[Auto] 2021 Toyota Venza

[_Klay_]

 

The 2021 Toyota Venza is a hybrid crossover SUV that seats up to five, and is largely based on the RAV4. Smaller than the three-row Highlander, the Venza revives an older Toyota nameplate that was previously applied to a wagon/crossover version of the Camry.

Only offered as a hybrid with all-wheel drive, the 2021 Toyota Venza delivers excellent fuel economy and decent power with an upscale look inside and out. It rates fairly high, thanks to its efficiency, and earns a TCC Rating of 6.5, which will rise slightly when fuel economy ratings are confirmed. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Toyota offers the Venza in LE, XLE, and Limited trim levels and equips the Venza much like the Highlander. Though it shares its platform with the RAV4, the Venza looks very different. A coupe-like roofline, sculpted lines, and chrome trim make it look like a Lexus (even better than most of today’s Lexus SUVs), while the RAV4 is more angular, more upright, and more off-road oriented.

The luxury feel continues inside where Toyota wraps most of the surfaces in either real leather (the steering wheel and shift knob) or synthetic leather (the door panels, dash, center console, and, on all but the base model, the seats).

A hybrid powertrain borrowed from the RAV4 teams a 2.5-liter inline-4 with three motors and a lithium-ion hybrid battery pack (the RAV4 Hybrid has a nickel-metal hydride pack) to generate 219 net horsepower and return 39 mpg combined, according to Toyota. The hybrid system provides plenty of power for everyday driving.

The rear motor gives all Venzas all-wheel drive that can send up to to 80 percent of the available torque to the rear wheels. 

 

 

The 2021 Toyota Venza skips the RAV4’s angular, upright, macho looks for a more sculpted, softer, and more upscale look with a flowing coupe-like roofline. Highlighted by chrome trim on the outside and wrapped surfaces on the inside, the 2021 Toyota Venza channels its inner Lexus in a way even current Lexus crossovers can’t match. We give it a 7 for styling, adding one point each for its elegant interior and exterior looks.

The Venza’s shape aligns closer to the Highlander (and even perhaps the hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan) than the smaller crossovers in the Toyota portfolio, including the RAV4 on which it’s based. Its front bumpers and body sides are largely missing most of the right angles and hard shadows cast by the RAV4 and 4Runner in favor of smoother surfaces and a nearly blanked upper grille, which is in line with the rest of Toyota’s hybrids. Along the sides, the Venza is free of many creases and sharp edges, similar to the Highlander and some of Mazda’s latest efforts, too. 

The roofline features a coupe-like rake at the rear that gives it a racier look compared to the last Venza and the current RAV4 and Highlander. It combines standard chrome trim and either chrome or polished aluminum wheels to create an upscale appearance. Around back, the Venza skips the taller Highlander taillights for a sculpted tail with thinner LEDs that span the width of the hatch.