2009 Toyota Venza - Second Drive

Back in the good old days when gasoline was cheap—oh, about four years ago—and credit came easy, bigger was better. We bought the car or truck we wanted, not necessarily the one we needed. Today, in a time of economic hell approaching Dantesque proportions, we buy what we need, assuming we can afford anything at all. With the Venza, Toyota is hoping to take the sting out of this painful dilemma by giving us some of the things we want in a car, SUV, and minivan and blending them into one seemingly practical package we might actually want.

The source of this all-for-one vehicle is Toyota’s versatile Camry architecture, fortified with some Highlander hardware and spiced up with fresh sheetmetal. In broad terms, the Venza falls into the ill-defined crossover category, but it leans more toward being like a car than an SUV. Compared with the six-inch-taller Highlander, its ride and handling are more compliant, its style is swoopier, and it’s less utilitarian in that there’s no third row of seats. Compared with a Camry, its rear seat is equally roomy, it’s easier to get into and out of, and its sightlines are higher, but its tall stance and elevated center of gravity make it somewhat less agile.

33 mpg Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept

Toyota Displays Hybrid Synergy Drive® Versatility With CNG-Powered Camry Hybrid Concept At 2008

November 19, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today highlighted the versatility of its Hybrid Synergy Drive® system by showing a compressed natural gas (CNG) Camry Hybrid concept vehicle at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

“In the near future, growing demand for liquid petroleum simply and effectively will exceed supply,” said Chris Hostetter, group vice president, TMS Advanced Product Strategy. “Before that occurs, automakers must look to vehicles powered by alternative fuels. We believe CNG will be one of those alternatives.”

The current CNG benefits are amplified by rapidly changing market conditions and an increase in consumer environmental awareness. As a transport fuel, natural gas is a clean and safe gasoline alternative. It can potentially reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil and reduce vehicle operating costs. Currently more than 99 percent of natural gas used in the U.S. comes from domestic & other North American sources. Proven worldwide natural gas reserves are estimated to last until 2100 and have the potential to last until 2200 through improved advanced production methods.

Natural gas also produces lower particulate emissions, nitrous oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and non-methane organic gases (NMOG), and less CO2 per unit of energy when compared with gasoline. In addition, it has a higher flash point (ignition temperature) than gasoline, can run at a higher compression ratio and is quickly dispersed into the atmosphere, should a leak occur.

The CNG Camry Hybrid concept was designed by the TMS Advanced Product Strategy group and built by Metal Crafters of Fountain Valley, Calif. To convert the stock Camry Hybrid to a CNG vehicle, the gasoline fuel system was replaced with a CNG system including two CNG tanks installed in the spare tire well area.

The exterior of the vehicle also received some sporty ‘concept’ touches. A sleek custom front fascia and front bumper cover eliminate the grill opening, while a custom rear bumper covers the tail pipe and visible exhaust system. The vehicle is fitted with 19 x 7.5 alloy wheels and Bridgestone Potenza 225/35ZR19 run-flat tires to accommodate the lack of a spare tire. The overall ride height is lowered while new side body skirts and “Compressed Natural Gas Hybrid” graphics complete the unique look.

In 1999, Toyota marketed a CNG-powered four-cylinder Camry to fleet customers in California. Due to relatively low gasoline costs at that time, customers were not attracted to a vehicle that required special refueling techniques and a limited refueling infrastructure. The program was discontinued a year later. Today there are less than 1,000 CNG refueling stations nationwide, with less than half open to the public.

“Toyota believes CNG has huge potential, both in the U.S. and globally,” said Hostetter, “but CNG is just one of the many alternative fuels we’re exploring in our ongoing advanced technology research and development.”

TOYOTA CNG CAMRY HYBRID CONCEPT

PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS

POWERTRAIN

2.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine with Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive®

Gasoline fuel system replaced with CNG system

ESTIMATED FUEL ECONOMY (mpg)

City/Highway/Combined = 32/34/33

(Gasoline Camry Hybrid = 33/34/34)

NET HORSEPOWER (Engine + Electric Motor + Generator + Power Storage)

170 hp

CNG SYSTEM

•Two (2) Lincoln composite Type 4 tanks - plastic liner with carbon fiber wrapped exterior

•Tanks installed in spare tire well area

•Maximum 3,600 psi

CAPACITY

Proposed 8 gallon gasoline equivalent

RANGE

250+ miles

DIMENSIONS (inches)

Overall Length: 191.2

Overall Width: 71.7

Overall Height: 57.5

Wheelbase: 109.3

Wheel Size: 19 x 7.5 alloy wheels

Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept

Toyota has released images of the Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept, or the T. Boone Pickens cruiser as we like to call it. Already known for their gas-electric hybrids, this concept combines the Hybrid Synergy Drive system with a natural gas-fueled engine. Toyota claims the Hybrid should travel more than 250 miles per fill-up, which could theoretically occur at any of the approximately 1,000 CNG refueling stations in the US. As this is currently just a concept, they've added an aggressive body kit with a covered grille which certainly distinguishes it from the regular Camry Hybrid. Natural gas has been part of the alternative fuel discussion because of its domestic production capacity and relatively stable price. Details about the CNG Hybrid Camry from Toyota below.

A Camry Hybrid Fueled by CNG

As you very likely know, we’re big believers in the concept of hybrid vehicles. We build gas-electric hybrids in several styles; one of them, our Prius, is the most fuel-efficient vehicle in America.

But we also believe that there’s more than one way to solve a problem. One problem we’d like to solve involves the unpredictable nature of gas prices.

Gas prices are relatively low now, but they were incredibly high last summer, and could well revert to those high levels. But the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) remains fairly stable, and there’s a strong, reliable domestic supply of CNG. It just happens to be one of many alternative fuel applications being explored in Toyota’s broad sustainable mobility research and development strategy.

That’s why we built a special concept CNG Camry Hybrid that we’ll display at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday.

To convert a stock Camry Hybrid to a CNG vehicle, the gasoline fuel system was replaced with a CNG system that includes a pair of CNG tanks installed in the spare-tire well of the vehicle’s trunk. Because it now lacks a spare tire, the CNG Camry Hybrid rolls on runflat tires.

And roll it does. With the proposed CNG equivalent of 8 gallons of gasoline in its tanks, the estimated range of the CNG Camry Hybrid is more than 250 miles. Link that efficiency to the price of CNG and you can see why we’re interested in this – as this is written, CNG is about a dime cheaper, per gallon, than the national average price of regular-grade 87-octane gasoline.

But price and efficiency are only the tip of the iceberg of CNG benefits. Natural gas also produces lower particulate emissions and lower levels of nitrous oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and non-methane organic gasses (NMOG) when compared with gasoline. And because CNG is so clean, potential wear and tear on an engine fueled by it is greatly reduced.

Those are the considerable upsides to CNG. There also are downsides. An important one is that there are fewer than 1,000 CNG refueling stations in the U.S., with fewer than half of them open to the public. Also, natural gas is less dense than gasoline. So a CNG engine will have approximately 10% less power than an equivalent gasoline engine. Also, a CNG vehicle’s fuel tank must be cylindrical, so it is more difficult to package than a gasoline tank, which can be shaped to conform to any available space.

We want to underscore the fact that the CNG Camry Hybrid is just a concept vehicle. This concept vehicle is a statement that we intend to include CNG in our diverse portfolio of future alternative-fuel R&D. Our purpose in building it as a concept is to demonstrate the efficiency and adaptability of Hybrid Synergy Drive, and to demonstrate that we continue to work with a variety of powertrain concepts to ensure that we have products that meet the current and future needs of our customers on a global basis. We think you’ll find the CNG Camry Hybrid interesting. So if you’re visiting the LA show, feel free to drop by and take a look.

2009 Toyota Venza - Short Take Road Test

During the Toyota Venza press presentation in gorgeous Farmington, Pennsylvania, we listened to Toyota describe the recipe for the perfect modern station wagon: Take one of the country’s most popular sedans—the Camry, natch—add more trunk room for your junk, raise the roof a few inches, and leave everything else where it is. The thing is, Toyota won’t call the Venza a wagon.

Nor, for that matter, does it consider the Venza a crossover, the term every other manufacturer calls its wagons when it's too chicken to call them wagons. To describe the Venza, then, Toyota came up with a yet-undiscovered wagon-avoidance term: “the car, optimized.”

Mix of Highlander and Camry

Eyes rolled around the room. Isn’t “the car, optimized” the very definition of a wagon? Toyota’s feeling is that the Venza is about 70-percent car, 30-percent SUV, but in contrast to most crossovers and sport-utes, the Venza makes no promises of off-road dexterity. (Although, interestingly, the Venza offers the same 8.1 inches of ground clearance as does Toyota’s own Highlander.) It also doesn’t offer a third-row-seat option, so mechanically speaking, what you have here essentially is a “Camry, optimized.”

2010 Toyota Camry? [Spy Photos]

Not really. We're almost 100% sure the top photo, uncovered by the very strange-to-look-at Vince Burlapp, is a Toyota Aurion, the Camry's Australian sibling, and not the 2010 Toyota Camry. Though it isn't the new, next-generation Camry, it is a reminder America's best-selling mid-size car will likely get a makeover soon. Rather than the more bland styling of the Aurion, we suspect the next face lift for the Camry will include the sharper headlights of the Matrix and U-shaped grille of the new Corolla. We've also been told to expect the next Camry update to include at least one new engine. We do not, however, expect it to come in flavors other than vanilla.[Burlapp Cars]