The constable didn’t issue a ticket, he was a little baffled that my van had Ontario plates and I carried an Alberta driver’s license. “Slow it down,” he cautioned after I explained I was a freelance auto writer. His radar gun caught me flogging a Sienna through a tight turn at the bottom of Edmonton’s Victoria Hill then accelerating hard in what was a 60-km zone. But with all-wheel-drive and a strong pulling V6 I couldn’t resist putting the pedal down for a quick rush up to the top. All the high performance cars I’ve driven over the years and I get stopped for speeding in a minivan, sheesh.
The AWD will be an asset for soccer moms hauling a crew of kids to indoor soccer or hockey this winter. You’ll have no problem plowing through this winter’s snow-covered streets. Unless of course we get a brown winter, which seems unlikely since we already have snow on the ground.
The minivan is still the best vehicle you can have for family road trips with kids, pets and luggage. The Sienna has plenty of cargo space and you know it will be reliable. Those are at least two reasons so many of them can be seen driving here and there. Clearly the Sienna is popular with the masses.
Toyota offers the 2017 Sienna in a variety of models, starting with the $33,420 (MSRP) base-model front-wheel drive, seven-passenger Sienna. I was given the top-of-the-line XLE seven-passenger AWD model. Loaded with options the MSRP reached above $51,000. Yes, a fifty-thousand-dollar-plus minivan.
For 2017 there is an all-new 3.5-litre direct injection V6 putting out more power (269 h.p.) than the previous year. But having driven a 2016 model, there was no lack of power in that engine. The new V6 says Toyota is also more fuel-efficient. An eight-speed transmission helps achieve good fuel consumption and when I wasn’t hot-rodding the Sienna I was able to get 9L/100km at a steady 120 km/ph. This is without my loving wife, grandchildren, luggage or other stuff in the back. Another plus with the Sienna is that it is the only mini-van with the added capabilities of all-wheel-drive. The system adds weight, but that’s a minor trade-off for great all-season traction.
Toyota has put many good features into the Sienna including touch screen audio with Bluetooth capability, steering wheel audio and voice recognition controls, a three-zone automatic climate control system, backup camera, power windows and door locks and halogen headlamps just to name a few.
The interior is well thought out, the instrument panel well organized with all controls easily at hand. It looks good with well-trimmed materials and gives the impressions of real quality.
The seats are supportive, there are plenty of nooks and cubbies to store whatever stuff you take on a trip and that’s where the Sienna really shines – as a long haul people carrier.
If you don’t need the third seat in the back for kids or pets, put it down and you gain an immense amount of cargo space negating the need for a rooftop carrier. And oh, is it ever quiet inside. This is a plus for listening to the stereo or for a little quiet time when the children in the back have nodded off or are immersed in whatever electronic device is in front of their eyes.
Not much to complain about except for the occasional creak or groan coming from one of the large sunroof window panes. The other issue deals with weak seat heaters. I expected better from you Toyota. I like warm buns on a cold winter day.
How does it compare to other minivans? In late 2015 the writers at Autos.ca compared the Sienna with two competitors, the Honda Odyssey and Kia Sedona. In the end it was felt the Sienna was the best overall minivan. Will that change for the 2016 model year now that Chrysler has brought out its all-new Pacifica minivan? Not all families can afford or really need a fully optioned family hauler. Absolutely the Toyota Sienna will give you your money’s worth and should be reliable for many years even after the warranty expires.
Garry Melnyk is a St. Albert resident and lifelong car buff who has written about new cars and trucks for radio and print publications since the ’70s.
