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2009 Toyota Venza Crossover

1078 messages,  Last post on Nov 17, 2009 at 1:50 PM

You are in the Toyota Venza Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Toyota Venza, Car Comparisons, Wagon, SUV


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#453 of 1078
Re: Driving in snow and other thoughts [md_outback] by santa3
Dec 15, 2008 (2:53 pm)
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Replying to: md_outback (Dec 15, 2008 10:46 am)

Tires: Goodyear. Too dark in the garage even with a flashlight & ceiling lights to see the model and it is not printed boldly on the tires. We never switch tires in the winter.
 
Yes we have heated WWs. One button turns on all defogging - rear window, side mirrors and WW. I guess the WW one worked fine - but I was going fast enough that there wasn't much of a build-up on the winshield. The snow mostly blew over the car and did not settle except at stop signs.
 
Yesterday I put the car in the attached, unheated garage and closed the door. It was 30F out. About 10PM it got to 37F out and then plunged to below -10F overnight. Today drove to town at -2F to mail something and felt like I was driving (at 40mph) on the roughest road imaginable. As if all the tire balancing weights had fallen off. The faster I went, the worse it got. All roads including the drive had been well plowed and are generally smooth. When I got to town I looked at the rims and noticed all kinds of ice and snow built up all around the inside of the rim on all 4 rims. Built up fully side to side and all the way around, perhaps a few inches thick in spots. If you've seen Venza in person you know how wide the rims are. Well, they also are pretty flat so they don't self clean. So I got the watering can, filled it with hot water and melted the ice away. This is the same problem we have on the Subaru and the same solution. Tonite when we go out to dinner we'll see if I fixed it. I'll also try to keep up with snow removal when I return from an expedition rather than waiting - but hey, why not try the lazy man's approach first.
#454 of 1078
Venza Production Shutdown Until Approx. Jan. 12 by md_outback
Dec 22, 2008 (7:24 am)
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Checking the Toyota Georgetown, KY production plan and some news alerts, it looks like there will be no additional Venzas produced until about Jan. 12, 2009. Thus far 6348 Venzas have been assembled through Dec. 17 when the plant shutdown for an extended period (usually they just shutdown for the week from Christmas to New Years Day). So if you are hoping your local dealer may have some additional Venzas arriving soon (beyond their current allocation), it may take another month to rebuild the pipeline.
 
MD
#455 of 1078
Re: Honda Accord CUV reported by gs933 on 28 Nov. [rexf] by steve_ HOST
Dec 22, 2008 (7:52 am)
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Replying to: rexf (Nov 29, 2008 7:13 pm)

The competition:
 
Honda Accord Tourer CUV
 
There are some spy shots out there but I haven't been able to find out if it's really coming to the US or not.
#456 of 1078
Re: Venza Production Shutdown Until Approx. Jan. 12 [md_outback] by sunfiend
Dec 22, 2008 (9:15 am)
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Replying to: md_outback (Dec 22, 2008 7:24 am)

Thanks for this information. I've found that very helpful. Where do you look to find the plant production schedule? We tried to buy a Venza this weekend but the dealer and I were about five hundred $ apart so no go. We're trying to get 10-11% off of MSRP. Oh well, it doesn't hurt to walk away I suppose.
#457 of 1078
Re: Honda Accord CUV reported by gs933 on 28 Nov. [steve_] by roho1
Dec 22, 2008 (9:39 am)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 22, 2008 7:52 am)

Wow, I like. The styling is more pleasing to my eye than the Venza. From what I can tell it's 3" shorter and narrower including the wheelbase. It comes with more manageable 16" wheels/17"opt.
 
I hope they bring it over.
#458 of 1078
Re: Venza Production Shutdown Until Approx. Jan. 12 [md_outback] by joeblack1
Dec 22, 2008 (10:34 am)
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Replying to: md_outback (Dec 22, 2008 7:24 am)

Thanks for the info. Starting to sound like I need to more seriously consider the alternatives.
#459 of 1078
Re: Venza Production Shutdown Until Approx. Jan. 12 [sunfiend] by md_outback
Dec 22, 2008 (12:25 pm)
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Replying to: sunfiend (Dec 22, 2008 9:15 am)

Use this link for Toyota Georgetown production stats:
http://www.toyotageorgetown.com/pdfs/prod/prodresults.pdf
 
If the link doesn't work, go to www.toyotageorgetown.com; then click on the "About" tab and select "News" from the drop-down. Once the TMMK news form appears, scroll down and click on "latest production statistics." Pretty neat info on that web site.
 
MD
#460 of 1078
Replying to Sunfiend by scoop82
Dec 22, 2008 (1:19 pm)
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I also walked away from a dealer this week. Though I liked the test drive, they couldn't get me color and features I wanted and would not deal on price. Told me Toyota is selling Corollas very cheap and have to make money on new Venzas. I'll wait or look elsewhere where customer service is better. That Honda looks interesting. Anyone know about its seat height? What attracted me to the Venza was seat higher than sedan but not as high as some SUV's. Comfortable to get in and out.
#461 of 1078
Took my Test Drive by qs933
Dec 23, 2008 (1:48 am)
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My dealer finally received its demonstrator -- a FWD V6 with the Premium Package 1 and the JBL system (no Nav, no glass roof). MSRP is $33K+ (over 33, less than 34).
 
I kept the test drive pretty short due to the afternoon rush hour traffic in the area. I just wanted to feel how it drove and whether I felt elevated like an SUV. Power was not a problem (and not expected to be). The road noise was remarkably contained. It drove pretty much how I expected to. No surprises (and none wanted).
 
I was prepared for the worst for the interior after reading mixed reviews on the dash and door surfaces. I was pleasantly surprised that the upper door surface and parts of the dash are actually covered in a rubber-like covering. It's not as soft as the surfaces on my 4Runner, but definitely much better than rock hard plastic (compare it to the Highlander).
 
Interestingly, the upper door panels on the rear doors are hard plastic. I guess Toyota figured that the back seat passengers can get the cheaper surfaces. It looks OK, so it's not a problem. The rear also has plastic door sill trim and no courtesy light on the doors. Again, not a problem. I won't be riding back there.
 
I was also worried about the graining of the plastic. If you look at some of the photos of the interior (like the listings on eBay), the pattern looks strange from certain angles. In person, it's much less noticeable. The leather on the seats also share a similar grain, so there is consistency throughout the interior. The console is a snap to use.
 
The Venza's headliner (also a sore spot in many Toyotas) looks and feels much better than the headliners in the Highlander and 4Runner. The mat in the cargo area also felt much more plush than your typical car carpeting.
 
My biggest concern right now is cargo space. It actually looks smaller in person than it does in photos. My 4Runner can fit about 4 medium sized suitcases without too much of a struggle. I think I can fit 3 in the Venza if they are stacked properly. The space-killer is the steep angle of the rear window, although that's what gives the Venza it's sleek appearance.
 
A surprising secondary concern -- the exterior mirrors looked big in the photos, but seem (and actually are) much smaller than those on my 4Runner. Probably not a deal-killer, but it will take a little getting used to.
 
Overall, I was very pleased. One more thing: the JBL system -- in my limited testing with just radio stations -- sounds much better than the JBL in my 4Runner.
#462 of 1078
Why Venza instead of Highlander? by kharris
Dec 23, 2008 (2:05 pm)
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I haven't taken a close look at the Venza yet, but from what I've seen of the Highlander and what I've read(same V6 engine, virtually the same length,width and ground clearance, Highlander roof doesn't taper down toward rear so it has greater cargo capacity, same AWD system as I understand it, etc.), why would a person buy a Venza rather than a similarly priced Highlander?
  
Ken

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