The 2012 Venza is Toyota’s interpretation of the modern station wagon. Once upon a time it used to be that family haulers came in very limited flavors but today family vehicle buyers can choose from mini van, SUV’s Crossovers and even the Toyota Venza.
Think of the Venza the offspring of a Crossover that fell in love and married a station wagon.
The result is a roomy, sleek, buff and low family hauler with 20 inch wheels. The Venza’s base 182-horsepower, 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine is just adequate to haul around the big-boned wagon.
The bigger and more powerful 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 does a much better job when mated to the 6 speed automatic turning the Venza into a more exciting, if not quite fun, car to drive.
The Venza offers solid plat form for a comfortable, well dampened and relaxed ride. However if you are looking for a thrilling drive to work when the kids are at school the Venza is not your cup of tea. Solid performance…yes.
Carving the back roads…no.
Check out this video review as Dave spends a week testing the 2013 Toyota Venza.
