Toyota Sienna Future Models

andrewtran71

They did not say which models will accomodate the touch-screen navigation system.
I hope that it is not just for the XLE trim.
Does anyone know if it will be available for the LE model.
Also, will both the DVD-rear entertainment system and GPS Navigation system be offered on the same Sienna?
For example, with the Odyssey, they will offer one or the other, but not BOTH Navigation plus Entertainment system.
Will the leather trim with wood steering wheel be available on the LE?

sdweinman

Reading Ken's last post, I see that I confused Radar with Laser. However the laser could set off the laser detector of the car in front and in your own, which would cause the same problem as Radar (to a lesser extent since laser is line of sight only). Still wondering if it can be shut off while still using cruise. Ken?

dplachta

capacity. Sure would be nice to know both.

toyotaken

First, from what I've read, they will have both an XLE and XLE "limited" model available here in the US.

I would expect that the wood-grain steering wheel will be limited to the XLE model. The wood grain dash will probably also be with an applique available for other trim levels.

I have not heard anything about a moonroof, but I'll keep you informed if I do hear anything.

The DVD entertainment system is shown to be optional on the LE, XLE, and XLE Limited models.

There isn't anything about what models will be available with the NAV system as of yet, but looking at the pictures of the DVD entertainment system, they have a slot for DVD's in the control unit on the roof. So they should be seperate and available to have both on the same vehicle.

Hope this helps.

tgh2

i would like to know what the difference is between intuitive parking assist and the obstacle- detection sensors.
regarding the sunroof, i know that you have the option available because when they posted the interior dimentions, they stated head room with and without sunroof. however, i dont know if it is available on every model.

sdweinman

Reading Ken's last post, I see that I confused Radar with Laser. However the laser could set off the laser detector of the car in front and in your own, which would cause the same problem as Radar (to a lesser extent since laser is line of sight only). Still wondering if it can be shut off while still using cruise. Ken?

sdweinman

I see when I hit refresh it reposts my letter. Sorry

jd_ottawa

I am guessing this is a typo and should read Intuitive braking which is only available on the XLE LTD

tgh2

i would like to know what the difference is between intuitive parking assist and the obstacle- detection sensors.
regarding the sunroof, i know that you have the option available because when they posted the interior dimentions, they stated head room with and without sunroof. however, i dont know if it is available on every model.

pdfs

Hi, Diploid,

You are exactly right that the 8 SUV models Toyota offers are of wide range of size and specifications. And I think they can do the same thing for the minivan market. The volume ratio of minivan to SUV is definitely greater than 1:8.

Toyota has at 4~5 models of minivan with different sizes sold in the Japan. The Japanese minivan market is much smaller than US market.

It is a wrong perception that American consumers only want huge vehicles. Compact SUVs are selling really well. I can not see why nobody offers a compact minivan. Totota sells a very popular compact minivan in Japan.

Toyota sells more than 50 models of vehicles in Japan. With that diverse offering, they are dominating the Japanese Market. To further increase their market share in US, I think they ought to do the same thing.

That is my $0.02.

flynn4

I am guessing that will be an option with the LX or XLE models. I would like a van with the DVD system, but I DON'T want a moon roof. Anyone know how that might be configured? Is there a chance that I can get the DVD player without the moonroof?

deepan

as per specs in post 413. The moonroof will definitely be an option(which you will decline) so there shoudnt be an issue.

flynn4

you can only get options in bundles, not separately. Toyota doesn't take custom orders, either. I am hoping that the moon roof and DVD player are not compatible, ie-occupy the same space in the roof.

deg856

Just like TV/radio/alarm transmitters/receivers, laser or radar units can be easily tuned (change of frequency) and coded so different units in the same vicinity would not interfere with each other.

San Jose, CA

sdweinman

Thanks for the information Gary. Glad to get some input from an Electrical Engineer. I understand that Laser or Radar can be tuned to different frequencies. The question is how are the radar/laser receivers tuned. For example most of my radar detectors are also quite efficient at finding hospitals, supermarkets and other places with radar operated doors. I'm assuming that the engineers at Toyota took this into account when they designed this thing. I have owned 8 Toyotas (3 of them now), and I can attest that the engineers don't miss much.

jctobin

I've never bought a Toyota before, when people say that Toyota doesn't do custom orders, I assume that means that you can't mix and match items from the different option packages, which is understandable. But can't you do a factory order, choosing the color you want and the option packages you want? Or are buyers (and dealers) always required to order certain models with certain option packages? In other words, is it feasible to order, say an LE or a CE with no option packages, or is this impossible, there is always at least one option package required?

Thanks again for all the great info people post here.

flynn4

Toyota produces x number of vans in the CE line with no options, x number with this package, x number with the other package and so on for all the trims. Dealers take delivery on what ever and that is it. Most dealers will search other dealers to see if they have the van or car that has what you want or close to what you want if they don't have it on their lot. You can't go to a Toyota dealer and pick and choose which features you want and don't want and then your order is placed. In my case, if you can only get the DVD with the packages that also includes the moonroof, then you are stuck with the moonroof or no DVD.

I have been told that that helps Toyota so they don't over produce a line and it keeps costs down.

klear123

Are there any reviews available or pending on the new van?

kmcmi

I just came from a meeting here in Michigan and they had an XLE (non-limited) there to play with and let me say that it is better than the pictures. They released a bunch of information at this breakfast meeting about the Sienna and many other new and redesigned models that has yet to be released publicly. Anyway, on to the Sienna. The second row works almost exactly like the RAV4 back seats, as far as it easily folds forward for rear entry and comes out very easy. The rear hatch is a hydraulic lift and a power close. The side sliding doors are hugh and the windows that roll down are also very big. Much bigger than the Mazda MPV that also has the side second row windows. Optional is 3 row protection side curtain airbags. The tri-zone climate control means that there is a climate control switch for each row. The interior is 3 cubic feet larger than the Honda Oddyssey. The all-wheel drive is available in the LE, XLE, and XLE Limited models and is standard with the 17" run-flat tires. The tires are necessary because the drive shaft going to the rear axle doesn't allow room for a spare tire. On the Front Wheel Drive vans the spare tire is located under the vehicle just aft and below the front passenger seat. There is a crank located (just like in the current sienna) in the vehicle behind the front passenger seat on the floor. It is a temporary spare because of the space available, but this is still better than Hondas because if you get a flat you don't have to unload the passengers to get to the spare tire located in the floor. The center seats do come together in the 7 seat configuration and a center console (similar to the Dodge Grand Caravan) is moveable from the front to the middle seats. It does lock into the floor though so you don't have a rolling problem. I will look through my notes to see what else I can post later today.

For trying to order a van, the posts that said Toyota does not have a factory order or special order program they are correct. I have been with Toyota as a salesman for a little over 5 years and that has never been an option. However, once a vehicle that is made in the US (like the Sienna) has been allocated to a dealer, a request to change some equipment packages or color is possible. It won't always take but it is possible. Usually in the first year though Toyota will just be trying to build as many as they can to supply the demand for a new vehicle so that makes it tough to get a change.

Anyone with any question that your local dealer is not helping you with please feel free to post a message or email me at kkjcrum@msn.com (really no junk mail please this is my personal email) and I will do my best to answer them for you. I will be at the auto show in Detroit working this coming Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday so I hope to get more info while I am there.

Official release date for '04 Sienna is March 14, 2003

utahsnow

Living in Salt Lake City, where it snows a lot, I need AWD and stability control. (At least, I know I need stability control, and I think I need AWD.) So I'm looking at the AWD '04 Sienna. I use winter tires in the winter, and I don't think there are any run-flat winter tires. If I understand post #438, if you put winter tires on an AWD '04 Sienna, you'll be driving without a spare tire and without a run-flat tire. That doesn't seem safe. The alternative---driving in the winter with regular tires---doesn't seem safe either.

Another area of concern: I have two kids under age 3. Such kids often need a parent's help while travelling, so either I or my wife typically sit in the back seat of our Subaru wagon with the two kids. In an 8-passenger minivan, this 3-aside seating would be possible in the middle seat, but in a 7-passenger minivan, it seems this would only be possible in the rear seat. Disappointingly, a previous post has pointed out that the AWD Sienna won't be available in the 8-seat configuration. So, minivan owners out there, tell me: in your experience, is it practical to remove the middle seats of a 7-passenger van, put 2 kids and 1 adult on the rear bench, and store stuff like strollers where the middle seats were? Do you worry about such items becoming projectiles in a crash? Will it be hard to carry a baby all the way to the rear each time he's being driven? Do you worry about the consequences of a rear-end crash with this seating configuration?

Many thanks in advance for your feedback. This is my first posting.

deepan

i take it its not offered this yr. Also has the XLE have memory (seats/mirrors etc). Photo shows that the mirrors do fold.

patwg

Odyssey's 3.5 liter is a lower cost engine in spite of its good marketing for VTEC engine.

If you like to learn how DOHC(Most Toyota car) engine is better than SOHC(most Honda car) engine please click:

http://www.allpar.com/eek/cams.html

99% consumer don't know this trick!

Go Toyota!!!

patwg

Odyssey's 3.5 liter is a lower cost engine in spite of its good marketing for VTEC engine.

If you like to learn how DOHC(Most Toyota car) engine is better than SOHC(most Honda car) engine please click:

http://www.allpar.com/eek/cams.html

99% consumer don't know this trick!

Go Toyota!!!

toyotaken

The middle seats on the 7 passenger version will allow you to choose positions for the seats. One option is to have them like captains chairs, with a walk-through between them. You can also move the one on the passenger side over to have a middle bench, still seating 2 in that middle row. You can also move the center console from between the front seats to between the middle two seats if you have them seperated.

On older vehicles, the rear seat was a hazard (for example older chrystlers which had a tendancy to let the hatch fly open in rear-end collisions and the seat tipped backward). However, with the newer vehicles, the rear position is still very safe, and with the new sienna, side curtain airbags are available to protect passengers in all three rows. That being said, the safest position within a vehicle is the middle seat.

Hope this helps.

Ken

canuck13

Anyone know what octane is required in the 2004 Sienna?

patwg

City 20/Highway 25

njswamplands

from what i read the driver gets a zone, the passenger gets a zone and the 2nd and 3rd rows are another zone

kmcmi

The tri-zone is not 2 in the front and 1 in the rear. I just sat in the van this morning and the climate control is one for each row. I don't know what is posted earlier but this is the way it is (at least on the one that was at the Toyota Employee Breakfast).

I just received the disc for the press release and it gives the dimensions for the vehicle so here it is:

2004 TOYOTA SIENNA PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS


Engine
3.3-liter V6 DOHC with VVT-i
Bore X Stroke 92.0 x 83.0
Horsepower 230
Torque 242
Fuel System EFI
Ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV-II)

Powertrain
Five-speed automatic transmission
w/ intelligence (ECT-i)

Suspension
Front: Independent MacPherson struts
Rear: Torsion Beam

Brakes
2WD: Front Disc/Rear Drum

AWD: Front and Rear Discs

Exterior Dimensions (inches)
Wheelbase 119.3
Overall Length 200.0
Overall Width 77.4
Overall Height 68.9

Front Track:
16-inch wheels 65.6
17-inch wheels 65.9
Rear Track:
16-inch wheels 66.9
17-inch wheels 67.3
Ground Clearance 6.9

Interior Dimensions (inches)
Head Room
Without Moonroof / With Moonroof
Front 42.0/39.5
Second Row 40.2/38.6
Third Row 38.1/38.1
Interior Dimensions (inches) cont.
Shoulder Room
Front 63.8
Second Row 64.9
Third Row 61.1

Hip Room
Front 58.4
Second Row 67.5
Third Row 51.8

Leg Room
Front 42.9
Second Row 39.6
Third Row 39.5

Interior Volume (cu. ft.)
Passenger Volume:
7 pass. 177.5
8 pass. 176.6

Cargo Volume:
Behind Front Seats 148.9
Behind Second Row 94.5
Behind Third Row 43.6

Weights (lbs)
Curb Weight:
Grade 7 pass. 8 pass.
CE 4120 4175
LE 4120 4175
LE AWD 4310 N/A
XLE 4165 N/A
XLE AWD 4365 N/A
XLE LTD 4310 N/A
XLE LTD AWD 4365 N/A

EPA Estimated Fuel Economy
City/Highway
2WD 20/25
4WD 18/22

I know the post is long but hopefully it will give you some more insight in the vehicle. As you can see, there will be no 8 passenger seating in the AWD.

phil

Does the 2004 Sienna prefer 92 over 87 unleaded, or is it restricted to 92 premium only?

chartster

1. Are the fold-in mirrors powered? In other words, can I fold in a mirror using a button inside the van or will you need to fold them in manually? I need to know because I'm worried that the van won't fit in my garage without the mirrors folding in.
2. Can you slide the middle seats together while you're sitting in them or do you have to tilt them forward like the Odyssey?
3. What size is the DVD screen? It looks smaller than the 7" screen on most systems.

danjaecks

utahsnow: Perhaps you could buy a spare winter tire (and wheel) and keep it in the trunk, especially if it fits lying down in the seat well.

canuck13

PATWG (re 445): Regular 92 doesn't compute. Regular is typically 87. Did you mean Unleaded 92?

canuck13

What manufacturer is Toyota using for their run-flat tires?

mgfl

kmcmi: Having sat in it I'm sure you're right, BUT looking at the picture of the Climate Control headunit on the minisite clearly shows Temp/Pass Temp/Rear Temp under 'Functionality on Board/Comfort'.

andrewtran71

I thought the LE gives you the option of both AWD and 8 passenger seating?

hschultz

Although I'm sure the original poster is correct, since he actually sat in the vehicle and we're just looking at pictures on a web site, it would seem to me that it's more logical to have individual climate zones for the driver and front seat passenger, and just one zone for the rear two rows, rather than one zone per row.

Just my worthless two cents.

jctobin

It appears that 8 passenger seating is not an option on the LE AWD and the XLE/XLE limited. I'm not sure of the logic...

See the current specs:

Curb Weight:
Grade 7 pass. 8 pass.
CE 4120 4175
LE 4120 4175
LE AWD 4310 N/A
XLE 4165 N/A
XLE AWD 4365 N/A
XLE LTD 4310 N/A
XLE LTD AWD 4365 N/A

patwg

It's regular 87 Octane rate not prefered 92.
The Sienna's XLE AWD weight same as Honda Odyssey EX means Sienna has better weight/hourse power ratio. Beside that, Sienna's DOHC engine is more efficiency than Odyssey's SOHC engine. Don't fooled by Honda's 3.8 liter 2004 model engine.

#442 showed the DOHC vs SOHC.

Karen_S

Since the 2004 Sienna has now hit the showrooms, perhaps it's time to continue discussing its many features in Toyota Sienna discussion in Vans, and leave this discussion to 2005 model year! :-)

Thanks!

kmcmi

About the outside mirrors. I believe the mirrors were foldable I really didn't look though. I do not remember seeing a button that would fold them in. That is a feature currently standard on the Limited Sequoia so I guess it is possible that it will be available. I will find out this weekend at the Detroit Auto show when I work on Sunday.

About the middle seats becoming a bench. I honestly do not know how the Honda's works but for the Sienna, you lift out the seat and place it next to the other one. I did not see anyone do it but there were no tracks to "Slide" it together. The seat weighs about 35 pounds so I don't think it would be too difficult. I will find out for sure this weekend. I will post the info here on Edmunds as soon as I get it.

- Kevin

deg856

Car and Driver’s review on the Infiniti FX45 (Feb 2003, page 49) contains a statement that appears to confirm sdweinman’s concern on this:

“…And the optional intelligent cruise-control system, which uses a laser sensor to maintain a fixed following distance behind the vehicle in front of you, was driving our Valentine One detector crazy, even when the cruise control was turned off…”

Since laser cruise-control is still fairly new and not widely used yet, my guess is most (if not all) laser detector manufacturers have not gotten around to design their units to distinguish the laser of cruise-control units from the one used by police.

San Jose, CA

deg856

The link in those two posts explained the design tradeoffs and concluded that that cost and marketing often drive the design. It is simplistic and misleading to say a DOHC engine is automatically "better" than a SOHC engine. More than the theoretical design concept, the execution (which is a big part of "engineering") has far more impact on the results. Let me put it this way - if you used the best ingredients and state-of-the-art cooking appliances, does it guantee the food you make will taste better than what Wolfgang Puck can make using ordinary ingredients and appliances? Again, it's all in the execution.

San Jose, CA

klear123

The 2004 Sienna offers a 'rear audio' system as an option. Any idea what this is? You mean kids can listen to their own music with head phones from a separate radio?

coolguyky7

I remember someone asking if the rear row seating offered 3 point seat belts at each seat. Well, each seat in any 2004 Sienna will have a 3 point belt.

toyotaken

If the rear audio is the same as it is in every other Toyota that has a rear-seat audio option, it should work like this. It works off of the same control unit in the front of the vehicle, but the people in the rear seats can listen to some other audio source than the front-seat occupants using wireless headphones. So, for example, the front passengers can be listening to the CD while the rear occupants can listen to the Radio or Cassette. However, they cannot listen to a different radio station than the front occupants or a different CD if they have a CD changer.

Hope this helps.

Ken

philg87

hey kmcmi I will be driving from Chicago to see this Sienna.

coolguyky7

If anyone is able to get into the new Sienna, could you please give us a report on the interior quality? I'm interested in knowing what kind of plastics were used on the dash. I hope they didn't Sequoia it all up with hard, cheap, easy-to-scratch plastic.

trppical3

Will Toyota offer the navigation system on the new Sienna?

sanjayjha

Is the 8 seat option only available with the CE and LE models? If so this is a big dissapointment. We have a need for 3 baby-seats, and we do not want to use the third row for two reasons: safety, and more importantly, the kid that ends up in the third row is harder to hear, and not part of the conversation.

Surely this can not be true? What possible rationale could there be for not offering 8 seats with XLE and XLE limited??

sequoiasaurus

and plan to post nightly on various boards including this one. Can't wait to see it myself.