Hauling the family in Lexus-like luxury

For those who want or need minivans it doesn't get much better than this. With near Lexus-like manners and luxury appointments and features, the Toyota Sienna ranks as a virtual tie with the new Honda Odyssey as our best choice when choosing a minivan.

The Toyota Sienna is big, roomy and cleverly designed to fill the transportation needs of families while doing its best to make a "soccer mom" vehicle attractive. It is after all a "minivan" and a "good-looking minivan" can certainly be labeled as an oxymoron. No head-turning quotient here but one of the best if not the absolute best looking minivan available in North America today.

First introduced in 1998 the second generation Sienna remains basically unchanged for 2005 after a major redesign in 2004. This generation Sienna is larger and more powerful than the pre-2004 model.

Sienna comes in four trim levels: CE, LE, XLE, and XLE Limited and all models come well equipped with standard power windows, door locks and mirrors, dual-zone front and rear air conditioning, sliding doors on both sides with power windows, keyless entry, AM/FM/CD/Cassette with six speakers, tilt/telescopic steering column, tire pressure warning system, third row 60/40 storable split bench seat and captain's chairs for the first and second rows. LE is the most popular; we tested the XLE Limited with optional equipment.

We found the Sienna ride quality Lexus-like and on par with several luxury sedans we recently driven and tested. The ride is smooth, quiet with responsive handling. We noticed a little more body roll and lean during cornering than we would have liked and not quite up to the sportier feel of the Honda Odyssey.

All Sienna trim levels come with the same engine/transmission combination: a 3.3-liter V6, 230 horsepower engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. The manufacturer recommends premium-unleaded fuel. Power seemed adequate and Toyota says the Sienna can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 8.3 seconds, making it one of the quickest minivans on the market.

All Sienna's are front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive available on all trim levels except the base CE and automatically includes larger 17-inch wheels, run-flat tires, stability control and upgraded brakes. A DVD-based entertainment system is available to LE, XLE and Limited buyers however the navigation system is only offered on the XLE and Limited.

Sienna's large exterior dimensions allow for a roomy interior. The standard leather seats in our Limited model were exceptionally comfortable. Sienna comes with seating for seven or eight when a middle-row bench is selected over the standard dual captain's chairs. The middle-row captain's chairs can be moved together or kept separate, but there's no track for the seats to slide together as in the Odyssey. You must lift the seats manually (not easy) and reposition it and lock it into place on the floor. Finding the exact place for the four latches to drop into is difficult at best and nearly requires two adults to complete the task. When positioned together it does afford easier access to the third-row seats.

Choose the middle-row bench seat and a small "Front and Center" middle seat section that slides almost 13 inches forward and closer to the front seats, to make toddlers in the seat easily reached for replacing a pacifier and the like but still far enough to protect from contact with an airbag in a collision. A similar seat is offered in the Volvo XC90. Child seat anchors (LATCH) are included in all three-rows of seats.

Another convenient feature is a center console that can be moved from between the front seats to between the middle-row seats. Middle-row passengers get power windows in the sliding doors however they only retract about half way, still a nice touch.

All gauges and controls are easy to operate and well-designed. A small interior mirror flips down from above to help the driver keep an eye on children riding in back seats. Similar to a school bus. The Sienna is loaded with cup and bottle holders, storage bins and there are 10 baggage hooks for plastic grocery bags and one large hook for a purse or handbag.

In terms of safety equipment, standard features include front-impact airbags that deploy at one of two speeds depending on crash intensity. Side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain-type head airbags for all three rows are standard in the Limited and optional in all other trim levels, and are oddly packaged with other features, including non-safety items. Antilock brakes are standard on all Sienna models, stability and traction control are included on the Limited and all-wheel drive models and optional on all others. In government crash testing, the sienna earned the highest five-star ratings across the board. Frontal offset crash testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety returned a rating of "Good," their highest score. All seats have head restraints but the third-row restraints are too low when fully down to adequately protect against whiplash.

Safety features included on our Limited model included the "dynamic laser cruise control system," which can be set to maintain a pre-set distance from vehicles ahead. Our tester also had a sonar-type parking aid on the front and rear bumpers, which beeps in tones of increasing frequency as the vehicle nears an obstacle. A rearview camera automatically engaged when shifting into reverse and viewed on our LCD navigation screen provided the best solution to help drivers see small children or obstacles when backing up. Unfortunately it is only available with the costly navigation system and not sold separately.

Sienna is arguably the best choice when competing against models in its class like the Nissan Quest, Ford Freestar, Kia Sedona, Chrysler Town and Country, Saturn Relay or Dodge Grand Caravan. It drives and handles like a fine luxury sedan yet is roomy, safe and backed by Toyota's reputation for quality and high resale values. Sienna is a top recommendation.

Return to the Auto Reviews home page.