2014 toyota Venza

2014 toyota venza mixes a few of the best features of a crossover as well as wagon, however it is among those automobiles that many people either love or loathe.

Also within my own residence, this dichotomy was strong as well as ever-present. I personally liked the Venza's "ideal," carlike feel alongside its practical cabin as well as cargo space. My other half, on the other hand, continued to remind me how much he disliked the Venza.

The five-seat Venza is available in LE, XLE and also Limited trim levels, each offered with front- or all-wheel drive. I drove an all-wheel-drive Limited, which is offered just with a V-6 engine; the reduced trims offer a selection of a four-cylinder or V-6.

While there aren't several changes from the 2013 model year, the 2014 Venza features a few extra functions, including power-folding side mirrors in the XLE and also Limited trims, as well as front as well as rear vehicle parking sensors in the Limited.

The Venza doesn't seem to match any one group, yet similar alternatives consist of the Ford Side, Honda Crosstour and also Subaru Outback.


2014 toyota venza


Outside & Styling

My hubby's greatest complaint about the Venza seemed to center on its outside aesthetic appeals. He also stated to me one morning when our courses were crossing in the driveway, "I almost really did not acknowledge you driving around in such a hideous cars and truck." Ouch.

I'm truthfully frustrated as to his beef with the Venza's appearances. Possibly it's the wealth of Toyota ads marketing the Venza to Boomers? (He is a complete decade older than me; perhaps he's really feeling the have to reclaim his youth as opposed to accept his sexy, notable maturation?) I happen to like the Venza's low stance and also one-of-a-kind mix of wagon and also crossover looks. Some in our office have actually made a decision to call the Venza "fat-wagon." I think "phat-wagon" is preferable, but in either case, I'm flawlessly comfy with its special proportions.

Just how It Drives

During the current arctic freeze where apparently the whole country experienced, my all-wheel-drive Venza managed exceptionally well in my Rocky Hill stomping premises. It really felt so confident and capable on glossy roadways that I really did not think twice to drive around on snow or ice to attempt to nab an evasive loaf of bread and gallon of milk.

While the Venza showed to be terrific as a grocery-getter as well as errand-runner (its conventional acoustic laminated windshield maintained the vehicle quiet around town), it unfortunately became rough, raw and also loud on the freeway. And also thus my love affair ended. A few of our editors noted its "mushy"- really feeling brakes. As well as thus my love affair finished once more. Another colleague resembled this belief, noting an overly rough flight in the Venza without a payback in handling or body control.

With the 3.5-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive, the Venza obtains an EPA-estimated 18/25/21 mpg city/highway/combined. These numbers jump up in the four-cylinder AWD version, to 20/26/22. The front-wheel-drive Venzas obtain a consolidated 22 mpg with the V-6 and 23 mpg with the four-cylinder.

Inside

My husband's 2nd gripe with the Venza had to do with the abundance of cheap-looking plastic coatings on both the dashboard as well as door panels. I advised him that it's a Toyota, not a Lexus, but he countered that with our test car's $40,720 price tag, we should not have to go for "economical" inside. He has a point, as well as a few of our editors agreed. They have actually noted a reduced standard for indoor materials as well as build high quality in the Venza, along with obsolete electronic devices.

Something we could all agree on is the advantage of the well-balanced storage room in advance in the Venza, which is within reach of both the motorist and also the front passenger. Emphasizes included a twin center console that's covered partially by a gliding cupholder system-- a perfect place to stash my iPhone upright for use when navigating. There's also a flow that routed my phone's power cable to the charging port inside the center console. To the left of the guiding wheel was an additional storage bin I utilized for pocket money and garbage.

In my examination auto, I valued the Venza's readily available heated pole position on those sub-arctic-morning college runs. Nevertheless, the black natural leather indoor surface areas were difficult to maintain clean. They obtained really dingy really rapidly from ice residue that seemed to get tracked know shoes as well as handwear covers.

The kids had ample legroom in the rear seat to lounge, stretch their legs out long and even fit their ginormous knapsacks under their feet. The Venza has 39.1 inches of back legroom-- far more than the Outback's 37.8 inches yet a little less than the Ford Edge's offered 39.6 inches of backseat legroom.

The Venza's offered double moonroofs are a good touch, yet a single-pane breathtaking roofing system (a la Hyundai or Kia) would have been a much more dynamic inclusion.

I valued the readily available power liftgate that was included on my examination vehicle, but it was so sluggish to operate that it was occasionally discouraging on those rushed and also hurried days. My kids additionally complained about the irritating and unpleasant piercing beeping tone when the tailgate was increasing or down.

With my partner nearly a complete foot taller than me, the power-operated motorist's seat with 2 memory settings was an absolute requirement. The last point I intend to do after he's driven is hang around readjusting and also readjusting to find that just-right fit for me.

And considering that it's typically the smallest points that count one of the most, the lack of sliding sunlight visors was an unneeded annoyance. Just how much can it cost Toyota to make the sun visor pull out as well as slide along its hinge for extra protection?

Ergonomics & Electronic devices

As I discussed before, I enjoyed the mobile phone owner simply listed below the radio area. It had a little spring-loaded clamp of sorts to hold my phone well in position. I had the ability to conveniently match my phone to the Bluetooth phone and audio-streaming system. It worked flawlessly and also had sufficient sound top quality to take a conference call with the audio speaker system while waiting in the carpool lane-- where I particularly valued the mute attribute.

The Venza's offered navigating system, nonetheless, left something to be desired. I aimed to rapidly get in an address when running late to a consultation for my daughter, as well as the system was a complete discomfort to make use of. I reverted to using my phone's map. This sentiment was additionally felt by one of our visitors, who discussed her own troubles learning how to make use of the Venza's navigation system. She felt it was unintuitive and required a simpler and more effective operating handbook.

Freight & Storage space

The Venza is near the top of the pack when it concerns maximum cargo capacity, with 70.2 cubic feet. Only the Wilderness is bigger, with 71.3 cubic feet. There are 68.9 cubic feet in the Side and a relatively undersized 51.3 cubic feet in the Crosstour.

The Venza's back seats divided as well as fold level easily making even more space for transporting things when needed. Bars in the freight room promptly fold each part of the rear seat without you having to walk around sideways of the car and fold the seats from there, as is the case in many automobiles.

Security

The Venza got the Insurance coverage Institute for Highway Safety's highest score of great in the modest overlap frontal collision examination, as well as in side, roof-strength as well as head-restraints-and-seats tests. The National Freeway Website traffic Security Administration likewise performed collision examinations on the Venza, offering it a total score of five from 5 star.

The Latch system's reduced anchors are buried deeply in the seat bight as well as are hard to accessibility when mounting child-safety seats. Nonetheless, the backseat's safety belt fastenings get on steady stalks, making them simple for youngsters in booster seats to utilize individually.

The backup camera on my test cars and truck (criterion on the Restricted trim) was nice, yet rather standard worldwide of backup cams. I located myself longing for active overviews of reveal me my predicted path. Front and also rear back-up finder (likewise basic on the Limited) was really helpful in establishing simply how far ahead I could safely draw into my garage each morning.

Worth in Its Course

With very few vehicles fitting right into our newly developed "fat-wagon" group, the Venza has an unique chance to spearhead a motion for those wanting something just a little different. With some modernization to the interior fit and also finish, and upgrades to the freeway driving experience, the Venza would certainly be well-positioned to earn a Many Enhanced Player prize in years to coming.

Here's to holding out hope!