First Drive: 2009 Toyota Venza: Fits nicely between the Camry and the Highlander

If a Toyota Camry is too small and a Toyota Highlander is too big or SUVish, the new Toyota Venza might be just right. It has enough room for antiquing treasures, a load of baseball (or soccer or tennis) bags, a couple of Golden Retrievers or four people who are not members of Weight Watchers. Not all at the same time, though. Yet the Venza is the same length and just as maneuverable as the Camry on which it's largely based.

Thirty years ago, the Venza would be called a station wagon. Terming it a "crossover" would not only mean we'd have to find a new designation for the similarly Camry-based Highlander but would also imply the Venza had some attributes of a sport-utility vehicle: Five inches more ground clearance, a six-inch higher roof, optional all-wheel drive, and a surprisingly rough ride isn't enough. We can't call it a shooting brake because even the Brits don't remember what that means. Let's just call it a wagon with rear seats that fold forward to create a huge cargo area.

The Venza is a cross between the Camry and Highlander. The first third of the chassis is borrowed from the Highlander. The middle comes from the Camry and the rear is new. It's a bit more than three inches wider than the Camry. That fact alone will make some lean toward the Toyota Avalon.

Perhaps Toyota gave the Venza a bit of a rough ride and notable tire noise to provide a simulated SUV feeling, much like how some fit oversize wheel skins that make 16-inch wheels look like 18s. There was a very un-Camry like amount of wind noise coming from around the driver's window. In big-box interior cars like the Venza, engineers have a hard time eliminating what they call rolling boom: It sounds like the University of Purdue's eight-foot diameter, big-bass drum from a half mile away. They didn't succeed in eliminating it with the Venza.

Toyota stylists in California and Michigan aggressively tried to make the Venza look different from the Camry. It features a significantly different six-bar grille and unique multi-reflector, high-intensity discharge headlamps. In addition, there's unique rear tail lamps

The Venza comes in one trim level but offers eight option packages. These range from a towing package to a leather interior trim package. Standard on the four-cylinder model are 19-inch diameter wheels, while V6 models get dubs.

Perfect for leaf-watching or mountain-cruising expeditions is the optional glass roof that give a panoramic view of what's overhead. Only the front moon roof opens, while the rear roof glass is fixed. Parents with kids will want to skip the roof and go for the DVD entertainment system.

The Venza's dash is a flurry of curves and essess. The grain on the dash is an interesting parallel pattern. However the controls and instruments are Toyota-easy to operate and read.

Using the Kentucky-assembled Venza's cargo area is extremely easy. The rear seats can be folded forward by opening the rear hatch and flipping two levers. That creates 70 cubic feet of storage area. The cargo area contains four tie-down hooks, critical for keeping treasures from smashing themselves to pieces. The rear seats also recline for more comfortable viewing through the glass roof.

Headroom is more than ample front and rear. Average sized folks can wear cowboy hats or beehive 'dos. The center rear seat is strictly for short trips.

The Venza is offered with either a 182-horsepower 2.7-liter DOHC four cylinder or a 268-horse 3.5-liter DOHC V6. Both come with six-speed automatic transmissions. The V6 has variable timing on all four cams, which helps it get 16 miles per gallon on the government's city driving test and 26 mpg in the highway test. Official data has not be released but expect the four cylinder, which also has variable valve timing on both cams, to be rated at about 20 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway. It's possible a hybrid model will be available, but sales of conventional models will have to be strong.

The Toyota Highlander received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award, so the Versa shouldn’t be far behind. The government had yet to perform crash tests as this was written.

The standard sound system has a six-disc in-dash CD changer and six speakers. The optional JBL sound system features 13 speakers.

The Venza starts under $27,000, while a fully equipped all-wheel-drive V6 version can top $41,000.

The Venza’s fun-to-drive quotient is low. The enjoyment come from the trip itself and what you bring home.