2021 Toyota Venza Information

Wow... Is it going to be upgraded Rav4 Hybrid? But do we really want a 12.3-inch touchscreen display... lol

 

The bigger screen on the Prime is 11.6"? This is getting outa control...

 

Nice car.

A bit out of my price range but very nicely done!

 

I'm sorry, but most of these CUV/SUVs are starting to look the same to me...

 

That's because people are staying away from sedans in droves.

5-10 years ago, it was jelly-bean shaped, FWD, 4-door, 5 pax sedans that all looked the same.......

As much as I love to lavish hate on Toyota for force-feeding large quantities of hallucinogenic drugs to their vehicle design teams, they at LEAST do not look like every other car on the road.

 

Absolutely true.
But pendulums swing.
I have not enjoyed the last decade or so, when suddenly the reality seemed to become, in the USA, all we want or should want, is an SUV.
SUV's are great. And with Hybrid technology offering high mileage SUV's, even greater.

But I'd like to see a return to sedans. Different options. We don't ALL need a vehicle that is capable of taking us to a mountain top to go camping.

I recently watched some 70's television, covid crisis binge watching.
Remember those 70's station wagons?
Those were the SUV's/Mini-Vans of their age. You could pack your whole family, and 1/2 the orphanage, plus MASH unit camping gear into those things.

I just hope the future isn't tied to so much exclusive SUV reality.
I'd like to see a popular sedan, sports car or other incarnation.

For the most part, Tesla is selling cars, not SUV offerings *minus their truck.
So I'm not ready to bury the "car" or sedan yet.

 

My CFO and I just went through a two month long odyssey in car buying, our first since 2012....a "work car" for yours truly.

I was at first "encouraged" to get a full-sized truck, but I could not justify this since my beloved 09 Sierra is still road-trip certified and capable of towing and/or hauling anything we would want.

I lobbied for a sedan.
HARD.
I even pitched the idea of using a hybrid as a UPS in a post-storm scenario.....but the car needs to be car seat certified for multiple grandchildren, and while it is "possible" to put three car seats into a sedan, just like it is "possible" for most people to use a bicycle as daily transportation....most people simply do not do so if there is a better option available.

In the case of the CUV....it's the 'better option available' HANDS DOWN.
In a base model that went out the door for less than $25,000 - I have 17" wheels - which are moderately important in inclimate WX , 1500# of towing capacity, a rear hatch, 5 seat belts that I can put live cargo into without having to consult a chiropractor the next day, and >30mpg...real, world, and I can drive in traffic and actually SEE SOMETHING besides the bottom of the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of me.

This is ONE argument that....450 miles into my ownership experience, I'm truly GLAD I lost.

 

I can't argue that there isn't a reason or many reasons, SUV's have come to dominate the market.

Still doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see a resurgence of Sedans, and other transportation choices that aren't just variously different sized SUV's.

One thing I like about Tesla...are those are beautiful looking cars.