What kind of car is the 2021 Toyota Venza? What does it compare to?
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. Rivals include the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, and Honda Passport.
Is the 2021 Toyota Venza a good car?
Review continues below
The Venza earns a high rating within our crossover-SUV rankings. It rates fairly high, thanks to its efficiency, and earns a TCC Rating of 6.8 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2021 Toyota Venza?
Everything. The Venza nameplate is revived this year after a long hiatus. 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.
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.
A two-row crossover, the Venza is geared toward small families or shoppers looking for extra space, but not three rows of seats. It seats up to five just like the RAV4, but its sleeker top means it has less cargo space at 28.8 cubic feet with the rear seats up.
The Venza comes equipped with Toyota’s latest suite of active safety features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and bicyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and automatic high beams.
How much does the 2021 Toyota Venza cost?
The base $ 33,590 Venza is well-equipped with an 8.0-inch touchscreen for infotainment, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a 4.2-inch digital information center, a six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, a hands-free power liftgate, a power tilt/telescoping steering column, automatic climate control, and 18-inch wheels. Other notable features include a 12.3-inch touchscreen, 7.0-inch digital information center, 10.0-inch head-up display, navigation, nine-speaker JBL audio, a digital rearview mirror, and an electrochromatic sunroof that can switch between transparent and frosted. Leather upholstery and lots of seat adjustments aren’t available.
Where is the Toyota Venza made?
In Takaoka, Japan.
