Toyota beefs up crossover lineup with Venza

Jonathan Wong AutoWeek January 15, 2008 - 10:09 am ET

DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp. is adding to its lineup of crossovers with the addition of the Venza, unveiled Monday at the Detroit auto show. While the Toyota Highlander wears the look of an SUV, the Venza leans more toward the station wagon end of the crossover spectrum.

The Venza was designed at Toyota's Calty design studio in California, with engineering done at the Toyota Technical Center in Michigan. The Venza will be sold only in North America, Toyota says.

In contrast to the SUV design themes found on most crossovers, Toyota opted for a wide standing, sleek sedan look for the Venza. Front styling has a taller version of the grille found on Toyota cars, with triangular headlamps. In the back, the design has an angled rear hatch, rear spoiler and wraparound tail lamps.

The five-passenger interior has easy ingress and egress, thanks to a lower rocker design, and easy cargo loading with a low trunk floor. Front occupants have a 60/60 instrument design where both driver and passenger feel like they have 60 percent of the functions easily available to them, Toyota says.

Additional standard features include dual-zone climate controls, six-disc in-dash CD player, keyless entry, multi-information display and a center console that includes iPod wiring. Venzas with the V6 engine add dual exhaust and standard 20-inch wheels, while base four-cylinder models sit on

19-inch wheels.

A panoramic roof, automatic high beam headlamps, navigation, premium audio system, rear entertainment system and power rear liftgate are offered as options.

Base Venza models will be powered by a new 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine. A

3.5-liter V6, rated at 268 hp, gives the Venza a 3,500-pound towing capacity. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and available with either front- or all-wheel-drive.

Expect the Venza to go on sale this fall.