The brand new 2021 Toyota Sienna seems to need to undo the stigma that minivans have suffered for many years. To trick the attention into considering the Sienna is an SUV, the hood has been raised and the bottom of the A-pillar is pulled again. The sheetmetal across the rear wheels bulges and connects to a bone line that runs alongside the aspect of the van. An aggressive-looking minivan won’t be one thing anybody requested for, however we’ll take it.
Bolder on the Outdoors, (Principally) Higher on the Inside
The sliding doorways nonetheless announce that it is your flip to carpool, however the Sienna’s new inside is much extra fashionable and driver-focused than its predecessor’s dated design. A bridgelike floating middle console flows out of the dashboard and leaves a big and sensible storage space beneath. 4 of the Sienna’s 18 cupholders are housed atop the console, and we like that Toyota saved an actual shifter moderately than adopting the modern and unnatural rotary-knob and push-button setups discovered on the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey.
Behind the entrance seats, the brand new Sienna stops pretending it isn’t a minivan. There’s snug seating for seven—or eight with the stowing middle seat—and legroom has elevated within the second and third rows. The second-row captain’s chairs that recline and seem like they’re out of a dentist’s workplace slide backwards and forwards greater than earlier than and supply limo-like lodging. These chairs do not come out nor do they fold into ground, which limits how a lot you possibly can pack into the Sienna. The last-generation Sienna had detachable seats and an enormous 150 cubic ft with the third row stowed and the second row eliminated, excess of the brand new Sienna’s 101 cubic ft. Cargo quantity behind the second and third rows is down by 12 and 5 cubes, respectively. Toyota has decreased the hassle wanted to fold and unfold the third row into the ground, and we will verify that the operation is almost easy.
Extra Refined on the Street, Extra Environment friendly on the Gasoline Pump
Following the built-in vacuum pattern, there is a built-in vacuum, and like the unique Toyota Van from 1984, there is a small fridge within the middle console. The Sienna is the one minivan with foot-activated energy sliding doorways. Kick beneath the door, and the door slides open. A full roster of driver-assistance know-how is commonplace, together with adaptive cruise management and lane-keeping help.
The Sienna has moved to Toyota’s TNGA-Ok platform, an structure that additionally underpins the Highlander and RAV4. Extra stable than earlier than and with a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase, the Sienna additionally will get a brand new multilink rear suspension that replaces a much less refined twist-beam axle. Dealing with is safer, and the steering is faster and extra exact.
On the monitor, our all-wheel-drive Sienna Platinum posted an equivalent 0.79 g on the skidpad as a 2019 Sienna AWD we examined. The brand new one’s stopping distance from 70 mph additionally grew by 5 to 188 ft versus its predecessor, and we observed average brake fade. Nonetheless, minivan customers will seemingly care extra in regards to the Sienna’s newfound refinement than its at-the-limit dealing with.
Prospects are additionally more likely to care loads in regards to the Sienna’s gas economic system, which is why the Sienna is now solely a hybrid. Rather than the outdated 296-hp 3.5-liter V-6 is a 2.5-liter inline-four that {couples} with two electrical motors to make 245 horsepower. Almost a second slower to 60 mph than the V-6 (7.7 seconds versus 6.8), the hybrid system delivers strong-feeling acceleration from low rpm. The hybrid’s gas economic system is significantly higher than its predecessor’s 19 mpg metropolis, 27 freeway, and 22 mixed. The front-wheel-drive hybrid is EPA rated at as much as 36 mpg in all three metrics, which can also be significantly larger than its V-6-powered rivals. The all-wheel-drive mannequin loses a single mile per gallon within the metropolis and mixed scores. In our fingers, we averaged 29 mpg.
The Sienna nonetheless tows as much as 3500 kilos, and all-wheel drive stays an possibility, however as an alternative of a driveshaft, there’s an electrical motor powering the rear axle. The Sienna’s 1.9-kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery is packaged beneath the entrance seats to keep away from compromising cargo area. When sufficiently charged and put in EV mode, the battery permits for pure electrical driving for brief distances and low speeds.
Remaining Phrase
Toyota has barely rejiggered the Sienna’s mannequin lineup, which now begins with the bottom LE and strikes as much as the XLE, XSE, Restricted, and the top-spec Platinum. Base costs stay comparatively near the outgoing variations and vary from $35,635 for the LE as much as $51,635 for an all-wheel-drive Platinum like our check automotive. Though the brand new Sienna won’t change the general public’s notion about minivans as a lot as Toyota’s advertising division hopes, it has the model and substance to problem the refreshed Chrysler Pacifica, the facelifted Honda Odyssey, and the upcoming Kia Sedona.
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