Sienna Owners....Give me your input Please

[Yoshi]

Hi Everyone- well after all our new car test driving, I think we are going for the 2007 Sienna (GASP....I never thought I'd join the minivan crowd;) ) But after experiencing all the space inside and knowing that we would be very comfy and be able to fit all our darn stuff in there on vacations, it just makes sense. Yeah, even with only one child home once DS goes off the college this year. I wasn't excited by anything in particular, it drove fine and was quieter than I thought, but tell me please what is the best thing about your Sienna- and what don't you like. We will probably be going for one the middle of the line- LE packages. Have you had any problems with it? Thanks very much for anything you want to share.

[Jeanum]

I like the seating versatility in my 8-passenger model, even though I only have two kids, and it's very smooth and fairly quiet for a vehicle with lots of window glass and open floor plan. We drive the grandparents around at times and have room for everyone, plus Ikea stuff that comes home with us, lol. It gets better gas mileage than the smaller AWD V6 Saturn Vue I used to drive and has a smaller turning circle than the Vue.

One thing I dislike and took some time to get used to is the braking and stopping distance it requires. I realize it's a 2 plus ton vehicle, but I wish it had better brakes. I do have front and rear disc brakes with some kind of electronic braking assist and standard ABS, but I still have to watch my stopping distances.

[Dawn]

I really love my Sienna. I have an 04 XLE base model. SIL and BIL have the 05 LE-8 and it is nice as well. I chose mine for the added convenience of the auto doors and liftgate. It's easy to drive and the telescoping steering wheel is great for dh and I. I am barely 5 ft and he is 6 ft 2 inches. Plenty of room for trips. We have 4 children and a dog so space is premium. I actually feel like I have more usable space in my Sienna then I did in my Suburban.
SIL's is wonderful for putting all three babies across one row. It was the only minivan on the market with three true middle row seats. She has 3 Marathon's side by side.

[sirrahn]

I have an 8 passenger LE and the best thing about it is definitely the seating versatility. We have 4 kids and have filled it completely several times and everyone rides comfortably (We've also folded down the 60 side of the split rear seat and gotten all the kids and stuff from IKEA home too;-). With 5 sets of LATCH, carseats can easily go almost anywhere and the fully tumbling middle row seats make back row access easy (I think the captains chairs on the 7 passenger tumble too??)

The biggest thing that bugs me about it is the rear climate control temperature can't be controlled from the front. I can adjust the fan speed but not the temp. A kid in a carseat can't reach it and it's a pain when the weather changes drastically or DD decides to play with it as she gets in her carseat and they get blasted with AC in the middle of the winter or heat in the summer. Then I have to turn it off until I can get stopped and reach back there to fix it. I'm too short to get to it without sliding my seat all the way back. I don't think that's the case with the XLE's automatic system (and mine's an '04...maybe they've "fixed" it by now on the LE), but as annoying as it is, I'll live with it for my extra seat:-)

[CarSeatPoncho]

We have a 2004 LE. We chose that model for the 3-across in the second row, and all 3 of my kids (3, 13 and 16 -- and he's big!) fit very comfortably in the second row. Third row, when used, is pretty short on leg room, but it's good enough for the kids.

What I love the best is the room in the 1st and 2nd rows, and the versatility of being able to collapse the 3rd row. It's also so comforting to know it is rated one of the safest minivans on the market (Sienna and Odyssey always seem to be trading #1 or #2 spot, depending on who's rating, but we're a Toyota family).

It's my first minivan, and I was afraid it would be like driving a truck, but it really is just like driving a car!

[DaniCPST]

I had a 2005 Limited and I ***LOVED*** the awesome turning radius! Seriously you don't realize how nice it is until you drive the car for about a month and realize how much easier it is to park and do maneuvers with such a tight turning radius. I really miss that.
Easy, easy, easy carseat installs with LATCH and the seatbelt, easy to find top tethers are nice too.
I also agree with the pp about the brakes...they suck. But if you get a 2007 they have bigger, improved breaks...and more hp :D

[LaurieB]

Never thought I'd be a $#@& van driver either but (shhh) I do love the Sienna. We bought an '06 LE 8 seat a month ago. My favorite part is that the windows in the 2nd row roll down. I didn't know minivans did that! Love the power door, I only have one but wish I had 2, they are nice. I was surprised how quiet it is. And how much room. I'm a big person and I fit in the 2nd row between a RF Blvd and a Regent. Liked the Honda too but the 0% financing from Toyota is unbeatable right now...

[Yoshi]

Thank you everyone! I just wanted to hear some real life opinions. I think the brakes are more powerful in the '07, but they are not 'stop on a dime' brakes in any matter- my Subaru Outback wagon is over 3,000 lbs also, and the brakes are way underpowered, so I have to brake WAY ahead of a stop. They have been replaced FREE twice and we only have 50,000 miles on it. When I drive DH's Camry, it's like, "WHOA!!!" as the car actually jerks to a quick stop since I forget what I'm driving.

The climate control I think is driver-controlled now, at least that's what our salesperson said, but I wasn't really listening 100%, because DD was climbing all over the showroom model's second row seats. DH likes it ALOT, and IKEA stuff actually fitting in the vehicle- now that's cool!:p I personally like the 7 passenger model since they have captain's chairs, which IMO, if a grown person is sitting there, they will be more comfy w/armrests. We only have one in a carseat, and no more kids on the way, so adults and teenagers will occupy the other seats. I will post back once we buy- probably in the next 2 weeks. THANKS again!

[ktmo]

We just got an '07 Sienna, and I love it. We have the XLE and have only had it a month, but it is great. We had a '05 XLE AWD, but got rid of it because of issues with the Run Flat Tires (so, don't get AWD if that is an option). The '07 has a bigger engine, which is quite noticable, great pick up. We only have 1 little one right now, but one on the way and I have no trouble fitting DD car seat in either position in the second row (captain chairs). I can tether her seat rear-facing, no problem. I haven't tried the third row yet, but there are two LATCH positions in the third row (so, 4 total). Love it, love it.

Katie

[Yoshi]

Thanks Katie- our salesperson actually warned us about the run-flat tires, saying they were wearing down every 20K miles! So, replacement costs every 10 months or so would be astronomical. I can't wait to get it- I would love the XLE, but we'll only get about 12K on our trade, so we thought we'd save some $.

[ktmo]

Yep, we had to replace our Run-Flat-Tires at around 10 months, luckily Toyota replaced them under warrenty, but we didn't want to have to do that every ten months. $$$.

Katie

[Dillipop]

Yep, we had to replace our Run-Flat-Tires at around 10 months, luckily Toyota replaced them under warrenty, but we didn't want to have to do that every ten months. $$$.

Katie


What are run-flat-tires?

[ktmo]

I am not an expert on Run-Flat-Tires, so I will give you my basic understanding of them. They are made differently then a regular tire with a tube fulled with air. I believe it is more of a "solid" tire, but still have air in them. The benefits are that if you get a regular flat, ie run over a nail or small leak, you can travel for around 100 miles without replacing the tire. So, a typical blow-out on the highway, would not leave you stranded. You could continue to drive on the tire, until you can get it fixed.

The problems - they wear horribly and uneven, even with appropriate tire rotation. Makes for a very noisy ride. Cars with Run-Flat-Tires are not required to have a spare. So, if you get a nasty flat, a gash in the tire, you are completely stranded. Most tire/repair shops do not carry Run-Flat-Tires in stock, so you have to wait to get a tire, by then you may be over the 100 miles you can travel, so you have no car, until the service station gets a tire. They are expensive, a little more then regular tires, but if you have to replace them every year, it adds up to quite a bit.

Toyota Sienna's AWD come with RFT and so does the new 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring. There is a class action law suit against Toyota dealing with the RFT and Toyota has now put them under warranty for 30000 miles, but I am not sure how often they would replace them under warranty. We got one set free before we sold our '05 Sienna.

Katie

[Dawn]

sienna club .org has lots of info on the tires and everything else you can imagine about the Sienna.

[Yoshi]

Thanks, yes that's my understanding of the Run- Flat tires- we just decided to steer clear of them ;) (Pun intended) DH is on a business trip this week, so next weekend might be "buy-day":D