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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota 2009 Toyota Venza - Click above for high-res gallery The wagons we all know, love and grew up with gradually fell out of favor as the minivan took hold in the '80s. Led by Chrysler's practical little boxes, the van became the king of Mt. People Mover, only to be usurped by the SUV, which took the wagon formula and added a heaping dose of machismo. The wagons have all but vanished, and today, both SUVs and minivans resemble Hollywood stars whose salad days are clearly behind them. The so-called "crossover" is the new king, at least according to marketers who coined the maddeningly broad term, which now applies to everything from large, car-based pseudo-SUVs to what are - by all rights - traditional wagons, albeit with tall roofs and occasionally all-wheel drive. When Toyota elected to make the Highlander a substantially larger vehicle with three rows of seating, it left a void in its line-up for people seeking...
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Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota , First Drive Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Toyota Venza There's a workout regimen called Crossfit that aims to increase one's abilities in eight different areas. Crossfit doesn't reward the specialist, it rewards the well-rounded; it doesn't create marathoners, it creates decathletes. The point of Crossfit is to allow you to enter any situation with the confidence that you have things like the agility, strength and conditioning to do well. The Toyota Venza has the same ethos: pitched as 70-percent car, 30-percent SUV, the Venza wants to do everything well. And when we say "well", we mean it wants to do everything better than the competition: 10,000 people were leaving Toyota every year to get into something between the Camry and the Highlander, things that ended up being the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-7 and Infiniti FX. The Venza is Toyota's request to those buyers to "Come back to papa." Follow the jump...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , SEMA , Tuners , Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota Toyota's SEMAfied Venzas won't stop, even if we ask nicely. The second modified don't-call-it-a-Camry wagon comes courtesy of Street Image, which will bring the SportLux Venza "performance show car" to SEMA. A contradiction in terms if we've ever heard it. According to Toyota PR, the SportLux is a model that could be offered as a factory tuner, complete with six-piece body kit, spoiler, custom grille and, of course, a hood scoop. Thankfully, Street Image's blood, sweat and tears didn't stop with the body, so a TRD supercharger has been fitted to the engine (although no power figures were divulged), sending the additional grunt to four, 24-inch Chrome Cognac No 20 wheels (seriously), suspended by a set of custom coilovers. The same brakes fitted to the Five Axis vehicle appear on the SportLux, and in keeping with the "Lux" part of its name, black suede covers the roof, sunvisors...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , SEMA , Tuners , Wagons/Estates , Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota Click either image for a gallery of Toyota's Vegas-bound Venzas When you think about the Toyota Venza , we doubt the first thing that comes to mind is customization. But that hasn't stopped Toyota from tapping Street Image, Inc. and long-time partner Five Axis to create a duo of Venza project cars for November's SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The two low-slung crossovers (don't call them wagons) attempt to highlight and accentuate the active lifestyles of the Venza's core demographic, beginning with the Street Image variant (above) that boasts an upgraded engine and brakes, massive rollers, a lowered ride height, body kit, a black/burgundy interior and a sat-nav-equipped entertainment system. Toyota says the Street Image SportLux version attempts "to give the occupants the feel of a refined sports car while retaining the Venza's utility and functionality." We say, good luck. Five...
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Filed under: Wagons/Estates , Japan , Crossovers/CUVs , Subaru Click either image for a high-res gallery of the Subaru Exiga. We received word from a little birdie last week that Subaru was gearing up to release its brand-new Exiga into journalist's hands in Japan. Coincidentally (or not), a teaser shot of Subaru's new pseudo-CUV popped up on the NASIOC forum over the weekend and it's clear from the darkened profile that many of the elements from the show car have migrated over to the production model. The Exiga, which appeared at last year's Tokyo Motor Show as a lightly veiled concept, will likely form the basis for the new Outback, slotting in between the Legacy and the Tribeca CUV. However, it's doubtful that when the Exiga (or Outback) makes the trek across the Pacific it will be sporting seven full seats. Its closest competitor here in the States is the forthcoming Toyota Venza , which aims to define a new segment between wagon and crossover, but in reality, both...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota click above image for high-res gallery of the Toyota Venza When Toyota unveiled the Venza in Detroit, the only details about what would motivate the CUV/wagon/Camry-on-stilts were two possible powerplants. The first was the range-topping 268-hp 3.5-liter V6, while details about an "all-new" 2.7-liter four-cylinder were scarce. KickingTires tapped CSM Worldwide who made an educated guess on the new engine's output and pegged it at 188 hp, a predictable though sizable bump in power over the 157-hp, 2.4-liter four currently used throughout Toyota's lineup. The new engine will not only power the base Venza, but will also find a home in the engine bay of the Camry and Highlander. The only concern is how fuel economy will be affected by the extra .3-liters of displacement, but Toyota assures that "excellent fuel economy" will be achieved when mated to the Venza's six-speed automatic. [Source: KickingTires...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota Click image for a high-res gallery of the Toyota Venza var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/2009_Toyota_Venza_crossover_combats_Murano_Edge'; Toyota just unveiled the Venza "crossover sedan," which is really another name for, you know, "crossover." With the Nissan Murano and Ford Edge obviously in its sights, the 5-passenger Venza neatly and stylishly fills the void left when the Highlander grew a third row and got bigger. Powered by either a 268-horsepower V6 or a 2.7L four-banger, the North America-designed and built Venza will be sold as a single trim level vehicle. The primary differences are that the six gets dual exhausts and 20-inch wheels, while the 2.7L has a single outlet and 19-inchers. Both engines are connected to a six-speed automatic with sequential shift, and the V6 has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, which exactly matches that of the Ford Edge and the current Nissan Murano. The front...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Toyota var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Toyota_bringing_Venza_cross_over_sedan_to_Detroit'; Toyota's presence at the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) will be punctuated by what the automaker is calling a "crossover sedan" that incorporates elements of both a sedan and an SUV. The U.S.-designed and engineered 2009 Toyota Venza will seat five and be built alongside the Camry, Avalon and Solara at ToMoCo's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. That pretty much means it's a go for production despite never having been glimpsed by the public. The idea of a "crossover sedan" may just mean that the Venza is a jacked-up Camry, but we'd suspect that this new model would take aim at Ford's Edge and possibly GM's line of Lambda-based CUVs, with car underpinnings and a hatch. In fact, it sounds similar in form to the upcoming BMW X6 . Failing that, we're picturing a Toyota version of the AMC Eagle (shown...
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