We're minivan people now

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Barely fits in the garage with my workbench in the front. The string hanging down has a tennis ball on it to let my wife know where to stop. Without it, she comes flying in the garage too far. I had to move it up to match the Sienna.


Lots of room up front.


TONS of room in the middle. You can literally get in and walk around. These middle seats are on tracks, so you can slide them forward or aft to accommodate different people/kids/cargo. They will slide all the way up and touch the front seats or slide all the way back to touch the rear seats. They also recline flat to sleep in. These middle seats are more comfortable than the front seats. They have more padding and hug your body more. The loaded models have footrests that fold up like your living room chair. All 4 rear windows have slide up shades.


Deep trunk area with rear seats up. I think the cubic feet is in the high 30s back here. Rear a/c intake on the right, 2nd row middle seat stored on the left.


With rear seats down, you lose the deep trunk but gain a huge flat space. Cubic feet here is 87 behind the middle seats. With the middle seats removed (they unlatch from the tracks), cargo space is 150 cubic feet. This is more than a regular length Ford Expedition. Yes I checked myself because I did not believe the dealer. It turns out the Sienna has 164 cubic feet total passenger volume and the regular Expedition has 160.


I plan on using the dealer for the free stuff and then running either M1 or Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 after that.
 
Originally Posted By: stranger706
Deep trunk area with rear seats up. I think the cubic feet is in the high 30s back here. Rear a/c intake on the right, 2nd row middle seat stored on the left.


Very nice ride stranger! It should last you quite a while and provide a ton of safe trips to the soccer fields. But seriously, those Sienna's have a nice aesthetic appeal to them.
 
Instead of a tennis ball I made a sort of parking block using two three boards assembled in a stack for about 4.5 inch height with 2x4s extending to the back wall of the garage so the parking block won't move. Nice and easy to simply nudge the wheels up to the stacked boards and stop. Never tripped over the thing either.
 
I like what they did with the middle seat.

Does it have a spare? The in floor cubby looks like it wouldn't leave much space for where one would normally go.
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I like what they did with the middle seat.

Does it have a spare? The in floor cubby looks like it wouldn't leave much space for where one would normally go.


Yeah the 2wd models have a spare. I was stumped for a few minutes too before I found it. It is located underneath the passenger seat about halfway between the front and rear axles. There is a crank that lowers it down onto the ground.

The 4wd models do not have a spare; they come with run flat tires.
 
Very nice!!

I laughed when I saw the OP's name is "stranger" and he just bought a van...LOL. If he makes a thread that he bought a bunch of candy next, somebody needs to call the neighborhood watch...haha j/k!
 
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Instead of a tennis ball I made a sort of parking block using two three boards assembled in a stack for about 4.5 inch height with 2x4s extending to the back wall of the garage so the parking block won't move. Nice and easy to simply nudge the wheels up to the stacked boards and stop. Never tripped over the thing either.
that is what I would be afraid of. How do you avoid it?
 
I'd think of using a sheet of plywood, say 1/2" thick, to run to the wall; and nailing the stack of 2x4's onto that instead. 1/2" is not that much of a trip hazard.
 
Congrats! Very nice. They're the best looking of the current minivan lineup IMO. Probably the best in this segment as well. Always loved the rentals I've had.

We would have loved a Sienna, but weren't willing to go beyond a 2013 Grand Caravan budget. LOL.
 
Upon rental of one of these fine units, I was shocked at how good fuel economy it could get, very efficient...loads of actual usable space rivaling my suburban...my kids loved the push button side door openers...one child said it felt like a riding in a spaceship when we pushed the button...
 
Nice. I've been using the tennis ball as well, but have it hit the front bumper -- with a old sock tied at eye level. My Ram barely fits in the garage as well.

The garage is for $40K vehicles -- especially in KS where hail, wind, snow, rain, heat, ice, vandalism, etc. is frequent. The shed is for OPE and toys.
 
good choice, we are happy with ours, almost 3 years now of ownership. ignore the 0w20 designation, it can take anything from 0w20, 5w20, or 5w30 and will run quite happy.
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
So much more useful than a crossover.


Minivans are incredibly useful for so many things. I'm blown away by how much work stuff I can fit in my van, plus multiple large ladders on the roof, and everything is still laid out nicely without being crowded. Throw in a pair of sliding rear doors, and everything becomes even easier to access.
 
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