The Detroit Newspapers's view

It was bound to happen.

Toyota Motor Corp. had a gap between its top-selling Camry sedan and its big Highlander SUV. Another vehicle was needed to fill that obvious glaring hole.

Ta-da:The 2009 Venza, Toyota’s midsize crossover. It rolls into dealerships next month and joins the fray of midsize crossovers filling up everyone’s showroom.

It’s a sharp little people-and-things hauler. It offers loads of space, good mileage, solid performance and a variety of consumer-friendly options that will leave almost everyone skipping out of their Toyota dealership ready to fill up their Consumer Reports survey with smiley faces. There’s no denying, Toyota will sell a bundle of them. And while I like it, nothing on this five-passenger front-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle blew me away.

I know it’s nice; in fact, it’s very nice, and all of the right ingredients are there.

But the sum of its parts still left a hole in its impression for me.

A crossover that’s not a crossover Toyota, like so many carmakers before it, may have fallen victim to its own marketing hype. It refuses to call this crossover what it is — a crossover.

The company’s press materials specifically say this vehicle is “not an SUV, not a wagon, not a coupe and not a sedan.”

It refers to the Venza as — and I’m not making this up — “a new genre in personal transportation” as if it’s some sort of carriage made from magic dust and pumpkins.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to redefine a market segment, but just because Toyota doesn’t want to call the Venza a crossover, doesn’t mean I can’t.

It’s a crossover, a car-based vehicle with the utility of those bigger SUVs.

A nice one at that, it feels surefooted on the road, offers a commanding view from the driver’s seat, a back seat big enough to get teenagers in trouble and many of the amenities of a luxury vehicle.

Toyota is even offering just one trim level.

All of the options are served up on an a la carte menu of smart choices and well-bundled features.

I’ve never liked the way some automakers paired options, offering one thing you want and three things you don’t.

Toyota lets you buy the back-up camera without soaking you for the navigation system. You can get the panoramic sunroof and nothing else if that’s the way you roll.

But remember, you’re rolling in a crossover, not a little sports car. The Venza is built off the same platform as the Kentucky-built Camry, a midsize sedan.

It shares the Camry’s wheelbase of 109.3 inches, which falls between some of the Venza’s serious competition such as the Mazda CX-7 (108 inches) and the Ford Edge (111 inches). And its performance falls between those two vehicles as well. It’s less truck-like than the Edge and less twitchy fun than the CX-7. A little of both, but without the jagged corners in performance that might nick you. It’s safe, right down the middle, sans playful surprise. Now that’s a Toyota.

The high ride and Highlander bits in the suspension help provide more than 8 inches clearance, and the McPherson struts and dual link rear suspension is surprisingly smooth on the road. But there’s a numbness to the ride that does provide the road feel you expect from a car. This could come from the insanely quiet ride. Toyota has mastered creating super-silent cabins. And while that adds to the perceived quality of its machines, it takes away from the connection a driver feels with the road.

The steering, power assisted rack-and-pinion, is well weighted and responsive, but slightly disconnected to road. It feels sterile, like you’re steering an arcade game — a very advanced one, mind you. Maybe it was the 19- or 20-inch wheels that come with the Venza models that stripped it of a sporty ride.

Two engine choices offered The Venza has two engine choices: The big 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and the 3.5-liter V-6.

During my test-drives, I thought the four-cylinder engine might be too weak to muscle the heavy Venza around; an all-wheel-drive, four-banger model nearly tip the scales at two tons (3,945 pounds). But in the steep hills of Western Pennsylvania, the four-cylinder model had no problem.

Pumping out 182 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque, the engine gave the Venza lots of power. The six-speed automatic transmission was equally as impressive, never searching through the gears as it adjusted to the changing terrain. The V-6 makes the Venza outright fast. It produces 268 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque — making it more powerful than the CX-7 and just a few ponies more than the Edge.

Both engines offered excellent fuel economy as well, with the 2.7-liter reaching 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, while the 3.5-liter obtained 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway (both front-wheel-drive only, all-wheel-drive numbers lose a mile in each category).

The exterior keeps that streamlined crossover look: Oversized wheels with the fenders swelling above them, a steep windshield and hatchback high rear end. A few inches lower than the Edge and CX-7, the Venza does have a lower profile. By design, the Venza is very easy to get in and out of, something that will be appealing to two-thirds of potential customers, according to Toyota, aging baby boomers who are dealing with an empty nest. Many may have already started feeling the effects of graying roots and sideburns and will appreciate something that doesn’t require a step up or fall down into the seat.

The exterior, however, is similar to the vehicle’s performance: nondescript. Try to describe it and not use the word “Murano.”

Everything you need inside The inside is exceptional. The 60/60 dash was designed to appear as if both the driver and the front passenger have 60 percent of the dash. Obviously some sharing was created in the center stack. The instruments are easy to read and the flow-cross folding flow of the dash works.

Toyota also introduces a wire management system that allows the driver to plug in his music-playing device and then hide all of the wires. The system works well, though it doesn’t allow that you may want to unplug the device to take it with you. And while the optional JBL stereo system allows for a Bluetooth connection for streaming music, the system does not have a USB connection for a musical device, which would have eliminated a need to manage all of those wires.

But that’s a minor quibble. The center console is massive and provides lots of storage. The leather seats are comfortable, though I wanted them more bolstered for when I’m zipping through corners. However, I liked the feature that allows you to drop the second row while standing at the rear opening hatch. Just pull a lever and plop goes half of the 60/40 split second row. The optional powerlift gate is a must have item. Every vehicle should come with this feature as far as I’m concerned.

When you sit behind the wheel of the Venza, you want for nothing. Everything you need, and a few things you didn’t know you needed, are at your finger tips. That’s what makes this crossover so nice. There’s no magic dust sprinkled around this car-based utility vehicle, just excellent craftsmanship and thoughtful design.

It is what is, and by any other name, it would still be a good midsized crossover.

Scott Burgess is the auto critic for The Detroit News. He can be reached at (313) 223-3217 or sburgess@detnews.com.

Report Card

Overall: *** 1/2

Exterior: Good. Clean and unassuming looks.

Interior: Excellent; lots of appealing features. Bluetooth connections for stereo and phone. Second row offers plenty of room for adults.

Performance: Good; rides smaller than body looks from the outside but still provides plenty of power. The V-6 outperforms the four-cylinder engine and is much more spirited on the road.

Safety: Excellent; electronic stability control, full complement of air bags and other safety features.

Pros: Comfortable ride with lots of utility and good gas mileage.

Cons: Lacks the sporty ride and city mileage still poor on V-6 models.

Grading scale

Excellent: **** Good: ***

Fair: ** Poor: *

2009 Toyota Venza

Type: Five-passenger front-wheel or all-wheel drive crossover. Price*

FWD 4-cylinder: $25,975

AWD V-6: $29,250

Engine

2.7-liter four-cylinder

3.5-liter six-cylinder

Power

2.7-liter: 182 hp; 182-pound-feet torque

3.5-liter: 268 hp; 246-pound-feet torque

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

EPA gas mileage (city / highway):

2.7-liter FWD: 21/29

2.7-liter AWD: 20/28

3.5-liter FWD: 19/26

3.5-liter AWD: 18/25

Source: Toyota

*: Does not include shipping.