ALL THE RIGHT STUFF
Toyota's commitment to hybridization will make this sexy crossover a popular choice
For those not keeping up with Toyota's steady march toward electrification, the company estimates that 40 per cent of the cars it sells in 2025 will be hybrids — double today's figure. In pursuit of that goal, it recently announced that the new Venza (along with the newly revitalized Sienna) will be offered only with a hybrid powertrain. No gas or diesel engine will be available.
The Venza was extremely popular in its first sojourn in Canada, between 2009 and 2016. It wasn't nearly as popular south of the border and was eventually discontinued here, because our American friends can't seem to recognize good value, even when it's wearing a Toyota badge.
I think it's Toyota's commitment to hybridization that will make this car. Oh, to be sure, it's a sexy crossover that just happens to handle pretty well, and especially in XLE and Limited trims, very well appointed. But a sport ute this big that can boast 6.0 L/100 kilometres is nothing short of incredible.
Better yet, that theoretical efficiency — officially, Natural Resources Canada rates the new Venza at 5.9 L/100 kilometres in the city, 6.4 on the highway, and
6.0 combined overall — is not an illusion. This fully loaded Limited tester averaged a truly stellar 6.3 hooning around twisty back roads. This is the third time in a row that an electrified Toyota has impressed by meeting — or, in the case of the RAV4 Prime, exceeding — its rated fuel economy during my testing.
The Venza doesn't strangle performance to achieve such stellar numbers. Thanks to a 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and three electric motors, the Venza feels more than grunty at low speeds, with the internal-combustion engine
and electric motors tuned to punch right off the line. The combination does run out of puff a little at high speeds, but 219-combined-horsepower powertrain doesn't embarrass its species.
Thanks to all those electric motors, the Venza also boasts electronic, on-demand all-wheel drive — essentially, the Venza operates in FWD mode when economy is the top priority, yet can also direct as much as 80 per cent of its torque rearward when traction is spotty. It can even bias toward a rear-driver at a stoplight for more pop off the line. As powertrains go, you'll be happy that Toyota went all-hybrid.
All swooping roofline, sharp creases and (moderately) bulging fenders, this is no shy and retiring wagon. That sportiness is reflected in the chassis as well, with a suspension setup on the firm side.
Inside, the Venza more or less lives up to its premium billing. Certainly the $44,490 XLE, with its 1,200-watt JBL audio system, the huge 12.3-inch landscape-oriented touch-screen infotainment system, ventilated seats, and projector LED headlamps. The $47,690 Limited includes all of the XLE's tidbits, plus a digital rear-view mirror, a bird's-eyeview camera system, and most importantly, something the company calls a Star Gaze fixed panoramic glass roof with Frost Control.
The base $38,490 Venza LE, however, looks built to a price. The 4.2-inch multi-function display seems tiny beside the seven-incher found in the big boys. Ditto the standard eightinch infotainment display. Cost cutting even hits the lights — the headlights are still LED, but incorporated into a regular parabola-shaped reflector rather than a projector arrangement. Thankfully, the power-operated rear liftgate, power adjustable steering column adjustment, wireless phone charger, and heated front seats make the grade in the base model.
This has me thinking the Venza XLE is the sweet spot. It's got all the right stuff, and as long as you don't need to gaze at stars, there's nothing the Limited offers that makes the $3,200 price bump worth it. In fact, my major gripe is that the Venza has one of those infernal, supposedly tactile touchless buttons to adjust the volume, rather than a good old-fashioned knob. On the other hand, as major gripes go, it speaks to how well-engineered the Venza is.
Not so the trunk. Surprisingly — and I say surprisingly because the Venza is 144 mm longer overall than the RAV4 — the Venza's trunk is some 25 per cent smaller than that of the RAV4.
The other thing that would give me pause is that the preferred Venza XLE is only $500 less than the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid. For roughly the same money, you can have either a luxurious interior or a 302-hp rocket with up to 70 km of electric-only range.
Of course, I'm not everybody, and in the end, it's all about priorities.