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Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna

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Comments

  • mary36mary36 Member Posts: 52
    Which Sienna model is equivilant to the Ody EX-L with NAV + DVD?

    How about the Touring??

    Also, what year did Toyota make side curtain airbags STANDARD in all their Sienna models??

    Thanks! ;)
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    I have finally gotten a look at my friend's Sienna, and it is indeed an XLE. I'm pretty sure it's an '04 or '05, 'cause the front end is totally different from my '07. In fact her sister was teasing her about it today because our vans are the same color, except mine is a CE, and it definitely doesn't have all the bells and whistles. She said, "You know my sister, she's gotta have all the bells and whistles!". Her comment was that she just took what was available on the lot, so this might have been just a one of a kind deal. I know that when I went shopping, there was a CE on the lot that did have the tinted windows and even a dvd player, and was about $5k more, of course! So, I guess that is possible that an 8-seater XLE came off the line. I just wanted you and ateixira to know that I'm not imagining things, the van does exist..... right 'chere in South Cacalacky! :shades:
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Sienna instrument cluster looks gorgeous at night but those shiny circles are a BIG annoyance when they become a source of glare in daylight hours. Same with the middle part of the dash. The Odyssey instruments and entire dash are better designed to prevent glare.

    I wanted a Sienna as soon as I saw the first 2004 when Sienna became the size of the Ody and the other best selling minivans.

    I am disappointed with my 2006 Sienna because overall it is NOT any better than my old 2002 T&C. Each has advantages but the Odyssey is more appealing to me after driving and riding as a passenger 17,000 miles in my 2006 Sienna.
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    What shiny circles are you talking about?? I haven't noticed a glare at all in my 2007 CE.
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    I traveled from my home in South Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I cannot tell you how many Siennas I saw in both Southbound and Northbound traffic! And the most popular color? Silver Shadow Pearl! So, based on my very unscientific observation, the Sienna is the preferred van.... :shades:
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    The 06 CE does not have the shiny circles around the gauges. The 06 CE front passenger seat is also more comfortable than the 06 LE because the 06 CE does not have the extra padding at the back of the base to cover the mechanism that permits the 06 LE front passenger seat to fold flat forward.

    I have not looked closely at the 2007 models. I thought the only change was the larger, more powerful 3.5L V6 replaced the 3.3L V6 of the 04-06 years while still having the same 19/26 EPA fuel economy ratings.
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    If you get a chance, take a look at Siennaclub.org and look in the owner's gallery. There are some pictures of a very nice '05 XLE 8-seater there. I knew I wasn't crazy. In fact the owner took pictures from the back and labeled them "proof that it's an 8-seater", so I guess this has been a "hot" topic before, eh? So.... perhaps you might be willing to find a gently used '05, or maybe even an '06? There might be such a critter out there. And I'd be willing to bet you can get almost anything you want on an LE, too! :shades: I'm almost, almost beginning to wish I'd been willing to wait just a little longer to get mine with power sliding doors and hatch. That rear hatch ain't no joke... that is one heavy booger to close! :P
    Best wishes on finding the one you want!
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    I am glad my Sienna has ONLY one power sliding door (passenger side) and would have preferred to NOT have the power driver seat. BOTH items move much too slowly and I always have the driver seat raised as high as it will go.
  • basketbbasketb Member Posts: 19
    I guess, we will find out ourselves whether the $3200 difference is well-spent money as we bought the Sienna today.
    In the last two weeks we literally went back and forth between the two models on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis and could not really decide which one to choose. Eventually, we came up with the following "plan": whichever dealer gave use more (but at least a set minimum) for our trade-in would get our business. If none met our minimum, then we would sell our car privately and come back for the 2008 models.
    Since the Honda was cheaper, we started with the Honda dealers. We identified two Honda dealers that had our preferred color in stock and hinted over the phone at getting close to or above our minimum for the trade-in but of course wanted to see the car before committing to an offer.
    To make a long story short, the first dealer was just plain awful. He didn't even come close to our minimum for the trade-in, which was already well below Blue Book value (this was the real deal breaker). Plus, he tried to weasel out of the quote given for the Odyssey (saying destination charge was not included, etc.), then the internet sales guy handed me off to some new salesman, who didn't know about pre-negotiated price, etc., who tried his 4 quadrant worksheet on me, then they tried to tag team me (good salesman (beginner) and tough salesman). As it became apparent that they would not come close to a fair trade-in value, I walked out. However, I lost more or less the whole afternoon and couldn't get to the other Honda dealership until this morning. As it turned out that dealership didn't have our preferred color anymore (luckily I called before leaving the house).
    So off to the Toyota dealership I was. And what a pleasant experience that was compared to the Honda dealer the day earlier. This guy was really interested in earning our business and was fair all the time, stood by everything he said earlier via e-mail and phone and, most importantly, offered us our minimum for the trade-in. (Of course, we probably could have done much better selling the car ourselves. However, the convenience of not having to sell it on our own time was worth it to us. Sure the dealer will make a huge profit with this trade in but we don't mind).
    So, you could say it was coincidence that we ended up with the Sienna. In any case, I think we will be very happy with it.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    The CE doesn't have them - it has different guages from the LE and up from model year 2006 and on. So no worries :shades:
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    "So, you could say it was coincidence that we ended up with the Sienna. In any case, I think we will be very happy with it."
    Well, congratulations - however you ended up with your Sienna, I think you will love it. You'll appreciate the great gas mileage too.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Which Sienna model is equivilant to the Ody EX-L with NAV + DVD?

    How about the Touring??

    Also, what year did Toyota make side curtain airbags STANDARD in all their Sienna models??

    The Sienna has had side curtain airbags since 2004. You can get the DVD+Nav in the XLE or Limited models - I'm not sure which package it is for either... I got so confused when we were shopping for ours that I simply stated that I wanted the Limited model with Nav and DVD and that's what I got. I'd have to look at the sticker, which my wife has "filed" away somewhere.... Anyway, it seems you can get all the stuff on the regular XLE, but if you want the sonar, laser cruise (not available on Ody??) and Xenon HID lights (not available on Ody) you have to get the Limited model. Get the Limited! We love ours - it's the Lexus of minivan-dom.
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    Side curtain airbags first became available on the '04 Sienna - standard on the higher trim levels and optional on the lower ones IIRC. Not sure but I believe they became standard across the board in '06 or, possibly, '07.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Even on the lowly CE model. :shades:
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    Oh, I'm not worried about it... just wondering what hansienna was talking about.... I was looking at mine as I was driving, and I kept thinking, "what glare?" I enjoy my CE, it's a good van to drive.
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    Lowly? Ha! The only thing I honestly really miss is the privacy glass. Other than that, it's all good, even in my "lowly" CE! :P
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Was tongue in cheek humor. The CE is the "BEST BUY" for a person buying a Sienna.

    IF I knew what I now know, I would have purchased the 06 CE instead of my 06 Sienna LE and had after market tinting placed on the windows. :shades:
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    I know you meant it humorously; so did I! I'm planning to have after-market tinting placed on the windows myself(once I save up some pennies!). It's funny; when I got my first Sienna, I fully intended to get the CE because that's what I could afford. The only one on the lot that fit my price range was an LE, though. This time I checked really carefully because once, again, the CE is what I can afford. I really like the Toyota van, I think it's the best value for your money! :D
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Thanks for the info siennami, I am beginning to wonder if Toyota took special orders for 8 pass XLE's? I'll have to check that site out. Too late though, we already bought a new arctic white pearl XLE Limited - 7 passenger. We gave up on the 8 seater with everthing we wanted and went for the 7 passenger, which is all we really need. We just thought it would be nice for those times when we want to take an eighth person.... oh well. We love it - there's no comparison in my opinion to any other van out there. It rocks. I love hearing my wife say "wow!!" every time we drive it somewhere!
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    You'll be glad there are armrests in the second row. I don't believe the 8-seater Sienna has them.

    My aunt's Odyssey has the plusOne seat in the 2nd row (allowing 8-passenger capability). It's not somewhere you want to be on a 5 hours trip, but going across town and back isn't too terrible, especially considering you'll have more comfort when that eighth person isn't going (which, I believe, would be a pretty rare occurance for a lot of people anyway).

    Enjoy your 7-pass Limited. :)
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Thanks, thegraduate. We do enjoy everything about it. The only thing so far that I have noticed not to be on a par or better than the Odyssey, is the DVD player. The one in our '04 Ody is very simple and easy to operate whereas the one in our Sienna is somewhat complicated and tricky to use, but once you get the hang of it it's not bad. I sort of wish we had the 8th seat, but so far it has been fine. Baby number five will be here in November, so we'll see then!
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    WOW! number FIVE? Congrats on a blessed family!
    :)
    How old are they (the first 4)?
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Thanks! We have twin girls - turning 8 this December; a boy - turning 5 in November; and a girl - turning 3 in October. Baby #5 is a girl too!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    For 2007, the best I could figure, equivalent model from Honda and Toyota were something like this:

    Ody EX = LE pkg. 3 (that's what I got)
    EX-L = XLE pkg. 6
    EX-L-RES = XLE pkg. 7
    EX-L-RES-NAV = XLE pkg. 8

    Of course Toyota just change EVERYTHING once again so how I have no idea what packages are equivalent. :sick:

    I love the power sliding door feature, and it puzzles me when people say they are slow. My remote has enough range that the doors open all the way well before we walk up to the car. You must be a fast sprinter if you can beat the doors! :D
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Yep, it's back to training for those of us who try to keep up with Toyota's packaging! I'm just glad I got mine so I can stop trying to figure it all out and keep it straight in my head :sick: I love the power doors too - I guess if you are the type that doesn't plan at least 30 seconds ahead ;) then maybe they would be frustratingly slow! But like you, I have already depressed the door button on the remote usually as I am walking up to it. I've never beaten them! And (I just have to say this) the Sienna's doors open FASTER (and quieter) than the Odyssey's doors :shades:
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    FYI- Looks like Toyota is listening to the pleading of its customers for simpler packaging. The 2008 Sienna CE has one "option package", while the LE now only has option package 1 or 2, with #1 having a single power door, #2 having both powered, but you can add an "upgrade" that includes the DVD, JBL 10 speaker audio, rear sonar, 17 inch wheels, etc. on package 2. XLE now has 4 packages, and Limited now has 2. It might sound confusing the way I just 'splained it, but it looks much less confusing on their site.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That is slightly less confusing, though.

    I have a 2007 brochure and it's riddled with mistakes. For instance it says my package 3 doesn't have a power driver's seat, yet I have it.

    It's also wrong about the fuel tank capacity and the content of package 5 on the LE model.

    Basically it was so confusing in 2007 that even Toyota's own brochure designers could not figure it out.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    They have a disclaimer on their site that says the the contents of the various packages may change, based on customer preferences, and that it's only accurate at the time of publishing - just to make it even more mysterious! What is the fuel tank capacity? 20.0? I thought that was what I read in the manual. I just think it's weird that when our Ody says empty, it will only take 13 gallons even though it's a 20 gallon tank (I think our fuel guage probably was not calibrated correctly from the factory - I just never worried about it... figured it was better to have a few gallons remaining, for my wife's sake) but when the Sienna says it's empty, the DTE function on the overhead computer says the range is about 30 miles, which should be maybe a gallon and a half??
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Brochure says 20.0 gallons, but the owner's manual says 21.0 gallons. Consumer Reports says 21 as well, so my guess is that's the correct number.

    The Trip Computer is very conservative. My DTE is near 0 and it only takes 17 gallons or so.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Have you had a chance to manually calculate your mileage to compare with the avg from the trip computer in yours? I don't drive ours enough to catch it when it's time to fill up and my wife never worries about it (she's not supposed to, right?) so I've been curious to see if my calculations agree with what the trip computer says. I don't see why not because it seems to go a long time between fill-ups. I'm just amazed that it does so well for such a large vehicle. It's at least as good on gas as my 1000+ pounds lighter Nissan Maxima with manual trans! How did they do it??? I want another car with this engine! In fact, I want as many cars as I can have with this engine :shades: I really think my next car purchase is going to be the new Camry 6 cyl. But not until my Maxima gives up the ghost - it has been such a great car, no reason to sell it anytime soon. And it's paid for (wish the Sienna was!).
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    God bless that middle child (the middle child AND the only boy!!). Of course, all the rest too...:)

    Keep us posted on the new addition! (referring to the baby, not the van :) - or both)

    Thegrad
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    I can't help but wonder if the "miles to empty" isn't tied to the low fuel warning indicator. My Odyssey is the same way - it shows zero with about 4 gallons left in the tank.

    Also, the computer's MPG is always at least 1 mpg less than the actual number.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My Sienna is also pessimistic.

    I've compared 3 times, all were close, but twice it was actually reading low, and only once it read a little higher MPG than my hand calculations.

    In all cases it was off by 0.5 mpg or less, so I'm just trusting the trip computer now.
  • hause7hause7 Member Posts: 153
    HOw does the 3.5L in the sienna perform?
  • siennamisiennami Member Posts: 116
    I am probably the totally wrong person the comment on this, but my '07 does have the 3.5L engine, so I will! ;) I have found that when I have to put the "pedal to the metal", that baby gives all that I'm asking for. My mom refers to me as "Leadfoot", so you know I'm enjoying the power under the hood! :shades:
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Remember, we're talking about one of the Ten Best Engines In the World (Wards Automotive) that now powers everything from the Sienna, among other Toyota models, to various Lexus models, in various tunes and potencies, so it's really pretty impressive. There's plenty of power... but the truly remarkable thing about it is that while you can definately tell you've got 266 ponies under the hood (in spite of its 4000+ pounds), you can still manage to get mileage that is really quite exceptional, considering the mass it is moving. Without really working at it, my wife averages nearly 22 MPG in mostly around town driving. With some practice, you can achieve 25 around town (using a very light foot) and around 30 (sometimes even better) on the freeway (75MPH, steady cruising, fairly flat), depending on the terrain. Still, 22 without trying is great and beats our '04 Ody by about 10 MPG in city drivng. It's really a phenomenal engine.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Your Odyssey got 12 MPG? And you didn't take it to the dealer and pitch a fit because....?

    Assuming you are driving in similar conditions and style, you shouldn't have such a disparity. Something was definitely wrong there.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Yes, around town we get about 12, and I wouldn't say we are the most conservative drivers, but definately not aggressive either. We drive it the same way we drive the Sienna. Highway, best ever was 19.9. Why didn't I pitch a fit? How about multiple trips to the dealer only to be told nothing is wrong, everything is is in perfect working order and maybe my right foot is too heavy... or calling American Honda on two occasions, once for this and once for the dark blue pearl paint peeling in obscure places all over the body, only to be told my mileage was within the acceptable range, depending on driving style and conditions, and the paint issue was considered normal wear and tear - never minding the fact that it was peeling in places NOT exposed to the beating of the sun, or rock chips, or whatever. This is all just part of the reason I am somewhat disgruntled with Honda :blush: I still like driving it, and there's no question it's a great van in certain ways... just not what I want to live with, thank you... Also, I DID compare to what other drivers are getting (check out truedelta.com) and other people were reporting similar numbers - some even worse. Seemed the '04's were a little more thirsty than other years, based on owner feedback. But the newer ones aren't that much better, even with VCM. My brothers '02 gets similar mileage, although he did manage to get 21 mpg on a recent trip.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    That's bizarre!

    We had a 2000, which got 17-18MPG in town and 23-26 MPG at 80MPH hwy.

    Just got 25 MPG loaded going 85MPH in my aunt's non-VCM EX 2005 when moving my folks from Oklahoma to Alabama.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Hmmm.. I believe you, but I sure don't know what to say. It seems there is a huge disparity between various Ody's out there, just based on my own reading of different blogs. I have done a lot of searching, trying to figure out why our mileage was so crappy and found that a lot of other Ody drivers had the same crappy mileage while others reported mileage consistent with the mfr ratings... So, I don't get it. If we hadn't had so many issues with ours I would probably still be driving it - other than the bad mileage and the quality issues, which were minor compared to our previous van (98 Pontiac Montana) we loved everything else about it. The Sienna has spoiled us now, however!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    How does the 3.5L in the sienna perform?

    Impressively well. It's both fast and efficient.

    Put it this way, the Sienna was not only the quickest van Consumer Reports ever tested, but also the most fuel efficient (tied with the Ody).

    Can't beat that balance of power and fuel efficiency.

    This was the #1 reason I chose the Sienna.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    I don't know what CR's test times were, but Forbes Magazine claims the Sienna runs 0-60 in anywhere from 6.8 to 7.5 seconds, depending on the running gear (AWD, 16 or 17" wheels/tires). Based on my seat of the pants observation and comparing to my Maxima, which is about the same in acceleration, that seems about right. RX350's with the same engine and similar weight does it in 6.7, so those times seem reasonable. I just read about the '08 Accord with a 3.5L tuned to deliver 273HP. I wonder if that engine (or Honda/Acura's 3.7L) will find its way to the Ody??
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    CR are generally slow-pokes, but still managed 7.7s to 60 with AWD and 7.8s with FWD.
  • speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    Yes, around town we get about 12, and I wouldn't say we are the most conservative drivers...

    Wow, that is really crappy mileage. We've had our 2007 Odyssey EX (no VCM) for about 7 months now and we typically get right around 20 mpg in town and ~25 mpg on the freeway. On our best freeway tank we got a touch above 27, which impressed me, since we had the A/C on that whole trip.

    Some very close friends of ours just purchased a used 2004 Odyssey - I hope they don't have the same dismal mpg you did!
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    "Some very close friends of ours just purchased a used 2004 Odyssey - I hope they don't have the same dismal mpg you did!"

    I'm curious to find out how theirs does. I guess it's possible we just had a lemon, but when I searched the blogs back when this was a bigger concern of mine (before I bought the Sienna we now have) it seemed like there were lots of them out there with the same crappy mileage... so for your friends sake, I hope theirs does better.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    My friend says the best gas mileage their 2001 Ody EX was 20 MPG on their long trip but they were satisfied with it. My overall average with an 02 T&C and 06 Sienna was MUCH better than the 01 Ody trip mileage. :shades:
  • tinyguytinyguy Member Posts: 44
    Sienna definitely returns a good mileage. My 04 LE currently does 24.5mpg, and this is more like 75% city, 25% highway. Although I am not a lead foot, I am far from being one of the slower drivers on the road.

    During our last 1100km trip, she averaged 27mpg, and I averaged about 135km/h. I guess that's over 80miles/h?

    Very happy with the mileage. I don't think there's any other minivan that can beat these numbers.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Ours is currently averaging 21.2 MPG, 100% city driving with my wifes heavy right foot. When I drive, I can easily achieve around 24-25 around town; about 30-31 on the relatively level freeway where I live, averaging about 70-75 mph. I agree - when it comes to mileage, the Sienna is king! Or queen? :)
  • agnostoagnosto Member Posts: 207
    I used to own a new 05 Odyssey EL RES (horrible MPG 15/19 C/H) and had a full year of issues, and yes even tried lemon law with a lot of frustration from HONDA and no success until I got rid of it and replaced with a fully loaded 06 Sienna Limited FWD and miraculously all my issues disappeared (none so far after 2 years and over 15k miles) and MPG is over 21-22 in city and 26-28 and can get better in highway.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Glad to hear you are enjoying the Sienna. I have never been able to understand Honda's lack of explanation for the terrible mileage as we really didn't drive it hard. Sure, we'd occasionally run it up to the redline if we needed to pass or merge with fast moving traffic (you sort of have to in some cases due to the "peakiness" of Honda's 3.5L VTEC) but most of the driving was very easy, yet we were always penalized with very frequent fill-ups. I don't think we drive the Sienna any differently and we are always pleasantly surprised with how infrequently our fill-ups are now. Our gas tab for the Sienna is nearly half, believe it or not. What are your other impressions on your Sienna now that you have had experience with both?
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