Comments by "Stephen Hendricks" (@stephenhendricks103) on "" video.

  1. The Venza fills a hole in Toytota's unibody midsize SUV lineup. Before its release only Mazda and Toyota among mainstream automakers failed to offer two vehicles in the huge midsize category. A group of smaller vehicles most ranging in size from about 187" to 192" in length (all of which except the KIA Sorento are 2 row vehicles) and a group of larger 3 row vehicles ranging from 195" to 204" long. With Toyota's Venza now available Mazda stands alone in not having two unibody SUVs in the midsize category. Toyota could have developed a wholly different model as an alternative to the Highlander. (e.g. Ford Edge vs Explorer; KIA Sorento vs the Telluride, Chevy Blazer vs Traverse etc.) Or they could have chopped a few inches off their existing larger vehicle and simply eliminated the rear row of seats. (e.g. Honda Passport vs Pilot; VW Cross Sport vs Atlas.) Toyota took a different path. They simply simply took an existing vehicle, the Harrier, rebadged and tweaked it slightly, limited the drive train to a hybrid option and called it a day. From Toyota's viewpoint an extremely economical way to solve their problem. While they were at it Toyota solved another problem. The looks (if not the capabilities) of the current generation RAV4 had evolved into a mini-4Runner. Very popular, of course, but not as appealing to those whose taste once ran toward traditional station wagons (even if they now disdain wagons) and whose priorities extended only as far as travel over a very occasional gravel road. So give the Venza a premium vibe combine to the RAV4's "adventurous" image. For consumers, especially empty nesters or families with a teen or two and unwilling or unable to consider a Lexus, the Venza provided a more affordable alternative. A Venza Prime? Certainly a possibility but I suspect that the pool of potential Venza customers who prioritize scalding performance may not be sufficient to support the offering. Time will tell.
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