Topic: 2023 Toyota Venza Limited

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Remember the personal luxury coupes? Back in the '70s and '80s, midsize cars were the sales king, and for the upper middle-class, prestige on a budget meant getting something more ... personal. Had to be  a 2-door, with classy styling, some luxury and a bit of practicality left from the humble family car origins. For years the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme was the top-selling nameplate in the US of A, and we still saw plenty of those up here. It was a Malibu sedan made sexier.

Fast-forward to today, and SUVs are the sales kings. Ze Germans were the first to build impractical fastback SUVs, but these beats are beyond upper middle-class. Today, if one wants to avoid humdrum family SUVs, there's a niche of popular-brand vehicles whose mission is hard to pin. The elegant Murano. The road-hugging rebooted Blazer. The chopped roof CX-50.

And the Venza. It's a RAV4 Hybrid, but sexier.

https://www.autohebdo.net/editorial/20230420/toyota-venza-limited-2023-essai-routier/

[Blueprint]

The first Venza we saw here was one of the first crossovers offered on the market. Swoopy body, gigantic wheels and flashy interior, the Venza was tons sexier than the Highlander and made many friends.

Born as the Toyota Harrier, the current Venza is much smaller than the contemporary Highlander. It is, after all, based on the RAV4 even though it's often parked in the midsize category. Longer than the RAV but with less cargo room thanks to its swoopy hatch, the new Venza's mission is not utility. The Harrier, you see, was the JDM name of the very first Lexus RX. When you consider this, the new Venza makes sense.

[Blueprint]

The new Venza is today's Cutlass Supreme. A pretty yet still practical body sits on top of family car underpinnings, adding a dash of style and luxury to the point of making this SUV a very personal choice. The interior is Lexus-like, with impeccable use of colour and trim. The seats have "design", and the center cubby is flanked by fake wood that appears to be sculpted by the wind. In light grey under Blueprint blue (actual colour's name  ), it is very chic.

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Less cargo volume than the RAV4, yes, but it's about the same - and even maybe a bit more - where it counts, under the cargo cover.

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Front-end treatment is more elegant than what Toyota slaps on Lexus products these days. The Venza is worth serious consideration over an NX, as long as outright speed is not the priority.

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Canadian Venzas are only available as awd hybrids - no gassers, no Primes. More refined here than in the $6k cheaper RAV4 Hybrid Limited, the drivetrain is well-adapted to the vehicle, as more ooomph than a Cutlass with a 307 and delivered a 7.5 l/100 avg on this early spring week. Brake pedal modulation is horrid as always, par for the course with Toyota hybrids.

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This is the only non-lux vehicle to offer an electrochromatic pano roof. Shown here in opaque grey, it turns translucid at the touch of a button. Neat party trick, but it doesn't open. Save a few $$ and get the XLE instead of the Limited.

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Nice touches abound:

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Offered at the same price level as the CR-V Hybrid, the Venza Limited offers an elevated experience for a bit more cash than a RAV4. It's an intriguing option for the Oldsmobile Man who can't quite swing a Lexus yet feels that a RAV4 is too soccer-momish. It even felt more buttoned-down than its cheaper brother on the road, making it a niche player that's less cooky-cutter than the rest of the crop while being way more frugal than a Murano or Blazer.