10-12-2009, 12:14 AM
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 | Administrator | | Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 87
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 Re: Venza uses Camry or Avalon Chassis?
Here ya go. 2010 TOYOTA VENZA CHANGES
- Styling: The 2010 Toyota Venza won’t change visually from the 2009 Venza. This is a five-seat wagon based on chassis engineering also employed by the Toyota Camry. They have the same wheelbase -- the distance between front and rear axles that defines passenger-compartment space. And Venza’s overall body length is actually a fraction of an inch shorter than the Camry’s. But the Venza is much more than a Camry morphed into a station wagon. The difference begins with a body 5.5 inches taller and 3.3 inches wider than Camry’s. For good measure, Toyota gives Venza 8.1-inches of snowdrift-clearing ride height. Moreover, the Venza plants its swept-back profile, angled rear hatch, and bulging fenders on huge wheels. Those wheels are 20-inches in diameter on the V-6 model (largest ever for a Toyota that’s not a truck) and 19 on the four-cylinder model. The stylists at Toyota’s California design studio knew what they were doing when they specified unusually tight tire-to-fender gaps, too. Venza hunkers down over those big rims with a crisp masculinity absent entirely in the other crossovers based on this chassis, the Toyota Highlander and the RX from Toyota’s Lexus brand. No Toyota looks more aggressive. This is strictly a five-passenger vehicle – third-row seat unavailable -- and the interior aspires to a sporting flair with a dual-cockpit design in front and bucket-seat flavor in back.
- Mechanical: The 2010 Toyota Venza carries over mechanically from the 2009 model. Base engine is Toyota’s newest and most-powerful four-cylinder, a 2.7-liter unit with 182 horsepower. The available V-6 displaces 3.5-liters and has 268 horsepower. Venza’s only transmission is a six-speed automatic that can approximate manual-style gear changes via a separate shift gate. Front-wheel drive is standard. Both engines are available with Toyota’s Active Torque Control all-wheel-drive (AWD), which automatically apportions power front-to-rear for best traction. It does not include low-range gearing because Venza isn’t suited to off-roading. Standard are four-wheel antilock disc brakes with brake assist to automatically apply full stopping power in emergencies. Vehicle Stability Control, also known as an antiskid system, is also included; it’s designed to apply individual brakes and modulate engine power to keep Venza from skidding sideways. With the optional towing package, Venza can pull trailers weighing up to 3,500 pounds, same as most light-duty SUVs.
- Features: Venza comes in a single trim level with options grouped in packages or as individual-order items. Some options are firsts for any Toyota, including high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps that detect oncoming vehicles and automatically switch to low-beam; a panoramic roof with power tilt/slide panel over the front seats and separate fixed glass over the rears; and power windows with auto up/down on all four doors. Standard on every Venza is an eight-way power driver’s seat, power windows, locks and mirrors, dual zone automatic climate control, remote keyless entry, and tilt and telescope steering wheel. Venzas come with a 3.5-inch dashboard screen that displays outside temperature, real-time and average fuel economy, and distance-to empty. Head protecting curtain side airbags, front-seat torso side airbags, and a driver’s knee airbag also are included. The rear seat is split 60/40 into fold-down sections. The standard audio system includes an in-dash six-CD changer with integrated satellite radio, a half-dozen speakers, and an auxiliary port for iPod and MP3 devices. Leather upholstery and rear-seat DVD entertainment with a ceiling-mounted nine-inch screen are among the extra-cost items.
And dagrunner46 is correct about the Avalon. Avalon rides on a stretched version of Camry's chassis. |
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