AMIRZA786

Today one of my co-workers brought his new Toyota Sienna hybrid XSE to work, and I got to kick the tires and drive it. And I have to say it's good, and it's bad. OK lets start with good:

Good
Good looking minivan, redesigned styling that's sporty
Very good Toyota quality and build
Plenty of room, very comfortable interior
Lots of storage, cup holders etc.
Very quiet when driving normal
Combined 36 MPG Fuel mileage

Bad
Under powered 2.5L NA 4 Cylinder Camry engine paired with two electric motors
245 HP/170 ft-lbs torque (really????)
CVT transmission
Lethargic acceleration and performance
Saying it sounds like **** when you put your foot down is an understatement
Quick passing when loaded with passengers on roads with inclines....good luck
CVT...did I mention CVT?

The new Sienna drives well, is very smooth, and the suspension is excellent, and if you are looking for a large people and stuff transporter that saves you gas, can go 500 miles on a full tank, and you care nothing about performance and the crappy sound of a 4 cylinder paired with a CVT when you have to go hard on it, this is the van for you. For me, it is a huge disappointment. Let's just say that my 9 year old 2013 Sienna with it's 3.5L V6 and 152K miles on it is not going anywhere, I would rather spend money on the additional gas. I'll wait until an EV version comes out.

I would have posted pics, but my co-worker is very paranoid about posting pics on the www, so I will respect their request

xjokerz

I mean, it's a hybrid with phenomenal gas mileage. What else did you expect? Buyers don't care to challenge an M5 in one of these. Acceleration is fine, you're just used to the Polestar. 36 combined MPG is ridiculous. My wife's Odyssey gets about 23, granted it's a standard V6.

TangoRed

I had the same thoughts. Great minivan all around with insane fuel economy but wow I could not deal with the noise and lack of speed from that powertrain.

AMIRZA786

The powertrain is just way to buzzy for me, and the lack of power when you need it is pretty annoying. Imagine you've been driving a powerful V6 for the last 10 years than you suddenly get in a Corolla. It's OK for one or two days but more than that, nope, not for me

Striker223

CVTs can be entertaining, just an endless 6000rpm SCREAM that erodes ones sanity......but man it's fun screaming "VTEC YO!!!!" at the top of your lungs and just FLOORING it everywhere and every light. The looks you get are priceless......rental cars are great!

Striker223

Dude so true....I get out of my Audi into my Jeep sometimes. I have to remind myself the thing isn't horrifically broken!

AMIRZA786

That's how I felt when drove the new Sienna. The CVT felt like a rubberband, and the engine is just buzzy, I put my foot down and thought, OK, anytime now. The electric motors do help when you take off from a stop, but don't help much after hitting past 20 mph

LeX2K

4600 pounds is way too much for that engine. Toyota says you can tow 3500 pounds.

AMIRZA786

I don't know what Toyota was thinking. They dropped from a 3.5L 296 HP/263 ft-lbs torque to 245/170 ft-lbs torque. My 2013 is at 268 HP/245 ft-lbs torque. That's just an insane performance drop. I wouldn't want to be towing 3500 lbs with this thing

Striker223

Holy hell that would be hilarious to attempt! There is a hill behind my house that is part of a dam that is a substantial grade where cars less powerful than a V6 Camry/accord CAN'T accelerate up even floored once they hit 50.....this thing probably can't do more than hold it's speed without a load. I would pay to see it try and tow 3500 up said hill at the speed limit!

LeX2K

They got lazy. Can't use their corporate V6 in large numbers due to emissions so they tweaked their 4 banger hybrid platform and called it a day.

AMIRZA786

Well they sure as hell didn't tweak it enough. A 4 cylinder does not belong in a minivan, they tried it before in 2011 and discontinued it in 2013. At the very least they should have turbocharged it along with the hybrid drivetrain, a 2.5L has plenty of overhead. MPG's would have dropped to probably 32 or 33, but at least you would have a more responsive engine

JDR76

I'm pretty sure we'd have one of these if they were out when we bought the Highlander. My wife really wanted a minivan at the time, but only wanted a hybrid and none were available at the time. The power would have been an absolute non-issue for her.

I see lots of these around. I think there are about 10 each day in the parent pick up line at my kids' school.

AMIRZA786

Oh, they are popular, I see a lot of them. Just not popular with me

Striker223

If this was a turbo 2.5 I would take it over the 3.5 V6, it would be extremely easy to bump up the power with a tune to really respectable levels and fuel economy would be good as well. Easy to work on to top it all off due to space if it's put in a V6 size bay