2009 Toyota Venza: Lexus in Toyota clothing

BRIAN EARLY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Toyota's 2009 Venza is part Camry, part Highlander, with styling, ride and features that rival the Lexus RX 350.

Brian Early

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

It's a good thing that Toyota's Lexus division has redesigned the RX 350 for 2010, because Toyota's new 2009 Venza crossover practically drives a bargain-priced stake through the heart of RX models.

My aloe green metallic V6 AWD tester was equipped with the "touring package," which allows the Venza to do a credible Lexus impersonation – good enough, in fact, that my money would go to the $36,755 (as-tested) Venza rather than a similarly equipped 2009 Lexus RX 350, which lists for $47,950. (Venzas start at $28,270.)

The cabin is an attractive mix of materials, tones and textures. The centre console is asymmetric, and places the high-mounted shifter close at hand but also out of the way of other objects.

Almost daring for conservative Toyota, the Venza even eschews the typical elephant-leather graining used in many of its vehicles' plastics for a more unusual horizontally striated pattern that vaguely resembles weathered wood.

My tester featured a satin-finish woodgrain trim on its doors and centre console that looked rich and convincing (simulated carbon fibre is standard), and I liked the contrast between its interior's cream primary palette and the black found on the carpets, dash and door tops.

The richness falls off on the lower left side of the instrument panel, where there is a cluster of generic Toyota switches, some empty blanks and a coin and oddments bin that's handy but basic.

Unlike the seven-seater Highlander (and like the RX), the five-passenger Venza offers just two rows of seating, to the benefit of nearly triple the Highlander's all-seats-up cargo space. Handles mounted in the cargo area allow the rear seating to be folded from behind.

Spiffy interior design notwithstanding, not every Venza is a natural competitor for Lexus.

Although all Venzas have a comprehensive standard equipment list, you will need to buy several of the optional packages to bring the feature count into full Lexus territory – leather seating, auto dimming HID headlights, a navigation system, transponder-style keyless entry/ignition, even a panoramic glass roof are all optional.

That V6 is Toyota's 3.5-litre "2GR-FE" mill, good for 268 hp and 246 lb.-ft. of torque.

It's smooth, strong and reasonably economical, and averaged 12.4L/100 km during a snow-filled week of driving.

The base four-cylinder engine is a new 2.7-litre unit, the "2AR-FE," which produces 182 hp and 182 lb.-ft. Both engines are paired with a six-speed automatic.

On-demand all-wheel drive is optional with either power plant, and I can vouch that it works predictably and transparently, handling several hundred snow-covered Hwy. 401 kilometres with aplomb.

Rated towing capacity is decent at 1,134 kilograms for the four; 1,587 kg for the six.

Adding the Camry-based Venza to its lineup suggests that Toyota believes a segment can never be covered too thoroughly. If you count the Toyota Matrix and the Lexus products, the company now sells five crossovers and five truck-based SUVs in Canada.

The Venza is a mixture of the Camry and the Highlander. It's within a half-centimetre of the Highlander's width, shares the Camry's shorter wheelbase, and splits the difference between the two in overall height and hip-point – the height of the seat cushion, potentially easing access for less limber drivers.

The Venza has a firmer, more controlled ride than I recall from the Highlanders, RX 350s or Camrys I've driven.

Fitted with winter versions of the 245/50/20 tires that come with the V6, my tester's tidy handling suggested "sporty station wagon" far more than "SUV."

I'll blame some highway-speed steering squirm on those chunky Toyo Observe tires – a livable trade-off given their admirable traction in poor weather.

When not stealing sales from Lexus, the Venza should overlap the niches occupied by some competitors, handily undercutting Nissan's Murano, Subaru's Tribeca and Ford's Edge.

The similarities between these four models is striking. The Tribeca offers a larger cargo area or the option of a third row of seats (space for seven), but its interior style and finish is eclipsed by the Venza, and its rated fuel consumption is nearly 2L/100 km worse than the Toyota. For that matter, in this group, none can be equipped with a four-cylinder engine and only the Murano approaches the consumption rating of the V6/AWD Venza.

The Oakville-built Edge has a front end that resembles the Venza's, but it doesn't compare in overall refinement.

The same cannot be said for the Murano, although its recent redesign includes styling that isn't for everyone. The Nissan's CVT transmission also behaves unconventionally.

As for pricing, the Venza is within dealer haggling range of the Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda CR-V, and it could potentially tackle true wagons, such as the Subaru Outback.

Freelance auto reviewer Brian Early can be reached at bandb.early@sympatico.ca

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