2011 Toyota Sienna: The not-so-mini minivan

Revamped people hauler scores with room, styling and performance

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Jul 30, 2010, Updated Jul 30, 2010

CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT / TRIBUNE PHOTO

The 2011 Toyota Sienna is one of the largest vans on the market today and benefits from ample interior room, along with good looks, plush accommodations and available all-wheel-drive.

To be perfectly honest, most car writers don’t look forward to reviewing minivans. Sports cars are fun. Trucks are practical. Sport utility vehicles can be adventurous. But minivans are basically designed just to move people and their possessions from point A to point B.

But fortunately, when I was assigned a 2011 Sienna to test, that’s what I had to do — drive myself and a number of other car writers from Portland to Everett for a press event. And the new Toyota minivan was perfect for that assignment, just like it will be for soccer moms and anyone else who needs to haul people and their possessions around on a regular basis.

For starters, the Sienna isn’t very mini anymore. First introduced in 1998, it has grown over the years to become one of the largest vans on the road today. That translates into a lot of interior space that Toyota uses well. Drivers and front seat passengers have plenty of shoulder, head and leg room.

So do the second row passengers, whose seats slide back and forth on extended rails. They also have extendable foot rests, like a La-Z-Boy lounger. Room is tight in the third row, of course, but still sufficient for three small children.

Our test model was also equipped with a number of luxury options that made the drive even more relaxing, including plush leather seats and a sumptuous stereo system with satellite radio. It also came with a DVD player for rear seat passengers, although we didn’t use it.

Getting in and out of the Sienna was a breeze. The front doors are wide and the side doors automatically slide back with a gentle pull on the handle or the touch of a button. The third row can be reached by walking between the two second row seats, or by sliding them all the way forward. The rear hatch opening is enormous, as is the deep cargo space behind the third row of seats.

Both outside and inside, the 2011 Sienna is remarkably attractive for van. The exterior lines are bold and sweeping. The front end is large and angular, with a low air dam that would look good on a sport sedan. The flanks are sculpted and flow back to a rear end with a European feel. The result is surprisingly sporty-looking for such a large vehicle.

The interior is remarkably upscale for a van. The dash is an asymmetrical mix of high-quality plastics, including a large faux-wood trim piece that sweeps from the passenger door to the center of the console. It is complimented by other trim pieces on the doors and top half of the steering wheel. Though unconventional, all passengers thought the effect was attractive and added a touch of class to the cabin.

The gauges — some elliptical — were easy to read. The air conditioner included large rear seat vents that helped cool the entire interior on our drives from Portland to the near the northern tip of Washington and back. Because the control buttons are arranged around the angular dash design, they were a little confusing at first but made more sense after the first few tries.

Our test model was equipped with the optional 3.5-liter V6 engine. With 266 horsepower on tap, it moved the Sienna briskly through traffic and made freeway passing a breeze. Handling was good, A low growl was occasionally noticeable when accelerating from a stop, but it didn’t sound like a problem.

Handling was generally good, although some body roll was noticeable on fast corners — a gentle reminder of how large the Sienna is. The brakes were more than adequate, however.

Driver visibility is excellent, thanks to the high seating position and large front windshield. The front end is so steeply angled that the front fenders are not visible from inside, however, meaning caution needs to be used when driving through traffic and parking. Fortunately, the steering is very precise, making even tricky maneuvers relatively easy.

Our test model also came with the LTD Premium package, which included a backup camera. This is a desirable feature because the Sienna is so long and the view out the back window is partly blocked by the head rests on the rear seats.

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