5 carseats (kids are 6 and younger)- is Toyota Sienna better than Honda Odyssey?

steph410 · Nov 16, 2012

I four kids now and am expecting a 5th in the spring- they are aged 6 and younger.

Anyways, I have been reading a lot about this and it seems like the Toyota Sienna might be a better choice than the Honda Odyssey that we currently have- as far as safety for the carseats and also because it was mentioned that there is much more room for 3 carseats across in the 2nd row of seats.

Is this true?

At this point, I looking into possibly trading our Odyssey for a Sienna.

YinzerMama · Nov 16, 2012

The old style siennas had 3 1/2 more inches of room in the back seat. The new ones only have like 1 1/2 inches.

If you can find an old sienna esp. an 8 passenger, get one. There is only one spot without a top tether, the driver's outboard rear. (At least for 2006-2010, 7 or 8 pass)

The new siennas IMO aren't the best pic for car seats.

I have a new ody which is pretty awesome for car seats but would be problematic with 5 because the back row is so narrow and you're somewhat limited in what seat you can put in the middle of the 2nd row and still have the outboard seats move forward.

(I had an 8 pass 2008... still miss it... ody is better in some ways, worse in others... waffly on going back. The 8 passenger old style ones aren't easy to come by! A 7 can work though)

steph410 · Nov 16, 2012

ok thanks. I've never been more confused in my life re: how to make 5 carseats work in our car...

SO many things I have read keep recommending 3 across in the 3rd row, but I would much prefer 3 across in the 2nd row and somehow make a space for the 2 older kids to get to the 3rd row when I pick them up for school...

Heyy · Nov 16, 2012

I drive an odyssey and my sister drives a sienna - both have the two captain's chairs in the middle. In my van, when both girls are in the center seats, there is NO getting around them, and my older kids have to go in and out over the back seat though the hatch. In the Sienna, if my nephews are in their seats in the center, I can get by to sit in the back. And I am not a small woman. (5'7" US 18/20). Also, in the sienna, we can put three car seats across just fine in the back, or two seats with an adult comfortably between. In my odyssey I can put the two slimmest seats and my daughter who wears a 0 :/ All this is not to mention the maintenance issues we have had with our odyssey. Looking forward to 2014 when I'm buying a new sienna!

YinzerMama · Nov 16, 2012

The problem is getting to the back row with 3 across the 2nd row. But there are people on the ody forum who claim you can still rock a seat forward enough with a ff car seat in it to slide on back.

I never tried to move a seat with a car seat in it in my old van so I can't tell ya how that goes.

In theory you can leave the single side of the 3rd row stowed and have two kids climb in from the back but that depends on if they are in car seats and what kind etc.

I am not even sure if 3 radians will fit across the back of my new ody! The 3rd row has I believe the most legroom of any van (it's really comfy for an adult) but it is the narrowest bench of any van. SO bizzarre.

YinzerMama · Nov 16, 2012

Heyy - what years are the two vans? It can make a big difference.

Can you put the two captains chairs side by side in yours to make access to the back easier??

Heyy · Nov 16, 2012

YinzerMama said:
Can you put the two captains chairs side by side in yours to make access to the back easier??

Ummm, I didn't even know this was POSSIBLE, so I don't know??? I'll look into it though!

My Ody is a 2001 and my sisters Sienna is, I believe, a 2004

I know the different years designs make a big difference- just sharing my personal experience

Mercuria · Nov 16, 2012

I'm pretty sure my parents' Ody is an '01, and they can do that. There's another set of floor anchors under some plastic covers. I *think* that the passenger side seat is the one that can move.

steph410 · Nov 16, 2012

I never thought about the possibility of stowing one of the 3rd row seats and letting the two big boys go in through the back door.

I might go to a Toyota dealership this weekend just to check out the Siennas.

YinzerMama · Nov 16, 2012

Heyy said:
Ummm, I didn't even know this was POSSIBLE, so I don't know??? I'll look into it though!

My Ody is a 2001 and my sisters Sienna is, I believe, a 2004

I know the different years designs make a big difference- just sharing my personal experience

steph410 said:
I never thought about the possibility of stowing one of the 3rd row seats and letting the two big boys go in through the back door.

I might go to a Toyota dealership this weekend just to check out the Siennas.

Just be aware old and new are very different beasts.

ANy chance you live new brunswick OH? I have been eyeballing this one for a while

http://www.brunswickautomarttoyota....a-Sienna-037842720a0d06490121708a39b8e948.htm

The price has dropped, interior looks kinda funky. It started at 18,9. You might be able to get a good deal.

It's too far for me to drive for a maybe funky interior.

They have a white 2010 8 passenger, too.

April · Nov 16, 2012

steph410 said:
ok thanks. I've never been more confused in my life re: how to make 5 carseats work in our car...

SO many things I have read keep recommending 3 across in the 3rd row, but I would much prefer 3 across in the 2nd row and somehow make a space for the 2 older kids to get to the 3rd row when I pick them up for school...

I'm in the same situation. We are looking at getting a new-to-me van, and I can't figure out if I want a 7 or 8 pass 04-10 sienna or an 04-10 oddy. My kids are 11, 9.5, 7, 6, and 2.5. The only thing stopping me from deciding is that I can't figure out if its easier to a) get a 7 pass sienna and have kids climb between the capt chairs to access the third row, b) get an 8 pass sienna and do 3 across the second row (with one 5 stepping kid in the 2nd row pass seat so we could move it for 3rd row access, but still have an extra spot 3rd row centre to stop my dd's from killing each other and also have room for their friends, or c)n get an oddy and push one capt chair to the middle of the 2nd row so there is access to the 3rd row. So far I'm leaning towards option b because it allows a space between my DDs in the 3rd row AND I could squeeze of of their 5 stepping friends there if I needed to.
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YinzerMama · Nov 16, 2012

April said:
I'm in the same situation. We are looking at getting a new-to-me van, and I can't figure out if I want a 7 or 8 pass 04-10 sienna or an 04-10 oddy. My kids are 11, 9.5, 7, 6, and 2.5. The only thing stopping me from deciding is that I can't figure out if its easier to a) get a 7 pass sienna and have kids climb between the capt chairs to access the third row, b) get an 8 pass sienna and do 3 across the second row (with one 5 stepping kid in the 2nd row pass seat so we could move it for 3rd row access, but still have an extra spot 3rd row centre to stop my dd's from killing each other and also have room for their friends, or c)n get an oddy and push one capt chair to the middle of the 2nd row so there is access to the 3rd row. So far I'm leaning towards option b because it allows a space between my DDs in the 3rd row AND I could squeeze of of their 5 stepping friends there if I needed to.
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You can push a sienna captain chair over as well

But it's possible to find an older oddy with an 8th seat which makes a good in a pinch seat, so you have 2 dedicated comfy captain's chairs AND possible seating for 8. But the ody 8th seat really is an in a pinch seat, not a dedicated seat or carseatable (for most) whereas the sienna 8th seat really was a good seat.

I don't know why they quit making them like that. Honda ALMOST copied it with the new Ody but not quite.

steph410 · Nov 16, 2012

wait, I was under the impression that the middle "seat" in our 2006 Honda Odyssey was a viable option to pt a carseat? I was planning on putting the infant RF seat there?????

YinzerMama · Nov 16, 2012

steph410 said:
wait, I was under the impression that the middle "seat" in our 2006 Honda Odyssey was a viable option to pt a carseat? I was planning on putting the infant RF seat there?????

some will - for some reason i didn't realize you were planning to use it. that does add more options. I think I was just stuck on thinking MY ideal layout of the car.

maybe his helps?

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=88571&page=3

Heyy · Nov 16, 2012

Just a note: the older kids crawling from the front to the back between all the capt chairs DID NOT WORK- either they would lose balance and bump a sleeping baby, or step all over my purse, diaper bag, dvd player, you name it on their way back. Then there was the nightmare drive in the middle of the night when two of the three "big kids" in the back had the beginnings of the stomach flu- and because we were traveling the entire back was packed up, ANNNND in took too long to get from the back to the front and out :/ I'll just stop my story there

April · Nov 16, 2012

3/5 of my kids vomit if we drive for longer than 20 minutes at once. We keep empty Starbucks cold drink cups and gravol in the van for that.

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YinzerMama · Nov 17, 2012

We got leather seats in the new van so puke/pee no longer a problem, on the seats at least.

One nice thing I miss about the Sienna I have to point out - the old sienna - if you have a front loader washer you can put all the floor mats in there to clean it. They are floppy.

Can't do that with my new ody.

Harmony96 · Nov 19, 2012

DH and I are hoping to have at least one more child, so I'm watching this thread with great interest, too (since I'm getting old and that increases the chance of fraternal twins, giving us 5 living children if that happens).

5 carseats (kids are 6 and younger)- is Toyota Sienna better than Honda Odyssey?

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