• 2023 Toyota Venza Limited Trim
• Coastal Gray Metallic
• Black Softex Interior
• 219 Hybrid Net HP with an eCVT & AWD via the electric rear motor
• 40/37 city/highway MPG
• 12.3″ digital gauge cluster and 12.3″ infotainment system
• NO panoramic moonroof

Maintenance & Modifications:

• Engine Oil 0W16 (How-to here)
• OEM Toyota all-weather mats
• OEM Toyota body-color door edge guards

New to our fleet for 2023 is the Toyota Venza. This is a car I purchased for my parents. They are empty-nesters who like to take road trips from time to time. When I was in grad school, my mom fell in love with the slightly odd and largely unsuccessful first gen Toyota Venza (2009-2015). The 3.5L Toyota V6 is, IMO, one of the best engines ever made. The car was basically a raised Camry wagon, with great interior room and functionality. I promised my parents I would get them a Venza one day, and I was disappointed that they discontinued it in 2015.

To my surprise, the Venza was reintroduced in 2021. Based on the Harrier in Japan/overseas, this car is basically a toned-down Lexus RX or a luxury Rav4. In the USA, it comes as hybrid AWD only, which is exactly what my parents need. It’s actually slightly shorter than the Camry, but longer than the Rav4, despite having less interior room overall. Whereas the original Venza got 26mpg highway, the new Venza boasts 40mpg in the city, and 37 on the highway. The powertrain is the exact same one used in the Rav4 hybrid, but to my eye the styling is much better, both on the exterior and the interior. The interior comes packed with a variety of niceties, including a massive 12.3″ infotainment system with Toyota’s latest gen software. The ’21 and ’22 Venzas came with the last gen, and was a bit of an eyesore. The new system features both wired and wireless Android Auto, and is easy to use. The ’23 Venza also comes with a fully digital gauge cluster, which is highly customizable, as well as a color heads up display that includes useful driving information. Finally, the ’23 Venza was upgraded to Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, which consists of a host of useful driver safety tech. The main ones that will be utilized on this car are the radar cruise control, that will go all the way to a stop and back, and lane keep assist, which will vibrate and correct if it detects drifting. When used in conjunction with radar cruise, this turns into active lane centering.

We took our first road trip in the car, and the parents are extremely happy with it. The car has excellent visibility, which includes surround-view cameras, front and rear cameras, and a digital rear view mirror. The active lane centering reduces driving strain on the highway, and Android Auto make using Google Maps and listening to music and audiobooks straight from your phone a total breeze. My dad, who used to feel fatigued after even a 3 hour drive, said he felt fine even after an eight hour one. I’m happy that they’re happy with the car. So far, I think our only criticisms of the car are that it’s riding a little high – I think it would have been fine if it had been lowered by about 2″ or so, and that the interior isn’t very spacious, with the Camry offering more interior room. That said, neither are really enough to detract from the overall experience.

I’m adding it to this journal for a few reasons. The first is that since I bought the car, the title is under my name. With that, I intend to maintain the car similarly to how I would maintain my own – which is to say, meticulously. After I purchased the car, I gave it a quick wash and clay bar to get rid of any dust or debris that may have ended up on it upon its travels. Turned out there was nearly no need for it – the car had no dust of any kind on it. It also didn’t have any wax or sealant on the paint, so I gave it two coats of ceramic coating (the real kind that comes in a liquid in a small bottle – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNCY7QKC). After letting that cure, I applied an additional coat of Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Graphene Wax (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P54VRH5), and have been detailing it with their spray wax (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P53V7KN) here and there since. The oil was changed at 565 miles, and I intend to flush it again at 2,500 miles, 5,000 miles, and every 5k thereafter. I used to be a big believer in extending OCIs out to 10 or even 15k miles. I’ve since backed off from that, going from longer drains with “higher quality” oils to more frequent ones with lesser-grade but still top tier oils. There are a number of reasons this is preferable, but is also a personal choice. There’s not much else to do on top of that. I’ve added a screen protector to the large infotainment unit, and I ordered the car with the all-weather mats & door edge guards. In any case, I look forward to using this car for a very, very long time.