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[hfelknor]

BEHIND THE WHEEL | 2009 TOYOTA VENZA
High-End Nest for Pampered Empty Nesters


By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Published: January 2, 2009
CONWAY, N.H.




PROGRESSION Venza grew out of design studies including the 1995 Lexus F.L.V., top, and the 2005 Toyota FT-SX.
A NEWBORN could have reached high school in the time — almost 14 years — it took Toyota to get the concept behind the 2009 Venza into dealerships. But Toyota customers seeking a fresh-feeling blend of style, comfort and practicality may find it was worth the wait.

Toyota says the five-passenger Venza is based on the FT-SX concept car shown in 2005 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. But to find the original idea behind the Venza, one must activate the way-back machine.

It was 1995 when Lexus showed a concept car called the F.L.V. (for Future Luxury Vehicle) at the Detroit show. It was aimed at those whose “life stage needs for minivans and other multipurpose vehicles is finished” — empty nesters, in other words. Officials described the F.L.V. as “strictly a design exercise,” and it disappeared — poof! — for a decade before resurfacing, with some styling adjustments, as the FT-SX.

Now, finally, the concept has turned into the Venza, which Toyota says is 70 percent car and 30 percent S.U.V. (Pressed for details, a Toyota official described this as “marketing math.”)

The car part comes from the underpinnings of the midsize Camry sedan. The Venza is built in the Kentucky plant where the Camry is assembled.

The S.U.V. part comes from the availability of all-wheel drive and eight inches of ground clearance, the same as the Toyota Highlander crossover. That eight inches compares with about five inches for the Camry sedan, meaning that the Venza can do a much better job getting through deep snow.

How did they come up with the name? Toyota says the “Ven” comes from “adventure” and the “za” comes from Monza, the Italian racetrack. I wonder if Ntureza was also considered.

The Venza comes with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and with either a 4- or 6-cylinder engine. The only transmission is a 6-speed automatic.

Prices for front-drive models begin at $26,695 for a 4-cylinder and $28,520 for a V-6. All-wheel drive adds $1,450 to either version.

But these prices are theoretical because Toyota lets dealers in different regions require mandatory options. In the 10021 ZIP code in Manhattan, getting a V-6 with all-wheel drive requires that you also buy a $1,080 convenience package. In the 03574 ZIP code in northern New Hampshire, dealers add on at least $4,800 in options. A spokesman, Bill Kwong, said customers could try to special-order a vehicle without options.

The model that I tested was an all-wheel-drive V-6 for $29,970. It had all the luxury goods including leather upholstery, heated seats, a navigation system with backup camera, a fancy stereo, a panoramic glass roof and high-intensity-discharge headlamps. The total price was $38,175.

The Venza is the same length as the Camry. Despite the extra ground clearance, you can get into the Venza without having to climb up S.U.V.-style. The Venza has a little more legroom in the rear than the Camry and a little less up front, but there’s enough room for four six-foot adults to be comfortable. The wide front seats are clearly designed for big American bottoms.

Toyota says there is about 31 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row. That’s less than the RAV4 crossover and a lot less than the Highlander.

The interior of the test model was done in upscale materials; the plush look said “Lexus” more than “Toyota.”

You set the temperature with large buttons, but that touchy-feely convenience is undermined by tiny buttons controlling the fan speed.

Toyota has done a nice job with soundproofing, but I doubt that the Venza can match the Buick Enclave when it comes to hushed motoring.

All Venzas get important safety gear including antilock brakes; electronic stability control, which works to prevent skids; and brake assist, which helps to assure maximum braking in an emergency. There are also air curtains for head protection (front and rear) in a side-impact crash. Up front, seat-mounted side air bags provide torso protection in a side impact.

The Venza has not yet been crash-tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

On two-lanes through the White Mountains the Venza was a surprisingly eager companion. It headed into a turn without the stubborn delay found in many all-wheel-drive vehicles that carry a lot of weight up front. The steering is nicely weighted and the driver can pick a line through a curve and be certain the Venza will follow it without requiring fiddly corrections.

Toyota also did a good job of controlling body lean while still providing a comfortable ride, even on bad roads.

The 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine is rated at 182 horsepower at 5,800 r.p.m. and 182 pound feet of torque at 4,200 r.p.m. This is a new Toyota engine making its debut in the Venza.

Because 4-cylinder models won’t go on sale until late in January, the official Environmental Protection Agency mileage estimates have not been released. Toyota is predicting the front-drive model will be rated 21 miles a gallon in town and 29 on the highway. The all-wheel-drive version is expected to be rated at 20 in the city and 28 on the highway.

My test car’s 3.5-liter V-6 was rated at 268 horsepower at 6,200 r.p.m. and 246 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 r.p.m. It is the same engine that makes the RAV4 hilariously quick. But the Venza with all-wheel drive has a curb weight of 4,000 pounds, about 300 pounds more than the RAV4. Thus, the Venza’s acceleration, while more than adequate, is less than fun.

The E.P.A. rating for the V-6 is 19 city and 26 highway with front drive; the V-6 with all-wheel drive is rated 1 m.p.g. less for both city and highway. In more than 200 miles of two-lane driving I averaged almost 25 m.p.g.

Refined and unobtrusive, the six-speed automatic transmission is a typical Toyota creation. It can be shifted manually, which is helpful in mountain driving or when the driver simply wants more control.

In describing the Venza, Toyota likes to say nebulous things like the Venza “fills the gap between car and S.U.V.” or the Venza is “a versatile five-passenger vehicle.” Could Toyota believe that consumers aren’t smart enough to recognize and appreciate a stylish station wagon?

It seems likely that Toyota is worried about baby boomers, who often shun station wagons, possibly because they can’t put aside unfortunate childhood issues. But baby boomers (you are my people) should grow up. The Venza isn’t the boxy wagon in which you may have suffered as a child. It is a luxurious and thoroughly likable vehicle that can be bought with the additional bad-weather security of all-wheel drive.

So just imagine you are getting an elegant Audi A6 station wagon for $10,000 less — and one built by an automaker with a superior track record for reliability.

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[KSmurano]

The Venza's are selling as fast at they are coming in at the Toyota dealer my son works at. He says they have a good ride & acceleration.

It is funny how its being called a "car" by Toyota but the EPA rates it as a truck & license offices are classifying it as an SUV.

First Drive: 2009 Toyota Venza
Identity Crisis: Is it a Car? No. An SUV? Not Quite. A Station Wagon? Almost
By Allyson Harwood

When SUVs were all the rage, companies dolled up station wagons and relabeled them as SUVs. (Look at the first-generation Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V.) Now that the SUV market has cooled, the industry is going in the opposite direction-crossovers are being marketed as sedan alternatives. The all-new Toyota Venza is wider and taller than the Infiniti EX, longer and wider than the RX 350, and nearly the same size as the Ford Edge, yet Toyota doesn't want it labeled as a crossover.

[rrodfa2]

Funny you mentioned it has nearly the same size as a ford Edge, I think Toyota had to do this to fit the Ford Edge front end on this car .