While the Toyota Venza was removed from the US car market back in 2015, it’s finally slated to return in an all-new avatar that will get its juice from a hybrid powerplant
The 2021 Toyota Venza is slated to mark the return of its nameplate to the US market after discontinued back in 2015. As before, the new version of the crossover has a two-row pseudo-wagon format, but what’s more important is that the resurrected version is an all-new car underneath.
The new model is underpinned by the company’s excellent modular platform and enjoys hybrid power and all-wheel drive layout. The 2021 Toyota Venza will draw its power from a 2.5-litre inline four cylinder petrol engine that will work in tandem with three electric motors. The powerplant will come mated to a CVT. The combined power output of the Venza is rated at 219 hp, and as per the company, the instantaneous torque from the electric motors has improved the crossover’s real-world performance.
Another highlight of the 2021 Toyota Venza will be the driver-selectable regenerative braking system that boosts the energy collection in varied driving conditions, ranging from hills to urban usage. The system also cuts down on unnecessary wear on the brakes.
Also, the navigation system memorizes the driving habits and schedules the drives (commuting, appointments, etc), optimize performance of the hybrid system and coaches the driver for maximum efficiency. For example, if any part of the commute or the highway has some sort of congestion, the system will advice the driver to prepare to shed speeds in advance, thereby improving the fuel efficiency by reducing instances of hard braking.
Similar to the Toyota Highlander and RAV4 hybrids, the 2021 Toyota Venza features a pair of electric motors that power the rear axle via Toyota’s Electronic On-Demand all-wheel drive system. As per the company, the crossover will offer a combined fuel economy figure of 40 miles per gallon for the base model. This is the same as what the electrified RAV4 offers. Also, unlike the earlier Venza, there won’t be a V6 option this time around.
Underpinning the 2021 Toyota Venza is company’s sophisticated TNGA-K platform, which the new vehicle will share with the RAV4, Camry, Highlander and Sienna. This architecture is lighter and stiffer than all earlier platforms from the company and hence, leads to improved driving dynamics and crash safety. Coming to the design, it can be easily seen that the 2021 Toyota Venza is similar to the 2021 Mirai fuel-cell vehicle as it gets a similarly large lower grille opening and a sleek pair of headlights.
Another highlight of the front-end is the set of sharp hood creases and an unusual faux grille. The rear of the 2021 Venza feature full-width taillight, highly raking hatch glass and upswept window line towards the quarter windows that are reminiscent of the Aston Martin DBX and Jaguar F-Pace.
On the inside, the 2020 Toyota seems to have been inspired by the likes of RAV4. An 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard on the LE and XLE variants, while a 12.3-inch screen is on offer on the Limited as standard and as optional on the XLE trim. Also, the car gets 4.2-inch (LE) or 7-inch (XLE and Limited) digital instrument cluster with customizable formats. The crossover is available with a 1,200-watt 9-speaker JBL audio system, which is the most powerful audio setup offered by the company.
The 2021 Toyota Venza will come equipped with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 package. The safety suite comprises forward-collision warning and prevention, pedestrian detection, full-range adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and prevention, automatic high beams, and more.
Other than this, the Venza will even come with a fixed-panel panoramic roof that will have an electrochromic glass which can switch between clear and frosted at the touch of a button. The 2021 Toyota Venza will go on sale this summer. Prices are yet to be revealed but it should be positioned somewhere between the USD 28,350 RAV4 Hybrid LE and USD 39,800 Highlander Hybrid LE. The fully-loaded version, however, would cost north of USD 45,000.
