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Photos: 2009 Toyota Venza preview

Toyota doesn't want to call the Venza a crossover, but that's exactly what it is.

Antuan Goodwin
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Antuan Goodwin
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1 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Toyota Venza Launch

Toyota invited us out to preview its new for 2009 Venza. Toyota bills the Venza as "car-optimized," refusing to call it a wagon or a crossover. Curiously, Toyota expects the Venza to be compared with the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-7, and Nissan Murano, all of which are crossovers. If you're judged by the caliber of your enemies, I'd say that makes the Venza a crossover as well.
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2 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Camry platform

The Venza shares its platform--and, as a result, many of its dimensions--with Toyota's breadwinner, the Camry. While both vehicles are about the same length, the Venza is both wider and taller than the sedan, with more ground clearance to boot.
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3 of 25 Toyota Motor Corporation/Ford Motor Company

Venza/Edge comparo

It's interesting that Toyota compared the Venza with the Ford Edge, because the Venza looks like the offspring of an Edge and a Camry. Look closely at the proportions and--most strikingly--the headlamp and grill combination, and you'll see what we mean.
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4 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

19-inch wheels

We got the keys to a four-cylinder model first. Nineteen inch wheels are standard at this trim level. The large wheels give the Venza a sporty stance and, at first glance, make the vehicle look smaller in proportion.
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5 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Toyota-typical steering

On the road, the Venza displayed the Toyota-typical overboosted steering, which means that it can be piloted with nearly zero steering effort. For those used to vehicle with a weightier wheel, the Venza will feel a bit squirrelly at low speeds, but Electronic Power Steering dials back the assist at highway speeds for a more stable feel.
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2.7-liter four cylinder

Under the hood, the Venza features a new 2.7-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. This new powerplant makes 182 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque. While this may be enough power to get the Venza from point A to B, the engine feels a bit overworked in a vehicle this big.

Floor the pedal and the standard six-speed automatic transmission will leisurely downshift and you'll be greeted with a loud, vacuum-cleaner engine note, but the acceleration will be absent.

On a positive note, the engine does manage 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway.

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7 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Rear quarter

Like many crossovers, the Venza's size becomes evident when viewed from the rear-quarter. That extra bulk isn't for naught, as the Venza features about 70 cubic feet of space behind the front seats. The Venza's liftgate configuration gives it a load-in height that's lower than the Camry.
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Interior

Inside, our Venza was equipped with leather seating, touch screen navigation, and the JBL audio system. We really liked the Venza's interior aesthetic, which featured interestingly textured soft plastics and brushed metal highlights to compliment leather seats.
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Optitron gauges

The Venza's Optitron gauges are bright and easy to see, day or night.
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10 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Multi-information display

At the top of the dash, we find the Venza's multi-information display. The MID is home to secondary information such as time, temperature, climate control, and fuel economy. For vehicles equipped with a backup camera but no navigation, the full color MID is also home to the camera's feed.
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Navigation

The Venza can be equipped with the sixth-generation of Toyota's navigation software, but unfortunately the system is still DVD-based. The system features a four-disc, in-dash, MP3/WMA playback capable CD changer with integrated satellite radio with XM NavTraffic.
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12 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Bluetooth handsfree

Bluetooth hands-free calling can be setup with the touch screen or with voice prompts, but only when the vehicle has been parked.
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13 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Bluetooth Audio

In a separate menu, another device can be paired--or the same device repaired-- for music streaming via Bluetooth wireless technology. We were able to connect our T-Mobile Shadow rather easily once we'd found the correct menu.
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14 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

JBL Synthesis

Powering the Venza's audio is a standard six-speaker system or the optional JBL Synthesis 13-speaker system. Buyers who chose the navigation package will find the JBL Synthesis system included.
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15 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

13 speakers

Thirteen speakers scattered about the cabin, including these A-pillar mounted tweeters, makes for impressive audio quality.
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16 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Center console

The Venza's center console offers plenty of cubby holes and gadget pockets. With the leather interior, the console has this attractive wood finish. With the cloth interior, the Venza's console gets a faux carbon-fiber trim that is a bit of an eyesore.
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Cable management

Funnily, the feature of the Venza's interior that intrigued us the most was the cable management, which allowed for the connection of MP3 players or charging of cell phones, while keeping the cables tucked away in the center console.
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18 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Venza V-6

Next, we hopped behind the wheel of this V-6 model Venza. With no badging distinguishing the models, the only way to tell them apart is the dual exhaust and larger wheels on the V-6 model.
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19 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

20-inch wheels

The V-6 Venza features larger 20-inch wheels of a different design from the I-4 model. Both trim levels feature 12.8 inch rotors on the front disc brakes.
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3.5-liter V-6

Producing 268 horsepower at 6,200rpm and 246 pound-feet of torque at 4,700rpm, the 3.5-liter V-6 engine feels better suited to the Venza's weight, featuring better acceleration with less drama than the inline-four.

In this configuration, the Venza will go 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

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21 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Suspension

Both the V-6 and four-cylinder Venzas stayed fairly flat in the turns, thanks to a slightly stiff suspension. However, riders will have to pay the piper over rough roads where the suspension transmits a good deal of the bumps into the cabin. The ride isn't what we'd call harsh, but if the Venza isn't going to be fast, we'd like the big Toyota to at least be smooth.
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22 of 25 Antuan Goodwin/CBS Interactive

Base stereo

Here we see the standard six-disc, six-speaker audio system. MP3/WMA is still supported here and the aux-in jack is standard.
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Dual pane sunroof

Though our testers were not so-equipped, the Venza can be spec'd to include a dual pane sunroof.
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Auto high beam

Adding the lighting package includes HID Xenon headlamps with an auto-highbeam feature that uses this mirror mounted camera to detect when vehicles are approaching to automatically deactivate the brights.
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Pricing

The 2009 Toyota Venza V-6 is making its way onto showroom floors now, with the four-cylinder model coming available in January 2009. Pricing starts at $27,800 for the V-6 and $25,975 for the I-4. Both engines can be mated to an all-wheel drive system derived from the RAV-4 for an additional $1,450.

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