Our 2021 toyota venza has been rolling nonstop. From cross-country road trips to interstate trips to visit family, the Venza continues to be a popular crossover between members of our staff. At the time of this writing, our hybrid SUV has logged close to 13,500 miles and we’ve already visited the dealer twice for its scheduled maintenance, which happens every 5,000 miles.
Scheduling an appointment at our friendly Manhattan Beach Toyota dealer was easy, and each service took about an hour and a half from arrival to departure. As usual, each service included an oil and filter change and a multipoint inspection, and service número dos also included a tire rotation. Our Venza performed well on both inspections, though the cabin air filter will probably need to be replaced at our next visit.
Because of ToyotaCare—a maintenance plan that covers normal factory scheduled services for the first two years or 25,000 miles (whichever comes first) of every new Toyota—we didn’t have to pay anything on the first visit. But on the second appointment, we were asked to disburse $63.94, as apparently fleet vehicles don’t get to enjoy ToyotaCare. This issue shouldn’t be a big deal for the average consumer, but we were surprised we had to pay for the second service, given that we never spent a dime on maintenance on our long-term 2019 Toyota RAV4, which also came with ToyotaCare.
Servicing aside, we’re pretty satisfied with the way the Venza has treated us thus far. One of its strongest points is its fuel economy—and with gas prices through the roof recently—we’ve been lucky to visit gas stations on a minimal basis (or not having to spend a fortune at the pump, as it only holds 11 gallons).
Recently we had a chance to drive the Toyota RAV4 XSE Hybrid, which sits under the Venza in Toyota’s SUV lineup. Although the compact RAV4 has more cargo space than the midsize Venza, we preferred to sit behind the wheel of the Venza; its design is more luxurious, it delivers a quieter and more refined ride, and its materials are higher quality. Both SUVs are virtually the same price ($39,728 for the RAV4 XSE Hybrid we tested, and $39,735 for our Venza XLE), and if we had to pick one over the other, the Venza would be our top choice.
We’re fans of the RAV4 Hybrid, but after spending a few days driving it around town, we’d rather sacrifice interior space for a much more premium design and higher technology. Although the technology in the Venza isn’t as impressive as in other SUVs, we’re fans of the large screen every time we change radio stations or connect to Apple CarPlay.
We still have a few more months with our Venza and look forward to keeping rolling in it.
More on Our Long-Term Our 2021 toyota venza XLE:
- Arrival
- Update 1: How Comfortable Is the 2021 toyota venza? We Road-Tripped for 4,000+ Miles
- Update 2: Cargo Room Is the Biggest Flaw in Our 2021 toyota venza
- Update 3: Our toyota venza Goes on a Family Road Trip
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