Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
We have an odyssey. My parents had a Previa. I was leaning heavily towards the sienna, until we really started looking into them.
The ergonomics and access to many things are poorer in the sienna. I just had a rental one for work the other day. I'm tall, and the hazard button was out of reach. The radio controls were clunky and a stretch on the far edge of the radio. In typical recent Toyota fashion, the LCDs each have a slightly different font and color blue. The dashboard is like a vertical wall.
I'll say that the sienna has a stronger engine. It just feels like it pulls harder. Maybe because it was a rental and its not how we drive our van, but I'd say it was a different and harder pulling feel.
The sienna doesn't have VCM. That's a boogeyman to some. It's the easiest addition to put the VCMuzzler in when desired and prevent it from happening. The sensor is in direct view under the hood and it's literally a five second mod.
Both have ATs, both will fail and be expensive to repair if not maintained. Some may argue that the toyota's is stronger, but I'm not sure there's objective evidence to prove this.
Some of the infrastructure in the sienna just feels cheap. Example is the structural metal that makes the support for the rear rows. I remember how our Previa had powder coated tubular steel. The sienna looks really small and flimsy. Odyssey looks stronger and more substantial.
The middle jumps eat in the odyssey is more substantial. The sienna one can be folded and stowed in a side cubby in the rear cargo area, it's so small and flimsy. The odyssey one is bigger, not as easily removed on the fly, but is much wider and substantial, something I consider important if I was going to actually have a passenger riding on it.
The sienna feels like a boat. Our old Previa was nimble, it was rwd and nice to drive. The sienna is excessively wide (goes back to the ergonomics thing) and wile it drives fine, just feels clunkier than our odyssey.
The odyssey should be ore efficient, not sure if the 8-sp AT changes that for the sienna. 28+ mpg is very doable on the highway. Vcm makes a much bigger difference in town than the highway.
In the end,me went in looking at the odyssey, sienna and town and country. I initially thought we would lean towards the sienna. In the end we were close between the T&C and Odyssey, but my wife didn't like the overhead plastic console that goes the whole length in the T&C, and we found a great deal on an odyssey, so we went that way. We did a lot of due diligence, test driving, auto show, etc.
My 2c is that they just revised the odyssey, so give it a few months and then get that,,or else try to snag a deal,on a leftover 2016/2017. They should be way down in price since the model has changed.
You not comparing 'apples to apples" with the Previa. I owned two-and the motor which was basically turned on it's side and mounted UNDER the van is what gave it the driving dynamics it had. However-before they put the super charger in them they were extremely under powered.
I wasnt. Perhaps you didnt actually READ my post. Previa was mentioned because my going in desired van was a toyota. I alsomentioned heavy steel seat frames [censored] the chintzy ones on the SIENNA.
Recommend reading thoroughly before comments, as per my post, Ive recently driven sienna and odyssey back to back, each over 100 miles for that matter...
