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Comments
Seriously though, carrying a sofa upstairs you will notice the guy on the bottom is really carrying most of the weight. And weight = traction.
We have now had two major snowstorms to drive in, and when I say this car handles great in the bad weather, I mean better then I ever dreamed possible. I have driven numerous 4X4’s in these types of conditions and nothing compares to this! The traction control system and ABS make this car idiot proof. This may be one of the best vehicles ever in the snow and ice.
Between the fuel economy on regular fuel, the enormous amount of space, the quit ride, and comfort this is perhaps one of the best cars ever made.
If you can’t bring yourself to buying a minivan, and the midsize SUV’s with the 3rd row don’t offer enough space or reliability, than buy the AWD Sienna. It’s like a SUV only better.
I could not be happier with this purchase. I love this car!
1. Forget using "regular" gas, especially in the winter. The car is very sluggish when cold and does some hesitating upon acceleration. I knew that a less than peppy engine was the one downside to the Sienna as opposed to the Odyssey, but it really was beginning to bug me when every little friggin' rattletrap (and Odyssey, SUV and EVERYONE) was zipping along ahead of me after the signal turned green. Me, I was 0 to 60 in about 10 minutes. I would slowly get up to speed while everyone else seemed to get up to speed so quickly after being stopped. I kept reminding myself of all the wonderful things this car has that the others don't - but it was still bugging me. Once the car warmed up it was better. So, as a last resort, I decided to try a higher octane gas. This made a BIG difference. Even when cold, it is not sluggish and doesn't do the small hesitation it did before. But, I still feel the engine is underpowered for this car. I think they should forget the 1 mpg more that this car is rated at over the Odyssey - I'd rather get a little less gas mileage than suffer with an underpowered engine. They should certainly make a car that runs well on regular gas. This would be my biggest complaint so far on the car.
2. I wish they had another horizontal bar across the front of the roof rack (near where the roof meets the upper windshield). We have had a lot of snow, and it's already a problem the way the snow gets trapped up there with the roof being so long, but if it's gonna stay up there, make it ALL stay up there. After a few miles of driving, you come to a stop and a huge unexpected avalanche comes crashing down in front of your eyes - and when it happened to me last, I had my wipers on, so you can imagine what that did to them - the snow was so heavy, they couldn't move - and I couldn't see anything. Had to pull over and get out and remove it with my hands (with no gloves!). Had there been an extra bar there, it would have held the majority of it back till it melted. I'd love some kind of lip up there t keep water and snow from dripping down.
3. I wish it had a seperate temp control knob(cold-med-hot dial) for the rear that could be conrolled from the FRONT. I have dogs in the back, and sometimes I need the temp different back there or they are hot and I need to turn it down, but I am cold up front. Can't control the back from the second row while driving, so am stuck with a compromise.
4. When you stop the car, put it in park and turn off the engine - then let your foot off the brake, the car rolls (lurches) forward quite a bit more than it should - I feel like I have to apply the brake again!
5. The driver's side door swings open a little too easily, so you have to grab for the door quickly before it flies open too far and hits another car.
6. I have already gotten a couple of chips in the paint - one on the hood (no stone ever hit it that I saw) and one on the body side molding. I think the paint could be better - it shouldn't chip so easily.
7. There is a sour smell outside the car when it is running - anyone know what this might be? It's not from the back exhaust pipe, but from under the sides of the car.
8. The thing I still appreciate the most, one of the reasons we bought it - is that tight turning circle. I cannot imagine how I could get in and out of the spaces I have been able to if I had an Odyssey - with something this long, that tight turning radius is a necessity and I am always amazed at what I can do in the Sienna.
9. It's still the BEST looking minivan out there. The 2004 shed the dowdy look, and I don't feel as "uncool" in it as I thought I would ;-) Have you seen that hideous new Nissan Quest??? What an embarassment!
Everything else I LOVE and is just perfect. Each time I drive and discover new things I like, I am reminded of how well-thought-out this car was - they thought of ALMOST everything.
Has anyone else NOT experienced some of problems I mentioned above? Anyone have anything to add?
Wendy
Is there any way to bypass this, so you get power without the key? Where's the fuse?
To switch rear system to heating, low outlets, or cooling, overhead outlets, you move the front passenger/driver controls all the way to max heat or all the way to max cold.
Once the rear system has "switched" to heating or cooling you can freely modulate the front temperature as long as you don't move it to the "opposite" end travel.
I don't plan to do this again. It's discomforting to think how inaccurate the computation may be with 9 miles or less of gas left in the tank.
Maybe the XLE model is different but I have separate backseat heat/AC controls that I can choose to synch them from the front seat OR the second row passengers can fully control. Works great!
Park/stop is the same as any other auto tranny vehicle I've ever driven. It'll lurch a tad on a hill, that is normal. If the hill is steep enough, you should be using the parking brake.
As for the doors swinging open? Now I know how my vehicle doors get so dinged up in parking lots! Maybe we have to consider NOT talking on the cell phone while operating a motor vehicle? Both hands and full concentration is needed.
The AWD works great in the snow and the seat heaters really keep your buns warm in the winter.
Total nonsense. With the screen fully extended, you can barely see it through the mirror. The screen sits high enough so it does not interfere with rearview at all.
However, if the salesman is talking about aftermarket screens which may be larger in size, then it might block the mirror.
The factory unit is very hight quality. The wireless headphone is crystal clear with excellent dynamic range. The remote control works well and does not feel cheap like some of the home players nowaday. Only complain is the low volume when piped through the van's surround sound speaker system.
Oh, by the way, per my previous post last night about the fuel light not coming on -- it finally came on this morning when my indicator listed ten miles left to the tank. When I filled up, it took 20.4 gallons, so I must have been very very low when that light finally came on.
"I had to fax him a copy of my invoice, and the instruction page for putting together the center console for the second row of seats."
Correct me if I am wrong, but the package as I understand comes only with the console that goes between the front seats. Of course you can move that to the second row (hence the instruction), but you don't get a second console for the second row. The choice is either between one center console or a tray.
Got that???
ABS operates to the detriment of quicker/shorter stopping!
Now, I'm not saying that ABS isn't an extremely desireable option in certain situations. But now it has become clear via testing that in many situations, hard, even surface dry roadbeds when directional control is not an issue, and certain extremely slippery surfaces, that ABS IS a detriment.
In addition, the idiot design engineers have decided that if one side of the vehicle is on a slippery surface and the other with reasonably high traction then the high traction side should NOT be allowed to use severe braking for fear that it would lead to loss of control.
So unlike the majority of us who long ago learned to instinctively handle that situation correctly by simultaneously steering (into the skid) and HARD braking, newly minted drivers never encounter the circumstance ("learning experience") and on their first hazardous encounter simply slide into the obstruction with virtually no braking HP.
But there is hope.
The Trac control on my 92 LS would virtually instantly apply the rear brakes and begin dethrottling the engine upon detecting rear wheel slippage. Oftentimes leaving me "dead in the water" in a line of on-coming traffic until the throttle would be again released to my control.
One of the first things I noticed upon purchasing a 00 GS300 was that the Trac system had been modified. It would still apply the brakes virtually instantly, but delayed dethrottling for a few hundred milli-seconds to give me time to react and get off the gas long enough to recover traction.
So, what's the answer??
1. Driver training simulators, with much the same capability as flight training simulators. Newby drivers can then learn more than just how to drive a vehicle, they can learn how to properly react to those maybe once in a lifetime circumstances where knowing the proper thing to do virtually instantly can be life-saving.
2. Link the VSC system to the ABS such that ABS DOES NOT activate unless loss of control is "threatened", the vehicle is not following the desired direction of travel.
3. Modify the VSC system such that it provides vibratory steering wheel feedback to the driver in much the same manner as a "stick shaker" in a commercial aircraft.
Now back to the right tires with no traction and the left with.
Our driver has ecountered this situation during the simulator training. Upon encountering the disparate traction situation the VSC/ABS still initially prevents hard braking on the high traction side, and simultaneously provides a "cue" to the driver via vibratory torquing of the steering wheel toward the low traction side. Should the driver never react properly the system simply operates just as it would today, elongating the stopping distance in favor of maintaining directional control.
Steve, Host
Does this single CD Disc get shared with the Navigation DVD Disc such that you cannot listen to a CD and use the Nav at the same time? I had an infiniti I35 that lost the 6 disc in-dash CD with Nav, but you could play CD in the Nav slot.
I like supporting local businesses, especially as I would be getting serviced there. If I had gone with my local dealer I would still be on a long waiting list (instead of picking it up on the 26th) and paying 600 more for the privelage.
A good careful check of the vehicle using a good checklist might have shown up the missing parts at the selling dealer.
Thanks!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
When the car is in Park and ignition is on (engine not running) you can play the dvd in the rear screen AND the front screen as well
DizzyK2
As my wife wants the option to walk to the backseats to see the kids, we would like to order the Fold-down Table for the Front Seats and move the Center Console to the 2nd Row Seats.
Has anyone ordered an Optional Fold-down Table? How much did it go for?
I live in Indiana where we get a fair share of snow/ice/rain. The traction control on our Ody is absolutely worthless.
Today, I test drove an '04 Sienna XLE with the #14 option package. This van had VSC and would like to know if this option is worth having. It was 50 degrees here today and there's no snow now. So, I couldn't test it out. To be honest, I didn't even realize this van was equipped with this option at the time of the test drive.
I have a concern that the VSC is an additional complexity that holds the potential for a costly repair bill if I hold onto this van once the warranty period expires.
Looking forward to everyone's replies.
Thanks.
When there is no traction to be had, nothing will help. Including 4WD.
As for VSC, it uses all the same elements already in use by the ABS system, engine management and transmission ECUs. It co-ordinates the different elements to gain the stability features that are very worthwhile in a large top heavy vehicle. VSC also works in the rain and dry so its benefits are there anytime you operate the vehicle. Keeping out of an accident beats having an accident every time.
In the coming year you will see it offered as a feature on nearly every vehicle and will see it as standard on nearly every SUV to overcome the stigma of easy rollover and the associated injury and death.
Could it be an added burden from the perspective of maintenance, sure as any feature can be, but this one is unlikely to add any additional maintenance headaches as it is primarily another ECU (computer) that uses components already on the vehicle.
I just took delivery (Friday the 26th) of my 2004 Sienna LE 8 with BW which includes TRAC and VSC. Although we have not had any snow yet, it (VSC) did work several times on ice we encounted during our lengthy drive home from the dealer. Including in a gas station parking lot covered with ice where I had a hard time standing up.
I would recommend it. For the nominal cost, especially on a XLE or higher it is worth it.
Nothing I have discussed regarding any Lexus had anything to do with off-road.
TRAC...
As a teaching/learning tool Trac is excellent. Most drivers have no idea how to treat the throttle in adverse roadbed conditions. If nothing else Trac will teach you that.
But once you have learned to be "light" on the throttle, feathering, in these conditions you will find TRAC to be more than useless, it will be a nuisance.
ABS and TRAC have only one good aspect. IF you don't know that the roadbed is slippery they will soon advise you.
>>
I just took delivery (Friday the 26th) of my 2004 Sienna LE 8 with BW which includes TRAC and VSC. Although we have not had any snow yet, it (VSC) did work several times on ice we encounted during our lengthy drive home from the dealer. Including in a gas station parking lot covered with ice where I had a hard time standing up.
<<
That must have been TRAC engaging correct? Why would VSC engage in the parking lot? OK - were you trying to do donuts in the new van?
But to wwest's point: how did you know VSC was engaging? what was the feedback mechanism?
you also state:
>>
Could it be an added burden from the perspective of maintenance, sure as any feature can be, but this one is unlikely to add any additional maintenance headaches as it is primarily another ECU (computer) that uses components already on the vehicle.
<<
i wonder about those break pads. conceptually, might they wear quicker if the brakes are being engaged under the control of VSC?
anyway, when the VSC engages, how do you know? can you hear it / feel it, or are you "heads down" with your attention split between the road, the wheel, and a blinking light on the dash?
curious.
Especially when compared to a hospital stay or a few eons underground.
1. Like the runflats, the manufacturers advise against running a space-saver further than 50 miles and at speeds under 50 mph. I don't see the advantage of a space-saver on this question.
2. From what I understand, the mechanicals necessary for the AWD option on the Sienna intrudes into the space utilized for the space-saver in the FWD versions of the van. In other words, there isn't anyplace to properly stow the tire. If you don't mind stowing the spare behind the rear seat, go ahead and purchase a spare (either space-saver or full size) for your peace of mind.
3. What happens at night in the boondocks? Drive your happy self to your motel (at a reduced rate of speed) just like you would with a space saver. Only difference? You don't have to stop on the side of the road to change a flat. Or your wife/daughter/mother doesn't have to stop 'in the boondocks', on the side of the road, in the dark, to change a tire. Anyone here familiar with the lawsuit filed against Ford/Firestone over a flat-tire incident wherein a young college student was abducted and murdered when she, you got it, stopped 'in the boondocks, in the dark' to change a flat.
No, I wasn't doing donuts : ) I came down an access road into a gas station that had car wash with poor drainage that layed a varied sheet of ice on the road. The road had a down hill off camber turn, the VSC system reacted there and as a exited a freeway ramp. My wife was following me in the Golf and she got it sideways on the ice for a brief period.
I think the VSC does offer some learning, namely that you are on a poor traction surface by enabling the very noticeable ABS system.
As I recall Mr West, you were on a diatribe not too long ago about the traction control system on your Lexus RX300 failing to do all you would have liked it to do on a muddy forest road.
And yes you are very correct that brake pads are very cheap compared to the many alternatives.
Trac will activate, and subsequently dethrottle, if a driven tire(s) tends to spin versus other tires.
ABS only activates during braking if a tire(s) tends to stop rotating before the vehicle stops.
Hearing the ABS pumpmotor activation could indicate any of the above.
I'm quite sure I have had instances wherein the VSC system activated but I never found time to look at the display icon, before it had extinguished, during those manuvers.
Muddy road...
I stand corrected, I did take one of the AWD RXes, out on a muddy road to experiment with the AWD and VSC system. As I remember it that was the first time I learned that the ABS pumpmotor would time out to prevent over-heating.
wwest - are you positive TRAC will result in de-throttling?...i thought that was limited to VSC.
ok - so you guys made a point about pads which i agree - one accident's avoidance is all it takes to pay for the things. but let's be honest - pads aren't replaced by every citizen on their own...and if people are agressive in their driving, they might expect to go through pads more quickly than they might without these functions.
Yes. What makes you think that the 50 miles limitation on run-flats isn't also a "legal thing"?
"Run flats on the other hand are much more limited."
Really? Have you seen any tests wherein the run-flats were driven to destruction and the mileage noted? I haven't.
You are correct regarding real-world usage of the space-saver spares. I would imagine that real-world usage of run-flats to be much the same way. Manufacturers know this.
How soon would the rotors warp due to braking heat without dethrottling.
My 92 LS would apply brakes and dethrottle virtually simultaneously. My 00 GS300 would give me a few hundred milliseconds to recognize the problem and properly react by lifting the gas pedal.
With understeering on a RWD vehicle I could see that instant dethrottling might be a definite help. I think I have read that my RX300's VSC uses both rear brakes in this instance. An understeering FWD vehicle might be an entirely different matter, instant dethrottling would undoubtedly exascerbate the problem by applying engine braking to the front wheels/tires at the worse possible moment.
VSC will typically activate and then just as quickly deactivate before your seat of the pants sensor says "things are out of whack". Generally there is only a split second or so of time in which VSC can bring the car back into line or not. Therefore I don't doubt that if dethrottling would help the particular VSC activity it would be instantly activated.
Sidewall blowouts????? 'Common sense' would tell you that tires with extremely stiff sidewalls would be essentially immune to the potential of sidewall blowouts. 'Common sense' would tell you that hundreds of lives would have been saved if Ford had used runflats on their Explorers.
'Common sense' also would not have predicted tubeless tires, steel belted radials, or the widespread use/acceptance of dinky little donuts in lieu of a full-size spare. So much for 'common sense'.....
AND...my '04 manual says the runflat is good for 100 miles.
ALSO: Anyone wanna buy a new '04 Sienna off E-Bay?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate- gory=31874&item=2451569071