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Toyota Sienna, everything for the modern family

By Craig And Deanne Conover - | Oct 8, 2017
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My week with the Sienna was alone without Deanne, as she had taken a trip with a friend to Ireland. So with that in mind I had many undertakings to enjoy the Sienna and all its luxury and technology. The only thing that could have made it a better week would have been to go with all the family somewhere and really get the full potential of the “minivan” out of it. The Sienna Limited is loaded with all the necessities to make a family road trip extremely enjoyable.

Since it’s induction into the automobile world way back in 1984, it was a much simpler time, when Toyota and Dodge both recognized the need for a larger family vehicle. One that could haul people and things, but not be as obtrusive as the large vans that were being produced at the time, from that idea the modern day ‘minivan’ was born and now has become a part of Americana that everyone recognizes.

It could however, be argued that Volkswagen had the first minivan in its Type 2, a very simple name, or VW Bus as many would have known it throughout the 60’s and 70’s. It was by simple standards a people carrying machine that would get pretty good gas mileage, but was not very powerful. It was to that end that Toyota and Dodge set out to make a more marketable family vehicle that could be used in everyday suburban life.

Through the years a minivan evolution has taken place as they have become more than just a way to get people from point a to point b. Creature comforts and configurable seating is now the norm as they have evolved to become a vital part of many families on the move, and at times even morphing into the family truck to haul all sorts of things around, as most will accommodate a 4×8 sheet of lumber.

With that in mind I set out on my week long journey around the valley with the Camry of minivans, the Toyota Sienna. Unfortunately the most important destination that I had during the week was the hardware store to get a couple of 2×6 8 foot long boards I needed for some repairs around the house. Figured it would be a great opportunity to see if they would easily fit and yes, they did fit in the back of the Sienna without removing the seats.

As a minivan sits lower to the ground it makes getting in and out much easier for everyone from the youngsters to the older generation, such as me. I did enjoy that, and know that anyone in the rear seating would be a comfortable as possible with their own climate control and a great Blu-ray DVD entertainment system.

The rear passengers are able to completely control their environment from the side of the van along with controls for the dual view Blu-ray entertainment system that comes standard in the SE Premium. Of course I had to find out exactly what dual view meant because the screen was a mere 16.5 inches wide!

Turns out that once again the engineers at Toyota come through with an extraordinary concept in that the system can actually play from two different sources, some of the children or adults in our case can watch the movie on one side of the screen and others can play a game hooked up through the external RCA connectors on the other side.

The concept from Toyota is sound, as today’s kids seem to want more and more ways to keep entertained especially on a long drive. For a mere $55 addition, an extra 2 pair of headphones can be added putting the total at 4 pair and with two different options on the screen, mom and dad will never have to worry again about fighting in the back of the minivan, at least this will be a great selling point for the dealers!

Also included were two 120 volt outlets in the rear of the van, we counted to make sure so even if there was a child that insisted on using a laptop or iPad the power for the technology was there. The 2016 Sienna also comes with Toyota’s new Driver Easy Speak functionality, which in a nutshell allows the driver through a prompt on the touch screen to amplify their voice through the vehicle microphone into the rear of the vehicle.

This came in handy when I took 5 of my co-workers on a short road trip to see a new office building in downtown Provo. I was able to use the Driver Easy Speak to communicate with all in the van and give them directions for when we arrived and where we needed to go.

It’s quite an ingenious part of a vehicle made for families that allows parents to communicate more effectively with those young ones in the rear. Anyone who has had kids in the back of a car knows how important that could be when trying to get them to stop touching each other, yelling or just plain misbehaving. As I found out it works very well with adults in the rear also!

Other options that were standard on the LTD Premium edition of the Sienna were leather seats that were of course heated for mom and dad’s comfort up front, with a power driver’s seat. There were second row captain’s chairs that were on a very long slide channel that allowed for all kinds of adjustments for leg room, and easy access to the third row seating. The third row was also a 60-40 split with what Toyota calls split and stow motion, in other words they folded and stored into a deep well in the rear of the vehicle allowing for a flat rear surface, very nice when hauling of heavier, larger objects. The only downside was that the second row of seats had to be lifted out to use all of the rear space.

The outside of the Sienna has received a couple of noted refreshed items, mainly the grill and front end, with a new more modern Toyota grill and a lowered front fascia all to give a more modern look to the minivan. With the new LED daytime running lights have made for a more aggressive looking front look, if that is really possible in this segment, as most folks look to a minivan to haul people and cargo.

Any thought of a 4 cylinder engine is long gone as the all new Sienna’s now come with a very comfortable V6 power plant that give a strong 266 horsepower that will be needed with a van full of family or friends. The EPA put the mpg at 19 combined, but I achieved a better number coming in at 22.8 for the entire week that included much more city that freeway driving.

Inside the newly redesigned dashboard moves the 7 inch touch screen closer to the driver for easier access, and is now a very modern sleek flush with the dashboard, with touch points around the screen for easy navigation instead of awkward buttons. This was a very upscale luxurious addition for those who have to ride up front and can’t be entertained with the huge rear screen.

All of the climate controls were within easy access and very easy to understand, even with the three different included zones. Taking control for the rear zone was easy for those in the back, but could also be controlled by mom up front if the little ones were too small to reach or understand the rear panel.

The Toyota Sienna was very well engineered and thought out and designed with a family in mind, we could not come up with anything that would make the ride better when having to take kids or adults out on the town or an extended family vacation. See one today at Brent Brown Toyota at 1400 South Sandhill Road Orem,

(801) 224-1320.

Base Price: $47,310

Price as Driven: $50,769

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