by Amy L. Hatch
There are some days you remember forever — your wedding day, the day your children were born … and the day you buy your first minivan.
I know there are a lot of minivan haters out there, and I’m sorry, y’all. You do not know what you are missing. When Emmie was born I drove a Honda Civic, and while I loved that car with all my heart, getting a car seat in and out of it was like trying to thread a needle with a elephant’s trunk.
Just before we departed the North Coast of America for the wilds of Chambana we bought our Honda Odyssey. And you know what?
It completes me.
So when our sponsor, O’Brien Toyota, asked if Laura and I were interested in taking their 2011 Sienna for a spin, I was more than happy to give it a go.
While I have serious brand loyalty to Honda, I’m here to tell you that the Toyota was one sweet ride, kids or no kids.
We drove the XLE model — which has a MSRP of $39,709 (the Siennas range from $28,000-$46,000) — for three days. Which, as you know, means endless trips to the grocery store, preschool, the library and back home again, jiggity jig.
My overall take on the 2011 Sienna: If I was in the market for a new van, which I am not, I would seriously consider the Sienna. This is a vehicle with real wiggle room.
The cabin is spacious and has a nice, high ceiling, which is really nice for especially long trips And just FYI, miles back to the East Coast? Baby, that’s 711 ONE WAY.
The captain’s chairs in the back are the perfect height to prevent Mother’s Backache™ and I loved, loved, loved how you can slide them back and forth to get in and out — and to prevent the kicking of one’s hind end by wee sneakers.
What didn’t I like? The way the seats folded down in back was a little klugey in my opinion, and I didn’t like that I had to take an extra step to fold down an extra flap of carpet to cover the joint where the seats met the floor of the van.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the windshield, which seemed smaller than the one on my current ride, and I also had a hard time using the latch system for the car seat. To be fair, it was a new car seat and I am generally car-seat-installation-challenged.
Some of the specific highlights for me:
- The Smart Key System. I know Laura liked this, too. It was so nice not to have to dig in my purse for the keys. If you have the fob on your person it automatically unlocks the car. My son was so happy not to get the old key-in-the-armpit when I got him out of his car seat. I liked the push-button start, too, where you just press on the brake and push a button to start the car. No key needed. It made me feel like Judy Jetson.
- The automatic doors on the Sienna seemed more responsive to me. When I used the fob to open them remotely it felt like they opened more quickly than on my Honda. That meant less time standing in front of the door holding a gigantic child in my tired arms.
- The DVD system was easy to operate and the screen is huuuuge. I love the fact that you can also split the screen so one kid can watch a movie and the other can use a gaming system. I would love to have that kind of option this summer, when we drive 22 hours (sob!) to Massachusetts for our vacation at the ocean.
- The smoothness of the ride was really, really nice. You definitely don’t feel like you are driving a van. My late father had an Infiniti (Which I, of course, wrecked. Still sorry about that, dad!), and I kid you not, this van drives a lot like that luxury car.
Now, it’s true that Toyota just recalled more than 60,000 Siennas, but that recall ended with the model year 2010. Our sponsor, O’Brien Toyota, assures us that the 2011 Sienna is not part of that recall.
Don’t you want to go drive one now, and see for yourself? If you do, remember that 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 and the chance to win a “Car Spa” valued at $150.
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!