Test Drive: 2011 Toyota Sienna SE

2011 Toyota Sienna SE. Click image to enlarge

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Review and photos by Jil McIntosh

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2011 Toyota Sienna

Considered pretty cool vehicles when they first came out, minivans gradually went from top-of-the-pops to almost a running joke, fit only for soccer-mom suburbia. The reality is that while you’ll probably never hear anyone longing for one the way they might a Jaguar or Porsche, they’re pretty hard to beat when it comes to their intended purpose.

Each year, I make a 2,000-kilometre-plus trek to an antique automotive flea market in Pennsylvania, which requires room for a Radio Flyer wagon (car parts get heavy when you’re carrying them across several acres), luggage, purchases, and one husband and one friend. Over the last two decades, we’ve taken trucks, SUVs and even a 1979 Monte Carlo (it was a pretty tight fit that year) and nothing has ever worked as well for the job as a minivan. As I’ve so often said, when you have to regularly transport a full house, these vehicles are the best.

2011 Toyota Sienna SE. Click image to enlarge

This year’s conveyance was a Toyota Sienna, a model completely redesigned for 2011. The styling changes decreased its overall length by 20 mm but widened it by that much, and despite the shorter exterior dimension, an inside redesign has increased the interior length by 40 mm. My tester was the new SE trim line, which includes a sport-tuned suspension and sport-calibrated steering (yes, I know how silly that sounds on a minivan), 19-inch rims, unique grille and gauge cluster, and unique 19-inch wheels, bumpers and side skirts. I couldn’t believe my ears when my husband, for whom minivans are generally boxes that other people use to clog up the roads, went on about how impressed he was with the Sienna SE’s looks. That’s pretty much the equivalent of Don Cherry raving about a hockey player who eats tofu and never makes a fist.

The new Sienna line-up starts with a four-cylinder LE at $27,900, the only model that doesn’t use a 3.5-litre V6, and rises up to the Limited in AWD, the only minivan on the market to offer four-wheel power, at $49,100. My SE clocked in at $36,600, which seemed like a very fair price. Features on the SE include eight-passenger seating, USB port, Bluetooth, tri-zone automatic climate control with second-row controls, eight-way power driver’s seat, fabric and “leatherette” upholstery, second-row sunshades, power sliding doors and tailgate, sunroof, fog lamps and backup camera.

The 3.5-litre V6 makes 266 horsepower and 245 lb.-ft. of torque and is hooked to a six-speed automatic; the gearshift lever is on the dash but is positioned so that it doesn’t get in the way of adjusting the stereo or heater controls. The throttle response is smooth and linear and it’s well-powered under most circumstances, even when we had it fully loaded.

It could have used just a bit more oomph on the highway when I hit the throttle hard to get around a couple of problems, though. The official fuel economy figures are 11.5 L/100 km (25 mpg Imp) in the city and 8.1 (35 on the highway). I averaged 10.5 (27), which I considered quite good given that the van was heavily loaded on the return trip, which also included climbing some seriously steep hills for a couple of hours after leaving Hershey to come home. An “eco” display lights up on the dash to let you know when your driving style is giving you the best economy.

2011 Toyota Sienna SE. Click image to enlarge

The “sport” suspension didn’t feel all that sporty, but it did provide an extremely smooth ride, and the van is very quiet. The turning circle is also very tight, which proved handy during numerous stops at malls and toy stores (both my passengers are passionate Hot Wheels collectors). There isn’t much in the way of steering feel, but the van responds accurately to input. I didn’t like the brakes, though, which only started to bite relatively low on the pedal’s travel. They stopped fine once the pedal was pushed far enough, but didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Standard on all 2011 Toyota models is what the company calls its “Star Safety System,” which includes stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and Smart Stop Technology, which reduces engine power if you advertently hit both the throttle and brake. In addition to the standard front, front seat side and curtain airbags, there’s a new-for-2011 bag for the driver’s knee as well.

Inside, the Sienna is laid out with practical precision. The automatic climate control includes a dial for the driver to easily adjust the temperature with minimal distraction from the road. The passenger’s toggle switch takes a bit more attention, but he wasn’t doing much else anyway. The stereo controls are big and simple, while the USB port is low on the centre stack so a music player’s cord isn’t hanging in front of anything. I’m not that keen on some of the materials – Toyota seems to have gotten a deal on its ripple-wave dash plastic, as it shows up in a few models and doesn’t look that great in any of them – but the fit-and-finish is very good.

2011 Toyota Sienna SE. Click image to enlarge

The rearview camera is tucked up into a small screen at the top of the dash, which turns into an information screen with fuel economy, temperature and clock when you’re not backing up, along with a display that shows you if any doors are open. There are all kinds of storage cubbies, including six cupholders for front-seat passengers (two pull out of the dash, while two are in the front console), two gloveboxes, open dash cubbies, a pull-out box on the driver’s side that contains a coin tray, and divided door pockets. Storage spaces continue through to the rear, where you’ll find a storage pocket with straps so you can buckle in a bottle of windshield washer fluid.

The third-row seats fold flat into the floor, while the second-row seats are captain’s chairs with a small, child-appropriate middle seat tucked in the middle. These don’t disappear into the floor – only Chrysler’s models do that – but they slide back and forth on long tracks to maximize legroom, depending on whether someone’s in the third row, and they can be removed entirely. It’s not a difficult operation and the chairs aren’t so heavy that it’s hard to move them around. An eight-hour trek can be hard on the tush, and I still remember Toyota Highlander seats that left my hip numb just an hour into a similar drive a while back. My fears were unfounded. Unlike many vehicles these days, the Sienna’s seats proved to be supportive enough that we never noticed them, even at the end of the drive, and that’s a compliment. A good seat lets you forget how long you’ve been parked in it, and based on that, these are very good seats.

The sliding door is longer than before, making it easier to get in and out of the van, although that also means you’re waiting longer for the power motors to do their thing. If you don’t want to wait – as my impatient passengers often didn’t – you can shut off the power operation to the doors and liftgate and open and close them manually, which is much quicker. For all their whining about getting out, though, they didn’t mind when I slid open the doors via the key fob, so all was open by the time we’d walked up to it. Also nice, and new for 2011, is that all first- and second-row windows have auto up/down functions.

The minivan market may not be as large as it once was, but there are still many people for whom the seating, cargo capacity, and functionality are exactly what their families need. There are a few redesigns on the market, and having driven them all, I’m giving the Sienna the tip of the hat as being the best of the bunch, thanks to its tight, smooth ride, supportive seats, simple and convenient control layout, and with the SE, some very decent styling. Yes, even on a minivan. Just because it’s all about the function doesn’t mean it can’t also be about the form.