The Toyota Sienna is one of the more interesting cars in the minivan category in recent years. It is reasonably priced, yet comes with a wide range of technological and cool entertainment features. Perhaps where the Sienna shines most is its hybrid engine with its incredible range, or with the mobility and convenience functions for ease of access and storage. The functions of the Sienna become almost endless, as it’s as comfortable on shopping trips as it is on camping trips. Below are some of the coolest and surprising features of the new Toyota Sienna.
10
Seating
The Sienna’s front seats are considerably comfortable, supportive, and spacious. The second row is just as roomy, these seats can even slide forward or backward to adjust legroom in the rear rows. The Toyota can seat up to seven or eight occupants, depending on if a bench or captain’s chairs are selected for the second row.
Cloth upholstery is standard. There are up to five complete sets of Latch connectors for securing a child car seat. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave this Latch system the highest rating available, which indicates that it’s among the easiest and most versatile to use.
9
Fuel Efficiency
One important aspect of owning a minivan is having a good enough fuel efficiency for carrying multiple passengers to and from wherever they need to go. Often, these vehicles are tasked with making more trips than your typical sedan and a good mpg rating is crucial because of this.
The Toyota Sienna gets an EPA-rated 36 mpg combined for city and highway. The all-wheel-drive variant has a similar 35/36 mpg for city and highway, which are great numbers for a minivan.
8
Price
There are a number of options available for the Sienna. The cheapest model is named the LE and begins at $34,460 which is fairly reasonable and comparable to the Chrysler Pacifica but is actually around $1,000 cheaper than the Chrysler.
The other options increase in price with the XSE starting from $42,760 and the top of the range model named the Platinum pricing at around $50,460. Toyota has managed to create variants here for a number of price brackets and includes some great features to coincide with the price jump.
7
Mobility And Convenience
The Sienna also has some good features for those who need a little extra help getting in and out of their vehicle, as well as some handy features to help with convenience whilst driving. The Sienna provides a handy power lift-up seat which as shown here can be added to help aid the less mobile.
It can be added in a number of positions in the car, including the front. Another feature for convenience is the ability to split the third-row seats for some added space if needed.
6
Hands-Free Doors
Fortunately for ease of access, the sliding doors of the Sienna can actually be opened by using a sensor located below the rear sliding doors, simply moving a foot under the door will open or close it.
This is perhaps best used when carrying small children or a number of items and need some assistance as per the minivan demographic. A perhaps underrated but valuable addition form Toyota.
5
Sports Styling
The Sienna is available in five different trims named the LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum, but the XSE is different from the rest. It has 20-inch wheels and sport-tuned suspension, the XSE gets a different appearance compared to the other Siennas also.
The black wheels, mirror caps, and badges stand out for sure, and designers also crafted a different style for the front and rear fascias. Kevin Hunter, the president of Toyota’s Calty design center, said the XSE was inspired by the race track.
4
Power Outlet
Again, another perhaps underrated feature of the Sienna is its inclusion of a power outlet in the rear of the vehicle. This is especially useful for long journeys or even possible camping trips.
The option of an added 1500w power outlet allows users to power anything they may want from the back of the vehicle, giving it an almost camper van feel as it’s most suitable for camping equipment like cookers or for inflating air mattresses.
3
Hybrid Performance
The performance of the Sienna is down to the hybrid design of the vehicle. The reason for the good mpg ratings is down to the 2.5-liter hybrid engine, which produces a reasonable 245 hp.
There are also 2 electrical motors too, which help the Sienna accelerate well and drive quickly and quietly around town, thanks in part to the torque from these electric motors. Not blistering speeds but efficient and powerful enough for general everyday use.
2
Entertainment
Given the Sienna is a car that exists to carry a large number of people, the long journeys can get particularly tiresome, especially for any younger and perhaps less patient passengers.
Luckily, Toyota has added some great entertainment features which include wireless device charging, HD Radio, 8 or 12 speaker stereo systems, and a rear-seat entertainment system with an 11.6-inch display.
1
Technology
The Sienna’s standard features include a 9-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, Bluetooth, seven USB ports, satellite radio, a Wi-Fi hot spot, remote keyless entry, push-button start, tri-zone automatic climate control, power-sliding side doors, and a power liftgate.
The Sienna’s infotainment system is relatively simple thanks to well-designed menus and lack of physical controls. It has everything that is expected of a modern-day minivan and even includes a good number of safety features including a rear-view camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and so on.
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