The Toyota Venza Stacks up Against the Competition, so Why Isn’t It Selling?

The RAV4 is great, but the Toyota Venza adds more style to the same platform. Is it enough to beat the competition?

by Dan Mayfield

Published on September 29, 2022 3:49 pm

3 min read

The Toyota Venza seems to get lost in the shuffle. It’s a five-seat hybrid, like the RAV4, but it’s a bit more stylish, like a Lexus. The Venza packs in a lot of value and luxury, including standard all-wheel drive, for $33,240. But when it comes to actually buying one, it’s out-sold by many of its small SUV rivals from Chevrolet, Nissan, Honda and Hyundai. Maybe the Venza deserves a second look?

The Venza is a RAV4 in a fancy suit

The Venza is built on the RAV4 Hybrid’s platform. That means it gets all-wheel drive standard and all of the safety features of the RAV4. But, where the RAV4 is purposeful, the Venza brings Hugo Boss style, including two-tone leather, a larger screen, and much more for just a few thousand dollars more. The Venza starts at $33,240. The RAV4 is the best-selling small SUV today according to Business Insider, but the Venza doesn’t yet have the same following.

The 2022 Nissan Murano is shockingly similar

A blue 2023 Nissan Murano midsize crossover SUV parked outside a glass panel office building as the sun sets — 2023 Nissan Murano | Nissan Motor Corporation

The Murano is a stylish, highway-biased, five-seat SUV, with a strong V6. In fact, its price is just $420 less than the Venza’s for that a very similar capability. But, for that extra $420 the Venza packs in a nifty Hybrid powertrain with all-wheel drive, newer styling and a super-cool electrochromatic panoramic sunroof.

The Murano is slated for an update soon, and if it gets Nissan’s popular Australian E-Power hybrid engine, it could soon become a more competitive rival to the Venza. The Murano starts at $33,660.

Chevy’s Blazer is stylish, but also not a hybrid

A red 2023 Chevy Blazer RS in a city area. — 2023 Chevrolet Blazer RS | Creative Commons

Chevy’s Blazer cuts a stylish streak, too, with modern two-tone paint that lowers it visually and modern tech after its 2023 facelift. It comes in several trims from the basic LT to the luxurious Premier. Blazers can be ordered with hands-free liftgate, a 10-inch screen, adaptive cruise control, leather and more. The base LT version comes with a 228-horesepower turbocharged four-cylinder, however the street-focused RS and other versions can get the 3.6-liter 308-horsepower V6 that makes this SUV considerably quicker than the Venza.

The Blazer is about the same price, starting at $33,400. All-wheel drive, which is standard on the Venza, is a $2,700 option on the Blaze, however there’s no hybrid option. The Blazer is about the same size, but holds slightly less in the back. Venza holds 69.8 cubic feet of cargo space, while the Blazer holds a maximum of 64.2 cubic feet of luggage.

Honda CR-V got a big update for 2023

Honda redesigned the CR-V completely for 2023 and it likely had the regular RAV4, not the Venza, in its sights. The new design updated the aging CR-V quite a bit and added a fresh dose of styling to the segment. As such, the CR-V starts at $31,110 and that price reflects it lack of luxury, like the two-tone leather that’s available in the Venza.

This five-seat SUV can be ordered as a hybrid, though the all-wheel drive version starts at $34,000 in Sport trim. The CR-V’s hybrid gets rated at 43 mpg in the city, while the Venza is rated at 40 mpg in the city.

Hyundai Tucson competes with a plug-in hybrid version

Front angle view of Shimmering Silver 2023 Hyundai Tucson crossover SUV — Shimmering Silver 2023 Hyundai Tucson | Hyundai

For about the same price as a Venza, the Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid provides a lot of the utility and style of the Venza, but with plug-in tech. With the Tucson PHEV, you get all-wheel drive standard, up to 35 mpg combined, and the ability to travel up to 33 miles on all-electric power. The Venza, though, does have an EV option that allows you to travel up tofive miles in all EV power.

Like the Venza, the Tucson PHEV also offers a large screen, and several driver’s aids. However, to get the nicer leather and trims that rival the Venza’s higher trims, you will need to step up to the Limited trim, which with options can cost $45,000.

Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.