Millennial Mom’s Review: 2021 Toyota Venza

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The old saying goes “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I don’t want to write a review about all the things I didn’t like about the 2021 Toyota Venza Limited, the brand’s top-trim hybrid SUV. But, old sayings notwithstanding, I frankly didn’t really like this sport-utility. It’s not horrible, but there’s nothing particularly special about it.

I guess I could sit here and discuss all the features, how it drove, its fuel economy, its inability to comfortably fit three car seats, etc., but I thought I’d try something new instead, some way of saying anything — even if it’s not something nice.

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So what I’ve done is listed some features and details about the Venza alongside some equal or better alternatives — most of them similar in price.

I think you’ll quickly notice one of the main advantages the Venza boasts is that it’s a hybrid. But with so many companies jumping on to the electric bandwagon, I wouldn’t call it a huge advantage — especially since some car companies have said they plan to go fully electric in the near future.

How does it drive?

The tested model is the Limited Hybrid. It’s got pretty good fuel economy. I don’t often think about my round trips in litres per 100 kilometres traveled. However, I can confidently say that a trip from Richmond Hill to the edge of Mississauga (literally two minutes away from Milton) and then from Mississauga to Whitby [roughly 125 km —Ed.] used less than a quarter tank of gas. That’s pretty good, right?

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But what if I told you Toyota offers an all-hybrid Sienna lineup — every single trim from base to the top is hybrid. I know minivans aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but think of the space! I couldn’t fit three car seats into the back seat of the Venza, but the Sienna has an eight -seater option.

The base Sienna starts at $39,990; you can add another $2,000 for AWD, and the top trim is pretty pricey, starting at $58,190. But it’s still not too far off our nearly $50,000 Venza Limited. For reference, the Venza gets 5.9 L/100 km city and 6.4 highway, while the Sienna LE AWD boasts 6.8 city and 6.6 highway. Based on those numbers, it’s obvious you’ll save a bit more on gas with the top-trim Venza, but, again, think of the Sienna’s added space!

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How much does it cost?

For just under $50k for the top trim, you get a pretty good deal, considering, yes, you’ll save on gas with this hybrid model. However, good deal or not, that’s a lot of money; I don’t know about you, but my money is usually tied up in groceries and diapers, plus the odd shopping spree at Toys ‘R’ Us.

If I had $50,000 to spend on an SUV (one that doesn’t have a third row and is deemed essentially useless to me), I would pick the Cadillac XT5 , if for no other reason than being able to say I own a luxury vehicle, a Caddy — no, it still doesn’t sound right when I say it.

The base trim of the XT5 is called Luxury (pretty egotistical, if you ask me) and starts at $44,298. But it is coming from a luxury brand, so you know it’s coming stacked with some cool features, even on the base trim. The cost bumps up a couple thousand bucks if you want AWD, but it has a bunch of standard safety features, a heated steering wheel, a Bose eight-speaker audio system, and if you want to edge even closer to the $50k mark, you can add a rear-seat infotainment system with a DVD player (for the kids). Hybrid who?

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Is there enough space?

The Venza doesn’t have much space up front, or in the back row. However, in the trunk — nope, still not enough space. It’ll do the job for a grocery trip, and maybe even an overnight stay, as long as the kids aren’t tagging along. Obviously it hasn’t got anywhere near as much cargo space as my preferred minivan, but it’s got quite a bit less space than some other comparable SUVs, too. Additionally, I couldn’t fit three car seats in the backseat, and it wasn’t even three big car seats, just two front-facing ones and a booster seat in the middle.

On the other hand, the Hyundai Santa Fe is all-around a bit bigger than the Venza; in my opinion, it’s also a lot prettier. For roughly the same price, you could get its top trim (Ultimate Calligraphy) that offers not only more cargo room, but also extra storage space underneath the hatchback-type trunk. It would be an awesome spot for emergency supplies — toys, crayons, more toys, extra clothes, and a few more toys, or whatever else you may prefer. Oh, and yes, it comfortably fits my three car seats in the back row. My point being, you get more space with the Santa Fe.

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How does it look?

Driving ’s Brian Harper liked the sporty look of the Venza, but personally I’m not a fan. I think a lot of SUVs are aiming for that swoopy, probably more aerodynamic look (sorry, I’m no physicist) but to me it just falls into that typical-looking sport-ute category — as the kids would say, it’s “basic.” And that trunk! It’s pretty awful looking. Since I don’t have anything nice to say, I’ll just keep my mouth shut.

The Honda CR-V isn’t quite as swoopy, but that’s why I liked it a bit more. There wasn’t anything particularly extravagant about the CR-V, but that made it look like it just wasn’t trying as hard. It’s a simple SUV from the good folks at Honda. It’s not a hybrid, but its third trim level (out of six) is more than $10,000 less than the Venza; even the top trim is a couple thousand less than Toyota’s hybrid, but I wouldn’t spend the extra money. If you’re looking for a non-luxury brand that delivers a typical SUV look for a pretty good price, the CR-V will do the trick.

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What about the technology?

I’ll admit, it’s taken me a bit of time to get used to a HUD, not just in the Venza, but in any of the new cars I’ve tested recently. It initially seemed like the main function was to show the speed, but a quick glance down gives the exact same info. Then I realized most vehicles have the option to change, add, and delete what’s displayed when your head is, uh, up. The HUD in the Venza isn’t all that bad.

However, the HUD is the Hyundai Palisade is pretty amazing. In addition to showing you the basics like speed and directions from the navigation screen, the Palisade also displays speed limits, as well as the blind-spot monitors from the side mirrors. If that’s not enough technology, the Palisade has a few other features that make it stand far out from the pack — the little cameras that magnify your blind spots when you flip your signals are genius.

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So, what makes the Venza stand out from other SUVs?

Available in this Limited trim, the Venza has a kind-of-cool panoramic “Star Gaze” roof. I say “kind-of” because while my four-year-old was thoroughly impressed, I wasn’t quite as excited. Once the button is pressed to pull back the cover, the panoramic glass roof is revealed. That’s standard and not the interesting part.

The interesting part is there’s a button that makes the glass go frosted; press it again and it goes to back to clear. From what I’ve read, it’s pretty technical, and the frosted function can cut down on UV rays, or make it all around less bright. It does look pretty cool to see it go frosted. But doesn’t closing the cover works just as well? Do we really need that little extra light we get in frosted mode? I can live without it. Furthermore, the panoramic roof doesn’t actually open.

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If the frosted Star Gaze roof has your attention, I have one question for you. Does a Star Gaze roof clean up the crumbs left by a trio of messy monsters (i.e. my kids)? Even if you’re not a minivan person, hear me out: the Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle has a built-in vacuum. Mic drop. Take my money. I have nothing more to say about cool features.

Is there a CD player?

No. But in the Venza’s defense, I have yet to drive a 2021 vehicle with a CD player.

Okay, at the end of the day, the Venza isn’t all that bad. If someone gave me a free one, I would graciously accept it and drive it whenever I don’t need to fit all three kids in the car. It’s not my first pick, but it’ll do.