2011 Toyota Venza Review

The 2011 Toyota Venza. It's like the return of the Camry wagon, but better.

Mysteries abound in the automotive world, and one I've not been able to figure out the past couple of years is why the Toyota Venza isn't an off-the-charts success.

Introduced at the time when the SUV game shifted from trucks to crossovers, the Venza was positioned right in the sweet spot of that group. You can get it with a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine. It's got clean looks, lots of space....what's not to like?

The 2011 Toyota Venza comes with 20-inch alloy wheels standard.

If you expected that I'd have the answer to that question after our most recent week in a Venza, well...I hate to disappoint you, but I don't. This thing screams "winner" to me.

The test vehicle from the Toyota fleet was a front-wheel drive six-cylinder (you can get both the four and the six in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive) and started with a base price of $28,300. The six in question is a 3.5 liter DOHC 24-valve V6 that makes 268 horsepower. It's coupled fo a six-speed automatic transmission, and as a result, gets more than respectable mileage for something in its size class (EPA estimate: 19 city/26 highway).

20-inch alloy wheels are part of the deal, as are electric power steering, four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes with Smart Stop technology, tire pressure monitoring, projector-beam headlamps with integrated fog lights, variable intermittent windshield wipers, dual-zone climate control with air filter, an AM/FM/XM/CD/mp3 6-speaker audio system with USB, Bluetooth and an auxilary jack, a 3.5 inch multi-information display, 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, tilt/telescope steering wheel, auto-dimming rear view mirror, power windows, remote keyless entry and cruise control.

Now let me stop for a second and point something out, because this is the umpteenth car in a row that TireKicker's tested that had a standard equipment list that looks like a car loaded with options from just five years ago. And consider the price again: $28,300. With all that. And 19city/26 highway.  Can you explain to me why Toyota isn't selling at least as many of these as they do RAV4s (the last one of which we tested cost 2 grand more with not much more in the way of amenities and considerably less space)? If so, click the comments button.

The 2011 Toyota Venza interior. Tons of Lexus influence.

Of course, there are options available and the Toyota press fleet folks found $9,179 worth to put on our test vehicle:

• A rear-seat DVD entertainment system with a 9-inch display and two wireless headphones for $1,680.


• Premium Package #2 (leather-trimmed seating surfaces, 4-way power adjustable passenger seat with power lumbar support, multi-stage heated front seats, satin mahogany wood-grain style interior trim, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob with satin mahogany wood-grain style inlay, High Intensity Discarhge headlamps with automatic high beams, Smart Key with pushbutton start and remote illuminated entry, power liftgate, chrome-accented door handles, backup camera, anti-theft alarm system, color-keyed power heated outside mirrors with folding feature and windshield wiper de-icer) for $4,345.


• Voice-activated touch-screen DVD navigation system with an audio system upgrade including JBL amplifiers and 13 speakers, a four-disc CD changer and CD-text display function for $2,580.


• The  tow prep package, with an engine oil cooler, larger radiator fan and heavy-duty alternator for $220.


• Floormats and cargo mat for $269.


• "Courtesy Deliver Veh/TMS/NFS" (huh?) for $85.

That and $760 for delivery add up to $38,239.

Bet you're waiting for me to say "buy the base car", huh?

Well, yes....and no. Absolutely buy the base car. It's loaded and a steal at a price that even with destination charges gives you almost a thousand dollars in change back from your $30,000 bill.

But if you want the luxury and have the money, load it up the way Toyota did ours and you've got a discount Lexus RX350. Which is yet one more market for the Venza, and one more way in which I can't understand why you don't see one at every stoplight every day of the week.

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2011 Lexus RX 350 Review

 

The shape is instantly recognizable. It's the vehicle that started the whole luxury-crossover segment more than a decade ago...looking much like it does today. 

Sure, there have been refinements. That's what's kept the Lexus RX 350 at the top of its game...but the fact that the basic design is within walking distance of what it was in the late 90s is testament to just how right Lexus got the RX.

RX 350s are everywhere. In traffic this afternoon, I was behind three of them, all white. But familiarity and popularity have done nothing to lessen the status. This is THE luxury crossover. A lot of people wouldn't drive anything else (note to self: a piece on people who're on their fourth or fifth RX might be very interesting).

A big factor in the RX's favor is price. Base is only $37,975. That gets you a 3.5 liter 275 horsepower V6, a 6 speed automatic transmission with "snow mode", 18" aluminum alloy wheels, a raft of safety features, a premium audio system with a six-disc in-dash CD changer, Bluetooth and a 90-day trial to XM Satellite Radio.

Ah, but we're not done. Also on the standard equipment list is an auto dual-zone climate control system with rear vents, a power tilt and telescope steering column, 10-way power driver's and front passenger's seats, height-adjustable headrests for all the seats, genuine wood trim and a bunch more.

And the cockpit is one of the nicest, most serene places you could spend your commutes and vacations in. If it sounds like you could stop with just the standard equipment and keep the tab under $40,000, you could. And you'd have a very nice piece. But the one we drove also had the Comfort Package (rain sensing wipers, High Intensity headlamps, Adaptive Front Lighting (the headlights turn with the front wheels, helping you see around corners), and heated and ventilated front seats. That's $1,950.

It also had the Luxury Package (semi-aniline leather trim, a moonroof, retractable outside mirrors, wood and leather steering wheel and shift knob, a wide-angle backup camera, an upgrade to 19" alloy wheels, a USB audio plug, power rear door, memory for the seats and mirrors, illuminated scuff plates and headlamp cleaners. Add $4,900.

That's not all, though. The Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system with a 6 disc DVD changer and 15 speakers was also on the list ($1,610). And then there's the navigation system with XM NavTraffic and NavWeather at $2,465.

Oh, and a cargo net for $59.00.

Tack on the delivery fee ($875) and you're at......

$49,834. Which (and you won't hear me say this too often) is actually reasonable for what you're getting. The quality of the vehicle itself and the upgrades makes the experience of driving an RX 350 equipped like this one exceed the sticker price. It feels like $60,000 (in fact, it feels better than some $60,000 vehicles we've driven) and it's a shade under $50,000. 

Not many cars can say that, and it's probably a huge chunk of the reason the RX 350 continues to be the leader in its segment.

EPA mileage estimates: 18 city/25 highway.

One more thing: Especially when buying a luxury vehicle, the dealership experience matters a lot. One of our recent RX350 vehicles came from Bell Lexus in Phoenix.  Sales Associate Anthony Covington spent half an hour acquainting me with the finer points of the vehicle before I left the lot...and pointed out things the Lexus PR department hadn't...like how finishing the insides of the wheel wells helps keep the exterior cleaner, the ride quieter and reduces the risk of long-term damage and/or corrosion. Or how, since the redesign, the edges of the doors extend all the way to the bottom of the body...protecting the doorsills, which means you don't get road grime on your trouser cuffs as you enter and exit the car. It's a pleasure to deal with people who know their product that well.

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Lexus RX350 Review

And the Volkswagen Beetle award for subtle refinement goes to....

Okay, that's a bit of a stretch. But let me toss you in the Wayback Machine here. At the top of this article is the 2010 Lexus RX 350. Now here's what that vehicle (then called the RX 300) looked like 11 model years ago, in 1999:



Of all the vehicles on the road today, I'm betting only the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis are still that instantly identifiable as the same car over that 11 year span.

It's a case of not messing with success, yet (as VW did with the Beetle) making constant changes and refinements.

We're talking about a ton more power (275 horses today compared to 210 then), slightly better fuel mileage (18 city/25 highway now versus 17 city/22 highway in '99) and a much nicer environment from which to drive.



Best of all, the refinements come at only a slightly higher price. In 1999, base price was $32,950. In 2010, $36,800. Less than $4,000 in 11 years.

Our tester added 19 inch alloy wheels, a heads-up display, bi-xenon headlamps with automatic high beams, heated and ventilated front seats, a Mark Levinson audio system with DVD changer and 15 speakers, a nav system with XM NavTraffic and NavWeather (I find being able to see real-time radar more beneficial than real-time traffic...especially in monsoon season in the Desert Southwest)...the Premium Package with leather, moonroof, auto-dimming miror, power rear door, and the ominously named Pre-Collision System with Dyanmic Radar Cruise Control.

Yeah, it all adds up. Bottom line: $49,300 including $875 delivery. Still, that's a lot of luxury and a lot of features coming in this side of $50K.

As I noted in last year's review of the last-gen RX, I wondered a decade ago whether anyone would buy a vehicle so funny-looking (I called it the "Lunar Rover"). Not only have they, but in sufficient numbers that the styling endures.

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Lexus RX 350 Pebble Beach Edition Review

10 years ago, I looked at the first Lexus RX (then the RX 300) and wondered if anyone would buy it. I mean, it was nice...but it looked pretty strange. I think my photographer (I was reviewing cars on television at the time) and I dubbed it the "lunar rover".

Obviously, a lot of people disagreed. The RX (now the 350) is celebrating 10 years on the road, and though there have been refinements, the basic shape is still pretty much the same. And it gets credit for jump-starting the entire crossover SUV segment.

The price has even stayed in the same general ballpark...if I recall, the '99 was about $33,000...the '09 base price is $38,900 and Lexus has made virtually everything that matters standard.

So how to jack up that price point to keep the dealers and stockholders happy? By packaging the non-essentials. And a special edition is always a good way to do that.

The Pebble Beach Edition was introduced to coincide with August's huge annual classic car week (rapidly approaching 10 days) in Monterey, California (nearby Pebble Beach hosts the premiere event, the Concours d'Elegance). For $3,880, you get special 18 inch wheels, a special front grille, a roof rack, HID headlamps, a body-color rear spoiler, a leather-trimmed interior, power tilt and telescoping steering column, memory seating, a moonroof, carpeted floormats and exterior badges that say "Pebble Beach Edition".

That, a navigation system that includes a Bluetooth phone interface and rear backup camera, heated seats, rain-sensing wipers and headlamp washers and a transmission cooler propelled the bottom line to $47,020. Not a bad deal for what you get...but the real story is the value in a "base" RX 350.

EPA estimate: 17 city/22 highway.

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