2007 Toyota Sienna Review

Specifications

Is the Sienna the perfect vehicle? I think Dodge, Honda, Hyundai, Kia
and a number of other minivan builders might have something to say
about that, not to mention any number of premium
manufacturers that don’t subscribe to the less is more philosophy. And
certainly, if styling rates highly on the “perfect vehicle” meter, then
the Sienna probably wouldn’t fair as well in my mind, at least. Not
that it’s ugly or anything, but just that it’s a minivan.

Toyota finally discarded the F1-inspired nose of last year’s van for a more conventional smiling face, only potentially offensive because it’s just so inoffensive. Its tall, vertical headlamp clusters would be radical on any other vehicle, but somehow on the Sienna they just blend in with the ovoid, wind-cheating, monobox shape, appearing almost diminutive in comparison to the rest of the vehicle. From the rear it looks much the same as the outgoing one, and being that the 2007 Sienna only gets a mid-cycle upgrade, subtle styling augmentations are to be expected.

Climbing behind the wheel I got to thinking about why I like minivans so much. I mean, they’re not particularly attractive, offer driving dynamics than can only be described as adequate, biased towards ease and comfort rather than optimizing speed and agility. Truly, minivans fly in the face of what most people want, as they lack the qualities most, especially those who read car magazines, regard highly in any other car. What they do better than any other vehicle type is obvious. They haul people and gear around like there’s no tomorrow, making light duty of what would otherwise be any number of trips back and forth to a chosen destination. Just how they go about doing this hauling, mind you, varies from minivan to minivan.

The Sienna does most things extremely well. It’s so good, in fact, that I’d be willing to put a best in class sticker on the windshield if it wasn’t for Chrysler Group’s Stow ‘n Go seating system and Honda’s outrageous over-engineering. So, I’ll refrain from giving a black and white score to something that deserves a great deal of personal inspection before committing, considering that any one families needs will be unique, and therefore may require something that the Sienna doesn’t offer.

Of course, there’s very little that the Sienna leaves off the options list, let alone the standard one. The third row folds completely flat into the floor after engaging what is the best split-folding mechanism in the industry, in my opinion. It requires little to no effort, and either dropping the seats down or pulling them back up into place can be accomplished by a 5’2” mother of twins, while each is tucked under both arms. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch, literally and figuratively, but you won’t be disappointed with the Sienna’s third row just the same. You may, however, be feeling a bit let down with its second row, which won’t fold into handy little sub-floor storage bins when more space is needed, like the system in the Grand Caravan or Town & Country. On the positive, the shortened seatback required by DCX’s Stow ‘n Go system make the Sienna’s second row seats more comfortable to all but children whose torsos don’t ride up far enough to notice a difference. The seatbacks do fold flat and then tumble forward, depending on the size of your load, making the van quite useful for most trips to the hardware or furniture store.

Where the Sienna excels is in the driving position, and for that matter the overall driving experience. It’s ergonomically sound, providing a comfortable upright seating position and even more comfortable and supportive front seats. Mine were covered in a nice fabric that, like the exterior, is designed not to offend. Sure it’s a little bland, but after taking to the road you won’t be worrying about style for much longer.

The Sienna is so easy to drive that you’ll probably find yourself lulled into a state of ambivalent distraction, a somewhat dangerous proposition considering the number of minivans that are similarly on the road at the same time, trundling off to Montessori kindergarten or on their way to stomp class, filled with frustrated moms trying not to yell at Ethan and Emma who are whining about being hungry, bored and mad because Joshua is shooting spitballs at Madison, Ethan and Emma with the

straw he just got for his drink his mom just gave him after hitting the drive-thru at Wendy’s. You get the picture. Anyway, if you manage to keep alert there’s no better turning circle in the minivan segment at 36.7 feet, transforming parking lot madness into a game of musical stalls.

On the open road I found its ride to be exemplary as well, and despite being fairly large overall it somehow felt light and nimble. I wouldn’t go so far to say the Sienna’s the most sporting of minivans, that honor probably falling to the Honda Odyssey, Mazda MPV or Nissan Quest, but let’s get real, does anyone buy a minivan for slicing up circuitous country back roads on weekends? Just the same it holds its own on such sections, predictably understeering when pushed beyond its capabilities, yet maintaining its lane unless some momentary lapse of reason escaped parental control causing sports car expectations from a very unsportsmanlike vehicle.

Then again, it’s all unbridled passion when taking off from a stoplight. Toyota has stuffed its all-new 3.5-liter V6 under the abbreviated hood this year, giving the Sienna almost as much muscle as it does in the new Camry and Avalon at 266 horsepower and 245 lb-ft of torque, but lacking the six-speed automatic that the cars boast, instead opting for a five-speed unit. Just the same, this much power is just plain silly in a minivan, but don’t get me wrong as I like it just as much here as I did in the equally dumbfounding RAV4. It lays waste to slow moving traffic without breaking a sweat, and will get you up to speeds that your local constabulary won’t believe possible from anything with power sliding doors at each side. Other than the fact that it’s hardly the sweetest vehicle to be seen in, your teenage boys will love the power too, especially the LE model I was driving. Anything but gingerly feathering the throttle induces the front tires to light up in quick rotation, squealing to their hearts’ content. At my age this is an embarrassment, of course, and it should be for a teenager too, but to be fair, they’re not yet bright enough to know what is actually cool and what is just plain infantile. If you want to look cool laying rubber, buy a Shelby GT500 and head to the drag strip. If you’re driving a minivan and spin the tires, you’re just going to look like an idiot. Such was the case with the

Sienna, leaving me wondering why Toyota chose not to include traction control as standard equipment. I mean, this isn’t a cheap vehicle at $25,680. A quick check over the build sheet stuffed into the glove box showed that the tester I was given didn’t include the LE Value Package, which if it did would have included Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with TRAC. OK, am I not getting something here? Toyota, do you mean to tell me that traction control is an option on a vehicle that costs almost $26K? It’s almost impossible not to spin the tires in wet weather, and when I drove my son up the ski hill for his weekly lesson it was hardly drivable. It’s a shame that Toyota cheaped out on this feature, as there’s way too much power without traction control. Take my advice, pay the extra for TRAC if you’re not getting an XLE, at which point it comes standard. The addition of stability control will only make the van safer, reducing the chance of accidents caused by skidding and also making it unlikely you’ll ever experience a rollover.

Fortunately for me the standard ABS-enhanced four-wheel disc brakes worked just fine, pulling all 4,140 lbs of vehicle plus my cargo of four-hundred plus dollars worth of groceries, one wife, two children and an assortment of Red Robin take-home plastic cups to a halt in quick, decisive confidence.

While I wouldn’t necessarily opt for the full list of accessories available to Sienna LE buyers, nor would I spend the high price for a completely loaded XLE Limited version of the van, I also wouldn’t want anything quite as stark as the base SE. I like my power sliders and appreciate a decent audio system. Nevertheless, to each his or her own. For those wanting more Toyota has a grand list, or more like a five grand list starting with the most frivolous, a rear seat DVD entertainment system with audio and DVD remote control, two sets of wireless headphones, an eight-inch LCD rear monitor and MP3 audio compatibility.

The Scot in me would rather opt for a $300 aftermarket DVD player from Walmart, but maybe that’s just me. In reality it all comes in a package that Toyota calls and DVD aside, the main problem with Toyota in this instance is that it puts triviality before safety. If you want to have your family protected with traction (TRAC) and stability control (VSC), the latter being the most effective safety feature next to ABS brakes, not to mention rear disc brakes and Daytime Running Lights (DRL), both clear safety advantages, you’ve got to spend an additional $3,278 for the Option D upgrade package that includes items you may or may not want, such as dual power sliding doors with a rear door electronic locking system, a HomeLink universal transceiver for your garage door, overhead multi-information display, 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 16-inch 6-spoke aluminum alloy wheels with P215/65R16 All-Season tires, windshield wiper de-icer grid, auto dimming mirror, carpet floor mats/door sill protector. Incidentally, with the Kia or Hyundai vans, most of this list is standard, especially the safety equipment. 

While hardly as important as safety issues, Option E includes all of the above as well as an audio upgrade to JBL’s Synthesis AM/FM stereo with a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, satellite radio capability, MP3/WMA capability, ten speakers and two in-glass antennas with FM diversity reception, rear-seat DVD entertainment system with 9-inch display, two 115V outlets, two wireless headphones, and rear intuitive parking assist for $5,744. If you don’t want to spend so much on a package that may have more than what you want in it, you can get a variety of accessories installed at the dealer level, but, unfortunately, none of the really important ones unless a set of wireless headphones or an auto dimming mirror are must-haves. What about a sunroof or a navigation system? They’re simply not available with the LE, so if you want navigation, per se, you’ll need to spend $35,465 in order to move up to the Sienna Limited, and then tack on an additional $5,445 for Option C, which includes, amongst other things, navigation. Truly, an aftermarket system made by Garmin or Sony might not integrate as nicely into the dash, nor is it factored into the comprehensive warranty or can it be optimized into the Sienna’s monthly payments, but the very best portable units on the market will set you back much less than a thousand… you do the math.