The 2021 Toyota Venza is reborn as a hybrid crossover. With six Lexus or Toyota hybrids to choose from, we pitted the new Venza’s luxury-leaning interior against the 2020 Lexus RX450h to see how premium trims have narrowed the gap on premium brands. Is the Venza better for the money? Is the...Read More»
Walk up to the 2021 Toyota Venza and it looks familiar. The fast roofline and the way the window line resolves at the rear are clearly influenced by the last-generation Lexus RX from Toyota’s luxury brand. The chrome exterior trim and wheels give the same impression. Jump inside, spot the...Read More»
Today at High Gear Media, we heard new rumors regarding the re-born Barracuda and Toyota issued a recall. People are preparing for the Houston Half Mile and Chevrolet accidentally delivered a Camaro ZL1 to a customer. All this and more in today's car news, right here on The Car Connection. Obama...Read More»
A refreshed version of Toyota's Venza crossover is due to be introduced at the New York Auto Show next month, and while Toyota hasn't yet given us a good look at the new Venza (other than this teaser photo above), it's now released enough details about the upcoming model so that we have a pretty...Read More»
The new ad campaign for the 2011 Toyota Venza is chilling: a bleak, emotionless picture of post-apocalyptic America, full of Facebook and MacBooks. And Thunderdomes, too, we assume. The clip features comedienne Allyn Rachel in what may be her first serious role to date. Sitting before a white...Read More»
Toyota has announced the recall of a small batch of 2011 model year Venza wagons and Sienna minivans, built between March 7 and March 10, 2011. While only 50 vehicles in total are affected, the potential defect is significant and involves the front right drive shaft. A batch of drive shafts may not...Read More»
Depending on which utility vehicle you choose, you might be getting vastly different degrees of roof protection in the event of a rollover. That's the surprising result of that a new round of tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) serves to highlight. First, the good news: In...Read More»
With baseball season in full swing and the summer driving season just around the corner, we thought that it would be a good time to take a look at five stadiums that are worth a look this season. Hop in the family car and take a look at these baseball palaces, as well as five cars to take, one for...Read More»
Thanks to the strong incentives offered over the past month, Toyota sales have recovered nicely despite multiple recalls and highly publicized federal investigations. But it looks like the automaker isn't going to ease off them quite yet. The original March Sales Event incentives, slated to expire...Read More»
Toyota (NYSE: TM) rolled out an all-new incentive program aimed at jump-starting sales that have slumped due to bruised consumer confidence from the ongoing accelerator-related recalls, the related hearings in Washington D.C., and several other issues and recalls. The automaker calls the new...Read More»
In the early days of the Toyota recall fiasco, car buyers seemed to ignore the bad news. But as Cleopatra once said, denial only goes so far, and Toyota's troubles are finally having a negative impact on sales. To its credit, though, Toyota isn't taking this lying down: the automaker has turned to...Read More»
The Venza carries into its second model year with no significant changes. That's the short story, however some people might find the Venza's entertainment system considerably more functional; tech-savvy shoppers will be quick to verify that an USB auxiliary port and iPod connectivity are newly...Read More»
There's more good news all around for Ford—it beats out Toyota, GM, Honda, and other full-line mainstream brands and has taken the top mainstream-brand spot in AutoPacific's 2009 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). Porsche takes the top premium-brand spot, and both top-performing brands win for the...Read More»
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released some good news for safety-conscious shoppers thinking about the 2009 Toyota Venza or 2010 Lexus RX. Both the Venza and RX receive top 'Good' results from the IIHS in frontal offset and side impact tests, and in the seats of both models pass...Read More»
Today the techno-geek world has their eyes glued to screens at Moscone West--where Apple is unveiling a host of new iPhone, MacBook and Snow Leopard details. What does that have to do with cars? Plenty, because the latest iPhone software will let you integrate your phone ever more tightly into your...Read More»
Follow-up drives with a vehicle—when we revisit a new model in our own driveways, following our normal drive routines and familiar roads—almost always prove worthwhile. When we first sample many new vehicles it’s part of product-launch events, with routes cherry-picked by the automaker. You...Read More»
America’s in the midst of a deep recession--and no industry's suffered like the auto industry. Even so, the need for a new family car is still pressing on folks who may be readying for a new arrival, or ready to move out of a smaller car into one that’s more teen-friendly. Which family car...Read More»
Earlier this week, executive editor Marty Padgett posted TheCarConnection.com’s Bottom Line for the 2009 Toyota Venza, a vehicle that more or less takes the place of the long-absent Camry Wagon and triangulates somewhere between the Camry, RAV4, and Highlander. Though it shares some common pieces...Read More»
At a show that plays host to some of the country's most talented car and truck builders, it's tough to pick the best of the best. With that caveat, here are "some" of the best of from the 2008 edition of SEMA. That Rolls Has a HEMI! A lightly used 1970 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow isn't anything...Read More»
