Yet Another Sienna versus Odyssey Thread (2015) Or...Maybe Sedona?

Mach Knockers

New member
I'm looking at getting a 2015 Sienna SE or a 2015 Odyssey EX-L. I REALLY like some aspects of each that the other lacks, yet have some concerns that I can't really address during a test drive.

The Sienna SE looks a lot meaner. I'm used to driving lowered, aggressive looking vehicles with that certain stance and car buff appeal... The Sienna is "lowered", has 19" wheels, and has a black interior with contrast stitching. It looks hot, as minivans go.

The Odyssey looks like a nice sweet minivan. Not my thing. But, I can't just buy it on looks. If I could, I'd keep my beloved Flex Titanium, all black, dropped 1.5", with 20" wheels. I love her. Too bad the kids don't, but I'm tired of hatch loading one kid, battling cargo space, etc. I totally see the benefit of the van over the crossover.

The 10 year old rides in a bubble bum, incognito, or high back Monterey.
The 6 year old rides in a Frontier 90.
The 2.5 year old is RF in a Chicco Nextfit or a Radian XTSL.
We often carry a small variety of extra children, all in boosters or harnesses.
We sometimes carry extra adults.
We do a LOT of road trips, 1000 miles plus.


My concerns with Sienna:
1. Do those seat tracks fill up with sand and dirt? We do a fair amount of beach going.

2.. That itty bitty center seat...its stow-ability is awesome, but is it usable? Can I three across my kids COMFORTABLY? I'm really concerned about the usability of that tiny seat!
DS is close to 5 stepping in that seat, so maybe I don't need to worry too much. I don't know how


3. Seats don't fold flat. How big of a deal is this for those of you who do a lot of cargo loading?

Which one is nicer for adults in the rear? I'm not looking at the ones with RES or leg rests, fwiw. My husband seems to feel that the Sienna is substantially nicer for adults in the second row. And, adults in the third row? Any thoughts there for either model?

And I've read a bunch of Sedona reviews, from it scoring first place in Motor Trend to it scoring fourth place from Edmunds and third place with Car and Driver. Hmmmm....maybe I should give it an in-person look.

I'd love to see the car seat nuts' opinions on these two (three).
 
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msg221

Well-known member
I am glad you posted this thread because I am in the middle of comparing minivans as well. I had read before that the Ody was well loved because of it having more tether anchors. I'm going to need four when we have all four grandkids in the vehicle.

I have only test driven the 2015 Ody EX-L. I think I will go and look at a Sienna though. While the Kia Sedona looks nice, I am steering clear of Kia after a bad experience with a 2013 Kia Sorento I had.

I found this article on the Sienna: https://www.cars.com/articles/2015/01/2015-toyota-sienna-car-seat-check/

This article may also be helpful. While I love the Highlander, not being able to use the second row center seat if there is a car seat installed in the second row passenger seat isn't going to work.

http://thecarseatlady.com/latch3rowvehicle/
 

lgenne

New member
I know the other problems with the Sienna include difficult non-removable headrests, and weird latch placement. If you want 2 FFers in the 3rd row, one of them has to be in the center, so now you're dealing with a side by side install even though you only want to use 2 of 3 available seating positions. Unless one of them is under the LATCH weight limit, in which case you can use the off-center lower anchors. The lower anchors in the 3rd row can't be used to secure a booster, because they don't line up with a seat belt.

The Sienna essentially has 2 rear seating positions that are almost fully functional for car seat installs (captain's chairs, "almost" because of headrest issues); the Odyssey has 4 seating positions that are fantastic for car seats, no matter what car seat you're using (all 4 outboard positions). And the Odyssey's center positions are much more functional than the Sienna's.
 

msg221

Well-known member
Well then, I suppose for minivans, then the Ody it is! If we look at SUV's, I will wait for the new Pilot to come out and see how it is. But I have a feeling we will end up with an Ody. Hoping we can hold out until September and maybe hit the Labor Day sale. I have a feeling it's going to be that long anyway before my DH's leg has healed and where he will have been through enough PT to drive again.
 

Klac80

New member
We have the 2014 sienna and I do love it, but we bought it when I was pregnant with baby #3, which turned out to be twins. So four kids five and under really made the three tethers a pain to figure out. If I had know it was twins I would have bought the odyssey. To answer your three questions...
1. Yes the tracks get full of dirt, it's annoying.
2. I'm the only one who has sat in the jump seat and it isn't comfortable for an adult, mainly cause of the leg room, but for a kid (not in a car seat) it would probably be ok. The jump seat is probably and inch or two lower than the other seats so I'm not sure if you can put a car seat/booster there, it would have to be fairly narrow.
3. We don't use this vehicle to move things as our SUV seats fold flat.
 

Mach Knockers

New member
Thanks to all of you for the opinions and info. I really appreciate it. ((Keep reading if you want more thoughts on the Kia Sedona!!))

After coming to a stand still in options and decision making, we got two Honda dealers and one Toyota dealer down to almost exactly the same price and trade-in. So that didn't help us decide.

The Ody was slightly larger in the rear, but not by a noticeable amount. The Sienna's seats were more comfortable in both first and second row.

The Sienna had better fit and finish and more luxurious cockpit feel. The leatherette on the non-leather areas has a more rubbery feel, but it wasn't offensive, b/c you're not touching it with hands very often, honestly.

The Sienna had a black interior which is very high on my list of desirability. Additionally, I could get it in black with graphite wheels, for a far more aggressive look than any Odyssey offered. That suits my taste in cars far more than the Odyssey's available looks.

My 10 year old definitely 5 steps in the 8th seat in the Sienna, but not quite in the Odyssey. The Sienna's shoulder harness being attached to the seat rather than the ceiling really contributedto the better fit. The Ody's 8th seat came too close to his throat, and the "bend the knees" part was arguable. I'd not feel comfortable with him in that location unless it was an in-neighborhood-only trip. Putting a booster in that seat would have been a hassle.

I really don't like the seat tracks in the Sienna, but am giving it a chance. I had them throw in the Weathertech mats, which "locks" the second row seats into one pre-determined location, but with a Nextfit RF in the driver second row, and a Monterery in the pax second row, I wasn't moving them anyway. The 8th seat will spend the majority of its time stowed and my 6 yr old can step over the floor level console, to ride third row pax side in her Frontier 90.

I took it as a three year lease (never leased before, but I take great care of my vehicles so shouldn't have issues) to reduce costs during a pay crunch and to just unload it at the end if I don't like it. I'll update more as I've been getting more miles on it.

Soooooo...we went Sienna SE. I realize I gave some concessions in carseat placement to get adult desires, but I'm okay with that due to my usage of the car.

For further review of the Kia Sedona SX: I took it over night. I LOVED IT. The features, options, cockpit, console, color scheme (black and camel with red stitching) was TO DIE FOR. Seriously freaking amazing. The exterior was more attractive than Ody, IMO. The safety is top notch, like the two big names I also considered.
Downsides:
**Rode great, but not as well as Ody or SE trim Sienna (SEs ride substantially better than other trim levels)
**Was smaller than the Ody/Sienna. Putting DS into RF Nextfit in the driver second row was challenging, as the doorway was smaller and the opened door was a bit in the way. Now, admittedly, this is nitpicking. But, I was specifically looking for easier loading than I dealt with in my Ford Flex. If I wasn't trying to squeeze so many kids in, and sometimes 6 adults rather than kids, I wouldn't worried about this. But, with slew of 6' plus friends and frequently transporting extra kids around, it felt a bit cramped.
**Gas mileage. While the Sedona is similar to my other considerations around town, I do a lot of highway miles and road trips. Highway mileage is substantially lower than Ody/Sienna.
**Depreciation: I don't tend to keep cars very long. The Sedona's depreciation was a turn-off.
All of these things said, the Sedona is a rocking good van and I was actually quite sad to take it back to the dealer and tell them no. I really loved sooooo much about it, but it just wasn't the best fit for me at this time. :(
 

LC2003

New member
I think you will be happy with the Sienna. We got a plain LE, but another preschool mom has the SE and it is super nice.

My Sienna's floor tracks are covered with rubber seals, so I cannot see anything gross that gets in there. The detailer can vacuum it out, though.

The 3rd row head rests are flat and do not interfere with any booster or car seat I have put there. Love them. The 2nd row head rests do push booster seats too far forward, but they are removable. Maybe this is different in the sport trim?

The 8th seat is very useable with kids. I have a Combi Coccoro there and it fits great. We have also used it for kids who can use a backless booster like the Bubble Bum, and for 5-stepping earlier than would be possible in other spots. Like someone else said, the fact that the seatbelt comes from the shoulder makes all the difference. I can even fit there in a pinch.
 

bubbaray

New member
If I were getting a minivan, I would get a Sienna for a few reasons -- I have had far better dealer service from Toyota than I ever did with various (3) Honda dealers or Acura dealers (2). I like Honda products but their service in my Metro area just sucks and I refuse to deal with their service people. Toyota has been freakin awesome (my DH had a Toyota truck first and loved their service so much he traded in my Ody for a RAV4).

Also, comparing fit & finish of Honda/Acura to Toyota, I personally find Toyota significantly better. Not sure how this compares in the USA lineup, but here (Canada), the F&F and long-term "tightness" of the F&F is much better with Toyota.

Styling is so personal -- of the current Ody/Siennas, I agree that the Sienna looks fiercer (if that is possible for a minivan). I don't care about tethers anymore, so that isn't a consideration for me. In terms of functionality, if I routinely needed to fit 5+ kids into a van, I would give the Ody serious consideration. I'm glad that I don't have to deal with that because my experience with the local Honda dealership service departments was just.that.bad.

All that said, if I were in the market for a larger vehicle, I would get the Highlander because I want 4WD/AWD and higher clearance than the Sienna AWD offers. And, I just don't want a minivan again.
 

Lemonade

New member
My opinion may not be relevant, cause mine is so old, but I'll share anyway. I guess it depends on exactly what is important to you. If particular elements of seating configuration or certain features are important, then that may decide it for you right there. For me, I just liked the feel of the way the Toyota drove better. Hondas feel a very particular way. I had driven a civic years before when looking for a car. And the odyssey drove like a honda too. It's not bad, just unique. In addition, when I was buying, the Toyota was priced much better than the honda (it was a new 06 purchased in Jan 07 so clearance, I think honda had all new 07s and no 06 left or something). So between how it felt to drive and the price, it was a no brainer. I had only one child, a RF 13m old, at the time. Only planned a total of 2 or 3 so the rear seat wasn't all that much of a concern.
It's been great. GREAT. Super convenient. Perfect for our needs as we do road trip several times a year. Have had pretty much no issues with it and it's now 8 and has 70K on it. Did have a warning light issue that was resolved with a $27 gas cap replacement. I really can't think of any other times anything needed work. That having been said, I have been uber sick of driving a minivan for some time now. Definitely won't be getting another. Since we only ended up having 2 kids, I no longer need the space and I hate driving a boat. But I always had planned to have only one minivan and have it get us through all the 'car seat/stroller/roadtrip-with-a-packNplay in tow years'. Looking at Highlander/Pathfinder/Rogue3rdRow or hoping Subaru comes out with a 3rd row vehicle in '16 or '17. We'll be down to a backless and an incognito at that point:)
 

bnsnyde

New member
We have an 8 seater Odyssey 2011. No complaints. We plan to get another 2015 or 2016 soon. I can't think of anything better, but I don't know. Maybe there is something out there?

We always have to have 6 carseats for now, so at least I KNOW the Odyssey works for that, and quite well. Could be wider in back, and I hate the cup holders which we never use. I'd rather have ROOM so I could fit all highback boosters and latch them in in the third row.

In the 2nd row, though, anything fits so that's awesome! Just have to have the right combo.
 

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