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The Toyota Venza has been called many things, including wagon, crossover and compact sport-utility vehicle. But Toyota insists that it’s a car. So I’ll roll with that.

The problem is more a matter of market perception than it is one of manufacturer nomenclature.

The Venza is a vehicle of reinforced unitized construction built on the platform of the Toyota Camry, still the best-selling family sedan in the United States. That bolsters Toyota’s claim that the Venza is a car.

But the Venza’s ground clearance, the distance between its chassis and the ground, is 8.1 inches – nearly three inches higher than the Toyota Camry’s ground clearance of 5.5 inches. That, in the minds of many, puts the Venza in SUV territory.

Still, the Venza is nobody’s SUV, truck or crossover utility vehicle. It rides and handles like a midsize family sedan. Equipped with optional all-wheel drive and the standard 2.7-liter in-line four-cylinder engine (182 horsepower, 182 foot-pounds of torque) – the arrangement sampled for this column – the Venza accelerates and handles in the manner of an underpowered midsize family sedan.

As illustrated by the huge number of four-cylinder vehicles on display here at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show – running through Nov. 28, including Thanksgiving weekend – four-cylinder engines are growing in favor among the world’s automobile manufacturers, all of which are being pressured by governments for more when it comes to fuel economy and less when it comes to tailpipe emissions.

But not all four-cylinder engines are alike. Their performance can be enhanced or diminished by the kinds of vehicles in which they are installed and the ancillary equipment, such as all-wheel drive, to which they are attached.

The standard engine in the all-wheel-drive Venza is overwhelmed by the high-riding posture and factory weight (3,945 pounds before occupants and luggage) of that vehicle.

For that reason, this column recommends the Venza’s optional 3.5-liter V-6 (268 horsepower, 246 foot-pounds of torque). There is a marginal fuel penalty for choosing the V-6 engine – a combined city-highway rating of 21 miles per gallon compared with a combined 22 mpg for the four-cylinder model, both using regular gasoline. But acceleration and handling are discernibly better with the V-6.

The Venza, originally launched in 2009, is aimed at Toyota loyalists who need more space than what is afforded them in the Camry sedan. The Venza gives them that space in many creative ways – there are storage bins in doors, the central console, atop the instrument panel and under seats.

The problem for Toyota is that the Venza is not a leadership vehicle. It is surrounded by competitors, such as the Nissan Juke and Honda Crosstour, that have more provocative exterior styling and better on-road performance. It will be trounced by the forthcoming Land Rover Range Rover Evoque – a compact, wagonlike SUV with a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engine, designed to ride like a sedan, to accelerate in the manner of a sports car, and to deliver off-road performance competitive with Jeeps and larger Land Rover models.

The Venza is not likely to win buyers attracted to those rival machines. It is likely, however, to continue holding on to those many Toyota customers who love their Camry sedans but now find themselves in need or in want of more hauling ability.