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Comments
The Sienna has much better crash test ratings (see the insurance institure web site) than the Chrysler/Dodge minivans. See:
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summaries/vans_front_c.htm
The Sienna also has radically better resale value than the GM, Ford and DCX minivans.
The 2005 Odyssey I drove had a bad wind noise problem, and the steering wheel does not telescope, making it more difficult to find comfortable seating positions.
If your main interest is cool features and luxury, include the Chrysler minivans in your search. And if you think you want a smaller minivan, check out Nissan and Mazda.
I wouldn't consider any others unless your main concern is price, in which case I understand the Kia minivan got decent reviews.
Just out of curiosity, how heavy is your boat with trailer? Is it a tandem trailer?
I ask because I plan to start pulling a boat with trailer next month.
I have a 2004 Limited AWD.
http://www.airliftcompany.com/new-index/Frameset.htm
Click on Online Catalog and continue through with 2004--Toyota--Sienna. I think i am going to go with the Load Assist Kit for Coil Springs for $100. You can also add the on board air system for another $180. I might add that later. Seems easy enough to install and the dealer i talked to said this would definetly do the job. This is the only company i've found that offers anything specifally for a Sienna.
My son has an AWD Ford Aerostar with rear air shocks. He rarely tows but when he does he simply adds a few pounds of air to the shocks.
I am new to the message board but have been considering buying a sienna. I live in northern new york where we get very bad winters. I was wondering if anyone would share their experiences with the AWD version in snow conditions. I currently have a 04 Jeep grand cherokee but my family is growing out of it and I am looking for something with more room and good in the snow. Any feedback would be appreciated.
I have a small FWD hatchback that does fine well past when roads start being closed (snow tires help of course)
My preference would be to get a FWD Sienna and put on snow tires during the winter. Less expensive, more efficient and has a spare tire.
After trial and error, it seems to happen after running it up over 70 kph and then gently riding the brake to slow down to a stop. On hard braking, there is no jerk/bump.
I had the shop foreman at my dealer drive the van after the first oil change and he thought it was the transmission coming out of overdrive. He said to mention it on the next oil change. I should have had him note it in my file but I did not - Silly me.
Now every time I have them check it out, the problem does not happen.
This problem also happens when my wife drives the van so I know I am not going crazy.
The shop foreman said it would not affect the operation of the car but it is an annoyance on a $40,000 van.
Any help to solve the problem would be appreciated.
However, I have a word of caution for BRAKING, especially when temperature is below 20 degrees F. Because of the inherently hard compound of RunFlats (I had Bridgestones B380) their low temperature traction is poor. I had never had issues to get going (essentially poor low temperature traction was well compensated by AWD system), but braking is another story. This was one of the reason I switched to regular non-flat tires (Yokohama Avid TRZ) after 42,000 miles on run flats. Yokohama Avid TRZ proved to be excellent tire under all conditions.
If I would be buying Toyota Sienna AWD again, especially in Northern NY, I would strongly consider requesting dealer to replace Run Flats with regular tires and a spare. Since regular tires cost about 2 times less, the difference should pay for the spare tire kit.
I really dislike driving in the snow so i am putting a lot of thought into our next vehicle purchase. Need something to carry the family but also need to be able to get through the northern NY winters. Does anyone have experience requesting the dealer to put on regular tires instead of the run flats? Thanks again for all the info.
My remote has no button as cargo door is not powered.
If passenger setting in third row seat and want to come out from cargo door, it is difficult to come out from any front door as I have 8 passenger Sienna,
Is there a way to open that door from inside?
I have run-flat winter tires for my AWD Sienna, and it's amazing on snow and ice.
FWD with winter tires is better; AWD with winter tires is best.
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I hope this helps.
Ken
That being said, highway mileage for a FWD Sienna should be in the low to mid 20's-- and that's a whole lot better than one can expect from a Sequoia.
My Sienna is AWD, and I get 20-21 MPG on the highway (probably better if I obeyed the speed limit), and about 17 MPG around town.
The "headrest" (really whiplash prevention device) definitely sticks out too far forward, but it is easy to take it out and turn it around backwards, so that the flatter part faces forward.
Besides the discomfort, the cheap un-ventilated leather is way too hot, so I will also have the seating surfaces replaced with cloth.
I paid $33,507 for the thing, so I am certainly disappointed. I paid $1,000 less for my 2002 Mountaineer, and it has far better seats with higher quality ventilated leather.
Toyota does know how to make good seats - the TRD (sport and off-road) seats in the 2005 Tacoma are excellent.
SUV resale values are low now, so you may be better off keeping the Yukon, although the new Yukon will be out early in 2006, probably pushing the value of the old ones even lower.
Have you considered the Ford Freestyle? The limited with AWD and the black interior (and most exterior colors) is very nice and has three rows of seats and a split folding 3rd row just like a minivan.
I could spend thousands on the seats and still be better off than selling the van, unless I can find a relative who wants it.
I didn't know that "Oh What A Feeling!" meant pain.
Actually I am going to test drive a 05 Sienna one more time through the Toyota dealership. They will give me a XLE to test drive for up to 2 days which I though was good. If it works great but if I feel this pain again after adjustments I am just going to say forget it, after all I have driven it i think 3 times for shorter drives.
Enough people are complaining about the seats that I guess you need to consider it. I am 6'0"; my wife is about 5'7", and we're both fine with the seats. We both have ave. proportions (meaning our legs aren't extra long or short compared to our torso.
We've both driven the car on long 2+, 3+ and 5+-hr trips, done short errand-running trips, long trips in horrible traffic, hwy cruising, trips after a long day at the zoo, theme parks, etc, and we're both fine with the seat comfort. We don't find the seat bottom too short, or have a problem with any cushioning.
I agree that if you can't get comfortable in this car, don't buy it. There're a lot of great options in this market from the top-of-the-lone Honda & Chrysler to the more budget-minded Kia and Dodge Caravan. Surely you can find a comfortable minivan in your price-range.
I'm 5'9 180 lbs, my wife is about 5'5 we both find the seats very comfortable. But if you can't get comfy in it, I would look elsewhere too. I like the fact that Toyota gave the one person 3 days to test drive it further. That is the only way to know whether something will truly be comfortable, not a 15 minute test drive.
I have a 2004 Sienna AWD, has run flat tires, 10 months old, 15,000 miles. Two months after buying it we got a small piece of metal in the right front. The tire pressure light went on and we had to buy a new tire - $300. 2 months ago it went on again and this time the left front had a small nail in it. $600 dollars so far. Three days ago the "maintenance required" light came on and at the same time the car starting having a speed wobble at anything greater than 45mph. The dealer says the problem is the pressure is low in all the tires and they are now all worn and need replacing: looking at another $1200. $1800 for tires in less than 10 months in a new car. No reason for the “maintenance” light to come on – oil was changed last week – maybe they forgot to reset the light.
I asked why the tire pressure warning light had not come on: they said “they did not know why”. I called US Toyota Customer Service: they put me on hold, did some “research” and came back to say “it only comes on when there is a puncture”. I said “That’s makes no sense. It’s called a tire pressure warning light, not a puncture warning light”. They had no answer.
What is this? Is it a puncture warning light or a tire pressure light, or neither? It was billed to me as a “pressure warning light” and that’s what the manual says. But if so it does not work to warn of low pressure, at least not in my “expensive” experience.
Any suggestions what to do?
Thanks
The Sienna does not use actual pressure sensors in each tire. Instead, the ABS sensors (which measure tire rotational speed) determine if one tire is spinning faster in comparison to the others. Since a tire with low pressure will have a slightly smaller diameter, it will spin slightly faster.
The system works great if only one tire is low on pressure. However, the system can't detect a problem if multiple tires are low on pressure. Also, I think that the system may have a problem with run-flat tires because the sidewalls are so stiff, a low tire pressure doesn't result in (much) difference in tire diameter.
Subject: RE: LOCKED THE KEYS IN THE CAR
Worth a try , It's amazing (for those of us who never thought of it before
now . I wonder if that is how "onstar " does it too.)
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are home, call someone
on your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and
have the other person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near
the phone on their end.
Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you.
Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you
can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock
the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: *It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car
over a cell phone!"
I have a weight distribution system with I am thinking about trying, but don't know if it will make much of a difference. I am well within the weight limits for tongue weight and trailer weight.
Does anyone have any better suggestions on how to solve towing problems with this vehicle? I may have to resort to towing with my Ford Explorer.
Check it out: sit back comfortably, with your upper arms also resting against the seat where it curves to cushion your body. Bend your elbows -- still resting against the seat back -- and hold your forearms out parallel, palms facing, in front of you (as if holding a beach ball). Is your Sienna steering wheel offset to the right?
Certainly it is not "ergonomic" to give your customers a backache by putting the steering wheel off the driver's center.
I'd appreciate knowing if all Siennas are designed with this error, and not just my own and the ones in the local dealer's lot. If so, I wonder why Consumer Reports didn't pick up on it. Much less Toyota.
The left side of the wheel is closer to the front of the vehicle, and it amounts to a significant angle and difference of several inches over the distance from the wheel to the seat. What junk! Looking under the dash, it seems obvious that there is no way to fix this.
Consumer Reports seems, somewhat like the other car magazines, to worship Toyota. For example, they will say the brakes were poor and mention other problems on a Toyota, then pick it as the top-rated vehicle.
I really really liked the way the Sienna drove, very easily and so practical with 3 kids. Even my older child who is almost 11 didn't mind the minivan thing ( I have heard of kids saying "mom you can't get a minivan). Anyway I am going to test drive the Odyessy one more time, I see so many posts from Odyessy grant you that say that the Odyessy is much better of a van for the money. So I'll keep everyone posted on what I do, I will be glad not to be driving big SUV anymore. However we might end up keeping it and my husband drives it instead, he doesn't drive nearly as much as I do and wouldn't go through the gas. However he has just under a year old Toyota Tundra (leased it and wonder how we bad we would be hit with that, 3 year lease.).