The 2010 Sienna just rolled over 150k miles; I thought I'd give you all a review of it.
It's a plain-jane LE, so no power doors/allow wheels, etc. It seems like an excerise in how many dash plugs (for features we don't have) they could get into one car! However, it is reasonably well equipped for being a near-base trim.
Overall, it's been good even if it doesn't feel too "high-quality".
The good:
-Power/Acceleration- the 2GR-FE is plenty of power for the Sienna under most situations. It makes about 270 hp, and feels quite quick. That van can haul... 0-60, I believe, is sub-8 second. The engine is the high point of the van. But it is very eager to break the front tires loose when starting from a stop.
-Space- we have hauled a full-sized couch with the back seats out and the tailgate fully down. In normal use, there is plenty of room for most things and 5 people plus a dog. This is why people buy minivans!
-Reliability- other than a pretty expensive repair to the VVT system at 100k and the replacement of an interior door handle that broke, it has been very reliable. It is also on its third radio due to several issues, and has an a/c refrigerant leak. But nothing else you wouldn't expect (tires, brakes, batteries, bulbs, etc). No oil consumption to speak of.
-Parking/turning circle- it turns very tighly and is easy to park. Ours has no backup cam/parking sensors but, honestly, they aren't really needed.
-Mileage- driven reasonably on the highway, it gets about 25 mpg. This is reasonable considering the space! City mileage is markedly worse, though.
The average:
-Handling- it feels like a long Camry, for good or bad.
-Transmission-a 5-speed auto, it shifts very strangely when cold but isn't too bad otherwise. When driving through SD at 80-85 on the Interstate (speed limit is 80), as we do frequently, it is in desperate need of a taller gear. It moans and groans at that speed. But at more reasonable speeds it is fine.
-Steering-light but fairly predictable. Somewhat touchy at higher speeds.
-Seat folding/removal- the middle row must come out as they don't fold into the floor. This process is terrible (there are many steps and the seats are very heavy). But the back row folds flat (although the right side is tough to bring up because they used only one latch one the far side of the seat, so you have to stand/kneel on the opposing side).
-Gauge cluster design- it has the Optitron gauges that look pretty "sporty", though they are somewhat distracting and bright at night. Ours doesn't have a trip computer, so no compass/thermometer/fuel range/average economy.
The bad:
-Seat comfort- the seats are, simply put, terrible. They very quickly become uncomfortable and are covered in a mousy cloth. I'm not sure what type of body they are designed for... The middle row has 3 separate seats, but none have an armrest
-General feeling of quality- it isn't awful but is unimpressive. The glove box randomly falls open when we're driving. The door panels are cheap and flimsy. The pull handles (where you pull to close the front door) have squeaked from the get go. Something has come loose behind the dash and rolls around. Interior plastics are verrrry cheap.There is an unprotected airbag wiring connector under the passenger seat that sits right where the passenger's left heel is. Speaking of the passenger seat, one of the more laughable features of the Sienna is its "passenger seat storage bin"- it is a grey tub just like what busboys use in restaurants, and it is kind of wedged in under the seat. It would make a decent oil drain pan. The whole interior is similarly-colored and made of cheap plastics.
-Cupholders- there are 14 but none of them are very good. Most are too small, and the ones in the console/table have stiff rubber flanges that grip very tight and crush cans/styrofoam/flimsy water bottles.
-Headlights- the low beams are quite dim, even with new bulbs. This has been the case for as long as we've had it.
-Tire wear- being heavy and FWD, it chews through tires like nobody's business (they're done after roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of their life)
-"repair-a-bility"- Changing the rear license plate light took me about 4 hours due to an impossibly terrible design of the back tailgate (every interior trim panel on the tailgate, including a massive piece of plastic with 50 clips covering the whole tailgate, had to come off, and then the exterior trim piece above the license plate had to be removed because the socket was stuck... Additionally, it's not really designed with the DIYer in mind, and it has a cartridge filter. Hubcaps make it impossible to fill air without removing them.
-Radio-mediocre at best, very little bass, although it does have a 6-cd changer and an aux input.
-A/C- even from new it has lacked the oomph to cool the cabin adequately unless driving at high speeds. Driving around town, even in MN summers, it is inadequate.
-Snow/Ice- it is abysmal in the snow, even with new tires. It slides all over the place. Traction control is very sensitive and it will not let you accelerate at all if it senses the slightest slip. But if you turn it off, you won't be able to keep it on the road. This is the car's biggest shortcoming, for someone living in MN.
All in all, it's been a very good vehicle, even if it hasn't exactly exuded quality. It's been reliable and has been a great family hauler. The 2GR-FE is a definite bright spot.
It's a plain-jane LE, so no power doors/allow wheels, etc. It seems like an excerise in how many dash plugs (for features we don't have) they could get into one car! However, it is reasonably well equipped for being a near-base trim.
Overall, it's been good even if it doesn't feel too "high-quality".
The good:
-Power/Acceleration- the 2GR-FE is plenty of power for the Sienna under most situations. It makes about 270 hp, and feels quite quick. That van can haul... 0-60, I believe, is sub-8 second. The engine is the high point of the van. But it is very eager to break the front tires loose when starting from a stop.
-Space- we have hauled a full-sized couch with the back seats out and the tailgate fully down. In normal use, there is plenty of room for most things and 5 people plus a dog. This is why people buy minivans!
-Reliability- other than a pretty expensive repair to the VVT system at 100k and the replacement of an interior door handle that broke, it has been very reliable. It is also on its third radio due to several issues, and has an a/c refrigerant leak. But nothing else you wouldn't expect (tires, brakes, batteries, bulbs, etc). No oil consumption to speak of.
-Parking/turning circle- it turns very tighly and is easy to park. Ours has no backup cam/parking sensors but, honestly, they aren't really needed.
-Mileage- driven reasonably on the highway, it gets about 25 mpg. This is reasonable considering the space! City mileage is markedly worse, though.
The average:
-Handling- it feels like a long Camry, for good or bad.
-Transmission-a 5-speed auto, it shifts very strangely when cold but isn't too bad otherwise. When driving through SD at 80-85 on the Interstate (speed limit is 80), as we do frequently, it is in desperate need of a taller gear. It moans and groans at that speed. But at more reasonable speeds it is fine.
-Steering-light but fairly predictable. Somewhat touchy at higher speeds.
-Seat folding/removal- the middle row must come out as they don't fold into the floor. This process is terrible (there are many steps and the seats are very heavy). But the back row folds flat (although the right side is tough to bring up because they used only one latch one the far side of the seat, so you have to stand/kneel on the opposing side).
-Gauge cluster design- it has the Optitron gauges that look pretty "sporty", though they are somewhat distracting and bright at night. Ours doesn't have a trip computer, so no compass/thermometer/fuel range/average economy.
The bad:
-Seat comfort- the seats are, simply put, terrible. They very quickly become uncomfortable and are covered in a mousy cloth. I'm not sure what type of body they are designed for... The middle row has 3 separate seats, but none have an armrest
-General feeling of quality- it isn't awful but is unimpressive. The glove box randomly falls open when we're driving. The door panels are cheap and flimsy. The pull handles (where you pull to close the front door) have squeaked from the get go. Something has come loose behind the dash and rolls around. Interior plastics are verrrry cheap.There is an unprotected airbag wiring connector under the passenger seat that sits right where the passenger's left heel is. Speaking of the passenger seat, one of the more laughable features of the Sienna is its "passenger seat storage bin"- it is a grey tub just like what busboys use in restaurants, and it is kind of wedged in under the seat. It would make a decent oil drain pan. The whole interior is similarly-colored and made of cheap plastics.
-Cupholders- there are 14 but none of them are very good. Most are too small, and the ones in the console/table have stiff rubber flanges that grip very tight and crush cans/styrofoam/flimsy water bottles.
-Headlights- the low beams are quite dim, even with new bulbs. This has been the case for as long as we've had it.
-Tire wear- being heavy and FWD, it chews through tires like nobody's business (they're done after roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of their life)
-"repair-a-bility"- Changing the rear license plate light took me about 4 hours due to an impossibly terrible design of the back tailgate (every interior trim panel on the tailgate, including a massive piece of plastic with 50 clips covering the whole tailgate, had to come off, and then the exterior trim piece above the license plate had to be removed because the socket was stuck... Additionally, it's not really designed with the DIYer in mind, and it has a cartridge filter. Hubcaps make it impossible to fill air without removing them.
-Radio-mediocre at best, very little bass, although it does have a 6-cd changer and an aux input.
-A/C- even from new it has lacked the oomph to cool the cabin adequately unless driving at high speeds. Driving around town, even in MN summers, it is inadequate.
-Snow/Ice- it is abysmal in the snow, even with new tires. It slides all over the place. Traction control is very sensitive and it will not let you accelerate at all if it senses the slightest slip. But if you turn it off, you won't be able to keep it on the road. This is the car's biggest shortcoming, for someone living in MN.
All in all, it's been a very good vehicle, even if it hasn't exactly exuded quality. It's been reliable and has been a great family hauler. The 2GR-FE is a definite bright spot.
