Toyota Introducing New Venza Crossover Sedan at Detroit

As of right now, Toyota produces just about the entire spectrum of sport utility vehicles and crossovers; from the baby (not so baby anymore) RAV4 right up to the giant Sequoia, with the Highlander, 4Runner and FJ Cruiser in between. And while that sounds like plenty, it apparently isn’t enough for upper management. Toyota figures it can cover another new base with something that it will be showing off at Detroit, the Venza.

The Venza is what Toyota is calling a “crossover sedan”, and will indeed be engineered on the same platform that’s spawned the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES 350. It will be built here in the United States at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant alongside its siblings, and will go on sale as a 2009 model year vehicle. Toyota says that this new product will be a unique blend of sedan and SUV, and that it’ll offer seating for five (importantly, not seven) and provide car-like comfort and amenities. If one could think of the Highlander as a station wagon, the Venza could potentially be its notchback sedan brother - if indeed it has a trunk and not a liftback. It’s also worth noting that the new Highlander is also derived from Camry architecture, indeed making it a relative of the Venza.

And what about power? Nothing has been confirmed yet, but seeing as the Venza will err more on the car side of the equation than the crossover side, it is likely that it will receive the same engine lineup as the Camry, which includes its 2.4-liter I-4 with VVT that makes 158 horsepower and 161 lb-ft of torque, as well as the widely used 3.5-liter V6 that makes 268 horsepower. There’s even the possibility that Toyota may pursue a hybrid version, which could potentially use the 2.4-liter I-4 Atkinson Hybrid Synergy Drive system from the Camry Hybrid. And on that note, it has yet to be announced if the Venza will even feature all wheel drive.


In fact, the whole idea of the Venza is a pretty brave move on Toyota’s part, considering that it’s going straight to production. The car won’t even be shown as one of the automaker’s near-production concept vehicles, usually done to test the waters on an idea. However, Toyota seems confident in its products, and North America’s infatuation with crossovers should prove to make it a popular seller.

For those that may (or may not) remember, back about a decade ago Subaru produced a sedan version of the Subaru Legacy Outback. It wasn’t a tremendously popular seller, but the four-door sedan received a raised suspension setup for better ground clearance plus two-tone body cladding to complete the look. While the Subaru might not have caught on, Toyota’s luck (or more accurately, market dominance) could see the start of an entirely new automotive niche.