Overview & Reviews

It's been decades since midsize wagons were the vehicle of choice for American families. They've long since been replaced by minivans, SUVs and crossovers. The Toyota Venza, however, could very well be described as a modern take on the old station wagon formula. The sleekly styled Venza boasts carlike handling, good fuel economy and plenty of versatility. Though lacking the ruggedness inherent in an SUV or the option for a third-row seat, the Venza is an otherwise ideal choice for families.

Current Toyota Venza
The Toyota Venza is related to Toyota's Camry sedan, so in a way you could think of it as a beefed-up Camry wagon. It sits relatively low to the ground, which makes it easier for passengers to get in and out. There's seating for up to five people, as no third-row seat is offered. Toyota has built in plenty of storage nooks and crannies to keep things organized, and there are plenty of cupholders, too. Cargo capacity with the rear seats folded down is just north of 70 cubic feet, which should suffice for most families.

Under the hood you'll find either a 2.7-liter four-cylinder that makes 182 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque or a more robust 3.5-liter V6 that cranks out 268 hp and 246 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels. All-wheel drive is optional. Towing capacity when properly equipped is 3,500 pounds.

The Venza is offered in LE, XLE and V6-only Limited trim levels. Standard feature highlights for the LE include 19-inch alloy wheels (20 inches on V6), dual-zone automatic climate control, a touchscreen infotainment interface, a power driver seat, Bluetooth and a CD player with a USB/iPod interface. Stepping up to the XLE gets you keyless ignition/entry, power-folding mirrors, a power liftgate, Toyota's Entune smartphone integration system, a rearview camera, leather upholstery and heated front seats. The Limited tops it off with xenon headlamps, a panoramic sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, a navigation system and an upgraded sound system.

Driving the Toyota Venza isn't a sporty experience, but in reviews, we've found this tall wagon handles reasonably well on curvy roads given its utilitarian purpose. On the highway, the overall ride is quite comfortable. The base four-cylinder engine provides adequate power to motivate this sizable wagon, although the V6 is obviously the way to go if passing folks on the highway takes precedence over achieving the best fuel economy. In terms of everyday usability, the Venza is an excellent, highly refined choice for just about anyone who needs to haul kids, pets, scuba gear, golf clubs and other family recreational cargo.

Used Toyota Venza Models
The Toyota Venza debuted for the 2009 model year and has received only minor changes. From 2009-'11 Toyota sold the Venza with just optional packages rather than the more traditional trim level structure implemented for 2012. The 2013 model year gained the Entune smartphone integration system and a slight exterior styling update. These latter Venzas are identical to the current version apart from the unavailability of a few convenience features, such as power-folding mirrors and front and rear parking sensors.

User Reviews:

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  Bad Steering - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By Andy - November 15 - 6:33 pm

  Pulls left or right when using brakes. Service Department says this is normal. They say they cant find anything wrong so they say this is normal.

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  My Venza woes PART 1 - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By larryoutwest - September 18 - 6:33 am

  Purchaced new off the lot late in 2010 as a 2011 model. This vehicle has been a huge let down, I have had a truly unacceptable amount of issues with it. Lets start with dead batterys, I cant count how many times this car has failed to start because its dead. Toyota has replaced the battery 6 times now, they have no idea where the drain is coming from. Ive also had troubles with transmission shifting, rattles, wind noise, creeking sounds when going over speed bumps, a dead climate control unit, and im sure there will be more as I only have 37,000 on it. Also fair to mention this baby is a fuel-a-holic, 15-17 MPG mixed with mostly highway is average. I will update quarterly with my reviews

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  quality build? - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By john - June 30 - 1:56 am

  Had car for 5 days only. Been in shop for defective steering, clunk noise in rear of car over bumps. Rattles everywhere on paved roads. Car has been in shop 3-9-09 and not back yet. High trade in on 2008 rav4 sport but paid full price for car. No deals here! My 08 Avalon is much better and so is my 07 tundra crewmax. The 08 rav4 was super too! Venza? what happened?

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  Very unhappy Venza owner :( - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By johanessenq - May 20 - 5:52 am

  Took delivery of our brand new Venza Sept 2010. We now have 56,000 miles on this vehicle. The vehicle has required a multitude of repairs both major and minor, it rides poorly, gets lousy fuel mileage, and as generally not a vehicle of very high quality. Had to have the transmission replaced this past winter because it was slipping, I could go on and on describing visits to the dealer for all kinds of electrical issues such as check engine lights, vsc codes, nav/radio unit malfunctions, and sunroof troubles. The ride is very bouncy and not noticeable during the first leg of ownership. We average just 16.5 mpg mostly highway driving, we have a 2010 Full size GM yukon V8 that gets 19mpg!

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  Could have been great... - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By heymark - December 14 - 5:25 pm

  It’s a good looking car with great trunk space thats wider than many SUVs. The 6 cylinder has great acceleration and is fairly nimble when driving around town. Unfortunately, Toyota cut too many costs with this car. The plastic dash and faux wood inserts look cheap and the leather looks like shiny vinyl. The cabin is very loud at high speeds and the low profile of the 20 inch tires lets you feel every bump. Despite 13 JBL speakers, the sound is average. Nav and backup camera work fine, but the screen resolution is very low. At 30k miles, the steering column had to be replaced and at 36k miles, trans is starting to wine.

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  2009 Venza Steering Column Rattle Noise 25000 miles - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By fair2us - May 14 - 5:48 pm

  Recently I purchased a 2009 Venza (base 4-cly). I am having issues with a knocking feel and steering column rattle noise. Toyota gave me the TSB for a Steering Column Rattle Noise, T-SB-0005-11, and said my Venza is one month out of the Toyota 3yr basic warranty. The dealership will charge $1,333.68 for parts and $243.53 for labor to address this issue. This is the second time that I bought a Toyota with a steering column and warranty issue (the first time was a 2006 Camry, Intermediate Steering Column TSB ST001-06). There will NOT be a third time for Toyota to do this to me. I will go back to driving Hondas.

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  Glad Im leasing this, Ill be giving it back! - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By susancab - November 18 - 10:50 am

  Maybe I shouldve got the 6 cyl but there is a lot not to like about the 4 cyl. Ive had mine for 10K mi and the handling is very poor, the car drifts and seems like its constantly out of alignment, even right after they align and balance it. I took it in twice so far and it seems fine for maybe 2 weeks then it starts drifting again. Hate it. The power is too weak and the engine sounds like a cheap engine with a course sound. Very loud compared to my Odyssey. Gas mileage is poor, even on the 4 cyl. There is a lot of room for improvement on this car. Meanwhile, Ill be renting other cars for lengthy test drives before buying my next car. :(

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  Big regret for purchasing - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By mt - April 18 - 3:13 am

  Less of feeling fun, but comfort and bring body from point A to point B. Very disappointing to compare from my old Ford. Same junk with a good name.

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  Reliable but definite drawbacks. - 2015 Toyota Venza
  By John - March 2 - 10:42 pm

  We are a Toyota family. We bought our Venza new. It is a 2011 model. The drawbacks: much poorer milage than advertised. Our Venza did not come with a back up camera-and there is a definite need for one. Do not buy a Venza unless it has a back up camera. This car also has a somewhat rough ride. We replaced a Camry with this Venza and the Camry had a much better ride. There is manufacturing design flaw. This car car is subject to animals (rodents) getting inside the car going up through the motor area and getting in in the area at the bottom of the windshield. We have had to remove dead rats from the inside of the car and have used all kinds of repellent to keep them out-it is a constant battle. This is the first vehicle I have owned (I am 70 years old and have owned quite a few) that I have had a problem with rodents. The good qualities: Excellent reliability, minimum maintenance requirement, easy to drive, and usually good resale or trade in value.

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  Bad venza - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By jim - August 12 - 7:33 pm

  I have steering problems with 09 venza Toyota can not repair and I have been told tough! I was told to keep calling the dealer back monthly and if they eventually get the parts they will address it at that time. Toyota has cheated me just like thousands of others. Do not buy Toyota venza unless you want to get cheated.