Toyota Venza LE AWD
- Consumer Reports score: 77
- Price: $30,970
- Mileage:
- City - 18 mpg
- Highway - 25 mpg
Some might quibble about whether the Venza is a hatchback, a wagon or a crossover, but it does have four doors, and for our purposes here, we're going to call it a hatchback.
Sharing some DNA with the Highlander crossover, Venza is well-suited for an AWD car.
As priced here, it comes armed with a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine mated to a six-speed driver-shiftable automatic transmission. It can tow up to 3,500 pounds -- the most of any car on our list.
Venza is smaller inside than the Highlander, but not by a lot. Yet, with its reclining second-row seat, it offers plenty of comfort all around.
When not bragging to your friends about Venza's aptitude for plowing through the white stuff, you can point out its grocery list of standard features. The entry-level LE comes with keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated outside mirrors with puddle lights, power eight-way driver's seat Bluetooth connectivity, and a six-speaker audio system with touch-screen interface, CD player and iPod interface.