Toyota Venza: Wagon? No!

As I’ve written in previous Personal Picks, I’m a big fan of station wagons. They’re a clever way to get added cargo space and utility, while still retaining the handling and ride of a sedan. Really good wagons can combine function and fun.

With the dearth of midsized or larger wagon choices, I was looking forward to the Toyota Venza. Maybe this would be the anticipated replacement for the long-defunct Camry wagon. You see, I think Toyota could sell a ton of Camry wagons--turn one of the most practical sedans out there into a practical wagon.

Now I know station wagons, and the Venza is no wagon.

Soon after we purchased our test Venza, I took it on a long drive to visit my parents. First thing that bothered me was the ride–it clops over expansion joints and impacts punch hard. Some of the blame for this goes to the 20-inch (dubs!) wheels, whose role is more style over function. This is very un-Toyota-like, and it goes a long way to erase the advantage of a quiet interior.

What is typical Toyota is the short seat cushion, which reduces thigh support even for short-legged me. I started squirming about an hour into the trip. It didn’t help that the steering wheel, despite a telescope adjustment, still was a far reach away. Driving the Venza is an enveloping experience, with a high dashboard and fairly short windows–again, not really sedan-like. The rear styling creates big blind zones in the corners. And the long trip gave my wife and I plenty of time to count all of the misaligned dash panels in our car.

When we left my parents’ house to return to Connecticut, there were a few inches of snow on the ground. The AWD system gave plenty of traction, but the wide tires squirmed somewhat in the slush--another disadvantage of 20-inch running gear.

So is the Venza a reincarnated Camry wagon? Nope. Despite a great drivetrain and a roomy back seat, there are a lot of compromises made for style rather than function. As I said in our Venza video, I’d rather buy a Highlander, despite my fondness for wagons. Even though it’s a SUV, the Highlander drives more like a car and has more utility.

--Tom Mutchler

Comments

[Chris]

I had an opportunity to drive a Venza a couple of weeks ago and was disappointed, as I have been in most of Toyota's products over the past few years.

Yes, they are reliable, however Toyota is consistently cutting corners, especially in interior quality. I saw lots of flash molding and uneven fits, however the materials seem to be far from the Chrysler grade stuff. There was also a rattle in the rear passenger's area.

I drove a 4-cylinder with cloth seats and found the seats to be awful. As Tom noted, the seat bottoms are way too short, and I found the support to be uneven. The view out isn't Chrysler 300 bad, but it's not great.

The 4-cylinder gave excellent power and fuel economy for its size in such a heavy vehicle. I too found the ride way too hard, and probably the source of the rattle. The vehicle feels heavy and disconnected in routine traffic.

On the plus side, it's very roomy and quiet, which again amplifies the rattle I heard.

I also found the Venza to be a visually unattractive vehicle. It manages to look both bland and ugly at the same time.

I'm just not compelled by Toyota's lineup of vehicles right now, and Venza is more of the same.

[david]

We used to be an exclusive Toyota family. We had Corolla (several versions and generations), Camry and Celica. My aunt still has an old Corolla, which is reliable as ever. Unfortunately, that was the last Toyota we purchased.

My impression is that Toyota still makes very good cars, thought not the stand out it used to be. Maybe the stand out "Toyota" cars now are reserved for its Lexus brand. Unfortunately, Lexus cars are expensive.

A few weeks ago, I drove a LS430, MY2006. While the car rode beautifully, the fit and finish did not seem to be any better than my 1999 VW Passat GLX, much to my disappointment. Maybe I have upgrade what I think is a great interior or perhaps I was expecting a $70k car to have a much better interior than the $30k Passat. To me, the current generation MB $90k E55/E63 has an exceptional looking interior.

[Cale]

The Venza is what you get when you cross a wagon with a fashion statement. It's a LUV, as in Lifestyle Utility Vehicle.

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

I agree with Tom in that the greatest weaknesses for the Venza are the oversized wheels, which compromise steering feel and ride quality. Add to that a short windshield and low seating position, and to me it feels less like a LUV than a suburban assault vehicle.

[mr. t]

does it come in a diesel?

[Reid]

I, brought a Venza a few weeks ago and it is a great car, my family, and I realy like it, good gas milege both city , and hwy.
we go to alot of sporting events, get alot of lookers. the car , we get a little road noise, but most of the noise comes from the
roads its self, bad roads. the ride is great,seats are great,over
all rating is great,style is also great. we are enjoying are venza. thanks toyota, great vehicle, o' we also look at chysler's
vans.

[Rich]

We bought a new Venza this week. The thing that attracted me to this vehicle was the MPG 20-28. I got 29.9 and 30.1 on one ride home from work. It's a great commuter vehicle as I drive 45 minutes each direction to/from work every day. I get a lot of looks because it's so new.

To other posters: no car or crossover is perfect. There are always going to be trade-offs. I'll deal with little issues because of the outstanding gas milage. I love my new Toyota Venza. Nice color, style, interior. Mine has the 19" wheels instead of the 20, because I got the 2.7 I-4 model. I also got a few upgraded features, and like my all-weather options, especially the custom-fitted rear rubber mat for our harsh Vermont winters.

I used to own a Ford. I probably will never own another Ford since this rides so well.

Thanks Toyota.

[coolcar]

The Venza is not my favorite car. It has a harsh ride, poor visibility to the sides and rear, has no 3rd row, handles like a tonka truck, and there is no real reason to buy it versus the cheaper RAV4 and roomier Highlander... I would much rather buy a 4-cyl RAV4 or a Ford Escape

[younona]

@Reid I fully agree with you. The road is great with such a car. The interior design is very beautiful and interesting. My children had a lot of fun in this car thanks to their modern technology.

[Craig Nelson]

What are the dimensions (lxwxh) of the cargo area?

[Sharkie2112]

Can someone explain to me why 20" tires are so bad? Is it because of they are low profile? Other then that it seems reasonable to assume smaller tires would have more movement with irregular roadway surfaces and larger tires will tend to bridge them.