Is the 4th Gen RX just an updated steroided Venza with all the bells and whistles?

 

The RX has been existing since 1998 and still going strong. The Venza has come and gone...discontinued. If you're talking about looks. The Venza is a tall wagon, so is a Subaru Outback, which is also still going strong. Can't say same about Venza.

 

We drove the Venza when shopping for the RX back in 2010. The ride was harsh compared to the RX. Made it around the block before returning back to the Toyota dealer.

 

Absolutely nothing wrong if you prefer the Venza over the RX. In this little world of us, "Each on his own . . ." however, to make a wild comparison of the two as being similar except for the RX350 being on steroid is absolutely wrong. Otherwise, we can also compare the RAV4 as being the same as the RX350 on steroid. Or even better the Highlander or the Sienna being same as the RX350 not on steroid but simply priced well above. If you prefer the Venza go for it. But absolutely no reason to be critical of the RX350 because you simply prefer the Venza.

 

I was always under the impression that a Venza was Camry based while an RX was built on the Highlander chassis, no?

 

Venza discontinued so odd we're even discussing this.

 

That is correct. RX350 shares the same platform as the Highlander especially the high end or Limited version of the Highlander. If you look at the base price, actually they are almost the same around $40K. In fact, they share the same type of engine although the tranny is different.

 

What does it matter? Many vehicles manufactured by Toyota share major components - engines, transmissions, brakes, electrical and structural components.

There are lots of theories on why the Venza didn't sell better: too much like a "station wagon", too similar to the Camry and Highlander, harsh ride from the 20" wheels, etc. Some auto journalists thought the Venza would have sold better as a Lexus.

There are, or at least were, a lot of Venzas in our extended family. One of my sister-in-laws and a number of her sisters had identical white Venzas with pano roofs and all options which were acquired through a Toyota corporate employee purchase program. I think some of those Venzas are "gone" but it was fun to see the sisters figure out which Venza belonged to whom at a particular family gathering.

I considered both the Venza and RX in 2014 when I replaced my last Lexus LS. I actually preferred the Venza but it wasn't available with Pre-Collision and radar cruise control. I was also a bit perturbed that the Venza built in the U.S. and exported to Russia was better equipped than the one sold in the U.S.

It is important to remember that Lexus is only a brand name of Toyota and not a car manufacturer - similar to what Lincoln is to Ford and Chevrolet is to GM ... and what Chrysler/Dodge is to Fiat!. While I've bought and enjoyed Lexus vehicles, they've always been just nice Toyotas to me. Here's an old photo of one of my Lexus license plate frames.

 

So I know the RX is based on the highlander these days. The NX200 is actually based on the RAV 4. Yes the Venza was based on the Camry. I also understand and know that the Lexus is the luxury division of Toyota. I actually tried to have a family member get a Venza several years ago when they were still being manufactured, but they opted for the Highlander since it had a 3rd row set of seats. During that time I looked at them and now I have a 4th gen RX, it was just one of those things though that popped into my head at how much similar in design styling the Venza is to the new RX. Not sure if a lot of people know that GM's GTO was actually a Holden from GM's Australian division. A lot of GM's cars up until this year are / were actually Opels from their German / European division of GM. The Ford Kuga in the UK is the Escape here. What I'm getting to is many times nothing is really new. It's just rebadged or discontinued in one location and/or form and then brought back in to another. I was just curious to see if anyone else saw the similarities in these two cars. Thats why I included the two pictures.

 

Funny thing , I had thought of this a couple of years ago , the Venza was cancelled because it looked too much like the new Rx , I believe it's true

 

When Venza first came out, I was attracted to it, until I went to a car show, sat in it, and realized how low to the ground it was compared to my then current RX.

 

Basically a sedan with a hatchback.

 

2021 Venza vs RX 450h: How Do They Compare?
By Brett Foote

The new Toyota Venza closes the gap between premium mass-market crossovers and full-blown luxury vehicles.

 

l had the following ;Cressida,corolla, 2 Rav , 2 Tacoma’s, Venza, Avalon ,Rx450, 3 Gs series,Rx450,presently a Rx 350 lux. All excellent cars.

 

I would think the Venza would form the basis for the next NX hybrid. The new Venza is even smaller than the RAV4 Hybrid.