2022 Toyota Venza Interior and Cargo

Despite its extra length over the RAV4, the Venza's trunk is smaller. It measures 28.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats as opposed to the 37.5 cubes of the RAV4 Hybrid, which is quite a big difference. This is mainly due to the Venza's car-like sloping roofline. It will still be enough for a weekly shop or a small family's paraphernalia for a weekend away, though. Toyota has not yet provided a figure for the cargo capacity with the 60/40-split folding rear seats folded, but this should expand cargo room appreciably to accommodate larger boxes and other items. A standard hands-free power liftgate makes loading heavier items less of a hassle.

Interior storage space is good, with four cupholders and four bottle holders, including cupholders in the rear center armrest. There is also a center console that includes a 12V input and a removable utility tray. The front seats have seatback pockets and all models get an overhead console but you will lose the dashboard cubby areas found on the RAV4.

Toyota has limited the Venza to just three trims or "grades" as the manufacturer now refers to them. The base LE has a 4.2-inch multi-information display, wireless phone charging, LED headlights and taillights, a rearview camera, and the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite which includes pre-collision warning, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, and lane tracing assist. Comfort and convenience items include an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar support, power-folding wing mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, and a hands-free power liftgate. Moving up to the mid-range XLE adds a seven-inch multi-information display, heated front seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a memory function for the driver's seat, and a smart key system for all doors and the tailgate. The range-topping Limited adds a digital rearview mirror with HomeLink, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a bird's eye view camera. Notable options on the Limited are a 10-inch color head-up display and a Star Gaze fixed panoramic roof with an electronic sunshade.

The Venza's infotainment system will be familiar to anyone who's been in a recent Toyota model. An eight-inch touchscreen acts as the base size, offering Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity as standard. Upgrading to the Limited bumps the screen size up to 12.3 inches and ties in a JBL audio system with nine speakers (compared to six speakers in the lower trims). This is the same screen found in the upper trim Highlander models and it makes the Venza feel techier inside.

Unfortunately, it still suffers from the same sun glare issues as the smaller screen and must be split into two sections at all times. This split nature does come in handy though when using Apple or Android, giving the driver easy access to radio and climate controls. Speaking of radio and climate controls, all of them are touch-sensitive in the Venza, which we feel is cumbersome to use compared to physical buttons and knobs.