My brother is in the market for a new van for his wife and to help move his 5 kids around. We decided to go look at the Sienna. Comparing it to the 15 Sedona and Odyssey. Both the Odyssey and Sedona actually feel higher quality. I was really disappointed as I expected the Sienna to be nicer.

The interior felt really cheap and the layout was not thought out very well in my opinion. Both the Sedona and Odyssey were more comfortable and Kia of course has more options standard vs Toyota and Honda. Kia did a good job honestly but realiability and resale value are a concern.

It looks like the Odyssey will win and I believe we are picking up a white EX today. Anyway, just thought I would share because it does go back to my disappointment with some of Toyota's products feeling cheap and poorly designed. Not to mention and grill that looks like, well I would rather not say... Lol I'm not a fan.

Although I will say the 2015 Tundra 1794 edition (edited, not Tacoma) has me drooling. What a beautiful truck. Just a few pics for your viewing pleasure. Horrible gas mileage in that thing but what a great looking beast. On sale for only $48,000. Absolutely love the leather in that truck.

 

Man, I hate Honda's.

 

I don't mind Honda at all. I have never owned one but other family members have Accords and they are great cars. I'm more of a who makes a better product. Honestly, I think if you drove the Odyssey and Sienna you would be hard pressed to say the Sienna is nicer unless one is just biased toward a manufacturer. I was the one pushing my brother to test the Sienna actually and the reality is I agree with him. Both the Sedona and Odyssey are definitely nicer and for the same money. Come on Toyota. Get your act together.

 

Toyota is a marketing and advertising company first, car manufacturer second. We are bombarded with commercials, ads, billboards, banner ads, etc., etc. Their advertising & marketing budget is super-sized. I wonder what percent of their new vehicle price is allocated to advertising?

I agree, quality isn't what it once was when Toyota broke into the U.S. market and upset the domestic market and Detroit. I own a 2009 Sienna Limited that replaced a 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette. The '09 Honda Odyssey was clunky, noisy and rode like a truck. The Silhouette got 25 MPG at 80 mph with 5 passengers and AC "on." Had a gas tank cruising range of 500 miles. If it was available, I'd buy the Olds again today over the Sienna. I might even test drive a Chrysler / Dodge minivan.

 

I agree that some of the older Odyssey models had some issues especially, with the transmission. Although they have always handled the best. The new one is really nice. The Caravan and Town and Country were horrible in my opinion. Super cheap and unreliable. The reliability of the Sienna I am sure is good. The interior on the Odyseey is so much nicer though. More quiet and looks a lot better. We are finishing the deal right now. 28,8 for a 33,6 van. I'm sure my brothers wife will be very happy.

 

The '09 Sienna eats up tires faster than a NASCAR. Gas mileage is 18 -19 mpg > low for a V-6 which is the same engine as many Lexus vehicles. And it broke a valve spring just last month at 135K miles. Never ever had that happen, even on my hi-performance cars with solid lifters running high R's.

Your brother's family will be very happy

 

The mileage rating on the new Odyssey is really good. 19 / 28. Fit and finish, lane departure system, side camera, really impressed.

 

I would get that Tacoma! It looks like a mini Tundra and I love the Tundra.

I just wish the Toyota trucks weren't so expensive. They hold their value really well too, which sucks because they're still expensive.

 

I'm sorry, that is a Tundra not Tacoma. It is not mini at all. It's huge.

 

All done. Really nice van. I love beating the dealer down until their profit margin is almost gone. They wanted nearly $35,000 after the BS add-ons. Beat them down to $28,800 +++ It's a battle I am determined to win...

 

Nothing like that new car smell.

 

It has a self contained vacuum Does it still have cylinder deactivation?

 

I did not have see anything with a vacuum. It does have cylinder deactivation. The side camera is really cool. When you turn the right turn signal to get a full view of whole right side of vehicle and the lane.

 

I think Honda lost their identity for a while as competition increased across the board. They tried to compete on cost versus innovation. I drove a value package accord 5 years ago rode like dung cheap leather like a football just same ok accord from the past. The older minivans where never real quiet inside. I had a 98 accord which was an awesome rice grinder but as transportation became more of bells and whistles as well as mileage they lost their niche. Toyota has/where always just a little more solid and they had the Prius when the Corolla was so basic and the Civic technology was not as state of the art(Toyota sold the hybrid tech to other makers as they improved it) They weathered the storm with the trucks also, a tough market with redneck Texans and American trucks being hard to beat with the truck buyers still wanting apple pie. The gas pedal fiasco got drawn out had little lasting effect besides penalties as Toyota is a tough player. The Ridgeline always rated well but was a retro looking "I am a wimp kind of truck". Toyota had a Avalon Honda nothing but the Acura devision was real nice but pricey and a V6 FWDwas hard to sell for performance to Lexus and the Europeansjmo

 

Even the TL AwdSteering I drive was torque street happy and the front ends where pretty polarizing