Are Toyota Sienna vans any good?

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Are Toyota Sienna vans any good?

Toyota

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  • Highs Rugged exterior design, refined road manners, impressive fuel economy from hybrid powertrain.
  • Lows Gutless acceleration, buzzy-sounding engine under heavy throttle, second-row seats can’t be removed.
  • Verdict The Sienna tries unsuccessfully to masquerade as an SUV but its minivan benefits are intact, if not as plentiful as the segment leaders’ virtues.

Overview

The 2023 Toyota Sienna’s brawny-for-a-minivan exterior design is an attempt at SUV cosplay, but even a casual glance in its direction reveals it for the minivan that it is. Fine by us. We like the way this minivan behaves on the road, with a quiet cabin and a refined ride. Besides the obvious practicality benefits that come with any minivan, the Sienna’s interior is spacious and nicely equipped—although its second-row seats aren’t removable or stowable as they are in other vans. This fourth generation of the Sienna is offered solely as a hybrid, with front- and all-wheel drive variants sharing the same 245-hp rating, which has proven to be on the poky side in our testing. The Sienna’s fuel efficiency, at 36 mpg combined, is far better than that of the other minivans on the market but we’d much rather be piloting the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, or the Kia Carnival.

Where This Vehicle Ranks

What's New for 2023?

The current Sienna is in its third year of this hybrid-only generation. Meanwhile, Toyota is celebrating the 25thanniversary of the nameplate this year with a limited-edition version: only 2,525 25th Anniversary Edition Siennas will be built, and all of them will be based on the sporty-looking XSE trim and will wear either Celestial Silver or Wind Chill Pearl exterior paint. Special 20-inch wheels, roof rails, black exterior badging, and exterior mirrors with integrated puddle lights are visual clues to the special model’s identity. The interior is decked out in black leather upholstery with silver stitching, a JBL stereo system, a wireless smartphone charging pad, heated and ventilated front seats, and carpeted floormats bearing the 25th Anniversary logo.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

    We're eyeballing the sporty XSE model, which comes with 20-inch wheels, more-aggressive front and rear bumpers, and sport front seats. The XSE also comes standard with in-dash navigation and second-row captain's chairs. The XSE, like all Sienna trims, comes standard with front-wheel drive but adding all-wheel drive costs just $760, which seems like a worthy upgrade to us.

    Engine, Transmission, and Performance

    Unlike previous versions of Toyota's family van, the Sienna is offered exclusively as a hybrid. The powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter gasoline-powered four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors that combine to make 245 horsepower. All-wheel drive is available and adds a third electric motor in back that drives the rear wheels. The Sienna's main rival—the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid—is offered solely with front-wheel drive, but its V-6 engine and electric motors make 260 horsepower. Our all-wheel drive Sienna Platinum failed to excite us during acceleration testing, requiring 7.7 seconds to reach 60 mph and completing the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds at only 88 mph; these results are similar to what the Pacifica Hybrid managed, but are far slower than non-hybrid examples of the Pacifica we've tested as well as the Honda Odyssey.

    Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

    The EPA estimates that front-wheel drive versions of the Sienna should deliver 36 mpg city as well as 36 mpg highway with all-wheel drive examples carrying ratings 1 mpg lower at 35 mpg. In our mix of city and highway driving, we managed 29 mpg with our all-wheel drive Platinum test vehicle. When we get a chance to put the new Sienna through our 75-mile highway fuel economy test, we'll update this story with results. For more information about the Sienna's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

    Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

    Complementing its daring exterior redesign, the Sienna's interior is modern and stylish. Rather than the open cockpit design of the previous generation model, Toyota has created a tall center console that spans the distance from the dashboard to the center armrest, with a large storage cubby underneath. Upscale Limited and Platinum models have two-tone interior trim and dashboards covered in stitched leather-like material while the sporty XSE model gets black-and-white faux-leather seats with red contrast stitching. Unlike the Odyssey and the Pacifica Hybrid, the Sienna's second row seats are not removable; however, the optional second-row captain's chairs can slide forward-and-back a total of 25 inches to help provide maximum legroom for rear-seat riders or to open as much room as possible aft of the second row for cargo. Limited and Platinum models can be had with reclining second-row seats with pop-up ottomans. The two top trims can also be equipped with an onboard vacuum cleaner.

      Infotainment and Connectivity

      Toyota's latest infotainment interface is a 9.0-inch touchscreen display which stands upright on the dashboard above the climate controls. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa connectivity features are all standard, and seven USB ports dot the van's cabin. Toyota provides SiriusXM satellite radio and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot as well. The base stereo is a 6-speaker setup; and XLE models get eight speakers. A 12-speaker JBL stereo system is optional on the XLE and XSE and standard on the Limited and Platinum. In-dash navigation is standard starting with the XSE trim; a rear-seat entertainment system with an 11.6-inch display is optional on all but the base LE model.

        Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

        Toyota offers blind-spot monitoring and its Safety Sense 2.0 bundle of driver-assistance features standard on the new Sienna, while convenience items such as parking sensors and a 360-degree exterior camera system are optional. For more information about the Sienna's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

        • Standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
        • Standard lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
        • Standard adaptive cruise control

        Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

        The Kia Carnival offers longer coverage for both the powertrain and the bumper-to-bumper warranty than the Sienna. But Toyota makes up for its fairly basic warranty package with a two-year complimentary maintenance plan.

        • Limited warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles
        • Powertrain warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles
        • Hybrid-component warranty covers 8 years or 100,000 miles
        • Complimentary maintenance is covered for 2 years or 25,000 miles

        Specifications

        Specifications

        2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Platinum AWD

        VEHICLE TYPE
        front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door van

        PRICE AS TESTED 
        $53,350 (base price: $51,635)

        POWERTRAIN
        DOHC 16-valve Atkinson-cycle 2.5-liter inline-4, 189 hp, 176 lb-ft + 3 permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors, front: 180 hp, 199 lb-ft; rear: 54 hp, 89 lb-ft (combined output, 245 hp); 1.9-kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery pack

        TRANSMISSION
        continuously variable automatic

        CHASSIS
        Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink
        Brakes (F/R): 12.9-in vented disc/12.5-in vented disc
        Tires: Bridgestone Turanza LS1000, P235/60R-18 102V M+S

        DIMENSIONS
        Wheelbase: 120.5 in
        Length: 203.7 in
        Width: 78.5 in
        Height: 68.5 in
        Passenger volume: 162 ft3
        Cargo volume: 34 ft3
        Curb weight: 4821 lb

        C/D TEST RESULTS
        60 mph: 7.7 sec
        100 mph: 21.0 sec
        Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 8.7 sec
        Top gear, 30–50 mph: 4.4 sec
        Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.6 sec
        1/4 mile: 15.8 sec @ 88 mph
        Top speed (governor limited, mfr's claim): 116 mph
        Braking, 70–0 mph: 188 ft
        Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.79 g
        Standing-start accel times omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.

        C/D FUEL ECONOMY
        Observed: 29 mpg

        EPA FUEL ECONOMY
        Combined/city/highway: 35/36/35 mpg

        C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

        More Features and Specs

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        What are the negatives of the Toyota Sienna?

        Reasons Not to Buy a 2022 Toyota Sienna – The Cons.
        Second-Row Seats Can't Fold Flat or Be Removed. The cabin of the Sienna is quite large, but it cannot live up to its full potential when it comes to cargo hauling. ... .
        It's Slower Than Non-Hybrid Competitors. ... .
        Brakes are a Bit Sensitive..

        Which model of Sienna is best?

        Firstly, Edmunds thinks the best version of the 2022 Toyota Sienna is the XLE model. Starting at $41,790, the minivan is available with seven or eight-passenger seating for the same price. Furthermore, the publication loves that it adds a lot of comfort and convenience features without adding a lot of cost.

        What year to Toyota Sienna has transmission problems?

        The Toyota Sienna from 2020 and 2016 each have one severe problem reported. This involves damaged wiring and transmission noises, respectively.

        Which year of Sienna is the best?

        The 2013 and 2016 Toyota Sienna are the best second-hand models you can buy. Both models have no engine or transmission problems. Also, they've been recalled fewer times than other model years and have less severe problems.