2023 Toyota Venza SUV Hybrid Gets New Nightshade Edition

The current generation of Toyota Venza made its debut as 2021 model and has already received a significant upgrades

Toyota’s lineup for the Indian market might be thin but the Japanese carmaker offers an exquisite portfolio for international markets. One of these likeable machines from the brand is Toyota Venza which has recently received a significant update. The Coupe-style SUV has received a new trim which goes by the name Nightshade Edition.

This variant adopts a dark theme by trading off the conventional chrome trims. In the process of going dark, the new Nightshade Edition also gains some new features in its equipment. Based on the mid-spec XLE trim, the new trim gets the same overall styling as the standard model barring a few cosmetic enhancements.

2023 Toyota Venza SUV Nightshade Edition – Exterior

The Venza Nightshade Edition sports an acrylic front grille trim upfront which is complemented by darkened badges and some dark chrome mouldings on front and rear bumpers. The all-black theme has been extended to components like wing mirror encasings, shark fin antenna, rocker panels, rear badges and shark fin antenna. The optional roof rails can also be had in a black paint scheme.

Moving to the side, standard 19-inch multi-spoke wheels have received a gloss black treatment. It also flaunts blacked-out door handles along with dark badges at the rear. Toyota is offering three premium exterior colour options including Celestial Black, Ruby Flare Red and Wind Chill Pearl on the new variant. The latter has also been added in the regular Venza lineup as a premium white colour option.

Features on offer

Inside the cabin, the Nightshade Edition gets an identical interior layout as its regular siblings but wears an all-black attire. However, Toyota has added more features to the equipment of the standard XLE trim. This includes an eight-way power driver’s seat, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Google-based navigation, over-the-air updates and an embedded 4G sim.

Further, 2023 Toyota Venza XLE trim benefits from a pair of LED fog lamps whereas its darker twin sibling has been equipped with a panoramic sunroof. The higher-spec Limited trim gains creature comforts like a 10-inch HUD, heated and ventilated seats and eight-way powered front seats. The Limited model also boasts Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 which is the company’s lingo for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System).

Same Powertrain Specs

Underneath the bonnet, the scene remains identical. The crossover derives its power from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine that is paired with a hybrid system. This hybrid tech features three electric motors which draw their energy from a 0.9kWh battery pack. Combined output of this hybrid powertrain stands at 219 bhp which is mated to a CVT automatic gearbox.

Power is sent to all four wheels when on-demand where 80 percent of it is sent to the rear wheels despite the IC engine being mounted on the front axle. This is because rear wheels are driven by an electric motor, giving it excellent acceleration from a standstill.