Thoughts on Sienna and Odyssey

allisonrose

New member
Hubby and I are thinking about upgrading to a full size minivan. I've been driving a Mazda5 for two years now and while I love the gas mileage, it feels a bit cramped. We have two children now but are debating about having a third. My older son will be FFing in a Frontier 85 (just purchased due to accident, not yet installed) and my younger son is RFing in a Diono XRT. Hubby sent me some listing for 2011 and 2012 Sienna and Odyssey. He is leaning towards Sienna because it is a better value, however, I found a review of the 2011 saying there is just three rear tether positions. I could not find information about the number of rear tether locations in the 2012 Sienna.

Does anyone know how many rear tether locations there are in a 2012 Sienna?

Also is it a big pain to be limited on rear tether with three children (in theory)? My ds1 will be 5 in September but like many moms here, I don't plan to rush into boostering. My ds2 is 2.5 now and I plan to have him RF until 4. The soonest the third child could be a factor would be 9 months from now so my ds1 would be around 9 at least when theoretical dc3 would be ready to forward face.

Is there anything I should know about the 2011 and 2012 models of the Sienna and Odyssey?

Which features on your minivans do you absolutely love and which do you hate?

Thanks so much!
 
ADS

Guest

New member
Do a search for my reviews on the Sienna and Odyssey. Short story - I have two BILs who are Toyota mechanics. Even they agreed the Odyssey was much better. It's primarily the little stuff that added up to a clear decision towards the Odyssey. No regrets.
 

MommyShannon

New member
Yep, just 3 top tethers in the Sienna. The Ody has 6. I have 4 kids and love that I can move seats around anywhere. I only have 2 ff so far, but I have put them in every spot at different times. The previous model Sienna had more tethers so I'd just get a little older one if you'd prefer Toyota.
 

coleslawcat

New member
It doesn't sound like you will ever need more than two tethers at a time. By the time your future third child would be FFing it will be almost four years out at the soonest since you ERF. By then your oldest will be nine. Three tethers should be plenty so I wouldn't really let that change your mind if you like the Sienna better aside from that.
 

SavsMom

New member
Both are great vehicles. The Odyssey will allow you more seating options than the Sienna due to the top tether issue. If that's not an issue for you I would just drive both and choose the one you like the most.
 

YinzerMama

New member
I think if you're going used the older (06-10) Siennas are nicer, but if going new the new Odys are nicer. Even if you don't NEED 6 tethers it's nice to be able to put a child seat anywhere you want.

I had an 08 Sienna and I have a 12 Ody. My sienna was 8 passengers. It's 8th seat was slightly nicer than the new Odys (which is much better than the old Ody's) and the trunk was bigger. I do miss these things.

The interior of the new sienna to me feels super cheap and the exposed tracks on the floor are just ugly. (Assuming this hasn't changed in the last year?) Since kids do get bigger I think it is of note that the 3rd row has ample ample leg room even for an adult. The 8th seat of the new Sienna is a joke (although the fact that it can be stored is nice).

I never even drove the new Sienna since I couldn't get past hating the interior. New Ody drives well. I think the biggest thing I hate is the headlights - it's not like you test drive at night so I never realized how awful the headlights are. Otherwise I like it. But it took some adjusting...
 

MommyShannon

New member
The older model Ody has some features I prefer. The 8th seat is tiny but it can be removed and is small to store in your garage. Then you can slide the captain's chair over to create an aisle on the side. The carpets are designed to move around and cover the tracks. It has 5 top tethers, everywhere but the 8th seat. Yes, with your kids' ages it wouldn't be impossible with 3 tethers, but its nice to put 2 kids outboard in the 3rd row so I'd get frustrated.
 

scoutingbear

New member
I have a brand new spankin' Sienna sitting in my driveway. 2 of my kids are/could be full time booster riders. The tether locations were not that important to me. I like the little 8th seat for storing and the easy removability of it. Ill be out in a little bit playing carseats with it!
 

luckyclov

New member
I've owned both. A 2011 Sienna and now a 2012 Ody.

I have likes and dislikes about both. I really, really, really miss the cargo room in my Sienna and how well it braked on wet roads, plus it's more attractive than the Ody, in my opinion. But I also like the 3rd row leg room in my Ody, where my oldest rides, and the tall headrests (which I used to dislike...).

If you have a bunch of FF harnessed kids (or a lot of kids in general...lol), you might want to put more stock into the Ody since there's only 3 top tether anchors in the Sienna and the 8th seat is not car seat friendly. Outside of that, test drive -- a lot, all over the place, more than once, different road conditions if you can. Turn, brake, all that stuff. Try all your car seats in and around everywhere. Make your decision based on that "criteria", not everyone else's opinion -- because, honestly, what floats my boat may sink yours, KWIM?
 

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