Vehicle: 2009 Toyota Venza V6 AWD with Navigation & JBL Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$39345

Performance: You can have the Venza in 2 flavors. The base Venza comes with a potent 2.7 liter 4-cylinder that is good for 182hp and 182 lb/ft of torque for both front and all-wheel-drive applications. Or you can go for the uplevel 3.5 liter V6 as on our tester. As we have tested million times in the past, this 3.5 liter DOHC 24-valve V6 has been proven to be one of the world’s finest V6s. What makes this V6 got such high praises is its combination of excellent NVH control, smoothness and level of refinement. It also responsive and powerful enough to move Venza’s 4045lb with authority. In Venza’s application, it has 268 horses and 246 lb/ft of torque to move Venza’s metal. Despite of its heavyweight on our V6 AWD tester, it moved with authority without losing the composure famous with its motor. The throttle response is quick and linear. Best of all, Venza finally got 6-speed manumatic instead of that 5-speed in Highlander silibings. An extra gear does make a whole world of different to highway cruising. As we have witnessed in both recently launched Venza and RX350. The short 1st gear ratio has made Venza such a happy accelerator down low in the rev range.

Handling: Although Venza rides on the same platform as Camry and Avalon, its chassis and suspension tuning have made a whole world of different compare to its soft silibings. Dynamically, Venza has a tauter and more complaint feel when pushed. It doesn’t have all the overly softly sprung as many of its platform silibings. This crossover gives out a sense of confidence when pushed through corners. While you still feel a sense of body rolls and huge understeer, Venza’s suspension is compliant enough to settle itself with much tighter lines than any of its chassis silibings I have ever driven. Its AWD has added a good amount of confidence when combines with Vehicle Stability Control. As with all Toyota VSC, this one tends to step-in quite obviously as a driver has started to feel understeer before reaching limits. Unlike other Toyota, Venza’s steering has much better feedback and more precision. But its deadness remains on-center.

Brakes: Venza’s braking package combines 4-wheel discs, standard ABS, EBD and BA. Add all of these together and you wrap up in a decent braking package. The stopping distance is short while brake provides reassuring feel. The ABS doesn’t step in unnecessarily while BA has managed not to grab driver’s right foot redundantly.

Interior: In our fully loaded V6 AWD with optional package. It got a very user-friendly navigation system and a nice sounding JBL stereo. The rest of the interior is typical Toyota layout. That means excellent ergonomics, top-notch materials with excellent fit-and-finish. The auto climate control is user-friendly. The gearlever has placed on a location that is ergonomically perfect for the driver. The leather seats are well-foamed and comfortable.

At the back of the Venza, it got plenty of head and legrooms for both passengers.

I guess, sooner or latter, designers are going to put back door handle for the hatch or trunk. That’s a good move for Venza as it got a proper door handle to open the tailgate, it also got a proper wash wiper for visbility in rainy days. Once inside, you find a flat floor when both seats fold down. But there is one drawback. The rear glass should open independently, unfortunately, it doesn’t.

Conclusion: While Toyota thinks Venza will opened a whole new category, we just think its a tarted up Camry wagon with attitude. Either way, Venza is a very nice vehicle. As it combines versatility with a sense of sporty character in a stylish package.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2009 Toyota Venza
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5