While the Venza did hit the market in 2020, that was for its home country in Japan, but this did give it a year for it to be tested elsewhere before coming to the States. When it did, it came in three trims, with these being the LE, XLE, and Limited trims.
If you find yourself looking at an LE, you'll find that these come with an 8-inch touchscreen. While not the largest, it does help keep prices low. But if you're someone who does want something a tad bit larger, then the XLE, and Limited is for you. This is because they come with a 12.3-inch display instead.
The Venza was also the first in the family to introduce "Star Gaze". This is an electrochromic panoramic sunroof, and with the flip of a switch, you will go from transparent to opaque. While normally reserved for luxury vehicles, Toyota thought it was time for everyday drivers to experience this feature.
Another area that makes the Venza standout is the hybrid powertrain. Being the only option for all trims, this powertrain is the 2.5L I4 and comes with three electric motors. These all work in tandem to make 219 horsepower, giving this model some nice get up and go. Being that this is a hybrid engine, the fuel rating is pretty great. This comes with an EPA rating of 39 MPG combined, letting you spend less time, and money at the pump.
Being that this model is geared towards the family, it obviously has to come with some decent safety, and Toyota didn't forget that. Some standard features that you can look for are automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. All of these work together to give the model a 5-star rating from the NHTSA.
Over the next couple of years, the Venza remained untouched, but that is until 2023 decided to explore its darker side. This was done with the Nightshade. Based on the XLE, this featured black wheels, black front and rear bumper accents, a black grille surround, black mirror caps, and black door handles. This gave the model a mysterious look, while still remaining practical.
Moving into 2024, the writing was on the wall for the Venza, so once again, not much was changed. But that's not technically a bad thing. When the model was new, people would want the newer models to come with new features, but on the used market, this model is gold. That's because you'll find the same features across multiple years, but at slightly different prices depending on optional add-ons.