2011 Toyota Sienna XLE

Though a infant up of the legal minivan point in time, I've necessarily respected these vehicles for his or her or him excellent versatility. To wit, I utilized the Sienna to select up a recent dining table plus six chairs, continue to boxed, and the final Toyota swallowed every one contents moderately easily and whereas not having to fold the middle-row seats (which can not fold down back to the floor anyway). After i unloaded the furniture, I marveled at the simplest way a lot the process seats can slide forwards and backwards. Minivans have a tendency to be ideal for families allowing for youngsters, less than if four dads needed to become away for a tedious road trip, the Sienna would excel in which application, too. The blokes during the middle row can slide his or her seats all the long ago for really limousine-like legroom, still coming of the a large amount o room in the approach back for baggage. Additionally better, the middle captain's chairs suffer from La-Z-Boy-style footrests, therefore the guys in back (especially if they are definitely five-foot-six or shorter) can discover a bunch of forged business-class-style sleep while the 2nd one pair drives and navigates. The Sienna's occupants would possibly not feel awfully cool, but they had certainly be comfy.

Rusty Blackwell I signed out Toyota's new swagger wagon to drive a handful of twenty-something friends all the way down to Detroit for a Tigers baseball game. It might not build a style statement, but the Sienna had them completely galvanized with the backseat comfort and entertainment features. I grew up riding in the back of minivans (my oldsters owned a minimum of four Mercury Villagers) and it had been smartly put in place that your parents' van was once not cool unless it had rear heat and/or audio controls. My Detroit-bound cadre was seriously wowed by the reclining second row and widescreen television. I need to note, though, that Toyota's lawyers have a warning that asserts you can still not make use of the ottomans after the automobile could be in motion. Yeah right.

As far as driving is going, the powertrain is robust, the six-speed automatic is polished, the chassis is composed, and the direction is fine. My primary gripe is that you just cannot fold the seatbacks of the second row to for hauling. You either need to cope with them in place or take away them totally.

Eric Tingwall Nada projects close to a genuine minivan for successfully combining individuals comfort and shipment carrying ability but, as evidenced by General Motors and Ford dropping their minivan offerings, nearly all American citizens assume therefore the uncoolness of minivans outweighs their utility. I suspect I am not most Americans for the reason that I'm not the smallest amount touch embarrassed or apologetic concerning my fondness for the minivan and after driving the Toyota Sienna for a weekend I will be in a very position to be told why it has got one of the segment leaders.

Around city, the Sienna is swish, quiet, and comfy. To me, the three.5-liter V-6 appearance as if overkill, but I'm guessing it is the necessity after all the seats are full and the cargo space is loaded to capability. Unfortunately, the interior is a small bit little bit of a unhappiness during about that new Sienna. It looks great from a distance but get a little closer and most surfaces feel and appear plasticky, though most of the controls-radio, nav, and HVAC-feel nice and feature a smart weight to them.

The rearmost seats are a cinch to flip down into the floor and the sliding second row seats move forward enough to form the cargo area cavernous. But I did notice a couple negatives. Because the headrests are fastened, the flipped down third row seats carry out not create a continuous, even surface. This constructed it challenging on behalf of me to slide large, heavy boxes across the cargo floor. A closer difficulty is what to perform with the shoulder belt for the 1/3 rear seat when it's stowed. I may gain not realize a location to secure it out of the way therefore I had to figure around it when loading.

Jennifer Misaros Persist week, the employees of Automobile Magazine gathered up our current crop of take a appear at vehicles and spent an afternoon driving them on a back-road route from Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo. We tend to switched cars each and every Twenty-five miles or so, offering everybody a possibility to drive several cars in one twenty-four hour period. The Toyota Sienna was my ride for the first stint - one of my co-workers saw me climb in and discussed that it looked favor I might drawn the short straw, seeing because the remainder of the crowd were driving cars just like the Audi S4, the Mercedes E350 cabriolet, and the Acura TL SH-AWD.

I have to claim, however, that it did not really feel like I'd been shortchanged. On winding Huron River Drive, the Sienna handled kind of well for a vehicle together with a high center of gravity. Body roll wasn't unnecessary, the suspension absorbed pavement irregularities, and the engine had brilliant enough power to keep abreast of the remainder of the cluster.

In the cabin, the driving position is sweet and heavy, the gearshift lever on the instrument panel suggests that readily available is extra space in the heart console for storage, and the back seats are very passenger friendly, with a reclining option that features a stowable footrest. One unfortunate detail was the textured plastic on the dash, which both looked and felt downmarket for a vehicle in this value number.

Amy Skogstrom A Sienna? Stylish? Contemplating Toyota's minivan has always erred on the side of dowdy, it's a fantastic feat. I do be acquainted with some consumers balk at the sight of sliding rear doors, but designers have done a brilliant job of injecting some pizzaz into this third-generation model. After all, I'd argue it's virtually added engaging in comparison to the Venza crossover, which appears to be forced encouraged a large number of features on this minivan (including the unfortunate dash texture Amy mentions).

Granted, this full-tilt XLE trim does return with a number of accoutrements, but the Sienna itself seems sort of a solid decision among minivans. The 3.5-liter V-6 provides adequate muscle, and the throttle solution and transmission calibration supply a prompt downshift when you are really shopping for power.

I adore the assumption of the sliding second-row bucket seats for after you carry adults - not children - in the second row, but as Eric notes, they are doing not flip, fold, or tumble to make way for cargo. Short of hunting down the seats altogether, your best choice is to move the seat backs as far forward as potential, until they virtually touch the front seats.

Evan McCausland


2011 Toyota Sienna XLE

Base price (with destination): $35,315

Price as tested: $42,211

Standard Equipment:

3.5-liter V-6

6-speed automatic transmission

Active torque management AWD system

4-wheel disc brakes

18-inch wheels

VSC with TRAC, ABS and brake assist

Dual power sliding side doors

Power tilt/slide moonroof

Cruise control

Leather seats

Heated front seats

Tri-zone climate control

Power windows/locks/mirrors

AM/FM/MP3 CD player with 6 speakers

Options on this vehicle:

XLE premium package -- $6225

Dual view entertainment center

Wireless headphones

Voice-activated touch screen

Navigation system with backup camera

JBL AM/FM/MP3 4-disc CD changer

10 speakers

XM satellite radio

USB power with iPod connector

Bluetooth connectivity

Push button begin

Carpet floor mats/door sill protector -- $324

Roof rack cross bars -- $185

Wireless headphones -- $82

Cargo internet -- $51

First aid kit -- $29

Key options not on vehicle:

Sienna Restricted -- $7755

Rear seat entertainment -- $1999

Remote engine start -- $529

Fuel economy:

(city/hwy/combined)

16 / Twenty-two / 18 mpg

Engine:

Size: 3.5L DOHC VVT-i V-6

Horsepower: 266 hp @ 6200 rpm

Torque: 245 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm

Drive:

All-wheel

Transmission:

6-speed automatic

Curb weight: 4735 lb

Wheels/tires:

18-inch aluminum wheels

235/55R18 Bridgestone Turanza all-season tires