People are finally able to get their hands on the new Toyota Venza after making its return. After giving the 2021 Toyota Venza a spin, people are blown away. It’s an excellent hybrid SUV. However, it does have a few frustrating aspects. 

The 2021 Toyota Venza is slow 

According to the team at TruckTrend, the Toyota Venza is pretty peppy, but it also lacks pickup. The Toyota Venza Hybrid system consists of a 2.5-liter I-4 gas engine and three electric motors paired with a CVT transmission. 

The engine provides 176-hp and 163 lb-ft of torque. When combined with the electric motors, the hp increases to 219. So, that sounds pretty good, but the Venza is heavy. It weighs around 4,000 lb. 

They did say the Toyota Venza was peppy, but it won’t be winning any drag races. MotorTrend agreed that the power is insufficient, but could get the Venza to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. 

The Toyota Venza Hybrid lacks buttons 

Another issue TruckTrend found with the 2021 Toyota Venza was the lack of physical buttons to touch. The screens are great, though. There is a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment center, a 7-inch digital cluster display, and a 10-inch heads up display. 

However, the touch controls seemed to be very slow and unresponsive. It was also easy to touch the wrong button accidentally. Adjusting the AC or radio took longer than expected. Being able to quickly adjust these controls with a twist of a dial would be preferred. 

But they were very impressed with how easily the Star Glaze roof worked. It has a shade that retracts with the press of a button to reveal a large pane of glass to let in light. Then you can put it in glaze mode to instantly reduce the amount of sun glare in the cabin. 

The Toyota Venza lacks cargo space 

While the interior of the Toyota Venza is incredibly luxurious, the team at MotorTrend found it to be small. It’s supposed to be an SUV hybrid that fits up to five passengers, but only accommodates about 28.8 cubic feet of cargo space. 

The back seat seems only to be large enough to fit two passengers. The drivetrain hump in the back prevents people from sitting in the middle. Also, the load floor seemed too high to place cargo conveniently. 

However, the front seats feel very comfortable and sporty. The soft-touch leather trim provides an upscale feel. There is also an attractive wood trim paneling with a convenient layout for storing or placing items like your phone. 

2021 Toyota Venza pros 

If you can get past digital buttons and a small backseat, the Toyota Venza Hybrid is an excellent SUV. It has superior handling and smooth transmission shifts with a quiet interior thanks to acoustic glass. 

The SofTex seats are very comfortable, and it gets about 39 mpg, helping you save on fuel. Plus, the 2021 Toyota Venza comes loaded with safety and tech features, including a power liftgate, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, and more.