Toyota Venza Forum

to be honest, i dont know much about the toyota venza.. not yet at least. but i figured the best place to get some real-life info on a venza would be a forum, where actual owners will probably be.

so i wanna ask, if you can, compare the venza to other cars you have driven.. pros and cons of each, stuff like that. right now i'm driving an old toyota corolla, but i'd like to get a venza, if people have good things to say about it.

or if anyone has any comparisions between the venza and say, a toyota matrix, or even a honda fit.. please share with me if it's not too much trouble.

i'm probably already asking a lot, but lastly, i'm from the ohio, near the toledo area.. does anyone happen to live around here, or used to live around here.. could you pls recommend a good toledo toyota dealer. my cousin suggested thayer toyota, which isn't far from where i'm at. how are they?
any other suggestions for a toyota store around the toledo area is apprecaited too
i want to see if i can test drive a venza.

Thanks TVF!

TVF, you pose an interesting comparison. The simple answer is - there is no comparison to the Matrix and Fit. They are a totally different class of vehicles.

Are you looking a new vehicle based on cost or mpg's?

I was looking at the fit and matrix for my step daughter few months ago. Honda wouldn't move off MSRP on a no-trade sale (actually added $1500 to MSRP for factory order). The Fit is SMALL. My step daughter is short and din't feel comfortable in the Matrix. She DID buy the Scion Xb. It's spacious, has a lot of acceleration, very drivable for a short person - and tons of cargo space for the money.

I have driven the 4-cyl and 6-cyl Venza models. The 4-cyl is more than adequate performance-wise but if ya like hard exceleration, the 6-cyl is the way to go. Think of the Venza in terms of a camry/avalon wagon. I am trading an 06 Avalon and have no problem transitioning to the Venza in terms of ride and comfort. I got the 4-cyl model as I found during my many test drives that it will handle any traffic situation - inlcuding hard excel into highway traffic.

hope this data point helps

An amusing update on Honda's Pricing/Sales Strategy... LOL!!!!

Honda is reporting 4-5 month inventory backlog of unsold Fits on U.S. dealer lots..... the "no negotiation MSRP" and factory order uplift premium sales strategy was a real winner!!!!

It's a sign of the time. Even Toyota sales were down 39% last month.

Yepper..... Been watching the inventory build around the Mass/NH area Toyota dealers.... The dealers are discounting new venzas heavily but are shorting the trades cuz they don't want to build used inventories..... BUT push hard enough - they still want the sale, any sale.... just the same they are still making a reasonable profit on all sales - even with higher cost trades (my trade was nearly top NADA book against the Venza). :

I purchased a Venza as a surprised b-day gift for my wife last week.
It is sitting in my office garage until this Saturday 4/25. It is a Golden Umber Mica (brown), V6, 2WD, panoramic sunroof w/ covenience package. I opted out of the $2,600.00 navigation and Lighting Package. The standard JBL stereo has bluetooth integration w/ voice command and works good. I got ripped off by the dealer, Maroone in Weston (Davie, Florida). I wanted the leather package and instead they installed some crappy aftermarket leather from a California supplier. The factory leather has black piping, it is a sand color and has a harder texture. It also includes wood trim and leather wrapped steering wheel. I have a noticeably softer leather with the cheezy standard carbon fiber brown trim. I compromised because there were no Venzas in the Southeast in the color/trim I wanted. I checked myself and only found 4 in all places ... Wisconson.

First impressions; I drove it from the dealer to my garage at night (30 miles). The car is unique from the outside and gets a lot of looks. It is much wider than most crossovers and some SUVS. It has good acceleration and braking, but this is no Murano, Lexus RX or Acura RDX so don't try to keep up. It is designed and built in America for American roads. I found the ride to be soft and bouncy, like a Highlander = a van. Also, the headlights are poor, even with the integrated fog lights, I could not see the road surface well on I-75 at night. Hopefully, they need adjustment and the dealer will handle, otherwise, I strongly suggest you go for the Lighting Package (HID). I am regretting this right now. The seats lack side boulstering and they are very wide, like for a 250 lb person and the backseat is as big as a full side SUV.
This is replacing my wifes, very small Mercedes C320 station wagon, which is
basically a rocket, when it is not in the shop with electrical problems, so comparing the two is not fair. But we own an FJ and Corolla so I am familiar with the Toyota product. I hope this helps.

MiamiVenza

Sounds like you're somewhat disappointed..... unfortunately your expectation weren't met. This is a complaint of some new owners - Re: "....at that price it should ride like an Avalon...." I currently own an 6 Avalon and the Venza is no Avalon..... my new Venza is scheduled for delivery this Friday. It is more like a Camry station wagon and with the same V6 as the Avalon and Camry, it should move out.....I don't know how the net horse power compares to the but MB it should be nearly comparable (just guessing here) but you have real time comparison.... the Venza is abot the same weight as the avalon so I found not difference in terms of net power to the wheels... The soft ride is a new wrinkle...... some people have complained about the stiffness of the ride..... dunno.... I drove several Venzas and found the rise ok... not like the avalon but to me acceptable..... it'll be interesting as to how we your wife likes the ride.... hope she enjoys it after your efforts and added expense to surprise her!

Okay, so it is Friday morning and it has been a week of daily Venza driving. The B-day party was a big success and we are up to 600 miles and half way thru our second tank of gas. The wife loves the car, she is very happy and I am happy with the MPGs. So far we are averaging 19 MPG on our daily 25 mile commute. We drive cars hard, my 2007 FJ has 50K already so I expect to put a lot of miles on the Venza.

The wife is not a driving enthusiast so she will not put any car thru its paces, but I do. I guess my problem with the Venza is that it looks like a sports crossover, but feels like a minivan. There is too much body roll for me. The 20" Michelins grab the road and corner nicely, but this wagon does not feel confident when pushed. The oversteer is brutal under hard acceleration and the front end will take you wherever it wants to go so be carefull. I am breaking in the brakes slowly so cannot really comment on them yet, but I did stop passed some crosswalk lines at a couple of red lights. This is something I do not do, but the Venza could not stop on a dime, so far.

We got our insurance cards from State Farm on Monday and they classify the Venza as a "Sport Wagon" so I guess that answers the Camry Wagon question. Besides, the five inbedded letters on the back V E N Z A can be easily swaped for C A M R Y. We both enjoy the bluetoth integration, stereo and sunroofs very much and we have not seen a single Venza in the roads of Miami so that is always cool. The dashboard is nice, but the steering wheel belongs in a Yaris. Also, I am disappointed with the interior lighting to the back seat and rear hatch, and the sunroof/interior light controls look like something out of a Yaris and should not be in a $35K sport wagon. You can pass your fingers around the dash, door trim, window sills and they will catch something. Let me explain, I car detailed my way thru college and when I cleaned an interior with a soft cloth and it catches something, I was usually inside a Korean car. Again, poor finish that does not belong in a $35K sport wagon. I guess I am not loving the Venza yet. Maybe she will grow in me after a couple of road trips.

Hmmmm, I guess i need to go back and take a good long second look. The Queen and I both drove the Venza, Infiniti EX35 and Nissan Rogue on the same afternoon and there's no doubt that the Venza doesn't have the level of handling of the EX35 or Rogue but both the Infiniti EX35 and Nissan Rogue are also a lot smaller. I thought for what it was that the Venza handled okay. Not as good as the smaller crossovers but better then a mini van.