Toyota Venza Shows Off Its Dark Side With New Nightshade Edition

The Toyota Venza is probably the most overlooked crossover right now, with Lexus-like styling and a fuel-saving hybrid powertrain that makes almost 40 mpg combined. The 2023 model year brings some attractive upgrades for the Venza, including more intuitive tech and a cool Nightshade Edition.

The Venza Nightshade is based on the mid-tier XLE trim, and is offered in Celestial Black, Ruby Flare Red, and Wind Chill Pearl. The latter replaces Blizzard Pearl for all trim levels. A sinister look is accentuated by blacked-out door handles, roof rails, mirror caps, rocker panels, and badges, as well as a darkened grille and smoked chrome moldings on the bumpers. This special edition rides on 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels, which also receive the Nightshade treatment. Both the Nightshade and the XLE that it's based on gain newly standard fog lights, while the former can be equipped with a Star Gaze panoramic glass roof.

The Nightshade Edition isn't the only thing that's new on the 2023 Venza, as a new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system makes its way into the crossover. Fortunately, the minuscule 4.2-inch unit on the base LE has been replaced by a larger 8-inch version, along with a 6-speaker sound system. The XLE joins the Limited in offering a 12.3-inch infotainment system, along with an optional 9-speaker JBL Premium Audio system. Both trims also receive a Smart Key System for all five doors, which includes the liftgate. The Venza also gains some charging upgrades, with three USB ports and a new fourth-gen Qi wireless charger. The top-of-the-line Limited now has a standard 10-inch head-up display and rain-sensing wipers. The upgraded Venza also gets Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, which further expands the crossover's long list of active safety features.

Toyota didn't mention any pricing details for the updated Venza, but we don't expect them to rise too much. The Nightshade will demand a small premium over the standard XLE, likely a few thousand dollars more. Toyota didn't specify a release either, but the Venza should join other 2023 model year vehicles in a late summer/fall release.

What do you think of the latest member of Toyota's Nightshade family?

Images: Toyota