida.com,www.cars.com
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