We all knew it from the moment the 2009 Toyota Venza made its beige debut on stage, the moniker of "crossover sedan" was marketing doublespeak. Reader Clark got a bit worked up over some of the marketeers abusing the nonsensical term in this MSNBC press release copy/paste story. Look we all know it's a station wagon, Toyota knows it's a station wagon, buyers will all know it's a station wagon, and yet, Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter presses on.
From: Clark xxxx Date: Jan 30, 2008 4:14 PM Subject: outrageous To: tips@jalopnik.com
I read this article twice all the while a voice was screaming in my head, "It's a station wagon!!! It's not new!!! It's a station-god-damned-wagon!!!" over and over again. If it's not a "crossover" (read: tall station wagon), and it can't be because then it wouldn't be "launching an all new class" and it sure as fuck wouldn't be something "completely different" (Toyota's quotes this time), and it's "most definately a car" (again, Toyota's), then this "crossover sedan" has to be the same thing as a station wagon.
And wagons my friend have been done before. And I love them. Especially if the automaker has the onions to call it what it is.
Sorry to rant. I feel like y'all might understand.
I hate being marketed too like I'm new.
We agree Clark. It takes stones to look a gymnasium sized room full of press in the eyes and call this an entry in a new segment (which amusingly was the segment the Highlanger was in when it was first released). We respect their marketeers for the braggadocio, and yet still want to slap them a good one for treating us all like children. It's a wagon. Not only is the Venza a wagon, it's a wagon as exciting as Nebraska - perhaps that's why they've spiced it up with a new segment buzzword.