Test Drive: 2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited

The Venza’s trip computer is a liar.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Toyota’s programmers built in a bit of idiot proofing to their system as surely most companies do, and heaven knows I need it; but it still lied and caused me some considerable stress.

There I was, mid-afternoon on a Friday, half way across the top of Toronto en route to Toyota Canada’s headquarters to return my four-cylinder Venza AWD Limited. It’s expected that the loaned press vehicles are returned filled with fuel just as they are handed to us when we pick them up, so I generally endeavour to pick a gas station as close to the drop-off point as I can. Occasionally this requires me to press on into the zone when the fuel light begins to glow ominously.

Just after 4:00 PM. 17 degrees outside. Distance to Empty: six km.Highway 401 across Toronto is a black hole of actual mobility or progress; an asphalt strip of despair and misery clogged with an endless stream of trucks, cars and SUVs generally driven by the inept, impatient or distracted. Rush hour on a Friday is the worst. Drivers weary from a long week grumpily putter along between zero and five kilometres per hour in their attempts to get on with their respective weekend plans.

Mired in the heart of traffic hell, I amused myself by singing loudly (and badly) along with the Venza’s powerful 13-speaker JBL sound system fitted as part of the Limited trim level. I also spent 20 minutes or so focusing my attention on both the mind-numbing stop-and-go driving and a lively phone conversation (through the Venza’s hands-free Bluetooth, of course).

It was upon hanging up from my call that I glanced at the gauges again. Yup, still travelling at about four km/h. Just after 4:00 PM. 17 degrees outside. Distance to Empty: six km.

Wait, what?! SIX kilometers?!

It was at about this point I noticed the sign stating that the next exit from the express lanes to the collector lanes was six kilometers away.

Visions of being stopped in the middle of the express lanes with a shiny new, blue Toyota crossover preventing tens of thousands of people from getting home to their loved ones sprang to my mind. I imagined people honking and throwing garbage and lit cigarettes at me as they finally squeezed around my immobilized Venza. News helicopters would be circling overhead to get the scoop – and high definition footage – of the cause of such a sensational traffic snarl in Canada’s largest metropolis.

2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited, dashboard, trip computer (incl. range estimate). Click image to enlarge

I adjusted the automatic climate control setting down a degree or two to help alleviate the stress-induced sweat that was now forming on my brow.

Distance to Empty: Four km.

Inching along toward the first opportunity to get off the highway, I began to experience other emotions too.

Like rage.

Why didn’t this thing sound a klaxon to notify me of this impending doom? Why couldn’t the orange low fuel indicator be a strobe light of retina-searing brightness? Why am I such a complete and utter idiot?

Also: why can’t a mid-size crossover like the Venza deliver better than the 9.9 L/100 km average it achieved during a week of almost exclusively highway driving?

This last question made me contemplate the Venza further. Achieving a figure of less than 10 L/100 km in a vehicle the size of this is actually pretty decent, especially considering this all-wheel-drive version weighs in at just under 1,800 kg. Toyota promotes a combined consumption level of 10.5 L/100 km and only 9.2 for the highway, so a 9.9 average is spot on.

Had I been driving the V6 version of the Venza, I’d have likely already been ruining people’s weekends, so for the first time all week, I was grateful for the 2.7L four cylinder under the hood.

Distance to Empty: two km.

Toyota’s fairly large four-banger isn’t a bad engine; it’s similar to ones that see duty in most midsized sedans like the Toyota Camry (though this one’s a bit larger than the Camry’s 2.5L). Its 182 horsepower is in line with the outputs of most of the mid-size sedan class four-cylinder engines as well. But the AWD Venza is heavier and cuts a larger hole through the air than a sedan, and now that there’s finally a small gap in traffic to squeeze the crossover a lane closer to salvation, I’m desperately wishing this thing had more gusto.

Around town, the gearing is short enough to enable the four-cylinder Venza to pull away from a stop without too much drama. It goes about its business quite adequately. Out on the highway though – or when you really need an extra squirt of passing power – the four-banger revs up to make a lot more noise and little additional forward progress. Carrying a lot of passengers or towing a small trailer would likely tax the four-cylinder considerably.

2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge

Distance to Empty: 0 km.

Right, so now the Venza is officially out of fuel according to its own computerized display, and yet, by some miracle or divine intervention, it continues to buzz along under its own steam. The exit ramp is now in sight only a few hundred metres ahead (though at this pace, still likely another few minutes of agonizing travel).

Earlier in the week, under happier circumstances, I had considered the Venza’s merits. I’ve always been a fan of its styling, even if the optional 20-inch wheels (not fitted to my test car) are ridiculously impractical. The overall look of the Venza is much wider and squatter in appearance than most of the hippo-on-wheels crossovers on the market today. The up side to this is an easy fit in the garage, but still providing the high-riding vantage point of an SUV.

It also means that the centre of gravity is a little lower too, making the Venza less roly-poly in its cornering than other sport utes. The ride is agreeable, though even the 19-inch wheel-and-tire package it gives a heavy whack over large potholes. The twenty-inchers are likely to be worse. The electrically assisted steering is very boosted making it easy to maneuver the Venza around at parking lot speeds, but provides very little feedback as to what’s going on where the rubber meets the road.

Distance to Empty: Still 0 km.

2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited driver’s door, navigation, centre console. Click image to enlarge

Finally off the highway and rolling to a stop at a red light as fuel efficiently as I can, I find myself wishing the navigation system was quicker to respond as I frantically stab at the 6.1-inch touch screen wanting to find a fuel station under the POI options.

Tap… (wait)… tap, tap, tap…. (impatiently wait)… and finally the response announcing the nearest station is another 1.7 km away.

That roughly 6-inch screen is small by modern standards and the graphics look dated now too. Otherwise, excusing the sea of weirdly wrinkled plastic across the dashboard, the interior layout of the Venza is typical of other contemporary Toyotas. This is to say it’s sensibly laid out with controls that are both easy to locate and operate at a quick glance and the textures are pleasantly soft to the touch.

The light turns green and I fight the urge to stomp the pedal in favour of gently – and efficiently getting the Venza moving in the direction of more gas.

Another red light and some words unsuited for print are shouted at my bad luck. Thankfully no Torontonian passersby are offended by my vulgarities due to Toyota’s impressive efforts at keeping outside sounds subdued, and it would seem, inside sounds contained.

I have begun fashioning my own fuel saving automatic engine stop feature at each of the red lights I systematically encounter on the path to the gas stop. I wish Toyota had built this feature in too – it might’ve bought me an extra kilometer or two before showing a zero distance to empty reading.

The mirrors – which feature no blind-spot monitoring, but do have built in convex sections to achieve exactly the same benefit – are large and give me a clear view of the queue of motorists behind me soon to be honking and cursing my existence.

2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited. Click image to enlarge

But wait, behold, there on the horizon (or actually, just the next intersection) is the bright, glowing sign of my savior: the filling station!

The Venza did it! It got us to the oasis in that motoring wasteland, no thanks to its oblivious driver. All told, we must’ve managed an extra six or seven kilometers in automotive purgatory; a first for me, though I later learned from a friend, is something people do all the time sometimes for much greater lengths. Huh, go figure. People sure love adventure.

Gasoline pumped and paid for, I flop down onto the driver’s seat once more. It’s leather covered on this Limited trim model and heated of course, and plenty comfortable for multi-hour stints behind the wheel.

I believe that when you go through a trying ordeal with someone (or something) and come out the other side unscathed, a bond is formed. While I’m not about to tell you that I had a newfound passion for the Venza, I also won’t neglect to recommend one to someone looking for good, simple and practical transportation.

Hey it’s not like it got me through a minefield or zombie attack or something – I just ran the fuel down perilously in rush hour traffic.

2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited cargo area, rear seats, centre stack. Click image to enlarge

Thanks to Toyota’s reputation for quality, betting on reliability is a not likely to be a bad move with the Venza, and my test unit felt well screwed together. All seams lined up properly and there were no untoward noises made from ill fitting trim the way I’ve experienced in some other test cars.

The passenger space is capacious, with a more comfortable and roomy rear seat than most compact SUVs afford. And the cargo hold is generous too at 870 L behind the rear seats. This swells to just under 2,000 L with the rear seat folded.

The compact SUV / crossover / tall-wagon-things segment is overflowing with choices for consumers. Driving in and around the Greater Toronto Area, the frequency with which one spots other Venzas on the roads proves that people are seeing the Venza for the value that it brings.

Best of all, you don’t need to press the limits of its fuel consumption to appreciate what a solid machine it is.

Pricing: 2015 Toyota Venza AWD Limited
Base Price (4-cyl. AWD): $31,310
Options: Limited Package (key features include JBL Audio System, Navigation, Power, heated leather seats, Smart Key system, Power Rear Door, HID headlights with automatic high-beam control) $6,985
Destination: $1,690
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $40,085

Competitors:
Ford Edge
Honda Crosstour
Nissan Murano
Subaru Outback