2022 Toyota Highlander vs 2021 Toyota Venza

The 2021 Toyota Venza was a sleek and stylish SUV that many critics noted bore a striking resemblance to a Lexus. Its design, from the grille to the elongated profile, blurred the lines between the Toyota and Lexus brands, drawing comparisons to the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept. The Venza was available in three trim levels—LE, XLE, and Limited—and offered a choice of seven paint colors. Standard features included a dual chrome-tipped exhaust, LED headlights and taillights, automatic high beams, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior boasted a wireless charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, among other amenities.

In contrast, the 2022 Toyota Highlander had a modern and somewhat aggressive front-end design. Its flared fender arches and the third-row window design made the spacious SUV appear smaller. The Highlander was available in six trims: L, LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum. The base L trim came with 18-inch alloy wheels, pushbutton start, and three-zone climate control. Higher trims added features like LED fog lights, a power liftgate, and a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. The XSE trim, in particular, stood out with its unique exterior styling, ambient interior lighting, and sport-tuned suspension.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack, powering electric motors that assisted the gasoline engine. This hybrid system delivered a combined 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The Venza's electronically-controlled continuously-variable transmission (eCVT) provided smooth acceleration, though it was not particularly rapid. The SUV's handling was confident and typical of a Toyota, with a focus on fuel efficiency. The Venza achieved an impressive EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway, 37 mpg in the city, and 39 mpg combined.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander, on the other hand, was equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. This power was routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission to either standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or available all-wheel drive (AWD). The Highlander offered a drive-mode button with Sport, Normal, and Eco modes, as well as a dial for the AWD system with Mud/Sand, Rock, and Normal modes. The Highlander’s handling was commendable, especially in the XSE trim with its sport-tuned suspension. The SUV could tow up to 5,000 pounds and had a max payload of 1,685 pounds in the FWD L and LE trims.

The 2021 Toyota Venza was known for its practicality and unique interior design. The cabin featured premium appointments, including piano black capacitive buttons for climate and infotainment controls, and a deep center console with resizable cup holders and a wireless charging pad. The Venza offered comfortable seating for five, with ample headroom and nearly equal shoulder and hip room compared to the RAV4. However, its cargo space was limited to a maximum of 55.1 cubic feet, which was less than some competitors but sufficient for daily driving needs.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander provided up to 84.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the second- and third-row seats folded. With the second-row seats in use, there was 48.4 cubic feet of cargo space, and 16 cubic feet with all seats deployed. The Highlander’s interior was designed with practicality in mind, featuring deep cargo pockets, multiple storage compartments, and cupholders even in the third row. The XSE trim offered second-row captain’s chairs, providing a center aisle to the third row and additional space between occupants. While the third row was less spacious for adults, it was suitable for short trips.

The 2021 Toyota Venza featured an 8-inch infotainment system in the LE and XLE trims, while the Limited trim had a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen. The Entune infotainment system, though not the best in the industry, included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. A Wi-Fi hotspot, a six-speaker audio system, and a nine-speaker JBL premium audio system were also available. Toyota connected services, such as Safety Connect and Remote Connect, were standard, along with dynamic navigation on models with the larger screen.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came standard with a WiFi hotspot, five USB ports, and an 8-inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with hard buttons complementing the touchscreen. Higher trims offered a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen, a digital instrument panel screen, and an 11-speaker JBL premium stereo system. The XSE trim featured a wireless charging pad and a combination of USB and USB-C ports.

The 2021 Toyota Venza was equipped with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite, which included a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was standard, with an upgrade to automatic braking available in the XLE and Limited trims. The Venza also had two full sets of LATCH connections on the rear outboard seats.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came standard with the Toyota Safety Sense suite, which included forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and automatic high beams. Higher trims added blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a surround-view parking monitor, a head-up display, and adaptive headlights. The lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist systems were very active, sometimes feeling intrusive on certain roads.