The Toyota Sienna is one of the most popular minivans in the United States. This is down to a few innovative features and advances in safety and practicality, meaning anyone looking for a well-priced and usable minivan will be hard-pressed to find one that's better.
Since its inception in the late 90s, the Sienna has paved the way for minivans across the world and has made transporting families that much easier. Below are some things you should know about the Toyota Sienna and some things you may have forgotten about this very capable minivan.
10 American Made
Despite being a Japanese minivan, you may be surprised to find that the Toyota Sienna is actually made in the US and was officially made to replace the also-popular Previa.
Since the late 90s, the Sienna has been manufactured at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana facility, based in Princeton, Indiana, and the Sienna is still made there today.
9 Award Winning Safety
Being a minivan, certain expectations come in the form of safety. It would of course be unwise for anyone to be transporting their family around in something dangerous, and luckily, the Sienna excels in this regard.
So much so, in fact, that the Toyota Sienna has taken home awards for its safety. In 2011, the Sienna claimed the "Top Safety Pick" Award presented by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Sienna’s impressive number of safety systems even earned it a 5-star safety rating awarded by the NHTSA.
8 Immense Popularity
Even those less well-versed in the world of minivans have heard of, or most likely even known, someone who has owned one at some point. The Sienna has been one of the first choices for consumer minivans since the late 90s.
Between the years 2000 and 2019, the Sienna has sold a minimum of over 73,000 vehicles each year. Some years, the car even managed to surpass 163,000 units sold in a year like in 2006 making it immensely popular indeed.
7 History
To give a little background on what makes this minivan is so popular, we must look at its history and previous models. Like stated earlier, the Sienna is the replacement for the Previa and has been manufactured since 1997.
The name derives from the Italian city of Siena, which is in the region of Tuscany. The Sienna launched with a 3.0-liter V6 engine, producing a very capable 194 hp. The initial basis for the Sienna was the Toyota Camry as it shared the same platform, this even led to it being dubbed as the "Camry of minivans," further increasing the popularity of the vehicle by capitalizing on the Camry's success. Since 1997, there have been four generations of Toyota Sienna's, and they are just as popular as ever.
6 Fuel Efficient
Another part of the Sienna's success comes from its fuel efficiency. It's important for families to be able to save money wherever they can, and Toyota knows this, which is why making the Sienna fuel efficient is of paramount importance.
As an example of this, The 36 mpg of combined fuel economy of the 2021 Sienna far surpasses any rival vehicles and not only that, it even manages to outdo much smaller subcompact vehicles like the Nissan Versa and Kia Rio despite being so much larger and heavier.
5 Integrated Vacuum
One of the more interesting features on the newer models of the Sienna comes in the form of it's integrated vacuum. Toyota definitely know their target market and where minivans appear, so do less than careful children.
Families will have a much easier time dealing with any mess caused by groups of children or even particularly messy adults, as Toyota engineers have mounted a vacuum underneath the Sienna's console. It was mounted here for convenience and also to save on room in the rear of the vehicle.
4 Seating
The seating of a minivan is quite possibly the most important factor. Of course, having a fuel efficient, nice driving and practical vehicle means absolutely nothing if you can't fit your family in there, and Toyota's Sienna is one of the best in the game.
For added comfort and convenience, the new Sienna goes above and beyond for the second row passengers. The aptly named captain’s chairs in the Toyota offer come with a long slide feature allowing for an extra 25 inches of space, creating an unparalleled amount of legroom. Even passengers who are taller than average should have no issue stretching their legs. Secondly, the seats can help improve cargo space by with integrated sliding and collapsing functionality.
3 Hybrid Only
As a relatively bold move from Toyota, the Sienna's V6 is being ditched completely from now on in favor of a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and hybrid powertrain. A battery pack is now placed beneath the front seats, and some added motor-generators now help provide variable transmission.
The result of this change gives the Sienna a fair 243 hp. Better yet though, and more importantly, this setup now helps improve fuel economy dramatically. The newest Sienna also features an EV mode, allowing the driver to travel short distances purely on electricity.
2 AWD
For potential customers who need or want to drive across some particularly challenging terrain, the 2021 Toyota Sienna is also available in all-wheel drive. Further adding to this, it's even available on any version of the Sienna too.
Unlike more typical systems, the Sienna's is fully electric with a separate motor powering the rear wheels when required, and when taking off from a stop. This system can actually send up to 80% of the power to the rear wheels alone, making it very versatile.
1 Practicality And Storage
Lastly, another important aspect of any minivan is its storage capabilities. Large numbers of passengers often means a large amount of luggage and to combat this ample cargo space is vital.
Any versions of the Sienna should be able to provide more than enough space for luggage and groceries alike, and then some. Newer models even posses some added functionality like being able to move or fold the seats, making for more space than ever. As far as practicality goes, the Sienna is hard to match, which is why it has been so popular for over two decades now.