2009 Toyota Venza Crossover

nippononly

"I'll bet it outsells the 6 cylinder Venza by 2:1 or more."

Just like the Camry sedan does. I bet you're right! ;-)

Will this machine crimp RAV and Highlander sales? I wonder if Toyota is worried about that at all. I am sure the net sales change will be an increase even if Venza does steal some sales from the RAV/HL duo.

wstevec

Thanks, that will make a big decision on my next car. Right now, I sometimes pay close to .40 cents more for premium. :mad:

kdhspyder

Will this machine crimp RAV and Highlander sales? I wonder if Toyota is worried about that at all. I am sure the net sales change will be an increase even if Venza does steal some sales from the RAV/HL duo.

I'm guessing that Toyota does not see that as a competitor to either vehicle just a 'tween' version picking up where the RAV leaves off at ~ $25000 and ending just above the starting Highlander price of ~ $32000.

The fact that they are building both a new RAV plant in Ontario to increase production by 50% or more and a new Highlander plant In Tupelo, MS to increase HL volume by 50% as well as add 75000 Venza units in KY seems to be a huge bet on the direction that the buying public is taking.

Soon it appears that Toyot a will be poised to drop the whole lineup of BOF SUVs in favor or unibody vehicles if the market so demands.

mackabee

What's a BOF? :confuse:

bamacar

Body on Frame.

mackabee

Thank you.
Mack

nippononly

I think RAV is distinct enough from Venza that it won't be much affected. I bet we see lots of potential HL buyers defect to Venza though. Even so, I expect combined sales to be up overall.

But I hope they don't abandon BOF altogether - I have a soft spot for 4Runner even if it did become bloated in 2003.

irismg

So you really can't hurt a car by not putting premium in it? I knew you could increase your octane, but I didn't realize you could cut the octane in a car that's tuned for premium without hurting the engine.

rcf8000

The Toyota press release on the Venza says it will have "the comfort and upscale refinement of an Avalon." However, from the photos I've seen and the press release, it appears that the Venza may not have many of the Avalon's features and options, such as memory seats, 8 way power front passenger seat with power lumbar, driver's seat bottom cushion extension, and laser cruise control. Is there anyone out there that can shed some light on this subject?

roho1

I read that if you change grades of gasoline it can wreck havoc on the computer settings therefore your performance. Stick to one grade and premium has no benefits in a HL except to empty your wallet sooner.

roho1

The vehicle was just released 1/14. No options or costs have come out yet that I know of.

rcf8000

The press release listed quite a few options that will be available.

mackabee

Not a Toyota. They have knock sensors that detect octane and retard the timing of the engine to prevent knocking. These engines are not "tuned" for premium gas, otherwise it would state in the manual "premium required" not "premium recommended for better performance"
Does anybody read their owner's manuals? or do they sit in the glove compartment?

mackabee

Also quite a few standard equipment features.
Funny thing happened at work today. I walked over to the service department as I looked over there was an Acura MDX parked outside in the same color of the Venza that was unveiled on the 14th. I thought I was dreaming. It can't be, it's not out yet. The MDX profile was very similar to the upcoming Venza.
:shades:

wstevec

Sometimes the manuals don't help either. On the site for the new Murano in small letters it says 87 (regular) octane, but for more power/performance use premium. What the heck is that about? :confuse: If you use regular it will knock and sputter? Its very confusing. Especially, for those consumers who will not buy a car that requires premium.

roho1

Here's an old post that may help in the discussion,

Octane is a measurement of how much you can compress a gasoline and air
mixture before it explodes all on it’s own (no help from the spark plug).
This is called pining.

Modern cars have a sencer that detects pinging and the cars computer retards
the engines timing (changes when the spark plug fires) so the gas/air is
ignited before it has a chance to ping.

The engine is running at it’s most efficient if the spark plug fires just
before the gas/air would explode and the car’s computer is constantly
changing the timing looking for that spot.

If you’ve been using a high octane gas for a long time (months) and suddenly
switch to a low octane your engine will start to ping and the computer will
severely retard the timing. This might lose enough efficiency to show up as
lower mileage or feel it as a slight lose of pep.

If you’ve been using a low octane gas and switch to a higher octane you
won’t notice anything because the computer is very conservative and it will
take a long time to advance the timing to take advantage of the higher
octane. But if you continue to use the high octane and keep very careful
records of you mileage you should be able to see a slight improvement after
a while.

The increase in mileage will not pay for the increased cost of the high
octane gas.

kellyb2

I'm in love! I really hope Toyota doesn't overprice this!

mackabee

Read roho1's explanation of octane. You will not knock and sputter if you use 87 octane.

irismg

Guilty as charged! My old-timer is pretty intuitive so the book pretty much collects dust. Not like nowadays where you need a book to learn how to work the key!

I have upped the octane on mine to 89, though. But I still thought that for engines that, unlike mine, do say "premium required", you could ruin the engine going to a lower octane fuel.

This is why I do like to come here from time to time, one does learn a lot!

irismg

Mmm - the last two paragraphs were the most helpful. Noticed they spelled "sensor" as "sencer", too.

Thanks for the information, though! I return you now to the topic at hand.

lonita

I LOVE THE NEW VENZA!!!! I WANT ONE SOOOOOO BAAADDDD!!!!! IT LOOKS SHORT PEOPLE FRIENDLY!!!! i would love to have one of these and wonder how much it would cost? and the gear post being up next to the steering wheel like that is really cool, i like it, it would be a nice new vehicle for a little 25 yr old like me who's a teeny tiny munshkin like woman....

mackabee

Any pricing info right now would be conjecture. We won't really know until it's time for it to be introduced. I would say sometime this fall.
Mack

cammer2

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but thought I'd post ..

I was up in Detroit a few weeks back for the Auto Show. The Venza was very nice looking in person (although the color of the show vehicle was kind of bland).

Anyway - I was reading what little information they had on the car when I noticed that it would be offered with a 4-cylinder. Oh - a 2.7 liter 4-cylinder. I thought - what the heck is that?

I had to wonder if this is a new 4-cylinder that we'll soon be seeing in the Camry, RAV, Scions, etc.

Any ideas or information?

kdhspyder

Yes the new Venza will have a 2.7L I4 but in their typical fashion Toyota is ultra quiet about any details. We probably won't know any specific details until just before launch. The 2.4L 2AZ engine that's in just about everything is about to run its course. It's not all that great just good....but...

Toyota has hit a huge home run with it's 'R' family of engines. Beginning with the 4Runner and the 1GR 4.0L this family offers far more power, better fuel economy and less cost than any of the other families. See Wikipedia for a discussion
1GR 4.0L V6 ...4Runner, Tacoma, Tundra, FJ
2GR 3.5L V6 ...Almost every vehicle under the sun from the RAV to the ES350
1UR 4.6L V8
3UR 5.7L V8 ... Tundra, Sequoia, LX570
1ZR 1.6L I4
2ZR 1.8L I4 .. xD, 09 Corolla and 09 Matrix

One might see that the next engine to switch to the 'R' family will be the larger I4s such as ..
1AR 2.7L I4 replacing the 2AZ 2.4L I4

Again speculation, but I'd feel very confident about the range of 185-200 hp with fuel economy the same or sligtly better than the current 2.4L. Then....they've already announced the Valvematic technology that will increase power and fuel economy each by about 10%. This will debut in Japan then migrate to other markets.

Again speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if the new Prius later this year gets the 1ZR 1.6L with Valvematic.

carzzz

I would put doubt on Valvematic technology on 09 Venza. Toyota says "2.7 litre DOHC 16 valve VVT-i 4 cyclinder" as the base engine for Venza. V6 is optional (3.5L Dual VVT-i). Maybe toyota will put dual vvti or Valvematic on camry/Venza on 2010. 6 speed auto should help on the lower output 4 cyclinder

mr_peabody

I am new to this forum. kdh seems to be pretty well informed and possibly connected, so I guess this is mainly for you. Anyone feel free to chime in.

I think I represent the demographic this vehicle is aimed at. Young, active (small boat, bikes to haul), 3 kids (5 and under), and want great fuel economy. This vehicle on its face looks perfect.

My needs are:
1. Good gas mileage (ideally average at least 25mpg overall).
2. Able to fit 3 car seats, or 2 and 1 booster seat.
3. Able to tow at least 2000-2500 lbs.
4. Ideally would be a toyota.
5. Ideally would be under $32k.
6. Need AWD for snow in upper midwest. I have a must get to job.

I have been fighting the urge to get the HH, too pricey and I don't like how they designed it for performance rather than fuel economy. I have been very interested in getting a diesel, but that sort of rules out #4. This car could be the one. I am now driving an 02 LC, which sits in my garage while I bike to work 8 months a year because of the 12 mpg it gets.

I guess my questions are these:

1. Guesses on MPG and towing capacities for the I4 and V6 respectively.
2. Any chance of a Hybrid? If they made it in a hybrid tuned for MPG I think they would have a big seller. Many people want a Prius, but can't fit their kids in car seats in the back or pull anything behind it.

My local salesman says the next vehicles to get hybrid technology are the Sienna and one of the trucks. Does this sound right?

Thanks.

kdhspyder

Disclaimer: I don't work for Toyota directly I do sell them in SE VA.

I also try to keep a view on the wider perspective by reading a lot of the posts from a variety of great posters here and on other sites.

To answer your questions but admittedly only with speculative answers I think that the Venza will suit you just fine as long as you remain 5. The room inside for the first two rows should be at least as good as the current Highlander. The dimensions are nearly the same.

Fuel Economy?
Highlander ICE..... 17 / 23 / 19
Camry I4 ............. 21 / 31 / 25
Camry V6............ 19 / 28 / 22

Venza I4...?......... 20 / 28 / 24
Venza V6.....?..... 18 / 26 / 22

I believe ( hope ) that there will be a hybrid version soon after launch. They haven't announced anything about one but the Camry has a hybrid option and the Highlander has one also. It makes sense that there'd be one for the Venza too. Yes I think that the Sienna will be next in line but the hybrid truck issue is still way up in the air.

mr_peabody

Thanks for getting back to me so soon.

I believe the V6 will pull 3500#. Any guesses on the I4 2.7L? Would it be incorrect to assume that it will pull at least 2000# since the Tacoma I4 2.7L is rated to pull 3500#?

I have owned an '88 Tercel, '89 Camry, '02 LC and '04 Sienna. I loved everyone of them in their own way. I was always impressed with the 4 cylinder on that Camry and would like to go that route again if I can use it for my boat. The LC is just not a vehicle that I need and was a mistake from that perspective, although it is a great vehicle for those who need it.

No (ok, very little) chance of the family going beyond 5.

Thanks again.

tjones39

I am also really looking forward to this new vehicle. My wife and I love the exterior and interior, looks like they put a nice whole package together! My wife doesn't want to go back to a sedan for better gas mileage and we also have 2 kids and a 2 pugs so the SUV really helps with the extra space. I think that the 4cyl gas mileage maybe a little higher since it is getting the 6 speed auto as well. I'm guessing 21 city and 29 hwy, lets hope so! Any guesses as to the base MSRP for both 4cyl and 6cyl models?

suvsbob

I'm ready to buy a new car this year. We have a Honda Odyssey, which is absolutely perfect. So I aimed for another Honda. I waited for the new 2009 pilot reveal, oh, mama, that's ugly.(Honda Marketing/Engineering confuse the meaning of bold with boring)

Venaz looks perfect. Great style. Right enginer(2.7L is good for me, I'm MPG conscious). Made by Toyota(Toyota's reliability isn't as solid as before, but hope they're working on this).

But I do have an issue with the name. I'm a guy. I will be mainly driving this car. Venza sounds very feminine to me. In Chinese, it sounds very like "meatball", which isn't that glamorous. I hope Toyota will give it a more neutral name.

How you feel about the name?

mackabee

Toyota's reliability is as good as ever. The media tends to blow things out of proportion. The Venza will probably be priced between the RAV4 and Highlander so as not to cannibalize sales from those two SUV's. I'm surprised at the name. Who came up with this one? Too close to Nissan's Verza which is a small compact car. I doubt they will change the name now that they printed a mini brochure and also the Toyota website has a mini site on it with the standard features and options and some specs. If they do change the name they will probably call it Camry Venza.
Mack

jim1234

I agree about the name - YUK; what does it mean? Sounds like something to do with Venice. On another note, will this vehicle be in direct competition with the Nissan Rebel. Looks about the same size, etc

jim1234

Not Nissan Rebel ---Nissan ROGUE!!!

roho1

I have no problem with the name. There are a lot worse out there. Rogue for one, if that is what your referring to. It's smaller than the Venza.

6.1" shorter, 4.1" narrower, and has a wheel base 3.4" shorter.

The Venza is pretty much the same dimensions as the '08 HL except the height. This was discussed in previous posts.

stickguy

Pretty much exactly what I would be looking for if we went to replace our Odyssey now (although the wife might still push for a 3rd row). ANyway, it will probably be a few years before it is an issue!

Funny thing is, I posted on another thread that Honda really needed to create a nice Accord tall boy wagon (somewhere between an Accord wagon and the old style Odyssey), and bingo, turns out TOyota already has it in the pipeline!

Can't wait to see it in person.

hk52005

I am close to buying an 09 Murano SL AWD...I wish the Venza was out already so I could compare. Getting a good deal on the Murano, winter months are slow for dealers.

Any advice? Should I wait for the Venza and risk not getting as good a deal on Murano later this year?'

Thanks!

tjones39

If you are getting a good deal on the brand new 09 Murano now I promise you that you will get even a better deal later this year when the 2010 is ready to come out. The closer to year end it gets the more discounts you will receive and on top of that the Venza will be a huge huge competitor so this will only force them to discount the Murano even more!!!

gened1

I have been interested in the Vensa and there is a picture of the Vensa in the new production cars section on the NY AS website as well as was on Good Morning America and have to say that front end grill is sure ugly. The more I see it the worse it gets. I guess I will have to see it in person. Has anyone seen it up close and personal at the NY Auto Show and what did you think?

wstevec

Hi all, does anyone seen any pricing information yet and the actual release date? Thanks.

mackabee

We won't have that info until the fall of this year.
Mack

cs78

Don't have pricing info, but Venza production begins in Georgetown in November. The 4cyl does not go into production until March.

the_scholar

Does anyone know how wide the wheels are? I don't mind having large diameter wheels but I hate seeing large diameter and skinny wheels. It just looks awful I think. However, I like this Venza, could be a good car for Toyota.

ecotrklvr

Hi - does anyone know if the "new" 4-cylinder model will have Dual VVT-i, like the new 1.8L in the Corolla/Matrix? Or perhaps even the Valvematic design? THAT may make the 3-4 month delay for this model worth the wait.

petl

I think it looks great. However, if a Hybrid version (4cyl) is not offered I won't even consider it. Toyota would be wise to include a Venza Hybrid model, particularly with the price of gas these days.

evinrude

Anyone know what the factory wheel measurements will be for the 20" wheels on V6 ?

atuchan

Honda should bring Japanese Odyssey to the U.S. which is like what yu are talking about (accord wagon + old US Odyssey / 2).
http://www.honda.co.jp/ODYSSEY/styling/
(sorry for being in Japanese).

Maybe if Venza is succesful, Honda will think about bring in this to the U.S.

mackabee

The Japanese Odyssey still looks like a mini-van unlike the Venza. I predict the Venza will be extremely popular.
Mack

evinrude

Where does one sign up to make sure they are at the front of the line to learn specific details like body and interior color options as soon as they are announced?

mackabee

Right on Toyota's website. They have a mini-site for the Venza and you can sign up for the latest info. Here you go: link title

Mack

evinrude

yep, already signed up there, thanks...was looking for other potential sources jsut in case