CAR GAZING
Venza hard to define
New Toyota more car-like than most crossovers
By Derek Price
It's human nature to try to divide up our world into neat, clean little parts and give each one its very own label.
Back in our cave-man days, this probably came in handy for figuring out who owned what. "This is Ug's cave. That is Thor's cave. And that over there is Mr. Grizzly Bear's cave."
Today, it helps us decide whether we want to drink at a coffee shop or a dive, get our hair cut at a barber shop or a salon, or work in white-collar or blue-collar jobs.
And nowhere is this more apparent than how we slice and dice the car industry.
We've got cars, trucks and SUVs for starters. Each of those categories is divided into subgroups like sports cars, muscle cars, family cars, compact cars, luxury cars, station wagons, work trucks, show trucks, minivans, delivery vans, off-roaders, crossovers and so on. We've put a label on every vehicle out there.
Well, almost every vehicle.
This one, the Toyota Venza, defies any attempt to put it in a neat little box.
At first glance, you'd probably assume it's just another crossover, one of those SUVs that are built like cars instead of trucks.
But you'd be wrong.
While it looks something like a crossover, the Venza rides lower than most – about the same height as a Camry – and drives exactly like a car. It doesn't have that SUV-like, king-of-the-road feeling you get behind the wheel of a normal crossover.
It's not quite a station wagon, either. It's tall and upright, whereas a wagon would be lower, sleeker and not have so much cargo space in back.
In fact, since the Venza doesn't seem to fit in any of the usual boxes, I decided to create my own label for it.
I call it the pregnant Camry.
The Venza drives almost exactly like the Camry, with the same smooth, squishy ride that makes pavement feel like polished glass. But it also comes with a nice, round bump for carrying extra cargo.
Despite its family-friendly dimensions, it's got a pleasing body. The overall shape has the smoothness of an upscale luxury SUV, particularly the tapered back end. The front looks like a Camry after a few injections of Botox.
The Venza seems to focus a lot more on style than most other Toyotas.
Even inside, where contrasting colors and textures give it a boutique feel, this is a vehicle that tries to leave you with a good impression. And it succeeds.
The seats are comfortable. The gauges are easy to read, and all the controls seem logically laid out. You can tell Toyota put a lot of thought into the interior by the little things it has – like a spring-loaded cell phone holder, and rear seats that fold flat with a simple tug on a lever.
Performance is – surprise, surprise – very Toyota-like.
The Venza isn't designed to win drag races or impress teenagers with its race-car suspension. It's just the opposite, providing good, solid, trouble-free performance that doesn't draw attention to itself.
It's just like the Camry, with a baby bump.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.)
The above article is provided for the interest and entertainment of our visitors. The views expressed in this article are only those of the author, who is solely responsible for the content. AutoGuide.net does not endorse any of these views, and is not to be held responsible for any of the content provided in the above article.
Click here to read Derek's past articles!
If you have any questions or comments for Derek or the AutoGuide.net, please fill out this form.
