Toyota Venza vs Lexus RX 350

It's time to replace my wife's 2002 Audi wagon. Using Edmund's TMV, I gulped when I saw to replace it in kind would be almost $60K. They are great cars, but there are others. Plus, it is a little cramped up front on long trips.
Then I saw the NY Times review of the Venza. I took a look and a test drive, and it is a VERY nice car. We are empty nesters, so 5 seats is plenty and it will hold all the "stuff" when we go away.
I have friends with the RX 350 but haven't spent much time in one. According to TMV, it can be had for about 10% over a Venza (Our Toyota dealer is holding firm at MSRP right now).
So, if both were similarly equipped, which would you pick?
Thanks,
Jeff in TN
Then I saw the NY Times review of the Venza. I took a look and a test drive, and it is a VERY nice car. We are empty nesters, so 5 seats is plenty and it will hold all the "stuff" when we go away.
I have friends with the RX 350 but haven't spent much time in one. According to TMV, it can be had for about 10% over a Venza (Our Toyota dealer is holding firm at MSRP right now).
So, if both were similarly equipped, which would you pick?
Thanks,
Jeff in TN
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Comments
The Venza has keyless entry, the 2009 RX does not. The 2010 does, but we didn't like the interior (in all fairness, only saw pictures). The Venza drives great, has plenty of room for us and our stuff. Also has 6th Gen Navigation.
For me, I'm leaning towards the Venza.
Even with the substantial discounts on the outgoing 2009 model (2010 is all new and arriving in February), the RX is still more expensive than the Venza for less features (that are important to me).
It all depends on what's important to you, of course. The Lexus does have 1) a longer warranty; 2) potentially better dealer service/experience; 3) brand prestige; 4) a more "SUV" than "station wagon" appearance; 5) better interior materials (though the Venza is pretty close, in my opinion); 6) seat memory, power adjustable steering wheel; rain-sensing wipers.
On the other hand, the Venza has 1) a new design that won't be replaced soon, so it will look "newer" longer; 2) 6-speed transmission; 3) Smart Key; 4) back up camera and Bluetooth without Navigation; 5) 20" wheels vs. 18" on the RX; 5) aux-in jack.
Once supply improves, your Toyota dealer will be more willing to deal on the Venza. In my area, I can get a Venza at around $900 above invoice.
I could've sworn that the Venza I test drove had an "auto" setting on the headlamp stalk. It might be a part of the HID option package.
Page 202 of the Owners Manual: AUTO MODE: The headlights and all lights listed above turn ON and OFF automatically.
Note: lights listed above are: Side Marker, parking, tail, license plate, and instrument panel lights.
When in Auto Mode, push the lever forward to turn on the high beams. The Automatic High Beam system will be activated.
http://qrg.toyotapartsandservice.com/index.php?vehicle=Venza&year=2009
But I suppose the actual Owner's Manual should be more detailed. In any case, it would seem logical that the Venza would have fully automatic headlights since even the RAV4 has it.
Did anyone else notice that Toyota apparently planned on selling a true "base" model with manual air conditioning a single-CD player, and manually-adjustable driver's seat? There are also features marked "if equipped" -- fog lights and Homelink, for example.
If you look at the Toyota website, even the 4-cylinder model comes standard with dual-zone auto AC, a 6-disc changer, and a power driver's seat.
The date on the document is 10/2008 -- I wonder if the single, well-equipped trim-line strategy was a last-minute change? Or maybe there was supposed to be a "LE" and "XLE" trim similar to the Camry?
In with the new; get a Venza!
My brother has a RX350, so I've spent time in it. The Venza would have to have a hell of a nice interior to vindicate your statement. I haven't seen the Venza interior in the flesh so I would have to withhold final judgement, but it's difficult to imagine something on a par with the Camry having a much nicer interior than the Lexus. From the photos, I thought the interior is actually the weak point of the Venza. It doesn't look modern and swoopy like the exterior. It looks kinda bland and Buicky. Not sporty at all, from the minivanesque shifter to the foot parking brake to the shiny plood. But again, that's only from photos.
Venza Interior:
Lexus Interior:
They all have the same buttons and everything on the center console, except the Lexus has the dedicated radio display and a tape deck where the Venza has it's MP3 player dock/connection and what I believe is its seat heating controls? Both interiors are very nice, actually, so I shouldnt have said MUCH with so much emphasis, but I do believe the Venza has made better use of the space and definitely gives its Lexus brother some competition for the price.
Personally, not a big fan of the 2010 RX interior. I think there is too little use of the real wood trim that Lexus is known for. The gold "Lexus" below the climate controls is cheesy. Without navigation, you're stuck with a black-and-white multi-function display.
Lexus Driver View
Venza Driver View
Lexus Passenger View
Venza Passenger View without Nav
Lexus Full Cabin View
Venza Full Cabin View:
Lexus Exterior Front:
Venza Exterior Front:
Which Lexus is this? Looks more comparable to the Venza.....:
Lexus Exterior Rear View:
Venza Exterior Rear View:
Looking at these pictures, Venza just did more with it's center console space usage, whereas Lexus reserves 1/3 of the space exclusively for the shifter. Other than that, and the placement of the Nav in the Lexus and the Sliding Dual storage compartments in the Venza, the two cars are nearly identical. Also interesting to note that because of the Venza's hideaway cupholders, there are also 2 cupholders in each of the lower frames of the driver and passenger doors. I can't wait to see what the 2010 Venza does in improvement, if this is just the first version! :shades:
This is proven by how you say "there is no comparison", when the car interior AND exteriors are nearly identical. Similar to if you bought something in a retail store for $200, and the next day you find a comparable model with high ratings for only $50 that people say is just as good, if not better. Oh well, I guess what it mainly comes down to is if you have an extra $10,000 dollars to blow. I'm not at all saying the one is better than the other, but for the money and for people who are looking to get good value out of their car, I'm just saying you can really get the same thing with a few design differences for $10,000 less.
@ jkenley, did you adjust the seats? I am 6'1" and feel there is plenty of room; of course, I dont really need anything else in the backseats in the car, but Venza actually has more cargo space than the 2009 and 2010 RX 350; Lexus has 38 feet of cargo room and 84 total cubic feet of interior space, whereas the Venza has 42 feet of cargo room and 94 cubic feet of interior space.
ok, it's rather obvious. which toyota dealer do you work for? there's no need to be defensive and insult a regular joe consumer who's done a totally unbiased comparison of both vehicles. I was actually excited about checking out venza after seeing it on the toyota website and test driving the rx. I test drove the top end venza. sure, you'll get a fairly good value car in venza, but if you want high quality end, you just cant top lexus. ask any lexus owner.
also, you'd have to be pretty blind if you really think "the car interior AND exteriors are nearly identical." nice try, but that was a pathetic attempt. come up w/ a better sales line next time and if you want to earn any credibility, prepubescent insulting is the last technique you should use.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1c3447/17
Unless by high quality you mean 'The Lexus has wood grain on the wheel, and the Venza doesn't', you must be flat-out "blind" to not see the similarities in the car. Especially after looking at the side-by-side pics in the post above. There is nothing cheap about either car, they both have the same features and options available; the layout is the only difference. If you want to argue that the Lexus is better because the placement of the center vents are horizontal rather than vertical, have fun talking to yourself.
And as far as the exterior differences...:
Okay, connect the Lexus headlights to the center grille, add some more curves and smooth indents to the car body, and you have what looks pretty damn similar to a Venza. Or vice versa. Your argument really has no grounds.
Isn't Lexus marketing oriented to make exactly these points..??
So why do you find it surprising that someone takes that position...??
22" rims with spinners. Some people that have bought the highlander don't even like the 19" tires because of treadwear issues and only two or three tires that
are currently available. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I'd rather more rubber than more steel.
What this means to you all depends on your expectations. Those with "Lexus" expectations are likely to conclude that the leather isn't as soft, the woodgrain trim far inferior to real wood, and the ride much too rough. Those with "Toyota" expectations will probably find the Venza to be one of the better interiors in the Toyota lineup.
I'm sure the product managers at Toyota and Lexus mull over positioning extensively when planning their respective products. Even the wheel choice probably reflects the differing target audience. The Venza has 20" wheels that look great.
The 2010 RX has 19" wheels (with 18" standard) -- sacrificing appearance for what's probably a quieter, smoother ride. I saw a 2010 RX with 18" wheels in person today and was disappointed with the way it looked, especially when it was parked near a Venza with those 20" wheels.
You can ride in comfort on 17" or 18" wheels are you can have perfect strangers think you are "hip".....
Vehicle appearance can be an important factor and wheel choice can play a big role in the overall "look" of the vehicle.
There are a lot of other factors, so the question isn't as simple as you posed it. Personally, I like the way the 20" wheels look, I think the ride quality is firm but still very acceptable, and I'm glad Toyota took some risks on the design that they wouldn't have on a more general-purpose model such as the Camry or Highlander.
17 in tires are $98.000 each and 20 in tires are $102.00 each. Not a significant difference.
As far as ride goes, I'm very pleased. Just for reference both my wife and I have owned Lexus vehicles for the last 10 years.
I don't think pricing has been released. On other message boards, the Canadian pricing and packaging was shared, but nothing yet for the US. The rumor was a $1.5K increase over 2009 MSRPs. The 2009 base MSRP is $38.5K, so I would guess a base of $40K + typical options.
The RXs I saw looked better in person than the photos and it'll have all the features of the Venza plus more. I'm guessing a $8-10K premium over a similarly equipped Venza, though.
Im not trying to shoot the Lexus down, now, but what else could they add that a fully equipped Venza doesn't have? Maybe some previous Lexus owners can pitch in, what features were there in the past that you haven't seen on other cars that you are looking forward to in the 2010? Hopefully by the end of this thread, people trying to choose between the two cars will be able to get a fair comparison on both values and make an educated decision.
As far as I know, a few features that the Venza doesn't have that I'm guessing the 2010 RX might have for its "added value" are some sort of auto-parking feature, maybe OnStar?
Power memory seats, to start. Or how about a rear seat DVD entertainment unit? Real wood trim? Adaptive headlights? Or even a simple thing like gas hood struts?
It's the standard trickle-down approach to features. Many features that we take for granted today on many Toyotas started as high-end features on a Lexus.
Based on the Lexus press release, there are a bunch of new features not available on the Venza:
USB/iPod connectivity
Dual screen rear DVD entertainment system
Hard-drive based navigation system with Remote Touch controller
Pre-collision system with radar cruise control
Intelligent Adaptive Front-lighting System (lights swivel when you turn)
10 standard airbags (vs 7 in the Venza)
Park-assist
Heads-up display
Ventilated front seats (cooling and heating)
Wide-view side camera (in addition to rear camera)
A lot of these things will trickle down to Toyota models, the same way Optitron gauges, HID headlights, and even navigation systems made their way from Lexus to Toyota.
FWD: $36,800 + $825 destination
AWD: $38,200 + $825 destination
These prices are actually about $900 cheaper than the 2009 base. Keep in mind thought that the cloth-equipped base is going to be pretty tough to find.
Today I saw a FWD with the Premium package (I think that's what it's called) + Comfort Package + Navigation + Heads-Up display and some other misc. options. Together, the options added $11K to the price, bringing the total to almost $49K.
Comments???
NOT...!!
In a year or two the I4 will be upgrading to DFI and then maybe put into the RX.
Or even better an the new I4 gets DFI and Atkinsonization and we get a highly fuel efficient RXh.
Meanwhile I think I might be in love with the CX-7.
But only if my '01 F/awd RX300 divorces me....