Compare the2022 BMW X4VS 2021 Toyota Venza

The X4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Venza doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW X4 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Venza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The X4 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Venza doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the X4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Venza doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the X4 and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The X4 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Venza’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The X4’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Venza’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X4 for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Venza (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X4 first among compact premium suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Venza isn’t in the top three in its category.

The X4 xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (248 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The X4 M40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 163 more horsepower (382 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Both the X4 and the Venza have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All X4s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The X4 has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (17.2 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the X4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venza:

The X4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Venza are solid, not vented.

The X4 stops much shorter than the Venza:

For better traction, the X4 has larger standard tires than the Venza (245/50R19 vs. 225/60R18). The X4’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venza (F:245/44R20 & R:275/40R20 vs. 225/60R18).

The X4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venza LE’s standard 60 series tires. The X4 M40i’s optional 245/40R21 front and 275/35R21 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Venza XLE/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Venza LE. The X4 M40i’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Venza XLE/Limited.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the X4 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Venza doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The X4 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Venza’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The X4 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X4’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the Venza (112.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the X4 is .5 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Venza.

The X4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.2% to 49.8%) than the Venza’s (56% to 44%). This gives the X4 more stable handling and braking.

The X4 M40i handles at .89 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The X4 M40i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the Venza Limited (25.6 seconds @ .73 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the X4 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Venza (8 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the X4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The X4 has .9 inches more front headroom and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the Venza.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the X4’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The X4 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the X4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Venza. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks BMW 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 20% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The X4 offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The X4’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the X4 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Venza doesn’t offer cornering lights. The X4 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the X4 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Venza’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The X4’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the X4 and the Venza offer available heated front seats. The X4 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

The X4’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.