So I’m in a rental (loaner) Sienna for a couple of days while my truck is in the shop. I’ve had two days in it solo, so I can write about driving dynamics but not so much life with kids in it.
This particular van is a light metallic silver with light colored interior. While the predator grill is still a little strange on the outside, the design on the interior is probably about as excellent from a practical-while-stylish point of view that one could ask for. The lines on the interior and dash remind me of the shuttles and shapes in the original Star Trek movies. The ergo is great - it makes good use of the space without making the controls hard to reach. The touchscreen is flat and wide, which I much prefer over the typical TV size and shape in the Tacoma.
The driving experience is extremely dialed in. The longer wheelbase is effortlessly aligned with the road and feels very well glued down. This thing is a heavy minivan but is also predictable if you need to hustle it for a moment. The rear suspension has “brake dive” built in, in such a way that both the front and rear hunker down under braking - you don’t get rotated forward and bounced up and down. Steering is eager, and it’s weighted appropriately for a people hauler.
Also, the steering wheel is indeed centered on the drivers seat.
Driver visibility is superb going forward - it’s much like a P2 volvo or Honda CRX where you just have this big window in your lap and you can see everything. It is a joyful view. There is a bit of a blind spot at 5 and 7 o-clock, hard to crane your head around - you definitely have to shoulder check *and* use the mirrors.
Wind noise is very low. I love how the new cars are really figuring out quietness. My last minivan was a genIV Chrysler T&C. It was not particularly quiet, but wasn’t loud either. The Sienna is not Lexus bank-vault stolid, but it is well-insulated and cuts through the wind well. There is some road noise, but it’s not obtrusive.
The hybrid drivetrain is butter. It’s not overpowered but it’s not underpowered either. It does not complain when you dig deep into the throttle and it needs to rev - it just does it and you do it and you both do your thing and it’s fine. In fact, it’s fun and I like it. This would be an easy drivetrain to live with - it’s predictable and smooth. And it’s also very quiet. This is a very refined machine.
Braking - just fine. Where the regen ends and the hydraulics begin I can’t tell. The are consistent and can be modulated well, and even remarkably well for the unibody family hauler.
I can’t figure out how to consistently open the side doors. If I’m walking up to it in the parking lot, the remote buttons work but there must be some trick - there are traditional pull handles and inset buttons. And then there are ceiling buttons. Handles dont’ wanna. On the other hand if I’ve just parked the car and am getting everything out, everything works like you’d expect.
Gas mileage. I don’t know exactly how full the tank was when I got it, but 24 hours and probably 60 miles and it took 2.6 gallons of gas to the click. I was able to dribble another half gallon in pretty easily before heading out for another few miles. I’m going to say 24-25 mpg. Back in the driver’s seat, it’s advertising somewhere around 480 miles of range today. Nice.
Other. There is something a little weird in the suspension - it tracks as straight as a rail, but it does crab ever so slightly to one side under acceleration and over to the other side under braking. I’m sure someone would get used to it over time - I notice it because it’s not something I experience with solid axle RWD.
Seat comfort. Odd. It tries. It’s not bad, it’s not great. My wife’s Rav4H has better padding, even though the sienna has an additional adjustment or too. My Tacoma seats are also different. 3 different Toyotas, 3 different seat designs. Perhaps they do not have a corporate standard. I could see it being a little wearisome on long drives, but certainly not bad.
Body - weird to point this out, but I can certainly hear the unibody twisting over turns and undulations in the pavement. The weatherstripping in the doors shifts as the vehicle negotiates changes in the pavement. It is far less than my 08 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The door is also the size of a front loading washing machine, which is a giant lever arm for any motion relative to the A-pillar.
Dashboard. This has Toyota’s LCD instrument panel. It probably has some customizable features, but I’ve not messed with it. Fuel, Temp, “Hybrid Power”, Speedo, and things that deal with their lane departure and cruise control features are the anchor stores in the mall. Perhaps there are other menu items. For me, it’s clear, says what I need to see, and in some strange way mates well with the “Star Trek shuttle on wheels” idea concept.
Bottom line - Long Live the Van. I would not have any issues if it were in my driveway. It’s quiet, easy to drive, fun to drive even, swallows up bumps and potholes with aplomb, feels solid and gets the same fuel mileage as a small SUV.
This particular van is a light metallic silver with light colored interior. While the predator grill is still a little strange on the outside, the design on the interior is probably about as excellent from a practical-while-stylish point of view that one could ask for. The lines on the interior and dash remind me of the shuttles and shapes in the original Star Trek movies. The ergo is great - it makes good use of the space without making the controls hard to reach. The touchscreen is flat and wide, which I much prefer over the typical TV size and shape in the Tacoma.
The driving experience is extremely dialed in. The longer wheelbase is effortlessly aligned with the road and feels very well glued down. This thing is a heavy minivan but is also predictable if you need to hustle it for a moment. The rear suspension has “brake dive” built in, in such a way that both the front and rear hunker down under braking - you don’t get rotated forward and bounced up and down. Steering is eager, and it’s weighted appropriately for a people hauler.
Also, the steering wheel is indeed centered on the drivers seat.
Driver visibility is superb going forward - it’s much like a P2 volvo or Honda CRX where you just have this big window in your lap and you can see everything. It is a joyful view. There is a bit of a blind spot at 5 and 7 o-clock, hard to crane your head around - you definitely have to shoulder check *and* use the mirrors.
Wind noise is very low. I love how the new cars are really figuring out quietness. My last minivan was a genIV Chrysler T&C. It was not particularly quiet, but wasn’t loud either. The Sienna is not Lexus bank-vault stolid, but it is well-insulated and cuts through the wind well. There is some road noise, but it’s not obtrusive.
The hybrid drivetrain is butter. It’s not overpowered but it’s not underpowered either. It does not complain when you dig deep into the throttle and it needs to rev - it just does it and you do it and you both do your thing and it’s fine. In fact, it’s fun and I like it. This would be an easy drivetrain to live with - it’s predictable and smooth. And it’s also very quiet. This is a very refined machine.
Braking - just fine. Where the regen ends and the hydraulics begin I can’t tell. The are consistent and can be modulated well, and even remarkably well for the unibody family hauler.
I can’t figure out how to consistently open the side doors. If I’m walking up to it in the parking lot, the remote buttons work but there must be some trick - there are traditional pull handles and inset buttons. And then there are ceiling buttons. Handles dont’ wanna. On the other hand if I’ve just parked the car and am getting everything out, everything works like you’d expect.
Gas mileage. I don’t know exactly how full the tank was when I got it, but 24 hours and probably 60 miles and it took 2.6 gallons of gas to the click. I was able to dribble another half gallon in pretty easily before heading out for another few miles. I’m going to say 24-25 mpg. Back in the driver’s seat, it’s advertising somewhere around 480 miles of range today. Nice.
Other. There is something a little weird in the suspension - it tracks as straight as a rail, but it does crab ever so slightly to one side under acceleration and over to the other side under braking. I’m sure someone would get used to it over time - I notice it because it’s not something I experience with solid axle RWD.
Seat comfort. Odd. It tries. It’s not bad, it’s not great. My wife’s Rav4H has better padding, even though the sienna has an additional adjustment or too. My Tacoma seats are also different. 3 different Toyotas, 3 different seat designs. Perhaps they do not have a corporate standard. I could see it being a little wearisome on long drives, but certainly not bad.
Body - weird to point this out, but I can certainly hear the unibody twisting over turns and undulations in the pavement. The weatherstripping in the doors shifts as the vehicle negotiates changes in the pavement. It is far less than my 08 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The door is also the size of a front loading washing machine, which is a giant lever arm for any motion relative to the A-pillar.
Dashboard. This has Toyota’s LCD instrument panel. It probably has some customizable features, but I’ve not messed with it. Fuel, Temp, “Hybrid Power”, Speedo, and things that deal with their lane departure and cruise control features are the anchor stores in the mall. Perhaps there are other menu items. For me, it’s clear, says what I need to see, and in some strange way mates well with the “Star Trek shuttle on wheels” idea concept.
Bottom line - Long Live the Van. I would not have any issues if it were in my driveway. It’s quiet, easy to drive, fun to drive even, swallows up bumps and potholes with aplomb, feels solid and gets the same fuel mileage as a small SUV.
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