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 They've long since been replaced by minivans, SUVs and crossovers.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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  09 Venza, V6 FWD - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By Kinkajoo - October 31 - 5:53 pm

  We like VENZA a lot and bought one and we like the drive. But the sales guy forced us to buy a flip-down DVD player that too 10.2 Inch screen size to give us $100 off. Now when we flip down the DVD player it completely blocks the rear view mirror causing huge safety concern, Also If cops notice that you may be liable for penalty as well. On top of the safety issue they plugged a wireless-audio DVD player which signals to the existing radio... thats disgusting... you always hear static and the volume is bad. If sales person had given an option of rear-seat two screen DVD player as an option we would have gone for this... that sales guy was not trained to give out options to the customer.

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  What Happen to Toyota Quality??? - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By abrown20 - October 31 - 2:36 am

  I was so excited when I got my Venza. I do think it is beautiful and I love the bronze color. However, I have never had a Toyota so poorly made. My Venza is a fully loaded 09 and i had high expectations. Within a year all the rubber seals in the doors, hatch and sunroom had fallen out and been replaced. The warranty just ended and now the sun visors have fallen down. How do sun visors just fall apart??? My last Toyota was 11 years old with orginal visors! The clips that hold the belts in the back have broken. The quality of the detail work should be an embarrassment to Toyota but they have taken no responsibility. Road noise is Horrible and it has always pulled to the right. Just Sad!

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  Transmission Going bad, and then Some! - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By Rcarr - September 10 - 5:26 am

  Ive had this car for six months now and I hate it! Im on the highway between our offices all day long. I drive conservatively. 40,000 miles and I can hardly see out of the windshield due to pitting! The front-end looks like a War Zone from all the rock chips and dents! (my 95 BMW with 140,000 miles shows much less wear). What kind of paint is Toyota using? For the past several weeks, the Transmission Vibrates and Shudders loudly when shifting between gears! Even though it did not do this before, the Techs at Fred Anderson Toyota tells me "its within Specs"? With the Drivers seat now broken in, it feels like Im sitting on steel springs!

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  Noisy Crossover - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By Nancy M Covil - August 29 - 3:23 am

  Love vehicle overall. Toyota did poor job with noise reduction. Ours has been in shop 7 times for excessive wind noise. Toyota cant seem to fix problem.

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  Disappointing product - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By gail76 - May 8 - 10:00 am

  This is a very nice vehicle, but ours has been at the repair shop way too much> the list of problems range from minor to major, now at 36,000 miles the transmission failed, we had problems with the a/c pump unit, seat heaters, nav system, remote entry, and warped brake rotors. The fuel economy is dismal at 18 mpg with mostly highway driving. I do enjoy the features of this car, and it drives very well and feels safe. Seems Im not alone as I have talked to several other venza owners that are having similar problems, we will not keep this one past the warranty!

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  lots and lots of problems - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By georgejacobs - March 23 - 3:43 am

  Weve purchased our 2011 Venza new and have had it now for three years and 35k miles. We have had continual problems with the alarm going off for no reason. Its been in the shop three times but Toyota cant fix it. They did manage to silence the horn on the alarm but the lights still flash. On and off the steering makes a whining or creaking sound. Recently the sun visor on the drivers side broke--it wouldnt stay up or down, just mid-way where it obstructed the front view. The mileage is not quite what Toyota claimed--we get about 22-24 on the highway. For a vehicle that had a sticker price of $40k, its definitely a disappointment.

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  Believe what your hearing about Toyota - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By Robert Kellington - September 28 - 5:46 pm

  I have 1,500 miles on my brand new Venza 4cyl AWD, and I have knocking in the engine. This happens every day when I put it in drive and go. This vehicle is very deceiving when you initially buy it. Once you have been in it awhile, you realize all the fancy stuff surrounding you masks the quality problems. The noise level as other blogs are saying is true, loud. Im concerned with other problems too, the driver window when half way down makes a rattle noise and the steering wheel when turning makes a ticking noise. I have owned a 89 Camry and 2000 4Runner and always sworn by Toyota, so I ignored all the bad PR and went out and bought this Venza. I should have listened to the news!

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  Was good for the first while..... - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By mountainhiker - May 3 - 10:07 am

  Such an easy vehicle to fall in love with at first, but the longer i own it the more problems its having. This car is a rattlebox..plain and simple, after 40k miles ive just learned to accept it...Toyota cant fix this, last time they removed the dashboard and windshield to replace the dash support, i think i just hear more rattles now. Its on its third battery, ive had more jumpstarts owning this for 2yrs than in my 22yrs of driving. Had a problem with the A/C pump this WINTER! It siezed up apperently for no reason. Now im starting to feel the transmission starting to do some strange things....Oh my

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  Didnt mind the rough ride... - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By RAFFY - April 10 - 12:20 pm

  I didnt mind the truck like ride, the constant shaking of my head up and down while Im going down the road is what really bothered me. I got rid of it like a hot potato. Took the loss, but at least Im not stuck with it.

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  Not good value - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By mikeintx - December 16 - 1:05 pm

  Nice looks. Lots of power. Poor ergonomics. Cheap materials inside. Seats very uncomfortable. Visibility limited. Rear camera is a joke. Weak brakes. Worse fuel mileage.