ˆ SEMA Preview: Toyota Venza Sportlux by Street Image

tags : sema , sportlux , street image , streetimage , toyota , venza

Toyota's SEMAfied Venzas won't stop, even if we ask nicely. The second modified don't-call-it-a-Camry wagon comes courtesy of Street Image, which will bring the SportLux Venza "performance show car" to SEMA. A contradiction in terms if we've ever heard it. According to Toyota PR, the SportLux is a model that could be offered as a factory tuner, complete with six-piece body kit, spoiler, custom grille and, of course, a hood scoop. Thankfully, Street Image's blood, sweat and tears didn't stop with the body, so a TRD supercharger has been fitted to the engine (although no power figures were divulged), sending the additional grunt to four, 24-inch Chrome Cognac No 20 wheels (seriously), suspended by a set of custom coilovers. The same brakes fitted to the Five Axis vehicle appear on the SportLux, and in keeping with the "Lux" part of its name, black suede covers the roof, sunvisors, pillars and trunk, along with a black and burgundy leather interior, accent lighting and color matched trim. An Eclipse AVN6620 sound system with a 7-inch TFT display churns out 2,500 watts of only the finest Michael Bolton.

posted : 10/21/2008 @7:31:48 PM

ˆ SEMA Preview: Toyota Venza AS V by Five Axis

tags : five axis , fiveaxis , toyota venza , toyotavenza

Toyota gave a sneak peak of its two tuned Venzas ahead of their unveiling at SEMA, and the first, designed and executed by Five Axis, is an attempt to portrait the jacked-up wagon as the go-to vehicle for active lifestyle types. The Venza AS V (Active Sports Versatility) features a custom body kit, Five Axis-designed AD R6:F_SPEC 20x10.5-inch deep dish wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan ST tires (305/45s all around), TRD big brakes with six-piston calipers gripping 15-inch discs up front and four-piston calipers clamping 13.6-inch rotors in the rear, along with a custom rear cargo unit and a Magna Car Top cargo lifter mounted on the rear bumper.

posted : 10/18/2008 @7:50:53 PM

ˆ SEMA Preview: Toyota's Vegas-bound Venzas

tags : five axis , fiveaxis , sema , sema 2008 , sema2008 , street image inc. , streetimageinc. , toyota , toyota venza as v , toyota venza sportlux , toyotavenzaasv , toyotavenzasportlux , venza

When you think about the Toyota Venza, we doubt the first thing that comes to mind is customization. But that hasn't stopped Toyota from tapping Street Image, Inc. and long-time partner Five Axis to create a duo of Venza project cars for November's SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The two low-slung crossovers (don't call them wagons) attempt to highlight and accentuate the active lifestyles of the Venza's core demographic, beginning with the Street Image variant (above) that boasts an upgraded engine and brakes, massive rollers, a lowered ride height, body kit, a black/burgundy interior and a sat-nav-equipped entertainment system. Toyota says the Street Image SportLux version attempts "to give the occupants the feel of a refined sports car while retaining the Venza's utility and functionality." We say, good luck. Five Axis makes a slightly more compelling case for customizing the Venza with a stow-away rack system created by Magna Car Top Systems that can transport everything from bicycles to skis. New front and rear bumpers, wider fenders and pot-hole averse 20x10.5-inch wheels round out the exterior mods on the Venza AS V.

posted : 10/3/2008 @8:38:50 PM

ˆ Subaru Exiga heading to production, teaser leaks out

tags : breaking , crossover , cuv , exiga , subaru , subaru exiga , subaruexiga , suv , toyota , toyota venza , toyotavenza , venza

We received word from a little birdie last week that Subaru was gearing up to release its brand-new Exiga into journalist's hands in Japan. Coincidentally (or not), a teaser shot of Subaru's new pseudo-CUV popped up on the NASIOC forum over the weekend and it's clear from the darkened profile that many of the elements from the show car have migrated over to the production model.

The Exiga, which appeared at last year's Tokyo Motor Show as a lightly veiled concept, will likely form the basis for the new Outback, slotting in between the Legacy and the Tribeca CUV. However, it's doubtful that when the Exiga (or Outback) makes the trek across the Pacific it will be sporting seven full seats. Its closest competitor here in the States is the forthcoming Toyota Venza, which aims to define a new segment between wagon and crossover, but in reality, both vehicles own their inspiration to the AMC Eagle, the original wagon on stilts.

posted : 5/12/2008 @11:05:36 PM

ˆ Details remain scarce on Toyotas new inline-four

tags : toyota , toyota 2.7 liter four , toyota 2.7-liter inline four , toyota 2.7l four , toyota venza , toyota2.7-literinlinefour , toyota2.7lfour , toyota2.7literfour , toyotavenza , venza

When Toyota unveiled the Venza in Detroit, the only details about what would motivate the CUV/wagon/Camry-on-stilts were two possible powerplants. The first was the range-topping 268-hp 3.5-liter V6, while details about an "all-new" 2.7-liter four-cylinder were scarce. KickingTires tapped CSM Worldwide who made an educated guess on the new engine's output and pegged it at 188 hp, a predictable though sizable bump in power over the 157-hp, 2.4-liter four currently used throughout Toyota's lineup.
more ...

posted : 1/19/2008 @2:16:39 PM

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