2010 Toyota Venza AWD

Holy bad brakes, Batman! Excepting a few hybrids, the Venza's brake pedal is the most unnatural and least confidence inspiring of any I've experienced in a new vehicle. The first nine tenths of its travel seems to do nothing aside from switching on the rear brake light. This is true regardless of whether you're going 10 mph or 60 mph, meaning you always have to slam the brakes, no matter what the circumstances. It almost feels like a car that's spent too much time at the track and run down its pads, but who would be doing threshold-braking tests on a Venza in mid-February? Certainly not us. Aside from that, Phil covered just about everything. The Venza doesn't offer any unique utility or features, which makes it hard to justify its unappealing exterior. Why anyone would walk into a Toyota showroom and pick this over a similarly-priced Highlander or Sienna minivan - both of which look better, drive better, and offer more utility - is completely beyond me. David Zenlea, Assistant Editor