5K Review Update - My Toyota Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Has Been A Game-Changer For Me

It’s now been over five months and over 5,000 miles of ownership since I brought home my new 2024 Toyota Venza Hybrid-electric vehicle. Over this period, the vehicle has exceeded my expectations in key ways and transformed my ownership experience compared to my prior beloved Mazda CX-5 and unloved BMW X3. 
2024 Venza - Why Toyota Hybrid-Electric Drive Matters So Much In Real Use

One of the primary reasons I chose the Venza was that I wanted to make adding energy to my vehicle easier and less time-consuming. Although I live relatively close to my main hospital campus, I also cover many other locations in Massachusetts, so my driving ends up being around 1,000 miles per month. However, it’s not evenly spread out. There are weeks when I drive as many as 500 miles. The Venza has proven to go around 525 miles on one fuel tank (we use a 90-10% split of gasoline and ethanol in my area, which is why I write “fuel,” not “gas”). The Venza saves me from stopping for fuel twice in any given week. There are many periods where I will only stop for fuel once in a three-week period. Since I had a vacation in August, I got fuel just once that whole month.

During the Independence Day holiday, we were blessed to have a day at the south shore of Mass. and then head up to New Hampshire’s mountains area the next morning. We drove for well over eight hours in total, and we never bothered to stop for fuel during the long trips. I even had enough to get me to work the following Tuesday. The range of this vehicle is a huge plus.

The cost of fuel is also much much lower for me now compared to my prior CX-5, which averaged about 27 MPG. The Venza started off around 39 MPG on day one, and I have not seen the running average go below 40 MPG now for many months. Currently, it stands at just over 41 MPG. By my math, the Venza can travel 50% farther on one gallon of fuel than the CX-5. Notably, I am exceeding the EPA’s Combined estimate of 39 MPG by a meaningful amount. I’ve checked the miles per gallon by measuring the fuel in at the pump and the miles driven twice. I was happy to see the trip computer’s estimate matched the actual usage to within about 0.2 MPG.

2024 My First Toyota Dealer Service Experience

Like every new Toyota, if you stick to the manual’s guidelines, the first two years of maintenance are included in the cost of the vehicle. The first service is just inspections and tire rotation at 5K miles. However, my husband is a car nut (and works here at Torque News). He suggested that I add an oil change to this free service. So, the cost ended up being $94.99 before tax. Going forward, I plan to stick to the 10K oil change interval.

The cost is secondary to me. What matters most is the hassle of having service performed. However, with Acton Toyota of Littleton, MA, there was no hassle. I set up the service for a day I was working from home and the service department picked up the car, serviced it, and then returned it back to me. In total, I was without that car for about half a day. However, I never missed it and never wasted any of my own time driving to the facility, waiting and driving back. Neither of the Mazda dealers or the two BMW dealers I used prior had ever offered this no-hassle service experience. However, I do have to add that during COVID, Mazda serviced my vehicle for free since I was a health care worker. My Mazda dealer would also drive me back and forth to work. BMW, by contrast, suggested I deal with my own transportation needs while my car was serviced, and asked if I used Uber. 

2024 Venza Hybrid-Electric Likes

Having owned the car for almost half a year now, I have a long list of likes. They begin with the driving experience. The hybrid-electric powertrain is so smooth and so quiet it feels akin to the many battery-electric vehicles that we test. The coolest trick is that the Venza doesn’t use its engine to push the car out of the garage in the morning. Instead, I hit “on,” and the electric motors do the work. I can go out of the garage, up the hill of my driveway, turn onto the road, and start to go before the engine engages. The engine is also off whenever I am in traffic or coasting on the highway.

The luxury of the vehicle is also a big like for me. I love the heated and cooled seats, head-up display, and the trick roof, which changes from clear to opaque at the touch of the button. My husband thought I’d tire of that fun trick, but so far, he is wrong! The Venza feels more plush than my CX-5 or X3 did. It is smoother on the road and dramatically quieter.

One Fun Fact - My Sister and I Both Own Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Now

Here’s a fun observation. My sister and I both own vehicles with hybrid-electric powertrains now. She opted for a Kia after ditching her Audi, and I got the Toyota. Her husband works for a battery-electric vehicle manufacturer, and mine is a freelance vehicle reviewer and writer. She lives in Istanbul, Europe’s most populous city, and I live near one of America’s oldest and smaller cities. Hybrid-electric vehicles work great all over the world, apparently.

2024 Toyota Venza Infotainment

Although I paid to add Apple CarPlay to my 2018 Mazda, it was kludgey and required a wire. My new Venza has wireless Apple CarPlay, and it has been flawless. I use it on every trip, and I will never consider buying any vehicle without it going forward. The large screen is a big plus.

2024 2024 Venza Hybrid-Electric Vehicle - One Dislike of Mine and One of My Passenger

What’s up with the weird placement of the on/off button up under the center console? It feels like an afterthought. I wish my Venza had a smart key option for my phone. Although I don’t miss it much as the driver, when my husband is a passenger, he misses having a volume knob.

2024 Upcoming Tire Plans

We test tires on all vehicles in our extended family fleet, and we plan to test a set of Goodyear all-weather tires with the severe-snow duty rating starting in winter. It will be interesting to see if they are louder or reduce the driving range at all. Watch for an upcoming report this fall.

Why Not A RAV4 Hybrid or Prime, and Why Not A Battery-Electric Vehicle?

I touched on this in my initial report, but the Venza was not my only consideration when I shopped. We had previously had the chance to test the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV), and my husband and I both loved that vehicle. There were two available the day I bought my Venza, but I opted not to buy a vehicle with a plug due to the hassles we have with the ones we test now. I’m tired of stepping over the cord when I walk through the garage, and I don’t like the idea of having to charge one when I’m on the road. The Prime also cost about $5K more. There was a bZ4x with a massive discount on sale that day too, but the range was way too low for my needs.

We road-tripped with a plug-in Mitsubishi Outlander this year, and it was cool, but owning one wouldn’t save us any meaningful money on fuel. At our residence, electricity costs $0.32/kWh, so using electricity costs us more than using regular fuel, which has been around $3.10 since I got the vehicle. My energy cost per mile is well under ten cents with the Venza. Another reason I opted for the Venza was styling. I like the look inside and out much more. The RAV4 is too boxy for me. We own a boxy vehicle already (Bronco Sport Badlands), so I wanted something sleeker.

5 Month Recap

Over the initial ownership period, the Venza has had no issues and has proven to be super easy to live with. My highest priority is reliability and dependability, and the Toyota brand delivers that. We often have a new test vehicle to try out, and I have yet to experience a vehicle I’d prefer to own and live with more than my Toyota Venza Hybrid-electric vehicle. And that includes the pricey luxury models, most of which don't appeal to me very much. Many of the doctor friends I have own Toyotas and Lexus brand cars. I’m very happy with my Toyota Venza and likely won't ever buy another vehicle without a hybrid-electric powertrain. 

Author note: To be clear, this is not a media vehicle, but one that I own. My total out the door cost after dealer Doc fees and Delivery fees was just a bit above MSRP. 

Hande Tuncer, MD, is a contributing writer to Torque News and publications related to medical topics. When she is not submitting a guest story or working as a clinician and researcher she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. You can follow Hande on Tiktok at @handehayirlioglut.