By Laura Weisskopf Bleill
We fell under the minivan siren song right after our eldest daughter was born (yes, we bought it when we had only ONE kid). It sure comes in handy on the many trips we take to visit our families (who are three hours away, each, in opposite directions). Those doors, people? Those doors have saved my back — and my sanity. I could go on and on.
Amy and I often joke that if it was an option, we would marry our minivans. As part of our promotion with O’Brien Toyota of Urbana, we both did an extended test drive of the brand new 2011 Toyota Sienna. We drove the XLE model — which has a MSRP of $39,709 (the Siennas range from $28,000-$46,000). For three days, I took my kids to school and daycare, grocery shopped, and ran errands in this vehicle. And it was a great experience.
My overall review: this is an extremely comfortable family car. It is roomy, but it doesn’t feel too big. It rides beautifully. In fact, it almost rides too nicely – as in I’m used to feeling the road a little bit more. The turning radius? A big deal in minivan-land, and the Sienna passed that test with flying colors. Visibility? Like in any car, there are a few blind spots, but little touches (a tiny window on either side of the side of the dashboard) indicate they were minimized when possible. Safety? I felt completely safe. The carseats were super easy to install (using LATCH). If I have one major criticism of the Sienna, it is the view from the dashboard. On my van, I like how the dashboard slopes down, giving me more visibility to see the road right in front of me.
Here are some of the highlights:
- The key, or lack there of. The model we drove has the Smart Key System*, meaning that you don’t start it with a key. You keep the fob (pictured above) in your purse or on your person, and it automatically detects that you have it. You never have to take the fob out of your pocket or your purse (unless you want to use it to remotely open the side doors). The push-button start, in my opinion, is a safety feature – you have to keep your foot on your brake simultaneously, making it almost impossible for a little person to start the car. How great was it to never have to fumble around for keys when I’m holding bags, children and other stuff? Bliss. (*The Smart Key System is not available on all models).
- The doors. If there is such thing as minivan side door perfection, the new Sienna’s doors come close to it. First, they are quiet as quiet can be. At least, they passed my baby’s test. If she falls asleep in the car, she *always* wakes up in my van when we open the doors. In addition, they are extremely responsive to opening/closing. I always seem to be opening the wrong door and then immediately closing it – this van does that on a dime. Impressive.
- This van is high-tech, people. From the touch-screen DVD/navigation/sound system (This was fairly distracting at first and I’m not sure it would be something I would want if I bought one) to the wide DVD screen (16.4 inches) that can play two different shows to the wireless headphones that can pick up the separate soundtracks. I didn’t use it, but the van had Bluetooth integration and USB ports; there is also a 110-volt outlet and game console plug-in ports in the back. (Not all models have all features).
- The versatility of the seats. In many vans (including mine) the captain’s chairs in the second row are removable or they can be stowed, but they do not move otherwise. Not so in the Toyota Sienna. The captain’s chairs are on sliders, meaning you can move them up or back according to how much cargo space you want. For me, that meant no kid kicking the back of my seat – or getting the back of the seats dirty. It also meant there was a lot of space for people to get in and out of the van, even when someone is seated in a captain’s chair.
- The placement of the side door control in the van. You can open the doors three ways – by pulling them; through the key fob; or using the buttons on the interior of the vehicle. The buttons to open the doors are located in the middle overhead console (where the garage opener is), within reach of BOTH the driver and the front-seat passenger. This was significant to me because it’s one of the few things I *HATE* about my van, where the only person who can open/close the doors from the inside is the driver.
- All the interior storage. Some people are wowed by multiple cup holders. Not me. If there’s an interior feature that I enjoy, it’s all the places to stash stuff. And there are plenty of those within reach of the driver, including a coin holder for the change I haul around town for parking meters.
- The backup camera and rear sensors. This is a feature in some models, but I hope to have one in my next vehicle as anyone who knows me knows this is not my forte. It did take some adjustment in terms of using (and trusting) the camera. The sensors beep at you if you get too close to anything.
As you may know from our introduction last week, the folks at O’Brien Toyota have partnered with chambanamoms.com on a very special offer – test drive the all-new 2011 Toyota Sienna, and you will get a gift bag (who doesn’t love a free car wash). And if you want to buy one, Toyota has special pricing on brand new Toyota Siennas for chambanamoms.com readers through the end of April. Don’t forget to mention you saw it on chambanamoms.com!
Do you drive a minivan? What do you like (or hate) about it?