2024 Toyota Venza

The Toyota Venza looks and acts like a small midsize SUV, yet it has a secret under the hood: It’s a hybrid with standard all-wheel drive (AWD). In this respect, you could almost think of the Venza as the Prius of SUVs – and a very nice one, at that. It’s also something of an outlier in the 2-row SUV segment. While there are other hybrid SUVs of similar size, the Venza is the only one purpose-built with fuel efficiency top of mind. To that respect, it earns 39 mpg combined – a laudable figure for such an SUV. The Venza also benefits from Toyota’s excellent suite of standard safety features and the brand’s reputation for quality and reliability. The Venza may be an SUV, but it’s not a rough and tumble one. It’s most at home on open roads and around town, where it provides comfortable and quiet manners.

The Toyota Venza carries over unchanged for the 2024 model year.

The Venza doesn’t really have a direct rival – a dedicated 5-passenger midsize hybrid SUV. The closest thing had been the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, but the Santa Fe is undergoing a radical redesign for 2024. That leaves smaller potential rivals, like the Venza’s Toyota RAV4 Hybrid sibling (over $31K) and the Honda CR-V Hybrid ($33,350). Another potential rival is the Kia Sorento Hybrid (around $37K), a smaller midsize SUV with three rows.

Before buying, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to see what you should be paying. The Venza’s resale value is about midpack for midsize SUVs in general.

Comfortable and easy. Those are two of the most prominent traits we came away with in our time with the Venza. In Toyota’s lineup, it slots between the RAV4 Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid, and that’s how the Venza drives. And while it shares a powertrain with the RAV4 Hybrid, we found the Venza is quieter and has a more premium feel. The Venza’s gas-electric hybrid system is nearly seamless in the way it transfers power, while its standard AWD system makes it a good choice for drivers who contend with weather-fouled roads. We think anyone can appreciate its super comfortable seats. We sure do.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of 2-row SUVs, including the Toyota Venza.

Fuel Economy

The Venza returns impressive fuel economy of 39 mpg in mixed city-highway driving. This easily beats non-hybrid midsize SUV rivals like the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano, which earn 23 mpg. It is just behind the smaller RAV4 Hybrid, which gets 40 mpg. More Venza fuel economy information can be found on the EPA’s website.

The Venza has a modern and welcoming 2-row/5-passenger cabin. We found the interior materials high-quality, and top-line models could rival a Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand. Front seat bolstering is plush and comfortable, and we fit just fine in the rear seats, which also recline for further comfort. Rear-seat legroom of 37.8 inches is solid and similar to that of a midsize sedan (a Toyota Camry has 38.0). The Venza’s stylishly sloping roof does impede a bit on cargo room. There are 28.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 55.1 with them folded. Compare that to the RAV4 Hybrid’s 37.6/69.8 figures. Still, the Venza has more than enough usable space for a weekend getaway or warehouse store grocery run. The rear cargo area does have a taller liftover height, so loading and unloading can require more effort for shorter drivers. One other thing to be aware of comes up front: The 12.3-inch infotainment system on upper trims doesn’t have a physical volume knob but rather capacitive controls that can be challenging to use while driving. There are audio controls on the steering wheel, though, and base LE models with the 8-inch screen have a traditional volume knob.

The Venza has an elegant, organic exterior that we’d call handsome and supple rather than daring. Sizewise, it’s appropriately slotted between the RAV4 and Highlander, with a Goldilocks length of 186.6 inches. The Nightshade Edition that debuted last year returns for 2024, bringing black exterior trim pieces, a black grille, and 19-inch blacked-out wheels.

Hybrid powertrain
The hybrid powertrain under the hood of the Toyota Venza returns excellent fuel economy. According to the EPA, it gets a combined fuel economy rating of 39 mpg. That can add up to significant fuel savings over the years.

Standard AWD
All-wheel drive comes standard on every Toyota Venza. This provides confidence-inspiring traction when the roads get ugly, making it suitable for snowy climates.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+
This standard safety tech includes enhanced automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and emergency steering assist, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign assist, and more.

Wireless smartphone connectivity
Both infotainment systems available in the Venza have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. That means connecting your phone to your car’s screen without doing a thing.

Nightshade Edition
The Nightshade Edition gives the Toyota Venza a darker edge, literally. It turns some exterior accents black, like the mirrors, window trim, and emblems, and adds stylish 19-inch black wheels.

Star Gaze panoramic roof
This optional feature on Limited models makes the interior feel more open and airy with a fixed glass panoramic roof. Rather than having a sliding shade, it can transform from opaque to transparent at the press of a button.

All Venza models use a hybrid powertrain that pairs a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with three electric motors. It makes a combined 219 horsepower, which provides good power for in-town and highway duties. All-wheel drive is standard, and power is transmitted via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Venza is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. The hybrid systems get a longer 8-year/100,000-mile warranty, and the hybrid battery gets a fantastic 10-year/150,000-mile warranty.

Safety

The Toyota Venza earns the Top Safety Pick honor from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and earns the top 5-Star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).