2021 Toyota Venza Video Review: MotorTrend Buyer's Guide

MotorTrend

Reborn as a hybrid-only midsize SUV

Transcript

00:00 This is the all new Toyota Venza,

00:02 a hybrid only crossover SUV that emphasizes

00:06 design and efficiency over outright sportiness.

00:10 That said, how does the Venza compete

00:13 with sportier offerings like the Chevy Blazer

00:16 or the Ford Edge?

00:17 When the Venza debuted in 2011,

00:27 it was essentially a Camry station wagon.

00:29 This new one shares its underpinnings with the RAV4,

00:33 but obviously looks quite different.

00:35 And that's what Toyota's trying to do.

00:36 They wanna offer an alternative

00:38 to the traditional boxy SUV

00:41 with something that's more sculpted,

00:43 has a richer interior, and of course, hybrid efficiency.

00:46 Obviously, the Venza looks quite different than the RAV4,

00:51 even though the Venza and the RAV4 hybrid

00:53 are mechanically identical.

00:55 And what Toyota's doing here is

00:57 they wanna really differentiate the two products.

01:00 You know, the RAV4 looks like the 4Runner,

01:02 looks like the Land Cruiser,

01:03 it looks like a blocky SUV that can go off-road,

01:06 whereas the Venza doesn't.

01:08 It's much curvier, it's much swoopier,

01:11 it looks much more like a Lexus.

01:13 And that's what Toyota's trying to do here, right?

01:15 They wanna bring in buyers who are more design-focused,

01:18 who are more upscale, who are wealthier.

01:20 To me, the most surprising thing about the Venza

01:24 is its high-quality interior.

01:26 Design is subjective.

01:27 You might say you like the way the car looks on the outside

01:29 or you don't.

01:30 However, I think almost everybody will agree

01:32 this is a nice cabin.

01:34 There's leather covering almost every surface.

01:37 These seats are great, and I love their use of metal.

01:40 It's both bold and restrained.

01:42 What I mean by that is the design is just really strong,

01:46 but they didn't overdo it.

01:47 They showed some restraint, and that's hard to do.

01:50 Then there's this touchscreen,

01:51 which I think is the best I've ever seen in a Toyota,

01:54 with one really cool feature.

01:55 Check this out.

01:56 Here's the climate controls, right?

01:58 I'm the driver.

01:59 I can't quite reach 'em, so boom.

02:01 Pop it over to my side of the screen.

02:03 Passenger gets warm.

02:04 Boom.

02:05 They pop it back to their side,

02:06 and it's true of everything you can do with a touchscreen.

02:09 Of course, the Venza also supports

02:11 Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

02:14 The big takeaway is that for this segment,

02:17 the Venza has a surprisingly good interior.

02:21 In their top trims, the vehicles that compete

02:24 against the Venza, they all have turbocharged four-cylinders

02:27 or big, thirsty V6s, whereas the Venza,

02:30 it's always a hybrid.

02:32 You get 219 horsepower, which provides decent performance.

02:36 However, you get incredible efficiency.

02:38 Thanks to its 2.5 liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder

02:42 and two electric motors,

02:44 this thing gets 39 miles per gallon combined.

02:48 Not only does that make it best in segment,

02:51 it's so efficient that it can compete

02:53 with smaller hybrid SUVs,

02:55 like the Ford Escape or the Honda CRV.

02:57 When it comes to safety, in terms of crash worthiness,

03:02 the Venza gets five stars.

03:04 However, there is an asterisk.

03:06 On the base model, the headlights are rated as marginal.

03:10 Should you upgrade to the XLE and above,

03:13 then you get LED headlights,

03:14 which then makes the Venza a top safety pick,

03:17 according to the IIHS.

03:19 The Venza is also loaded with all kinds

03:22 of standard active safety features,

03:24 such as lane-keeping assist, emergency braking,

03:28 and adaptive cruise control.

03:29 Let's talk price.

03:33 The base Venza begins at just over $33,500.

03:38 The XLE, sitting next to me, starts at just over $37,000.

03:43 The way this one sits,

03:45 it squeaks under that $40,000 price barrier.

03:50 The Toyota Venza is a little more expensive

03:52 than the vehicles it competes against.

03:53 However, considering that it has standard all-wheel drive,

03:57 a standard hybrid powertrain,

03:58 which provides it with incredible efficiency,

04:01 a design-focused exterior, and a rich interior,

04:04 we feel the Venza is a good value.

04:07 If there's one thing you should take away

04:11 about the Toyota Venza, it's this.

04:13 If a car won't cut it for you,

04:15 if you simply need to sit up high,

04:18 but you still care about efficiency, this is your ride.

04:22 To check out our latest vehicle rankings,

04:25 go to motortrend.com/cars.

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