Toyota Sienna Review & Minivan Comparison

[@blogo1111]

I drove a sienna recently on a 600 mile each way. Made 34-35 mpg. Fantastic. Smooth ride plenty of power

[@GoldenK9Campers]

The gas mileage was really incredible. Nice and smooth ride. Great road trip car for sure.

[@laura-ann.0726]

A couple of things I'd like to note here as supplements to Darrell and Nicole's commentary: 1. The powertrain is pretty much identical to the Highlander Hybrid's, and similar to the Rav4 Prime's, except that the traction battery in the Sienna and Highlander is only 1.6 kW-hr (useable), compared to 14.5 kW-hr (usable) in the Rav4 Prime. All three vehicles use the same 2.5 liter, Atkinson cycle, In-line 4 cylinder engine and P-810 transaxle (180 hp MG2 motor). As Darrell noted, the Sienna has less power overall, and the electric motors don't seem to contribute much once you are past about 35~45 mph: the reason for this is that the Sienna's traction battery has far less capacity than the Rav4 Prime's, and it's really only there to provide energy for initial acceleration away from a stop sign, and to recapture some energy from the regenerative braking system when decelerating. To put this in context, the Rav4 Prime can run up to 57 miles in EV mode on a full battery charge (on flat terrain at 35 mph), whereas the Sienna or Highlander Hybrid can maybe go 2 miles in EV, crawling along at 20 mph. Attempt to accelerate past about 24 mph, and the Sienna will automatically switch from EV to HV mode and you can't prevent this. The overall performance and behavior of the Rav4 Prime is quite a bit different from the Sienna or Highlander, even though the engines and transmissions are more or less the same: that honkin' big battery in the Rav4 Prime radically changes the behavior of the car, in either EV or HV modes. 2. The Sienna Hybrid's second-row seats are in fact removable, just not easily or quickly, and you have to follow some special procedures. The issue with these seats is that they don't have quick-release latches as most older minivans do, and the reason for this has to do with the traction battery and air bag sensors: these seats are surrounded by air bags, and they have air bags in the second-row seat backs to protect the third-row seat passengers in a frontal collision. There are sensors in the seat cushions that inform the car's computer as to whether there are passengers sitting in those seats, or not. If no passengers are in the seats, the air bags for them are disabled, same as for the front passenger seat. To bypass these sensors, you have to install 3rd-party "dongles" on the seat wiring connectors, that fake out the computer to make it think that the seat is still there. The specific problem here is that removing the seat involves unplugging several wiring harness connectors hidden underneath, and if you unplug them in the wrong order, or fail to install the bypass dongles correctly, you will trigger an error code (a "P-code") in the OBD-II diagnostic system, and possibly trigger the air bags to deploy. Toyota strongly discourages user removal of these seats, but it can be done, for example to install a wheelchair lift or ramp that deploys out of the side door instead of the rear hatch. Minivans with stow-and-go third-row seating are very difficult and VERY expensive to modify for rear-access wheelchair lifts. Braun Mobility can sell you a Sienna with a side-access or rear-access wheelchair ramp. CORRECTION: The Braun Mobility Sienna Conversion modifies the floor pan for both the rear-access and side-access ramps, making them "forever" conversions; installing them involves massive modifications to the van with removal of a lot of the original sheet metal, relocation of the fuel tank, traction battery, and exhaust system, and once completed, you some seats with no possibility to ever convert the van back to stock. For the rear access conversion, you lose both the second and third row seats, but get a small, single jump seat wedged in just behind the front passenger seat, where a nurse/caregiver would be seated - these vans are generally for transport of people who are totally wheelchair bound and have to travel with a nurse. In the side-access conversion, you retain the third row seats. The price for these modified vans starts at $65,000 for a base-model Sienna LE with a fully manual side ramp, to an eye-watering $95,000 for a top-of-the-line Platinum with the rear-entry wheelchair mod and fully hydraulic ramp mechanism to extend and retract the ramp.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Thanks so much for sharing. Always such a wealth of knowledge.

[@laura-ann.0726]

@@GoldenK9Campers - I've come into some new info this morning, and have modified my post accordingly. Both the rear-access and side-access conversions by Braun Mobility involve permanent and irreversible structural modifications to the Sienna, making it impossible to ever revert the car back to the original seats. Once converted into a Mobility Van to haul people in wheelchairs, that's all that Sienna will ever be good for, and re-selling a used one will typically involve a huge loss. The Rear access conversion is designed to accommodate two patients in wheelchairs, whereas the side-access conversion only holds 1 wheelchair, but you retain the original third row seats. My partner sometimes uses a power wheelchair, as did my first wife Lynn, who passed away in 2013, so I've been having to deal with this issue of how to transport a very heavy (240 pound) motorized wheel chair for nearly 20 years. It's much easier and simpler to use a cargo van for this purpose, but all of the compact cargo vans disappeared from the US market over the last couple of years: the last two were the Nissan NV-200, and the Ford Transit Connect, and both were discontinued last year. The only vans left are Full-Size: Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster, and Chevy Express. None of these are Hybrid, they're all around $50,000 in the least expensive versions, and they all get sub-20 mpg fuel economy, but they cal all be easily fitted with hydraulic wheelchair lifts or ramps without modifying the structure of the vehicle.

[@Versul1]

You guys remind me of me and my wife.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Hopefully that's a good thing!!

[@HDMOVIECREATOR2012]

Any updates on your prime? Major mechanical problems? Warranty covered? Thanks!

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Thanks for checking up!! Not a major issue. It was the fuel pressure sensor. There was a recall on the part on the Hybrid.. but not the prime? I have a 100K extended warranty so it was covered. I'm assuming it would have been covered under the drivetrain warranty, but not sure.. He's back in action though. Just like new.

[@alexvaliansky7707]

Last time I checked, it’s spelled drivetrain, not drivetrane.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

@@alexvaliansky7707 You're correct. I always get that mixed up. Thanks.