There are crossovers that appeal to traditional SUV buyers and then there are those that are more car-like, and the Venza fills the latter bill.

The Venza combines good looks, good performance and good packaging for a really good value. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Consider it a Camry wagon in the same way that the Matrix is a Corolla wagon. The two ride on their more common four-door sedan siblings’ underpinnings, but Toyota has separated them at birth to give them unique appeal.

The Venza certainly has appeal in spades. It’s been a hit since it entered the scene two years ago as a 2008 model, and for obvious reasons. First and foremost it’s great looking from every angle. I still catch myself doing a double take when one drives by, as I especially like its rear quarter view with what I can only say is truly inspired taillight design. Secondly, at under $30K the Venza is priced well considering its standard features include premium touches like auto up/down windows all-round, heated mirrors, an eight-way powered driver’s seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, USB port, XM satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a power-assisted trunk closer, fog lamps, ultra-large 19-inch

The Venza has muscular rear haunches and an extremely stylish D-pillar and taillight design. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

alloy rims on 245/55R19 all-season rubber, and the list goes on. Thirdly, it’s really nicely made with greater care given to refining the details than most others in this class. Fourthly, it’s totally and completely serviceable, unlike some in this class that put styling ahead of functionality (and in one case miss on both counts). Lastly, it drives well.

It would be difficult for me to gloat over a car without my final point being made, and the Venza doesn’t disappoint. My first time in the car was during a Western Auto Journalists’ media day at the famed Laguna Seca racetrack, just outside of Monterey, California. It was just sitting there not getting a lot of attention thanks to a bevy of racier cars lining the paddock, but its optional 20-inch five-spoke rims grabbed my eyeballs. I thought to myself, the tires should at least have decent traction even if this big

The Venza takes to mountain roads with a sports coupe's enthusiasm. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Toyota wagon doesn’t. Much to my surprise the Venza performed flawlessly. Of course, I didn’t hit the top of the corkscrew at the same speed that I previously did in the Shelby GT500, but likewise the Venza didn’t wag its tail on the way down either – oversteer is fun in a hopped up Mustang, but I’m guessing not a bundle of joy in a midsize crossover. Instead, the Venza delivered wonderfully predictable understeer and almost unflappable stability, the same as my 2011 model exhibited on a local mountain road when testing it in very different mid-winter conditions.

Yes, the slippery roads made me grateful my 268-horsepower Venza V6 tester’s 245/50R20 all-season tires were kept in check via a tire pressure monitoring system and helped along by standard traction and stability control, and its four-wheel discs were aided by ABS. The Venza is a veritable rolling showcase of electronic driver aids, those brakes further enhanced by electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and something new, a brake override system

The Venza's interior is very nicely finished and filled with standard features. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Toyota calls Smart Stop Technology (SST), which automatically shuts off the throttle under braking, therefore eliminating any chance of unintended acceleration. All the usual airbags are in place too, just in case, plus one for the driver’s knees.

Looking at the photos you might notice there’s no “V6” badge on the back of my tester, but a little digging through the press materials helped me figure out that all V6 models get a second exhaust pipe on the driver’s side and the aforementioned 20-inch wheels. Other than these two items the standard features list is identical, with options only available from two packages.

My tester base a base V6 and therefore didn’t featured the Premium package, which otherwise would add leather seats with heated cushions up front, a reverse camera, panoramic glass roof, powered rear liftback, multi-information display, and anti-theft. A Touring package can be added as well, with

The Venza's centre stack is a real piece of highly functional modern art. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, proximity sensing remote entry and push-button ignition, chrome door handles, and auto-leveling xenon (HID) headlamps with automatic high beams, while a Navigation and JBL package again ups the ante to include a 13-speaker JBL Synthesis audio system and DVD-navigation system with XM real-time traffic. Even with everything loaded in the Venza only just tops the $40K barrier, so value continues to be a strong suit.

While these items would have been nice I didn’t really miss them in my low-thirties test car, as the standard stereo is pretty decent, plus its USB connection plugged in and Bluetooth wirelessly connected to my smart phone gaining access to all my tunes and offering up hands-free communication respectively. I suppose the Premium package’s powered liftgate would have given me a little more convenience in the same way that the leather upholstery and panoramic sunroof could have satisfied my penchant for pampering, but it seems that Toyota wanted me to experience the Venza in a similar level of trim as many of its owners buy it.

Just in case you like the idea of my more optimal upscale ride, but would rather forego the V6 for fuel-efficiency or environmental reasons, Toyota will sell you an all-wheel drive four-cylinder Venza with the Premium package. That powertrain combination, which incidentally comes stock with a six-speed automatic just like its V6 sibling, is hardly sloth, making 182-horsepower while delivering up an estimated 10.2 L/100km in the city and 7.1 on the highway. The base front-drive model can’t be had

Plenty of room in this fully functional crossover. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

with any added packages, but it only drops the rating down to 10.0 and 6.8 respectively, while the V6 uses an estimated 11.0 L/100km in the city and 7.6 on the highway with front-drive or 11.5 and 7.9 respectively when all wheels are pushing and pulling. Saving further, all Venzas uses cheaper regular fuel.

I’ve never tried off-roading a Venza as its wouldn’t be the Toyota of choice if I were to plan such an excursion, but with 205 mm (8.1 inches) of ground clearance it should be good for light-duty jaunts to the summer cottage, while trips to the ski hill should be without drama too. It likely will do a good job of hauling the family camper as well, thanks to a maximum tow rating of 1,134 kilos (2,500 lbs) with the four-cylinder and 1,587 kg (3,500 lbs) with the V6. I was more interested in the sizeable 869-litre (30.7-cubic foot) cargo capacity behind its second row, mind you, and very accommodating maximum of 1,985 litres (70.1 cu ft) with the 60/40-split seatbacks folded flat. Yes, like I said earlier, the Venza is fully functional.

Highly livable, great looking, fun to drive, and well priced. As you can probably tell I like the Toyota Venza a lot. It’s truly a great car that I can find nothing to complain about.

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