The authentic Toyota Venza will go down in historical past as, frankly, a reasonably generic car. It made no waves, nor did it try to; it was merely smart transportation. But now, there is a new Venza on the town, and it has dramatically ramped up its character, leading to a complicated hybrid that is excessive on type, tech and nearly all the pieces in between. Lookin’ sharp(er) The Toyota Venza’s new look is straightforward to love, if solely as a result of it now not seems to be like a growth-stunted minivan. The entrance finish is essentially inoffensive, with some blue-tinged prospers that trace on the hybrid powertrain below the hood. Moving towards the again, the character traces sharpen up across the skinny, body-width taillights that give off a little bit of a premium Jaguar vibe. The rear roof has a slight slope to it, but it surely would not attempt to be a “coupe.” Simply put, it is a good-looking SUV, prettier than most all the pieces else with a Toyota badge. The inside is remarkably posh, too — granted, a part of that comes from my tester’s top-tier Limited trim, which provides fripperies like a digital rearview mirror, illuminated doorsills and foot wells, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated and ventilated entrance seats and a few neat wood-look trim scattered round. Everything I contact feels costlier than I’d count on, whether or not it is a piece of accent trim or the touch-sensitive switches just under the infotainment display. Since the Venza is a comparatively giant two-row crossover, there is a ton of house for passengers in each rows, with ample headroom. Cargo house is not unhealthy both; the load flooring is lengthy, but it surely’s additionally form of excessive, so slightly further lifting is required.

2021 Toyota Venza bears no resemblance to its predecessor
See all images

The coolest characteristic, although, is the non-compulsory electrochromic panoramic glass roof. In its default mode, the glass takes on a frosted look that scatters the sunshine getting into from above, wanting extra like a skylight. One button faucet, although, and it shifts to a regular clear glass roof. It’s some critically high-end stuff for a Toyota crossover, and it undoubtedly grabs the eye of anybody sliding right into a seat for the primary time. It’s additionally fairly good at, you already know, illuminating the cabin. Tech prowess I would not say Toyota has the most effective mass-market infotainment round, however Entune is a sufficiently succesful system that retains bettering with each iteration. While the LE and XLE trims make do with an 8-inch touchscreen, my Limited tester packs a large 12.3-inch show. Both embrace Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite tv for pc radio and Bluetooth, however the Limited’s equipment amps it up with a nine-speaker JBL sound system. Entune has adequate response occasions and the width of my display makes it simple to show audio, map and local weather settings on the similar time to mitigate distracting button presses.

There are 4 USB ports scattered across the cabin, two per row, but when all you are after is a few juice, there is a well-placed Qi wi-fi machine charger simply forward of the shift lever — a characteristic that is commonplace on each trim, which is a pleasant contact.

The Venza’s display is so roomy, you might by no means must swap tiles.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
It would not be a brand new Toyota with no bevy of normal energetic and passive driver aids. All three Venza trims come commonplace with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, a set that features automated emergency braking, lane-keeping help, full-speed adaptive cruise management, highway signal recognition and lane-departure warning. Blind-spot monitoring can also be commonplace throughout the board. Toyota’s steering help feels completely too heavy-handed on this hands-on system when it is working alongside adaptive cruise, taking extra management via the wheel than I’d choose to really feel, particularly when it is not precisely doing a top-tier job of stopping lane bouncing. It works effectively sufficient, it is simply not as clean as related getups I’ve examined. Hybrid sippin’ The Venza is now formally a hybrid-only crossover, with all three trims selecting up the identical powertrain. A 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four hooks as much as a lithium-ion battery and a trio of electrical motors — two up entrance, one out again — producing a internet 219 horsepower. The electrical motor within the again has no bodily connections to the entrance axle; it exists solely to energy the rear wheels when traction turns into a difficulty. In most circumstances, the Venza operates as a front-wheel-drive hybrid, stopping the rear axle from consuming into general effectivity. Considering how lengthy Toyota’s been refining its hybrids, it should not come as a shock that the 2021 Venza is one clean operator. I can by no means inform when the rear axle is placing in work, and the entire system blends collectively so effectively it is spectacular. Just apply some throttle and let the computer systems work out whether or not it is launching below electrical energy alone (clean and quiet) or relying extra on the gasoline engine and the constantly variable transmission (rather less quiet, no much less clean). The internet energy output may appear low, contemplating it is a few dozen horsepower under the Highlander Hybrid, however the Venza has greater than sufficient grunt for on-ramps and passing. Its diminutive lithium-ion battery can ship silent operation for a mile or two at a time, as effectively, including much more serenity to the equation. It’s not suggested to benefit from the electrochromic roof whereas in movement, however there’s nothing stopping you from pulling over and marveling at what occurs whenever you press its button.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
The powertrain is not the one a part of the Venza delivering a luxury-tier expertise, both. The suspension is delicate sufficient to remove smaller quantities of highway nastiness, whereas it is not so mushy as to generate seasickness because it meanders its method round curves. The steering is predictably gentle and mass-market-friendly. The throttle and brake are each slightly sensitive for my style, requiring a bit extra precision to make sure clean begins and stops, however, hey, some issues in life are price working for. Toyota’s sister model Lexus runs the playground with regards to inside quietude, however the Venza is not very far behind, with a hushed cabin that introduces little wind or highway noise. Despite some visible heft, the Venza is fairly darn environment friendly. Toyota estimates the Venza will obtain 40 miles per gallon metropolis, 37 mpg freeway and 39 mpg mixed, regardless of the trim. Even in my kitted-to-the-roof Limited tester, these numbers had been really easy to attain I felt like a professional baseball participant hopping right into a recreation of tee-ball. With a lightweight foot and the suitable situations, they need to be sufficiently simple to high. Down to brass tacks For the longest time, the Highlander Hybrid has been the bread-and-butter giant hybrid in Toyota’s portfolio. But electrification has caught on rapidly, and shortly, the three-row Highlander Hybrid will likely be joined by a minivan (Sienna) and a devoted two-row crossover (Venza). And that form of alternative is nice. If you desire a hybrid that places slightly extra concentrate on consolation over sheer capability, the Venza will make a superb alternative. And, with a post-destination value vary from $33,645 to only below $41,000, it is a surprisingly reasonably priced alternative, too.