2004 Toyota Sienna Review (continued)
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Walkaround

The new Toyota Sienna was styled in California, designed in Michigan, and built in Indiana. Before designing the new Sienna, chief engineer Yuji Yokoya drove the previous Sienna all over North America, through Mexico, Canada, and the U.S., through every state, every province, some 53,000 miles. A short, slight Japanese man, Yokoya-san was often accompanied by program manager John Jula, a tall, burly American. An odd couple, they couldn't have been more different in stature, appearance, and temperament. But they shared a seriousness of purpose, a devotion to designing the best minivan ever created, and a strong sense of humor. Working with designers and engineers from around the world, they ferreted every weakness and shortcoming of the old (1998-2003) Sienna and addressed it with this new Sienna.

The biggest shortcoming of the old Sienna was its lack of interior roominess. Yokoya saw families buried under luggage. He also determined it needed to be quieter so families could more easily converse on long drives. He wanted better seats. And he wanted to improve stability at high speeds, especially in cross winds and on crowned roads.

The all-new 2004 Toyota Sienna is substantially larger, wider, taller than the previous-generation model. Its wheelbase is 5 inches longer and the track is 4 inches wider than last year's model. Stretching 200 inches over a 119-inch wheelbase, the new Sienna is the same size as the biggest minivans on the market: the Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, Ford Windstar, and the long-wheelbase versions of the Chevrolet Venture and Pontiac Montana.

Everything on the Sienna is big and bold: Big headlamps and big taillamps light up the night and give the Sienna presence in the dark. Black pillars, instead of body-colored pillars, make the new Sienna look even larger than its considerable dimensions. A big windshield, big wipers, and wiper-mounted washer nozzles designed for snow belt improve driver visibility.

The Sienna presents a sleek appearance by minivan standards, enhanced by its steeply raked windshield and the black pillars. The slot for the sliding doors is cleverly hidden, offering a cleaner look. Though you shouldn't expect ogling at the car wash, the new Sienna is an attractive vehicle.

Interior Features

The large dimensions of the Sienna make for a roomy interior. There's lots of room for passengers and cargo. Fold the second- and third-row seats flat and the Sienna can carry 4x8 sheets of plywood.

Getting in and out of the Sienna is easy. Its step-in height is about six inches lower than that of the Sequoia SUV, a benefit when dressed up or dealing with toddlers or just about every time you get in or out. The power sliding doors are smooth and quiet and move more quickly than in the past, helpful for impatient passengers. Manual sliding doors and manual rear hatch on the LE and CE models have a quality feel as well.

The rear side windows lower partly, though not below the center of gravity of a toddler, and feature anti-pinch protection designed to reduce chance of injuries to small hands and fingers. A nice feature is the availability of sunshades for the second- and third-row seats, which filters strong sunlight better than privacy glass.

Up front the driver sits before a smooth, organic dash. Toyota says it splurged on the seats, which are designed to offer comfort for a variety of body shapes over long periods of time. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes. Big mirrors and lots of glass give the driver a good view.

Trim materials improve as you go up the line, but are of good quality even on the base CE model. The CE comes with a nice cloth interior, though the door inserts are plain. LE features nicer cloth, nicer door inserts, and other trim. XLE offers even better cloth, while the Limited model comes with leather.

There are lots of cubbies for storage. Two glove boxes are provided and a big center console holds 12 CDs. Armrest compartments can each hold six CDs and there's a spot for a small cell phone just to the right of the shifter. The dry cleaning hooks look big enough to accomodate a load of dry cleaning. In back are hooks for holding grocery bags. A standard 115-volt outlet like the kind in your house is provided, allowing you to power computers or whatever else you want to run from your car.

The second row of seats is roomy. There's comparably good legroom and it feels roomy and airy with good room next to the passenger's head. That's impressive given that the Sienna is fitted with side-curtain type airbags; they do not intrude into rear headroom as much as other designs. When not needed, the second-row seats tumble forward, presenting a friendly seat bottom to cargo or pets. The second-row seats are easy to remove and reinstall, though the captain's chairs weigh 49 pounds each.

Seven- and eight-passenger models differ in the configuation of the second row. Seven-passenger models feature second-row captains chairs. The right-hand seat can be repositioned laterally (side to side), offering either a small bench seat or a pair of bucket seats. The seat has to be removed and reinstalled in one of two locations, however, it does not slide on tracks like the seats in the Mazda MPV, which is a more costly design. Toyota says it found that people normally don't move the second-row seats once they've put them in the favored position. Moving them close together makes getting into the back row a little easier. Moving them apart makes them more comforable for adults. A neat feature: the center console can be removed from between the front seats and relocated between the second-row seats. (Removing it leaves room for a bag between the front seats. Owners who want a center console in both locations can order a second center console.)

Eight-passenger models use a bench seat for the second row that can seat three small passengers. It's a three-way split/folding bench with a small middle seat that can be moved almost 13 inches closer to the front, putting infants and toddlers in child seats within arm's reach. When not being used, the center seat converts into a big armrest.

Third-row seats offer rake adjustment, which improves their comfort. The third row is split 60/40 for added versatility when hauling a combination of passengers and cargo, particularly long items. Sienna offers more space behind the third row than most other minivans.

The third-row seats fold easily into a deep well when not needed, like those in the Honda Odyssey and Mazda MPV, leaving a flat cargo floor with tie-down hooks.

A new rear-view camera monitoring system helps the driver see small children or obstacles when backing up. Shift the Sienna into reverse and a video camera mounted in the rear door automatically displays a wide-angle view behind the vehicle to assist the driver in safely pulling out of parking lots or garages. The system comes with all models equipped with the navigation system. The navigation system itself is more powerful and was designed to calculate routes faster.