Let’s face it — affairs a minivan is the ultimate vehicular acknowledgment to parenthood. Nothing says, “My aboriginal name is Mommy and I accept breast-milk stains on my shirt” like sliding doors. That said, while minivans appear in abounding versions, some are added family-friendly than others. The appearance accessible can accomplish or breach a kid-hauler.
While active the Toyota Sienna LE, I apparent that some appearance that I, at least, affected were accepted on all minivans are absolutely cher options. Who knew? As far as this astronomic is concerned, some options should never be optional. I speak, primarily, of the ability sliding doors. No appreciative minivan should abide after them. Even with the van on a collapsed surface, my 7-year-old couldn’t shut the chiral sliding aperture from his seat. Collapsed arena is adamantine to appear by in my abutting of the woods, so for us, the doors were a above hazard. Several times, one of my boys went to accessible or abutting one of the sliding doors, which again went aerial shut. I still cringe. Those are some big, abundant doors, which are cool alarming for little limbs. Ability doors accept compression aegis sensors; chiral doors do not. When I say that ability doors are a necessity, it’s not because I’m that apathetic (although I am); it’s because the abstraction of my little guys’ accoutrements accepting airtight off is account the added cash.
I’m additionally appealing absorbed to the concepts of rearview cameras. Am I spoiled? Yes. Am I kidding? No way, my friends. Some things are non-negotiable. The Toyota Sienna is a ample agent with some appealing big dark spots in the rear. A rear parking abetment arrangement is accessible as an advantage in the LE, and comes accepted on the Sienna Limited, but is not accessible on the CE version. There are too abounding driveway injuries and deaths in this country for that affectionate of a assurance affection to be alternative (as abounding as 50 every week, some estimate.)
For the record, the LE is not the abject adaptation of the Sienna. Even at a rather abstinent $27,000, the LE comes with lots of nifty, kid-centric stuff. With allowance for 8 and added means to configure the basement than I affliction to count, (including a “front and center” bench in the additional row) there is affluence to adulation about this van. The driver’s bench bound and agilely adjusts in six means and the council caster tilts and telescopes into position.
The stereo boasts an in-dash 6-CD changer, an abetting ascribe anchorage and six speakers. It’s not fabulous, but really, how loud do any of us charge to apprehend the soundtrack to “High School Musical 2”? As continued as I can bung my iPod in and comedy it loud abundant to asphyxiate out the whining in the aback seat, I’m content.
As with best Toyotas, the ride is cool bland and around silent. Even at artery speeds, all is calm and quiet onboard. Well, until one of the kids opens a rear window and that alarming beating gets going. Ah, the abiding attempt of window control; kids adulation accepting their own ability windows, I can’t angle to accept them open. A car can alone break so abounding problems, right?
One botheration that is apparent in the Sienna: a chic angle folds out of the council cavalcade on the commuter ancillary for blind a purse or bag. Another altercation averted: two-zone altitude ascendancy lets anybody be comfortable and a chat mirror ancestor bottomward from the beam to acquiesce peeks at the babyish after accepting kinks in my close (or worse, accepting into a collision). Even folding the seats is accessible and honestly, actually, a one-handed job. Toyota has put little pull-cords everywhere for folding, collapsed and stowing the rear seats. I calmly bankrupt and stowed the third-row seats with one hand. Even added astoundingly, bustling them aback up is aloof as easy.
Let me be upfront and accept that I own a minivan. I do, and I adulation it. It is, by far, the best applied agent on Earth. I’m assertive that already anyone drives a minivan for a while, there is no activity back, at atomic not until car-seats and strollers are a affair of the past. For me, the catechism isn’t whether to drive a minivan, it’s which minivan to drive.
Latch Connectors: 4/5
Seating Capacity (includes driver): 8
Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Excellent
Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Good Times
Specs
2008 Toyota Sienna LE
Base price: $ 24,340
Price as tested: $ 27,453
Engine: 3.5L V6
Fuel: 17/23 mpg
Length: 201”
Width: 77.4”
Ground Clearance: 6.9”
Turning Radius: 36.8 ft
Cargo space: 148.9 cu ft
NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings
Frontal Impact
Driver’s side: 4 Stars
Passenger’s side: 5 Stars
Side Impact
Front occupant: 5 Stars
Rear occupant: 5 Stars
Rollover resistance: 4 Stars
