In addition to being a family favorite, the 2009 Toyota Venza is one of the “pet friendliest” cars on the road. With a comprehensive line of canine-friendly aftermarket pet products, the Venza is your excuse to bring your pet in for a shopping spree!
Toyota has a good reason for making the 2009 Venza ultra-pet-friendly. “More than 29 million Americans have traveled with their pets within the past three years,” says Bob Zeinstra, National Product Marketing Manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., “and more than half of all dog owners consider their pets’ comfort when buying a car. Our goal is to inform these on-the-go pet owners that Venza is a great choice when it comes to creature comfort and pet travel safety options.”
Lucky, a discriminating Dalmatian travel writer, highly recommends the 2009 Toyota Venza in his exclusive article “The Best Car for Dogs: A Dog’s View,” available for reading on the Dogtime website at http://dogtime.com/best-car-for-dogs-toyota-venza.html. To be fair, the Toyota Venza is a Dogtime.com sponsor. The Venza is also a sponsor of the hit show, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, on the National Geographic Channel.
The new Venza features more than a dozen pet-friendly additions, and the most “official gear” ever offered by Toyota. On the list, Venza sports a pet booster seat with a harness (as well as a leash tether and pet seatbelt buckles), a rear hatch pet ramp for easy loading and unloading, a first/second-row or cargo area pet barrier and rear seat zipline-style harnesses. Removable hammock-style seat covers are waterproof and also available on the Venza.
Venza’s design is people-friendly as well. Toyota has made entry and exit easy by lowering the rocker panels and narrowing the doorsills. In addition, the rear load-in height is lower than Camry and almost as low as the Sienna van.
The 2009 Toyota Venza is a versatile and appealing five-passenger crossover that blurs the line between sport-utility and passenger sedan. With excellent fuel economy, innovative design, outstanding front and rear headroom and good value, Venza raises the bar for ride comfort and utility. Specifically, Venza offers brilliant modern styling, on-road performance, a luxurious and refined interior and SUV-like capability in the form of all-wheel drive (AWD), a sizeable rear cargo area, folding rear seats, a higher driver sightline and a towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds (when properly equipped).
The 2009 Venza is packed with standard features. Exterior features include integrated foglamps, privacy glass on all rear windows and a roof-mounted XM Satellite Radio antenna. The standard rear door includes an electrically powered cinch function that ensures the vehicle's hatch door is not left partially ajar. Interior features include dual-zone automatic climate control with air filter and second-row seat vents to create a sense of enhanced comfort. A tilt/telescopic adjustable steering wheel with integrated audio controls is also standard.
Options on Toyota’s newest introduction include an impressive list of features typically reserved for luxury vehicles, like a panoramic roof with power moonroof, chrome accents and high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps with an automatic high beam feature.
Beyond its cavernous rear cargo area, Venza’s exceptional versatility takes the form of a number of useful storage options, like MP3 player compartments (with wire concealment spots), map pockets, cup and bottle holders and a dynamic center console.
Venza also features your choice of three unique audio systems, highlighted by a 13-speaker 6-CD available JBL Synthesis® surround-sound system with MP3 and satellite radio capability. A Bluetooth hands-free phone systems and rear-seat JBL Synthesis® surround-sound DVD entertainment system are also available features.
Standard power for the Venza is a fuel-efficient 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine with 182 hp at 5,800 rpm and 182 lb/ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. The EPA mileage estimate is 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. An available 3.5-liter V6 puts out 268 hp at 6,200 rpm and 246 lb/ft of torque at 4,700 rpm. Paired with a six-speed, sequential-shift automatic transmission with intelligence (ECT-i), the Venza is assured an enjoyable and efficient driving experience (up to 26 mpg). The V6 and four-cylinder Venza's also feature available all-wheel drive, which optimizes the distribution of torque between front and rear wheels for exceptional traction and cornerning capability.
In addition to confident traction, the Venza incorporates a number of standard features designed to keep you safe, including seatbelt pretensioners and an intelligent array of airbags (seven in total).
With a starting MSRP of $25,975, it’s going to be hard to top the 2009 Toyota Venza value proposition. We urge you to see the versatile Venza soon…and bring the dog!
