2021 Toyota Venza Limited - Review by Mark Fulmer
Practical, Quiet, and Comfortable
Mark Fulmer
The Auto Channel
The top-of-the-line Limited trim, the Venza Toyota has leather interior accents, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, a fixed glass roof, LED headlights, and a height-adjustable power liftgate.
Powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four and three, yes three electric motor generators, and one lithium-ion battery. Those produce 219 horsepower combined. That gets sent to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (ECVT),and then to an all-wheel drive system. Fuel economy pops up to 40 city | 37 highway | 39 combined (and a bit higher if you use good eco driving techniques.
The very rectangular infotainment screen display can be configured to your taste and is positioned well to allow your peripheral vision to maintain attention to the road ahead. Judicious use of presets, voice commands, and steering wheel buttons is a good idea for busy road conditions.
The rear seats passed the family's comfy test (as did the front seats) aided by suspension and tires that absorb a good deal of the road roughness. When it comes to safety, the Venza is a five star rating from NHTSA as well as a 2021 Top Safety Pick from IIHS. With Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 standardizes a whole slew of features including adapted cruise control (excellent for freeway driving), pre-collision braking, and lane departure alerts.
When it comes to cargo space there is 54.9 cubic ft with second row folded.
All in all, the Venza is a smooth, quiet, easy driving experience with good mix of the most important and effective safety and driver assist systems for city driving, and a reliable all wheel system for nasty weather and roads.