2011 Toyota Venza Review

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Toyota Venza Review and Pricing
2010 Toyota Venza Review and Pricing
2009 Toyota Venza Quote

2011 TOYOTA VENZA BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Toyota Venza is the best car for you if you believe “family station wagon” now means “crossover SUV.”

• The 2011 Toyota Venza is a stylish five-passenger crossover for buyers who want elevated seating and an active-lifestyle image but cringe at the notion of a minivan and don’t want to wrestle with the mass of an SUV. Venza is built on a version of the structure that underpins the Toyota Camry midsize sedan but has wagon-type cargo volume and is available with all-wheel drive.  

• Should you wait for the 2011 Toyota Venza or buy a 2010 Toyota Venza? Venza is due a mid-cycle freshening in model-year 2012, so if you purchase a 2011, you’ll have it for just one year before its styling is stale. No big changes between the 2010 and 2011 models are expected, and all sorts of incentives may still be in place as the 2010s roll out. Those carrots may be gone by the time the 2011s go on sale.

2011 TOYOTA VENZA CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Toyota Venza probably won’t be visually distinguishable from the 2010 Venza, which carried over its styling from the 2009 debut of this midsize crossover. Venza is based on the Toyota Camry sedan and shares the same wheelbase -- the span between front and rear axles that defines passenger-compartment space. Though Venza actually has fractionally less body length than the Camry, it’s significantly taller and wider, and it has SUV-type ground clearance. It rides on huge 19- or 20-inch wheels and tires, and with its swept-back sheetmetal and aggressive stance, this arguably is the handsomest vehicle in the Toyota showroom. The cabin is modern, quiet, and stylish. There’s outstanding space and comfort for four adults and decent accommodations for a fifth in the center position of the rear bench seat. The dashboard displays real design flair and doesn’t sacrifice functionality to achieve it. You sit slightly higher than most surrounding traffic, but climbing in or out is no chore. Luggage room with the 60/40 split rear seatbacks upright is an expansive 34.4 cubic feet; at 70.1 cubic feet with the seatbacks folded, cargo volume is only about average for the midsize-crossover class.

• Mechanical: The 2011 Toyota Venza will likely continue with a choice of a 182-horsepower four-cylinder engine or a 268-horsepower V-6. Both use a six-speed automatic transmission; the gear lever sprouts from the center of the dashboard and can be moved within a separate gate for manual-type shifting. Either engine is 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’s size and weight has the four-cylinder engine feeling underpowered at times, but the V-6 furnishes fine get-up-and go. In fact, it’s 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. Venza corners with reasonable poise, but its steering feels annoyingly slow, numb, and unnatural in turns. The big wheels and tires that help give Venza its street cred detract from the ride quality. Nasty bumps thump and sharp tar strips jar.     

• Features: Toyota could decide introduction of the 2011 Venza should also trigger introduction of specific trim levels to the model lineup. If it doesn’t, the 2011 Venza will continue as a single basic model tailored to your liking through individual or package options. Notable extra-cost features include a panoramic glass roof with a power tilt/slide panel over the front seats and a fixed pane above the rear seats. Leather upholstery and an easy-to-operate voice-activated navigation system are available. Models without the panoramic roof can be equipped with a rear-seat DVD entertainment system that uses a ceiling-mounted nine-inch screen. A tilt and telescope steering wheel, an eight-way power driver’s seat, power windows, locks and mirrors, and dual zone automatic climate control are among standard features. The standard audio system includes an in-dash six-CD changer with integrated satellite radio and an auxiliary port for iPod and MP3 devices.

2011 TOYOTA VENZA PRICES

• Toyota won’t announce 2011 Venza prices until shortly before the vehicle goes on sale. But this crossover’s pricing history suggests the four-cylinder version will start around $27,500 with front-wheel drive and around $29,000 with AWD. Estimated base prices with the V-6 are around $29,500 with front-drive, about $31,000 with AWD. These price estimates include Toyota’s mandated destination fee, which was $720 for model-year 2010.

2011 TOYOTA VENZA FUEL ECONOMY

• The 2010 Toyota Venza was already one of the highest-mileage five-passenger crossover SUVs of its size, and ratings should be no worse for the 2011 model. That means four-cylinder versions would again be rated at least 21/29 mpg (city/highway) with front-wheel drive and 20/28 with AWD. With the V-6, the 2011 V-6 Venza should repeat at 19/26 with front wheel drive, 18/25 with AWD. Both engines use 87-octane gas.

2011 TOYOTA VENZA RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Toyota Venza should go on sale in autumn 2010.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TOYOTA VENZA   

• Venza was introduced for model-year 2009 and Toyota’s product cadence puts it on pace for a full redesign in model year 2014. That positions the 2012 Venza for a mid-cycle freshening, which typically involves minor appearance changes to nose and tail, maybe some revisions to interior trim, and perhaps a new feature or two. The body will retain today’s basic shape and dimensions.

• Look for Toyota to explore ways to eek out a few more miles per gallon without compromising performance. That eventually could mean a gas-electric hybrid version of the Venza. Toyota says each of its model lines will include a hybrid by the early 2020s.

• In the longer-term, it’s important to note that Venza’s marketing category is still in its infancy. Honda and BMW have jumped in, but history shows some crossovers that aspired to be more than conventional station wagons but less than traditional SUVs have failed. Even Venza’s early sales numbers were below projections. Part of the blame was that it launched into the teeth of the economic downturn. But no manufacturer has yet had a blockbuster hit with this particular sort of car/wagon/SUV blend. So it’s possible Venza, in its current formula, could turn out to be a one-generation-and-done experiment.  

2011 TOYOTA VENZA COMPETITION

• Honda Accord Crosstour: As the Honda Accord sedan is the Toyota Camry’s natural advsary, so the new-for-2010 Crosstour lines up directly opposite the Venza. It’s the same formula of a five-seat wagon taffied into a high roof hatchback with available AWD. Pricing, power, interior room, fuel economy, even reliability ratings should be a draw. Differences are likely down to exterior styling, perhaps an amenity or two, and maybe Honda’s reputation for engineering all its vehicles with an athletic road feel the competition rarely matches.

• Ford Edge: Due a mid-cycle freshening for model-year 2011, this crossover assumes a more overt SUV air than the Venza or Accord Crosstour. Nonetheless, it’s basically another five-seat wagon based on a midsize sedan, in this case the Ford Fusion. It comes with a V-6 and front- or all-wheel drive. Edge is stylish, solid, and spacious, but a bit too heavy to shine for driving manners. This confident Ford has racked up solid enough sales numbers, and a full redesign is on tap for model-year 2014.

• Nissan Murano: A model-year 2009 redesigned pumped up the SUV side of its personality, but Murano remains a fine-driving example of the midsize crossover breed. A roomy five-seat cabin, clean styling, front- or all-wheel-drive, and a strong V-6 mated to a marvelous continuously variable automatic transmission are among its attractions. Murano won’t change significantly for several more years.