Cars
TOYOTA VENZA
Wagons, depending on who's answering the question, are either truly, wonderfully cool or very, very objectionable. Despite the Venza's elevated height, an increasingly common feature of many new cars, the Toyota Venza is for all intents and purposes a station wagon. Oh, Toyota offers all-wheel drive. And the 4-cylinder engine is a big'un at 2.7 litres. The 2011 Toyota Venza V6 AWD weighs over 4000 pounds, for goodness sake.
Nevertheless, the Toyota Venza is a good ol' fashion station wagon. And who on Earth wants a station wagon when a good ol' fashion midsize family sedan'll do the trick? For starters, Canada. Canadians chose the Venza over its Toyota K-platform partner, the Camry, by a ratio of 2-to-1 in October 2010. Venzas are more spacious, better-looking, and far less ordinary than Camrys. The Venza's visual ebullience makes the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Chevrolet Malibu appear downright apathetic. "Who cares if we look boring?", those sedans shout. "We do", shouts back a posse of Venzas.
See the way that character line develops above the rear wheel and connects to the taillamp? That line helps make the Venza look powerful. Notice how the greenhouse cuts a V into the D-pillar? That, in partnership with the Venza's full wheelarches, gives the Venza a sense of motion, even when parked. The Toyota Venza's arching roofline and sharply raked tailgate offer up a sense of coupeness ordinarily seen in sporty compact hatchbacks. Yeah, the Venza is cool - don't be ashamed to agree.
Engines: 182 horsepower; 182 lb-ft of torque from a 2.7L 4-cylinder or 268 horsepower; 246 lb-ft of torque from a 3.5L V6
Base USD/CAD Price: $26,475 / $29,310
City Fuel Economy: 19-21 miles per gallon
Cargo Capacity: 30.7 cubic feet or 70.1 with rear seats folded
Sales Stats: Wagon-loving Canada has accepted the Toyota Venza with open arms, even making the Venza the 16th best-selling car in Canada in September when the Camry wasn't even in the top 20. In 2010, the Venza has pretty much been as popular as the Camry in Canada. In America, on the other hand, Venza sales amounted to 3551 in October, not small potatoes by any measure but also not worthy of the Best Sellers list. The Camry out-sold the Venza 7-to-1 in October.
The Bad 8
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 4 - Honda Accord Crosstour
HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR There are very few automakers in existence which haven't produced at least one jaw-droppingly impressive design. Consider the Toyota 2000GT, Chrysler Airflow, and Honda S600 as examples of greatness by companies which have...
- The Good 12 V4.0 Part 3 - Cadillac Cts Sport Wagon
CADILLAC CTS SPORT WAGON There are people who buy cars based purely on the vehicle's capacity to haul. If Vehicle Exhibit A can secure five people and 40 cubic feet of cargo, then Vehicle Exhibit B's 35 cubic feet of luggage space won't...
- Midsize Car Sales And Large Car Sales In Canada - May 2010
Consider May 2010 car sales from the USA, just for a second. America's best-selling full-size car, the Chevrolet Impala, was purchased twice as frequently as America's best-selling subcompact car, the Nissan Versa. Now look at May 2010 car sales...
- Top 10 Best-selling Cars In America - April 2010
It's a naming thing, pure and simple. Officially, the Toyota Matrix is a Toyota Corolla Matrix. As a result, added to the U.S. sales total of the Toyota Corolla is the Toyota Matrix. Granted, the Matrix isn't a huge seller in the United States;...
- The Good 12 V3.0 - Part Xi
TOYOTA VENZA Beautiful cars of yesteryear weren't full of overwrought styling idiosyncrasies or oversized wheels and grille badges. Clearly then, the Toyota Venza is not a beautiful car. Nevertheless, the Venza is a bold approach from a conservative...
Cars
The Good 12 v4.0 Part 12 - Toyota Venza
TOYOTA VENZA
Wagons, depending on who's answering the question, are either truly, wonderfully cool or very, very objectionable. Despite the Venza's elevated height, an increasingly common feature of many new cars, the Toyota Venza is for all intents and purposes a station wagon. Oh, Toyota offers all-wheel drive. And the 4-cylinder engine is a big'un at 2.7 litres. The 2011 Toyota Venza V6 AWD weighs over 4000 pounds, for goodness sake.
See the way that character line develops above the rear wheel and connects to the taillamp? That line helps make the Venza look powerful. Notice how the greenhouse cuts a V into the D-pillar? That, in partnership with the Venza's full wheelarches, gives the Venza a sense of motion, even when parked. The Toyota Venza's arching roofline and sharply raked tailgate offer up a sense of coupeness ordinarily seen in sporty compact hatchbacks. Yeah, the Venza is cool - don't be ashamed to agree.
-----
Engines: 182 horsepower; 182 lb-ft of torque from a 2.7L 4-cylinder or 268 horsepower; 246 lb-ft of torque from a 3.5L V6
Base USD/CAD Price: $26,475 / $29,310
City Fuel Economy: 19-21 miles per gallon
Cargo Capacity: 30.7 cubic feet or 70.1 with rear seats folded
Sales Stats: Wagon-loving Canada has accepted the Toyota Venza with open arms, even making the Venza the 16th best-selling car in Canada in September when the Camry wasn't even in the top 20. In 2010, the Venza has pretty much been as popular as the Camry in Canada. In America, on the other hand, Venza sales amounted to 3551 in October, not small potatoes by any measure but also not worthy of the Best Sellers list. The Camry out-sold the Venza 7-to-1 in October.
The Good 12
Audi Q5 - Buick Enclave - Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Fiat 500 - Ford F-150 - Ford Mustang V6 - Infiniti G25
Jeep Wrangler - Nissan Juke - Porsche Boxster Spyder - Porsche Cayenne
Fiat 500 - Ford F-150 - Ford Mustang V6 - Infiniti G25
Jeep Wrangler - Nissan Juke - Porsche Boxster Spyder - Porsche Cayenne
The Bad 8
Acura ZDX - BMW 5-Series GT- BMW X6
Honda Accord Crosstour - Lexus HS250h
Lincoln MKT - Nissan Leaf - Nissan Versa Sedan
Honda Accord Crosstour - Lexus HS250h
Lincoln MKT - Nissan Leaf - Nissan Versa Sedan
Rules & Nominees
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 4 - Honda Accord Crosstour
HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR There are very few automakers in existence which haven't produced at least one jaw-droppingly impressive design. Consider the Toyota 2000GT, Chrysler Airflow, and Honda S600 as examples of greatness by companies which have...
- The Good 12 V4.0 Part 3 - Cadillac Cts Sport Wagon
CADILLAC CTS SPORT WAGON There are people who buy cars based purely on the vehicle's capacity to haul. If Vehicle Exhibit A can secure five people and 40 cubic feet of cargo, then Vehicle Exhibit B's 35 cubic feet of luggage space won't...
- Midsize Car Sales And Large Car Sales In Canada - May 2010
Consider May 2010 car sales from the USA, just for a second. America's best-selling full-size car, the Chevrolet Impala, was purchased twice as frequently as America's best-selling subcompact car, the Nissan Versa. Now look at May 2010 car sales...
- Top 10 Best-selling Cars In America - April 2010
It's a naming thing, pure and simple. Officially, the Toyota Matrix is a Toyota Corolla Matrix. As a result, added to the U.S. sales total of the Toyota Corolla is the Toyota Matrix. Granted, the Matrix isn't a huge seller in the United States;...
- The Good 12 V3.0 - Part Xi
TOYOTA VENZA Beautiful cars of yesteryear weren't full of overwrought styling idiosyncrasies or oversized wheels and grille badges. Clearly then, the Toyota Venza is not a beautiful car. Nevertheless, the Venza is a bold approach from a conservative...