"Still, I wonder how many crossovers the market can bare. Ford has the Escape, Edge, Flex and Taurus X, so I can't fault Toyota for adding the Venza to its Highlander, Matrix and RAV4 roster."

Is the Matrix a crossover? I always though of it as just a hatch.

My initial reactions to the Venza are:

1) If you are looking at this vehicle, the Matrix should suit you well. (which is, coincidentally, better looking --> see point #2)

2) UGLY. That front end grill...seriously? Also, the picture posted here makes it look like a far uglier Edge. I think it looks like the silhouette of the Edge.

3) Venza, what an awful name.

I generally agree that CUV madness is getting out of hand. And, I would still like to see a traidional Camry wagon one day. But, I actually do believe the Venza fills an blank spot in Toyota's line up. The Highlander has become quite large, and it's also quite agressively styled. I saw one next to a 4Runner the other day and they were nearly the same dimensions and had similar looks. Might as well enjoy the smoother ride if you're not really going off road or towing anything. The Matrix is smaller, narrower. Most will say the RAV4 already fills the space below the Highlander. I'd say it's carlike styling will appeal to those who turn up their noses at anything that looks like an SUV, even a small one. Venza is to Camry as Outback is to Legacy, perhaps?

This is probably a really good idea, and a spruced-up Camry wagon sounds like a winner. But I think it's just too unattractive to sell well. And why no third row, even if just a temporary jump seat like the Rav?

It does fit in their lineup, though. The Matrix is much smaller, the Highlander much bigger, and the interior of the Rav4 is pretty spartan (especially in base/sport trim) and it drives pretty skittishly. From what I understand, this will have Camry/Highlander level of refinement, which is considerably better than the Rav or Matrix. So looks aside, it seems like a good idea. And looks are subjective, maybe this is what Active Boomers like?

I agree with Doug. It's VERY reminiscent of the Edge. Maybe in person the dimensions (lower, leaner) will make it appear much different, but the grille and headlights and overall shape are quite similar. Nice to see domestic automakers setting the styling trends.

I just dont get it.

is it bigger then the rav4? or just sits lower?

I know the rav4 and matrix are based on the corolla. so this should be bigger.

but is there really that much of a difference in size between the rav4 and highlander, that we need an inbetween size?

IMHO, its an suv/car no one asked for, and theres no need for.

And it looks like a dodge journay.

This thing is soo ugly....

There are only 3 things to say about the Venza.

Ugly.
Canniballizing.
Ugly.

The above picture shows that this car is the obvious love child of an Edge and CX-9- both on meth. Toyota has showed some signs of improvement in terms of exterior styling but this thing just puts them back at square one. The Camry, Highlander and Sequioa/Tundra all have nice exteriors but unfortunately, I see the trend is over.

PS- Karl- why are they letting you drive this car 1.5 months before you can write about it? I just don't get it.

Not sure why Toyota has this and the RAV4. Is the Venza smaller? Lighter? Will the AWD be more sophisicated?
At least the Venza got rid of the RAV4's "hinged for Japan" rear-end door.

In Japan, there's no One-Car-One-Segment Policy.
So there is not in clothing fashion, a One-Shirt-One-Style-One-Store Policy.

Why would we have such a policy in automobiles, which are just another form of fashion wear?
We know people choose cars based on styling.

In Japan Toyota has a lineup of 61 vehicles.
Nissan has a lineup of 41 vehicles.
Honda has a lineup of 32 vehicles.

You, just hate crossovers specifically, so you don't want to see so many crossovers specifically. HA!

I've been seeing a pre-production Venza testing on my morning commute for the past couple of months. For those of you calling the Venza ugly - passing judgement based only on the photos - wait until you see it in person. It's even uglier in the flesh.

Then again, I'm not an "active boomer", so what do I know?

I think crossovers are a good thing.....but yet another one....yawn.

Speaking of yet another....yet another asian auto mfg product name ending "a" - what gives??

Hey it's the Toyota Edge!

Venze, Venzi, Venzo, Venzu... I think ending it with an "a" was a good choice.

Clearly what they're trying to do here, from a styling standpoint, is match the success of the RX300. This isn't as tall or egg shaped, but the windows follow the same idea and it worked very well before. I bet that designing it without three-row capability made it better than Toyota's other crossovers, for five people.

What's interesting to me is the 2.7L 4-cylinder engine. It's the biggest 4-cylinder I've heard of in modern times, and I wonder how Toyota managed to keep the oscillations down.

It looks reminiscent of the Edge, but the roof looks lower to me, much lower. Why not give it the Camry nose and call it the Camry Wagon/ Estate? Ahightower's anything-but-an-SUV Outback/ Legacy rationale is probably pretty accurate.

(Off-topic: I had an Edge as a rental a year ago, and didn't reckon much to it.)

A 2.7l 4-cylinder is huge. My first thought was "Had they borrowed a Subaru boxer?", but that wouldn't be interchangeable with the 3.5l V6 corporate engine.

This is a hidious wagon, this thing doesn't even look like an SUV, it looks exactly like a wagon, and they couldn't have more blatantly ripped off the Ford Edge.

What's the fuel economy with the new powertrain? The Tacoma has used a version of the 2.7 I4 for some years now and achieves pretty nice mileage, especially since it's saddled with a four-speed automatic as its optional transmission. Do the second-row seats recline, slide, and lie completely flat?

I think GM has a 2.8L four banger for those small little pickups based on the Atlas 4.2L I-6.

The RAV4 gets a 2.5L version of this new I4 for this year. I think the Highlander now offers a four banger as well. For what it's worth, Toyota does make some efficient powertrains and no one can argue that.

Looks like another boring car from Toyota. The reason to buy this vehicle is ....?

Its aesthetics is of sufficient oddity that I try to keep the page scrolled down keeping its photo off my computer screen.

Chavis10: The Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon use a 2.9 liter I4 now (used to be 2.8) while the Highlander makes use of this new 2.7 I4.

I'll bet the four cylinders will only net a 2 MPG improvement over the V6 in EPA testing. If that's the case, I'll just take the V6 which is smooth, quiet and efficient.

Following on from Chavis's comment above, is the 4 cylinder just there to provide "From only $19,990" (or whatever price point), or some CAFE-based bending of the rules (ie., less than 10% of them will actually have the 4-cylinder)?

chavis,

Toyota makes an efficient V6 but that's about it. Toyota's I-4 and V8 equipped products generally are no better than everyone else. Check out the Corolla S with its 22/30 EPA rating. Every product with the 2.4L is less than efficient so I wonder how the 2.7L will stack up. The gain in mileage wont be worth the loss in acceleration in the Highlander.

Toyota is becoming more and more like GM every day. They may not have as many brands but they are insistent on creating products that will compete with their existing lineup. This vehicle will be a niche player. Highlander sales are down already and the Venza is likely to make life even worse for that model.

The picture above makes the Venza look terrible. At least the interior is nice although I suspect like the Highlander it's cheap in person.

1487- the Corolla S has the 2.4L and is more efficient than the Mazda3 with 2.3L (22/29). Both have 5 spd autos

1487 - The new 2.5 I4 in the Rav4 achieves 22/28 with a four-speed automatic. The Nissan Rogue 2.5 + CVT = 22/28, the Ford Escape 2.5 + 6AT = 22/28, and the Honda CR-V 2.4 + 5AT = 20/27. Their 2.4 may be underpowered and only middle of the road, but the 2.5 may change that.

Correction, the Rogue is 22/27 and the Escape is 20/28 with the 6AT (22/28 with the 5MT). It sure would be nice to have such a basic feature as editing on these comments.

1487, The Rav4 gets 1mpg improvement using this new 2.5l I4 compared to the old 2.4l. It still uses the same 4speed auto, so the improvement is the engine. So maybe this new family of 2.5/2.7 I4's has some efficiency improvments. We'll see. The Highlander with I4 has a 6speed auto, so I'm really interested to see what that will get.

It will be interesting to see the takeup of v6's on this. For the Camry, it's under 20%, but for the last gen Highlander it was over 75%. I guess it will depend on weight, which could be anywhere (Rav4 is 3200, HL is 4000lb).

Yeah, Toyota is more like GM every day, but I'd say with even fewer compelling products (and I own a Toyota).

I think this is a pretty derivative of what's available and it could get lost in the crowd, especially if its pricey.

Wow, the nose of the Venza looks like it was plucked straight off the Edge. And that shot just makes it look like an inflated Matrix.

I'm also sick of all these marketing terms - call it a Camry wagon and get it over with.

Even the window outline is completely ripped off the EDGE, I know the Edge looks good, but this looks like a$$, no matter how derivative they can get with it.

http://www.rpmdaily.com/images/edge.jpg

"Their 2.4 may be underpowered and only middle of the road, but the 2.5 may change that."

The 2.5 may improve vs the 2.4L which would be nice. That said, there is only so much you can do with a Highlander that weighs 4400lbs. I dont even want to guess how slow that vehicle will be with a 2.7L engine. I cant see mileage being better than 19/25 or 19/26 due to weight.

"Yeah, Toyota is more like GM every day, but I'd say with even fewer compelling products (and I own a Toyota)."

I agree with that. Toyota just doesnt want to ever stop growing and at some point they will be cannibilizing their own sales. I dont see the Venza helping to reverse their sales slide in the US market. Toyota needs products (aside from fading Scion) to appeal to people under 40.

I like the styling. It's nice to have a WAGON available that doesn't cost a fortune (bmw, etc) or break down a lot (VW)

If it handles like Toyota sedans I wouldn't have it, but it fits the bill for someone who wants more space than a sedan but doesn't need full suv type bulk.

Toyota does have too many SUV/Crossovers, though.