Toyota Sienna Deals

2010 Toyota Sienna Review

A contender for first place.

After years of near-misses like the Toyota Van, the Previa, and the original Sienna, Toyota finally nailed the bullseye of the minivan market with the current model Sienna. Debuting for 2004 on a longer, wider version of the Camry platform, the Sienna is arguably the only minivan that stacks up against the almighty Honda Odyssey.

Like most Toyotas, the Sienna puts the emphasis on comfort -- a choice that makes good sense for a minivan. The Sienna rides softly and is quiet inside. Steering is easy and light, and the turning radius is tighter than any competitor's. Toyota's handling prowess may be a step behind Honda's, but a new 266-horsepower V6 engine in 2007 made the Sienna the speediest minivan. That same year, it also became the only remaining minivan to offer all-wheel-drive.

The Sienna shines just as brightly on the interior, at least as far as control design, seat comfort, and cupholder count. Middle-row windows that roll down are a nice touch, and the split third-row seats disappear into the floor. By a slight margin, the Sienna also holds bragging rights for maximum cargo capacity -- a cavernous 149 cubic feet.

There's still some room for improvement. When ordered in 7-passenger trim (instead of 8), the Sienna's middle-row bucket seats can be a hassle to remove and reinstall. On high-end models, the power doors and power liftgate are slow and annoying, and the adaptive cruise control system doesn't work very well. Finally, when it's time to shop for a Sienna, Toyota's prices are high, and its structure of option packages can be confusing.

In the end, picking the best minivan comes down to a preference between the Odyssey's handling, interior, and value or the Sienna's comfort, reliability, and choice of all-wheel-drive.