Toyota Sienna 2004+

badgerfan

I have on occasion had seven adults in my short wheel base Dodge Caravan (1996 model with second row captains seats) on drives of 1-2 hours and they have been fairly comfortable even with three in the third row. Not a lot of excess leg room to stretch out in , but since you are sitting upright, your legs hang nearly straight down, so the space between seats does not have to be huge. And the van is quite compact in length, maybe a foot shorter than my Taurus.

The MPV may be similar, but by appearances seems to be narrower than the short wheel base Caravan., thus shoulder room for three across could be tight.

Those two are about the only short wheel base minivans currently in the US market.

whode

I posted the original question about the Sienna possibly being "too big." I know that it depends a lot on your situation (family size, hauling needs, etc.).

For us, we're a family of four with two small kids. I like the idea of a minivan because with infant car seats and gear, it's not possible/practical to seat more than 4 people in our 5-passenger Camry. We'd like the flexibility of being able to carry an occasional additional passenger or two. Also, we like being able to be parked and attend to the kids without having to get out of the car for feeding, etc. and to be able to hang out in the van while someone runs into the store for a short stop.

The MPV seems to suit our needs, but I like the better crash test ratings and safety features (like VSC and side curtain airbags) on the Sienna. My main concern was how much of a liability the Sienna's larger size would be in terms of driving.

rcf8000

I think the Sienna's size is more of a liability around town than on the highway. We love it for long trips. With four people in the car and lots of luggage we prefer the Sienna to my LS430 for highway trips. For just errand running around town, though, I prefer the LS430, unless I need the extra people or cargo space of the Sienna, of course.

indyjones

Is the AWD system used on sienna a 'full time" or part time (only comes on when needed)? Is there a switch somewhere to disable /enable the AWD system ( if it is part time)?

Thanks in advance.

andrewtran71

The Sienna is not really too big at 200" on the outside.
The Odyssey is almost 2" longer. Some SUVs are a lot longer.
It may seem big at first. But after a while, it won't seem all that big.
Shoot, I would not mind at all if it were the same length as the Odyssey, which is almost 202" long, and of course, have even more space inside than the current 200" Sienna frame.

ewt1

The Sienna really isn't bad to drive around town because the turning radius is so tight. I never have to make multiple attempts at getting in/out of parking spaces like I do with my dad's Yukon XL. It's not any different than driving a full size sedan.

jamesspot

Only issue with Sienna's size is width. With the standard large mirrors, it just fits in our garage (dual single doors). Around town it is fine with a tighter turning radius than our old long-wheelbase Grand Caravan. Other minor thing in size is that the high beltline on the rear door makes it hard to see backwards if you are ever backing up a rising driveway, particularly in the dark.

dako_tian

Since the Yukon XL was mentioned (and because that's what I have! ;-)), it is 219.3 inches long to Sienna's 200. The YXL is only 1.4 inches wider though (78.8 to Sienna's 77.4); even so, Sienna has the edge in seating room comparisons, except for shoulder room (so it appears that the YXL carries its width higher up).

Of course, you all's 36.8 foot turning radius would put you in the parking space easier. But, in a demolition derby, my YXL's 43 foot turning radius would still allow me to smash in the outer 3 inches of your outside-facing sheet metal. ;-)

Seriously, while I'm sure North Texas comes equipped with larger-than-East-Coast-standard sized parking spaces, the ease of handling the YXL indicates to me that adapting to the much tighter turning, lower center of gravity, and much more carlike handling of the Sienna would be a breeze. Coming from a sedan to a Sienna might feel intimidating on the test drive, but I'm betting it won't take an hour of driving around town, malls, driveway, and garage parking to get comfortable with it.

nematode

got the Sienna was that it was big. I like big. If it was another 12 inches longer I would like it even better. We serouisly considered the Yukon XL Denali but picked the Sienna because its the biggest of the mini-vans. Granted it cant tow and is smaller then the XL Denali but it does get fuel economy in the double digits. I rented an XL to test 2 times. I got 9mpg and 11mpg which is not good at all. I only get 18mpg in the Sienna but thats a little better.

I did try some full size vans but they dont drive very well at all, dont come with the equipment in the Sienna or XL, and still get crappy fuel economy.

rcf8000

The Sienna gets amazingly good gas mileage. On a recent trip 30 mpg was indicated, although I think the actual mileage was around 27. Even so, this is excellent for such a large vehicle.

ewt1

"Coming from a sedan to a Sienna might feel intimidating on the test drive, but I'm betting it won't take an hour of driving around town, malls, driveway, and garage parking to get comfortable with it. "

Exactly. The only time I notice that it feels "big" is when I pull it in my garage. I have to be fairly precise in how I pull it in to leave enough room on the passenger's side for people to get past the mirror, and leave enough space on the other side so the driver's door doesn't hit the other car in the garage. Other than that, it doesn't feel intimidating at all to drive around.

BTW, I wasn't picking on the Yukon XL in particular. I just mentioned as representative of another "big family hauler" since I have a lot of experience driving one. I could have used an Expedition as well based on my more limited experience with one of those.

kmead

Nice riposte...

ppnff

Here's the response I receievd from Toyota regarding the 2004 Sienna's AWD system.

The AWD (All-Wheel Drive) system is a full-time 4WD (4 Wheel Drive) system, which constantly distributes torque at a ratio of 50:50 to the front and rear axles.

This AWD 2004 Sienna has adopted front and center differentials with bevel gears, employs VSC (Vehicle Skid Control) in order to ensure the proper drive when a wheel slips, without the use of an LSC (Limited Slip Differential) mechanism in the transfer. Thus, a lightweight system that offers high levels of driving stability and driveability is accomplished

Hope this helps.

lena132

On the subject of AWD's

My husband, before we bought our Sienna XLE LTD FWD, said that the run flats on the AWD models were expensive to replace... somewhere around $200.00 to get a new one if the old one went flat. Does anyone know the exact cost of replacing a flatted run-flat tire?

We usually pay around $60 to replace a 15" tire for our '95 Camry. So it seemed like a huge step for just replacing a tire.

wwest

The Sienna and the RX330 share the same full-time AWD system and so both are predominantly FWD, with a normal torque distribution ratio of about 95/5 F/R provided all four tires have roughly equal roadbed traction.

Since most of the engine torque is ALWAYS, in the normal case, routed to the front tires it will almost always be the fronts that slip first. Immediately upon detection of that slippage by the Trac system the brakes will be instantly applied to the slipping tire(s), again, most likely the front.

During that period of moderate braking to the front a significant portion of the engine torque will be diverted to the rear. If this happens to be a brief loss of traction episode then that will be that and you're on you way happily down the road.

On the other hand if the roadbed under and ahead of you is covered with packed snow or ice the system may be forced to continously intervene and moderately brake slipping wheels to apportion engine torque and left unchecked that would quickly lead to brake over-heating and warpped brake rotors.

So first of all in order to prevent rapid brake over-heating the system will begin to dethrottle the engine. You can prevent this dethrottling function but lifting the gas pedal to provide less torque the instant you notice the Trac system activating.

rorr

Thanks.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

spartanmann

Yes RunFlats are very expensive and only certain tire places can mount them because they require different equipment. They are also not commonly stocked. You may want to investigate getting a spare tire kit if there is room to stow it, over the long term it would be much cheaper to switch to conventional tires. Stay with the RunFlats only if you don't want the hassle of changing a flat.

If the RunFlats were the way to go, then Toyota would have them on all Siennas, not just the AWD model where it gets in the way of a spare.

nofeer

i tried tirerack.com and they are more than 200 and they can't be repaired from what i understand. so imagine a trip to florida and bingo a flat that you need to fix/replace--don't think so. i won't get the awd because of that, i can get snowtires ready mounted for less than the extra cost of runflats. you could carry a small donut type tire while on trips. I won't use them. YOu could put "slime" in the tires to self seal nail leaks etc.

wwest

Buy the AWD, install Bridgestone Turanzas all around + a spare and sell the run-flats ($200...??) on ebay, to Sienna owners who KNOW that will eventually need a spare, to recover the costs.

purrmeister

I am looking at two different LE packages and the problem is that I want the skid control and brake assist and also the dvd. There's one package that has all of the safety features and no dvd. The other package only lists airbags, dvd and also a special utility package. Does anyone know what this is?
Also, if we go with the dvd package does that mean we can't get the skid control and brake assist on the LE? Do you have to move up to the XLE even if you don't want all of those extra features just to get all of the safety features?

lena132

Ok, If we change all the run-flats to regular 17" tires and get a spare, where do we put the spare. If you seen a Jeep Cherokee; how they have the spare tire in the trunk placed on the far left or right in a bag up straight. I don't want that but where do we put it then? To tell you the truth, I don't even know where the spare tire is in our Sienna XLE Limited FWD.

For purrmeister:

ABS & Brake Assist (BA) is standard on all models. I think you meant (VSC), (TRAC), (DRL), rear-disc brakes and winshield wiper de-icer grid

You can get the LE 8 Passenger and have Package #11

Get a LE 7 passenger and you have to choose between safety or a DVD player.

Get a XLE FWD and get Package #16. That has everything but it might be off your budget.

stickguy

I don't think you have a place for the spare on an AWD. I believe the driveshaft runs through the space where the spare resides on the FWD.

You could always put it the cargo area someplace.

And. don't forget to buy a jack and lug wrench too!

Or, just keep the run flats, and deal with the replacement cost when it becomes an issue.

purrmeister

Thanks lena132-that's what I kind of thought was going to happen. You pretty much have to get the XLE to get both safety and dvd.

We were looking at the LE7 not 8 and can't afford to go up to the XLE just for the dvd. We may have to just get that installed later somewhere else.

lena132

exactly where is the spare located in FWD models. My son is no where in sight and my husband is too busy to answer my question right now. Is it in the area beneath where the 3rd row seats fold into?
The area that creates a "hole" when the 3rd row seats are up? Otherwise, I'm dumbfounded on where it is.

Other question: I'm not a technology wiz but does the Sienna's DVD player connect to any game system. My younger son requested for me to hook it up and I spent some 15 odd minutes trying to find input jacks but I couldn't find it? Anybody know where it is?

Purrmeister:
You're welcome, I'm guessing you're getting the "safety package" You could always get a portable DVD player although it's not the same experience.

kmead

On a FWD the spare is in front of the rear wheels towards the passenger side. The gas tank is on the left.

On a AWD when you use a spare tire, it is mounted in the storage area behind the 3rd row seat. There is a kit available from Toyota for safely mounting it in that space. You won't be able to fold that part of the seat down with the spare in that space.

The factory DVD has a input for a game system on the left side between the second and third rows. If you have a non factory DVD or a SET model with DVD it is likely that it will not have those inputs.

A LE with all the features you desire is BZ Package #9
It includes trip computer, Homelink universal transmitter, power right-hand sliding door, rear seat audio, JBL Synthesis AM/FM stereo, CD player, cassette player, 10 speakers, alloy wheels, front side airbags, front, rear and third row curtain airbags, 2 wireless headphones and DVD rear entertainment system.

You can find this information and its costs here at Edmunds:
 http://edmunds.com/new/2004/toyota/sienna/100257807/options.html
x=126&y=23&tid=edmunds.n.prices.pricebox..1.Toyota*

Hope that helps.

wwest

I'd find a way to mount the spare on the roof rack toward the back.

I feel the same way about a "captive" DVD as I do a captive nav system. I'm pretty sure you can buy two portable DVD players for less than the price of the captive one. Besides which, with an LCD narrow viewing angle, can two people comfortably view a center mounted screen?

Then if you go flying you still have entertainment.

lena132

Oh, thats where the spare is..... near the 2nd row passenger side. I haven't taken the 2nd row seats out ever since I got it a month ago.

For the DVD, I never knew it was between there. But now to think of it, I never thought it would be there and I skipped that area. And, yes, my DVD comes from Toyota. I had a XLE Limited with XLE LTD Package #6

sarniasting

Lena132: the spare tire is located under the van in the area of the second row passenger seat. You will not find it by taking out the second row seat. If you are worried about having a flat and want to be sure of where the spare is located ask your service department to allow you to have a quick look under the van the next time it is up on a hoist. Then you will be able to impress your son when he can't locate the spare.

lena132

Oh...under the van. I thought that Toyota made a hole under one seat, placed the tire in it, used some sort of carpeting and cover, and mounted the seat on top. Somewhat like the Quest. Thanks. I'll be sure to find it now

kmead

Yes its under the van and is lowered by engaging a bolt inside the van in the foot area between the front passenger seat and the right second row seat. You do not need to remove the seat to access the bolt. If you have mats, lift up the one in the second row, right side. You will see a semi circle cut flap in the carpet, lift that up and there is the bolt you use your lug wrench on to drop the tire from under the van. Be sure to retract it before drivng off, as its easy to forget. The full size tire will not fit under there, so it must go in the trunk storage area.

nofeer

how toyo bundles things is a big negative, they need to lighten up on these bundles, maybe once ody comes out there fall o5 may loosen up a bit, i hope. I want hid headlights guess what only on the ltd....that stinks, i'll wait for more info on ody and maybe wait. to get nav you have to give up the indash cd changer--that stinks, if there head unit, has a port for cd changer i'll add a connection for a direct line to my iPod, now that would rock.

indyjones

Finally I installed an aftermarket DVD system in my XLE. The reason I didnt do with the factory system was becasue I wanted the side curtain airbags.

I put audiovox VOH884 system, with custom console from for sienna (made by audiovox). The custom console allowed me to keep my rear audio controller. The sound is being fed thru a FM modulator. Everything works fine except what I feel is that I really have to crank the audio to the max to get the sound out of the DVDs. I tried a regular CD, and felt that it also had to be cranked way up. What's up with this? Any one else had similar stituation with the FM modulators?

andrewtran71

I feel your pain.
My Ody's DVD system is also RF modulated. I have to crank up the volume too. Not only that, but you hear static sometimes. You hear a lot of noise because you have to crank up the volume. I think all aftermarket DVDs are RF modulated.
RF modulation sucks.

That's why I would never buy RF modulation products again or buy anything other than factory installed products in the future.

kmead

If your stereo can support a AUX input for a multi CD player you may be able to input directly to that to take advantage of the DVD sound quality.

At the moment none of the various after market companied like PIE and so on make one for the Sienna. They do for the Honda however, it might be worth looking into.

samnoe

Luckily, Toyota still offers cassette players (if you don't have navigation system). If so, you can get a media convertor (or a similar name, don't remember exactly) at Radio shack or Walmart for less than $20, which has a headphone jack and a cassette, you plug in the headphone jack at the headphones plug in your DVD player, and the cassette in your cassette player, and bingo! you have full clear sound trough your car's speakers.

That's one more reason I always go with cassette player in my car or home stereo.

kmead

Yes the cassette adapter works well, much better than a RF system. This is what I use with our portable DVD and iPod. The dynamic range is much better and if you get the Sony there is very little if any other noise.

indyjones

Well, the only way to find out if the factory stereo player installed has the AUX input is to rip it out again...unless someonemere has done it already. Any comments?

The other option is to have the audio output from the DVD player go into the in dash CD audio input. You will loose the ability to play the in dash CD player, but you can use the DVD player as the CD player. Any comments ?

kmead

is the factory installed one. All others use FM modulation so far.

You can't access the indash CD audio input.

indyjones

I guess I am screwed then...

I'll look into PIE system though...

Thanks KMEAD for all the info. Much appreciated.

jvp06

Has anyones radio in their Sienna gone on by itself. Is there a setting or timer that does this. If there is a cd in it that will start playing as well.I would appreciate it if anyone had some type of answer.

kmead

on the steering wheel are buttons that are really easy to hit. I sometimes hit them on my Sienna. the mode button I think is the problematic one.

One possibility is that one of the buttons is defective, turning on the stereo with little or no pressure.

deepan

we have a 00 sienna and after i put in the toy-aux connector the mode button sometimes mysteriously will not work. wont cycle through the options. after you stop and start the vehicle (not alsways on the first stop and start) it will function again.

andrewtran71

Does anyone know if there are high quality pics of the Limited w/Nav interior?
I can't believe they don't show it on the brochure.

ppnff

I finally went and test drove the 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD today. Although the vehicle was gorgeous outside and inside, the driving experience was disappointing. It seems the 3.3 VVTI V6 was not as quick as I would have expected and the automatic transmission hesitated before shifting from 2nd to 3rd on multiple occasions. Additionally, the sound from the engine permeated the passenger compartment during moderate acceleration, but was quiet at cruising speeds. Also, the steering was over-assisted and too light (IMHO). I currently drive a 2003 Honda Accord V6 and the Accord V6 is significantly smoother and quieter. Even my other vehicle, a 2000 Infiniti QX4, is quieter during acceleration and the steering not on steroids. I guess the upsides are the interior is very functional and the sliding side doors very safe for toddlers. I am not sure what to make of my test drive experience since I had originally planned on purchasing the vehicle soon. I guess I will be forced to wait for the 2005 Odyssey. Any insights would help... Thanks!

impact01

Engine noise aside, what you mention is the typical Toyota driving "feel". If you go over to the Lexus RX board people are complaining about the exact same thing regards to the trans and it needing a software upgrade.

lok888

I agree with you about the light steering. I had an Accord before and I am driving a Sorento. None of them have the light steering problem. I first noticed the light steering on my wife's new '03 Camry nine months ago, especially on highway speed. Then I noticed the same thing when I picked up my '04 Sienna. Problem? I don't know. Maybe the outdated technology. And I finally accepted this is the way what Toyota drives.

nematode

Engine noise: In relative terms (Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Chevy, Kia) the Toyota is the most quiet under acceleration and on the highway. I can hear the engine under load but I cannot hear the engine on the highway at all. Most of the contribution for the "ambient" noise is from the wind. My Radio Shack dB meter has our Sienna (XLE AWD) at around 64.5-65.5dB at 65mph with cruise on new flat roads. Under acceleration it still does not reach 70dB. Thats really quiet. Perhaps you drove one that was not quite right. I cant even tell our van is shifting most times. The only time I can tell is when I accelerate hard after slowing down and then its not quite as smooth but still OK. The drive by wire thing still takes some getting used to and I'm not sure I like it.

Light steering: Yea, I dont like it that much either. Its too light and does not have a really nice on-center feel like the Mazda, Honda, and Nissan. The trade off is that its really easy to drive in the city and park and you feel nothing on the highway making long trips easy. If they had varaible assist it would be ideal.

Performance: There is very little, if any, difference between the Nissan, Honda, and Toyota. Some people think there is but measured testing by (I believe it was Car and Driver, others) revealed NO significant differences in 0-60 time and marginal differences in the slalom. Its basically what I felt when I drove them too. The Honda makes a ton of noise and has a pretty unrefined ride so it feels faster but its really not. The Nissan 3.5L makes great engine sounds but its not faster either.

Interior: Subjective. I dont like the fake wood but my wife does. I prefer the Mazda interior but my wife thought it was too drab. We both like the Nissan seats better and the Honda price better but the Toyota had the best package.

Its not a perfect minivan but its the best one out there right now.

ralpi

I own a 2002 Camry XLE (4cyl); I previously owned a 2000 Sienna and now have an '04 Sienna XLE AWD. I believe the vans will allways be noiser; my Camry is very quite (even with the 4 cyl), more so than either Sienna. So if you are comparing an Accord to any van, IMHO, the sedan/coupe will allways be quiter.
As far as the steering, it is very light in the Sienna, my Camry is somewhat firmer. If you drive a Corolla, it is much much heavier than either. Variable assist would be helpfull in the Sienna.
FYI, I have drive by wire in my Camry, and it works flawlessly.

donleung

WWEST - msg 1653

I have the (toyota internal) pdf guide for the 2004 Sienna which states:

"The 4WD model of the 04 Sienna has adopted a full-time 4WD system that constantly distributes torque at a ratio of 50:50 to the front and rear axles."

I believe that the center differential is open and would thus split 50:50 front to rear provided there is equal traction at both ends. If one of the ends (front or rear) starts to spin (same logic for side to side comparison as well I believe) and turn faster than the other end, then the traction control system will apply the brakes to the spinning wheels to slow them down and force some torque to the wheel(s) that wouldn't normally turn (due to the open differential construction).

Applying the brakes to a spinning wheel on an open differential forces some torque to the other wheel which will hopefully have enough traction to get the vehicle moving. This is in lieu of providing a limited slip differential.

I'd attach the PDF's (available from a website that is a club specifically devoted to Sienna's - hint!) but I don't know how to.

Don

snfsma

I just picked up my new Sienna over the weekend. On the sticker, it lists the HF package as including wireless headphones. Below that there's another line item for Wireless headphones for an additional charge. So, should I have two pairs of headphones? I can only find one in the car?????