Toyota Sienna Future Models

deepan · January 2003

Great shots. The best i have seen so far.

Pricing the sienna is going to be tricky as there are 4 models with option bundles thrown in. But it has the best of all the vans to offer. Chk out post 542 where it outlines the features grabbed from other vans. The crowning glory has to be the split foldaway 3rd row seat.

also chk out the warranty on the honda. I have "heard" its only 3 yrs but i may be wrong.

harryfat · January 2003

dplachta,

In addition to being cheap, I'm also greedy. I just want the most for my money.

The wife wants all kinds of goodies in the van, I'm just trying to get the most/best van for less than $30K before taxes. licenses, etc.

For me, if the two vans are comparably equipped, loaded with everything and the kitchen sink, I would buy the 2004 Sienna based on what I read right now. The premium I'd pay for the new Sienna over the Odyssey is probably around $1,000 (maybe more if I see it in person). I doubt I'd fork over $3K in order to get the newest and greatest van.

I, too, have no interest in the big 3 and 0% financing from those guys. It's either the 2003 Odyssey or 2004 Sienna for me. I currently own a 93 Civic and have no plans to stop using that even after getting the new van.

For years people (like myself) have complained the greedy Honda dealers for charging MSRP or higher on the Odyssey. Now it seems Toyota dealers wants to follow that path as they know this is a hot van. I'm just hoping for the initial rush to die down on the 2004 Sienna by June and then dealers start to discount the vans so it'll affordable for me.

Just because I'm willing to pay more for various options shouldn't necessarily imply I don't care to get the biggest bang for the buck.

Harry

coolguyky7 · January 2003

Let's keep in mind that Toyota will be producing MANY more Siennas than they do now. That's only because of the low demand currently but I would highly doubt Toyota has the intention to do what Honda does with MSRPs. Toyota may do this at first given the demand but I doubt it will last.

impact01 · January 2003

You probably want to wait and compare apples to apples. IMO, Toyotas generally cost around $1K more than comparably equipped Hondas due to their way of bundling features. However, people bought Odysseys paying $3K more than MSRP once, so if Sienna is all that it is hyped up to be,
expect to pay more than MSRP at least for a while.

phil · January 2003

I'm excited to know that the new Sienna will have side curtain airbags for all three rows of passengers.

We all know by now that children under 12 are at risk for serious bodily injury from airbags and should not sit in the front seat. Since I have two little ones, I'm wondering if there is more data in regards to children and air bags in rear seating configurations.

Does anyone want to weigh in on this topic?

coolguyky7 · January 2003

Ha! I have no idea but hurry up and tell because I can't wait to know.

sequoiasaurus · January 2003

DVD Navi system was not on display but is shown throughout the big video screen behind the Sienna. I never saw it last night but did today. It fits right above the ac vents on the center pod where the radio and ac controls are. It does not pop up or out. It is NOT voice activated but touch screen. Voice activated is saved for Lexus models according to rep.

A few other tid bit of info I found out.

1. 0-60 in 8.4 seconds
2. 2nd row seats slide forward and back
3. RCA input jacks for DVD entertainment system on C pillar drivers side
4. Wiper "dethawer" built in
5. Chief Engineer of Sienna personally drive the new Sienna over 50,000 miles coast to coast on every terrain.
6. HID's are standard on XLE Ltd

Don't know how true #5 is but that's what I was told by rep.

Comparison's to Quest are almost impossible b/c Nissan's turntable was broke and power to the new Quest was none. They could only open doors and fold seats. The were no spot lights either. Apparently last weekend the table broke and caused quite a scare. Or at least that's what they are saying. Maybe they got scared of the new Sienna after seeing it!

Also, no mention of new Honda Ody at the honda stand. No one knew anything.

I'm still impressed with the Sienna and have now concluded that the XLE Limited models is just a rebadged Lexus.

I almost certain that I will order one for the Jun/July timeframe.

sequoiasaurus · January 2003

Everybody but Chrylser was saying that! And maybe even Chrysler was saying that.

However, I have a sneaky feeling that a AWD XLE Ltd Sienna will cost close to $40,000. I may be wrong and hope I am but I wouldn't be surprised knowing Toyota's past history with pricing.

essweb · January 2003

Bob Lutz, in his OWN WORD.

And he is the one who supposed to have saved Chrysler!

etnies · January 2003

From the Pictures that Sequoiasaurus posted. I can assume that there will not be an 8-way Power Seat. Does anyone have any information on this topic.

mayhem2003 · January 2003

(my apologies to those who have read this before). We have it here in BC and I believe it is throughout Canada. Toyota car salemen are now called product advisors. It doesn't matter which dealer you go to, you supposedly get the same price so it is kind of like Saturn's no dicker policy. From what I can tell, Toyota dealers here have been very firm with the Access Toyota pricing system. They have been running lots of Access Toyota pricing commercials. Usually it is supposed to be lower than MSRP but with the new 2004 Sienna, I expect it to sell at MSRP or very close to it for the first several months.

Before finding about the new Sienna, I also was going to buy an Odyssey next month. Now, I am leaning towards buying the Sienna. Sienna has some of the features I am looking for, namely the 8 pass seating, 60/40 3 rd split, & 2nd roll down windows. From what I have read and I have read a lot, the 2004 Sienna is a much better minivan than the current Odyssey.

My only major concern, other than pricing, is Sienna's quality in the first yr of production, which in my case would be even worse as my Sienna will be produced in the first few months of production.

The new Sienna should be at the Toronto auto show next month.

sequoiasaurus · January 2003

I'm glad you mentioned that. I forgot to post earlier about what I found out about this. I noticed no power seat controls on 8-way power seat and the passenger gets only manual controls. And this was on the XLE Ltd too. I was surprised at this. Especially since my Seq Ltd has 4 way power passenger. Back then I was disappointed in the lack of memory seats; which is still not available on the Sequoia. Now I'm really wondering why power is not available at all on the Sienna passenger seat. Very unusual. I guess so far this is my only gripe with it.

I just came back from my last visit to the show. After being shocked more times than I can remember (humidity is very low here), I'm sad to leave. I don't plan to go back in the morning as I've spent nearly 12 hours there over two days. Going to take it easy in the morning before my mid-day flight home. Can't wait to see the kids.

Anyway, I met 3 show specialist (1 male [jerk], 2 female) over the course of two days and all three seem to agree that the XLE Limited will come in between $35K - $40K. The don't know for sure but have been with Toyota for some time and in their experience this is their guess.

I've also added a few more pictures to the photo album for your viewing pleasure.

http://homepage.mac.com/jbowell/PhotoAlbum19.html

Now a question for you all. What is the difference between Xenons and HID's? My wife's ML320 has Bi-Xenons and I love them.

sequoiasaurus · January 2003

Go to the Nissan Quest photo album I created and look at the first photo. The sliding door is touching the side of the minivan.

http://homepage.mac.com/jbowell/PhotoAlbum20.html

lekn · January 2003

sequoiasaurus wrote:
>Now a question for you all. What is the difference between Xenons and HID's?

There is no difference. HID is High Intensity Discharge headlight, which means the same thing as Xenon.

lekn · January 2003

Here is a short video of the Sienna in Detroit Auto Show. And it demonstrated how the 3rd row folded flat into the floor. For some reason, the high bandwidth version does not work (audio, no video); this low bandwidth version works fine:

http://caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/autoshows/2003/naias/vide- o/03naias_video_sienna_low.xml

kmzg8 · January 2003

when people buying a vehicle, their #1 concern is, I think, reliability. when they're buying a van, the next thing they'll want is space, then convenience. The Odyssey is/was about the only thing in town. Hence, Honda can create this above MSRP game to strengthen its brand name. Now by the spec. of 04 sienna, the new sienna is catching up w/ the current Odyssey and finally become competitive. By considering that Honda is expected to greatly increase Odyssey's production this year and begain the end of model sales, and that Toyota is trying to beat Odyssey's sales number, I really doubt Toyota will want to jack up the new sienna's sales price above MSRP since it'll only hurt its own profit and limit its sales number.

essweb · January 2003

Partly because of the Sienna, Odyssey has pushed back production for 12 months.

unc8185 · January 2003

I just can't understand why Toyota would not include semi-luxury items such as a power passenger seat. Our current 2000 XLE lacks such a seat as well. There is no reason for such an omission in the top-end line.

There is a market for a TRUE luxury minivan. I had hoped that this new Sienna would get close to that mark. A Lexus version of this Sienna is desperately needed.

If Toyota is trying to meet certain price targets, it should concentrate on the lower models. They should let the high-end models be TRULY high-end. A power passenger seat option wouldn't cost that much.

Mercedes was planning a luxury minivan prior to the Chrysler merger. Unfortunately it was dropped due to Chrysler's focus on minivans. Lexus should pick up the ball and build such a van.

toyotaken · January 2003

The 4-Runner is a vehicle that you can use as a reference to this, but I would assume that the passenger side front airbag will not have a seperate opening in the dash. The new 4Runner has its passenger airbag deploy right through the dash.

Hope this helps.

Ken

coolguyky7 · January 2003

I thought that the upper glove compartment was the airbag opening. I can't even begin to see where the airbag would deploy.

I agree that it's odd that even the XLE Limited wouldn't have a power passenger seat. But I can take a good guess as to why Toyota doesn't do that. I'd say Toyota wants to increase carrying capacity to do that, the passenger seat back cushion must fold flat onto the seat cushion. I would think Toyota could engineer a way to have a power seat that has a lever to manually flip it down. Oh well. (If you'll be the predominant driver of the new Sienna, don't worry! :-D )

coolguyky7 · January 2003

Here is a link to a new article on the 2004 Sienna at AutoWeek

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat- _code=autoshows&loc_code=&content_code=07613591

It says that:

"In June, Toyota will make a factory-spec version that is wheelchair accessible. "

shabbycat · January 2003

Hi, new here. In the market for a minivan for my family of 5. Anyone care to take a guess at how much a Sienna LE w/8 passenger seating, AWD would be? How about 8 passenger LE without AWD? I sort of feel like if I can't afford the 8 passenger LE then I might as well buy a used Sienna

Looking forward to talking about this. I live within walking distance of a dealer and will probably look A LOT before buying. My lease on my Corolla is up in October so I have to make a decision by then.

coolguyky7 · January 2003

Welcome! Don't worry, you have plenty of time to make your decision. I wouldn't expect the price of an LE without AWD to be any higher, if at all than the current LE. Toyota was able to increase the content of the CE while dropping its price by nearly $1,000 so expect the LE to be similar as long as lots of options aren't added at the factory. The issue of AWD is up for debate, though.

shabbycat · January 2003

for an LE without any options and its still coming in a little higher than we'd like. I think the main "extra" we'd want is the 8 passenger seating. Is it available on the CE model? I think it looks like it from the e-brochure (brains on board). Also, in the CE does the third row have headrests and shoulder belts for all 3 positions? We've found that when carrying lots of kids (others and ours) that we have to be careful about booster seat positioning. Our friends just bought a hummer (don't ask my opinion on *that*!) and we couldn't put the bigger kids who are in boosters in the middle row middle seat because it does not have a shoulder belt there.

Thanks for the welcome!

coolguyky7 · January 2003

The CE has 8 passenger seating and does have 3 point seat belts at every seat, I'm almost certain. But, please confirm with others on that.

toyotaken · January 2003

The 8-passenger models will only be available on the LE, XLE, and XLE limited models. In all sienna's they will have 3point seat belts for all seating positions as well as adjustable head-restraints for all seating positions. That is what I've been told so far.

Ken

coolguyky7 · January 2003

I thought that the CE and LE had 8 passenger while the XLE and XLE LTD only had 7?

toyotaken · January 2003

That the 8 passenger seating configuration is only available on Front-wheel-drive versions of the LE and XLE models. Some of this is still not set in stone from what I've been hearing, so don't hold me to that.

Ken

shabbycat · January 2003

E-mailed Toyota Directly with the question. I don't want to talk to the dealer/sales people because no matter what *I* say, *they* say "we can work with you", LOL.

Thanks for your help! I'll let you know when/if I get a reply.

mayhem2003 · January 2003

Canuck13: access toyota pricing is currently not available in Ontario. Lucky for your Ontarians.

Here is how it works:
"At the heart of the Access Toyota program is Toyota's drive-away pricing system where vehicle prices are set for a geographic market area using a confidential electronic poll of Access Toyota dealers. However, prices are not static and can fluctuate depending on market conditions. The "drive-away" price gives customers an up-front transaction price that is always lower than the manufacturer's suggested retail price, says Toyota."

mayhem2003 · January 2003

Canuck13: access toyota pricing is currently not available in Ontario. Lucky for your Ontarians.

Here is how it works:
"At the heart of the Access Toyota program is Toyota's drive-away pricing system where vehicle prices are set for a geographic market area using a confidential electronic poll of Access Toyota dealers. However, prices are not static and can fluctuate depending on market conditions. The "drive-away" price gives customers an up-front transaction price that is always lower than the manufacturer's suggested retail price, says Toyota." The dealers in the regions sets the prices NOT Toyota Canada.

canuck13 · January 2003

mayhem2003:

Thanks for the clarification. That explains why I havn't heard of it. P.S. the dealer told me that he expected pricing on the 2004 Sienna to be "similar" to the 2003 across the entire range..not just the low end. Won't know for sure until we see something official from Toyota.

Also, very surprised that people in the U.S. are saying that the Toyota has a warranty advantage over Honda. I believe in Canada you get 5 yr/100k KM powertrain from both Honda and Toyota.

I'm very disappointed in the extended warranty options from Toyota. I want a 7 yr extended warranty but we can only get 120k Km. The other option is 6 years / 160K km...but 6 years is too short. Toyota's extended warranty also seems much more expensive than Honda's...where you can get a 7 yr / 160K km job.

shabbycat · January 2003

When you look at the yellow e-brochure (brains on board) there is a link for printable specs..... on these printable specs under "More Versatile" it states "Seven-passenger models (all grades) or 8-passenger models (CE, LE)" followed by a blue circle and blue square so that seems to mean the 8 passenger models will be available only on the CE and LE? Of course if ToyotaKen is right, nothing is written in stone.....

I'll post if I hear back from Toyota as well.

Thanks.

mayhem2003 · January 2003

difference in warranty between Toyota and Honda in Canada.

Spoke with Toyota Canada today and was told 2004 Sienna might be in Cdn dealers around April, although she didn't sound very sure.

Honda Odyssey's price will definitely come down by then.

jestermonk · January 2003

I think making 8 seats model available in LE and XLE (why not XLE limited?) is a wonderful idea! Why would Toyota not use one of their most differentiable feature to upsell?

In any event hope you are right. I would get an XLE LTD FWD if it were available in a heart-beat.

shabbycat · January 2003

Before we knew about the '04 Sienna, we were shopping around for a used (1998-2002) Sienna so we did speak to a couple of salespeople at our local dealer. First of all, the prices there for even used seemed very high to me - in the 18,000-22,000 range depending on miles, CE, LE, etc. I can never seem to get real numbers out of them as to *how* they came up with the monthly cost (we are considering financing or leasing) and the sticker prices seem to be meaningless to them.

Ok, to get to my rant. Today the salesperson called me to say he got some new (used) Siennas in and asked if I would like to come look at them. I told him that we were reconsidering and waiting for the '04's to come out because the Toyota Website stated that the prices would be the same as the '03s. He seemed surprised at my mentioning '04s and said he didn't know when they would be available. I told him the website said March. Now I'm thinking maybe I got that info from Edmunds.... but anyway.... he then told me that the demand for the new '04s would be so high that there would be an instant markup of $5,000! So I told him that we needed to wait til then to see if there were a wider selection of used vans at that time due to people trading up then. Granted, he was pretty nice about it, but I hate the vagueness non-willingness (I hate to use the word superiority, but...) to be thorough with the sharing of information of most Toyota Salespeople. This might be an old perception of mine and might not be true any longer? When we went to buy our first joint car together about 15 years ago we researched and planned for a Corolla FX hatchback. Well, the salespeople at Toyota were soooo rude and wouldn't even talk to us unless we said we would "deal today" that we walked across the street and bought a Subaru, LOL. The very same day too!

Sorry for the long rant. My husband is in sales and he is not so superior acting. Well, maybe he is, LOL.

One thing I'm curious about.... I think I remember reading that Toyota hopes to sell 140,000 Siennas this year (the '04s) which is a much greater number than they had available last year (or maybe it's the 2002 model year?). So, if that is true, do you think they will be able to get away with this "instant $5,000 markup" that my dealership tried to convince me would happen?

mayhem2003 · January 2003

I don't know about the ones in the US but the 3 that I have talked to in the BC, Canada area, knew next to nothing about the 2004 Sienna.

hschultz · January 2003

if there's any mark-up to begin with.

Most folks in this segment are well aware that the Ody has ruled the minivan roost for the past 5 years. IMHO, the only people who have bought anything else BUT an Ody during that time were good cost-conscious folks like ourselves who simply thought there was better value elsewhere in the market (i.e., Ford, DC, Toy, Mazda, etc.); to be sure, some were put off by the Ody's large dimensions, and some might prefer American products, etc., but for the most part, I think this is a fair statement (BTW, we finally broke down and bought a new '02 Ody 2 months ago).

That being said, not only is Toyota planning to sell a ton (I heard 120k) of Siennas this year (approx. 20% more than the ~96k they manufactured in 2002, and they couldn't come close to selling all those, even at invoice AND offering cash-back), but I believe the minivan market is getting real close to reaching equilibrium (supply finally coming in line with demand), as Ody's have dropped in price CONSIDERABLY over the past 6 months.

In addition, Toyota has publicly stated that they intend to capture a larger share of the US market (not a unique goal for a large MNC to be certain, but it's nice to have them publicly state their commitment to such).

Finally, there seems to be a strong marketing shift in this segment; while many families think it's no longer cool to drive a minivan and have opted for an SUV, there are also a number of cross-over vehicles (pseudo-SUV's, the new Pacifica, etc.) stealing market-share for the minivan segment.

To make a seemingly never-ending long story a little less long, the bottom line is this: I plan to sell/trade my Ody in later this year for an '04 (Oct-Dec '03 production) Sienna later this year, and I plan to get it for at/near invoice. We'll prolly opt for an XLE-variant, and I would expect to pay in the neighborhood of $28k-ish. Our Ody will prolly go (private party) for around $23-24k by then (1 year, 15k miles), so I expect to be $4k+ out-of-pocket (prolly not too bad an expense for having the Ody available to us for the year--unfortunately, we couldn't wait).

BTW, Honda plans to release its all new Ody next Fall, so if YOU can wait...

Good luck, and don't let those Toyota stealers get you down.

nofeer · January 2003

since the o4 with Awd doesn't have room for the spare they use RUNFLAT tires....i priced some that are 17' on tirerack and they are like $250 EACH!!!!. WOW
maybe if we still want AWD then maybe make a deal at time of purchase of a new set of tires. ANyone have experience with runflat, can they be repaired???? if it goes"flat".
What about youall in the snowy country, how about front wheel drive with TC and SNOW TIRES. does this work reasonably

Sooooo what do you think, AWD vs FWD w/snow tires.
`````````````````````````

jaanderson12 · January 2003

I just got back from the Nashville auto show. The show girl let us sit in the van for a minute(there was nobody there last night). They only had one van which was an LE 8 seater with cloth on display.

First off, it is one awesome van even in LE trim. It does not look as large as it is either.

The XLE will not have 8 seats available. However, if you want the 8 seats the LE is still plenty nice and, in my opinion, more luxurious than the current XLE. The LE on the floor had everything my XLE has including what looked like a trip computer (there was no power so I couldn't tell for sure). Where you see wood trim on the '04 XLE, the LE has a glossy black insert that resembles the finish on a piano.

The middle seat legroom is much greater than the current model and is pretty close to what you see in the Sequoia. I don't see how a middle seat can be added to a XLE without significant alterations. The middle seat has two brackets on the front that install in slots 6-8 inches long. I see nothing in the XLE photos that looks like these slots.

shabbycat · January 2003

I was really frustrated (could you tell?) when the dealer I am working with right now just threw that in off what seemed like the top of his head (the part about instant "$5,000 markup". I went to the Toyota main website to look around. I did a dealer search and found many in my area. I knew they were there, but I like keeping my tax dollars in my town if possible. So I called one of the other dealers and talked to one of the Sales Mangers. He was *very* nice and said his dealership does not do automatic markups. I just got a much better feeling from him and the dealership he works at is not really that far. I just can't walk to it to browse around, LOL.

Still dreamin of the '04, but I'll take an older one if I have to. Looking at Kelly Blue Book it seems like even used Siennas are still going quite high. Guess we'll have to see if any deals can be made on the used ones *after* the '04's are on the market.

Thanks!

canuck13 · January 2003

If you look back to previous entries you'll find that I was on to the problem of replacement RFT tires a few days ago. I havn't found any tire manufacturer who claims to have a RFT tire in 225-60-17. From pictures "sequoiasaurs" took in Detroit, you can see that the RFT tires are made by Bridgestone..but you won't find them on their web site. So, I'm guessing that Bridgestone are the only ones making these tires for Toyota and they will be very very expensive when they are available to the general public. So, I've already purchased 4 215-65-16 snows to run in the winter and I plan to run the RFT tires till they are bald in the summer. That way I hope to make them last a few years until (I hope) the price comes down on the RFT's. It also means I'll have to buy a compact spare to throw in the back in the winter.
What a huge pain!! Maybe we should just forget AWD!

ash21 · January 2003

1. 6-disc CD changer at LE or XLE trim level, new Ody will have it (new Accord and Pilot have it), even new Camry has it, why leave it out for Sienna, beats me.
2. Leather seats at LE level.

hschultz: You mentioned the new Ody will be out in fall 05, I thought it will be five year redesign cycle and should come out in fall of 04, also since new Sienna is out there which leaves the current Ody way behind in every aspect.

samnoe · January 2003

Maybe just forger AWD! It's an idea. If you have traction & stability control, brake assist and FWD (not RWD), it's not so bad, especially considering the FWD models have much better fuel economy. Dodge & Chrysler's minivans also offer AWD, but most people don't buy them. They stay with FWD, considering that 96% during the year you don't need AWD. BTW, Is there anybody who knows already which grade of fuel Toyota requires for the new Sienna?

I looked up the images of the front dashboard on the previous mentioned websites, here is what bothers me:

The shift lever is going zig-zag. Very hard to get used to. The vents/ducts are placed between the audio system and climate system which I hate, making the audio system at a very high position. Why not make it like their own Camry, Corolla, Highlander, etc. with the ducts at the sides of the panel. I hope you know what I mean.

The steering wheel has duplicate audio controls on the left side of the steering wheel (I hope it's illuminated like some new models today), and the right side is empty - not nice. Why not put the cruise controls there?

I also do NOT like in all Toyota & Lexus models, whenever you put something on the passengers seat, the 'passenger' seat-belt lamp is flashing. Is there any way to disable this feature?

Also Toyota is not providing 3 year free roadside assistance as most other do.

dudleyr · January 2003

I agree. With all the weight of the vehicle, plus all of the electronics (traction control, ABS) you really don't need AWD for driving in the winter especially if you have snow tires. You will be better in the snow than any SUV that does not have snow tires. Also remember that in the snow AWD helps you a very small percent of the time - while you are accelerating. It offers no advantage for braking and turning (unless you are a rally driver and turn with full power to your wheels). In my book acceleration is the least important of these three. Braking is of course the most important, and is often overlooked.

My 2,600lb Integra never has any problems in the snow with snow tires. I live in SD and have never been kept from getting to my destination by the snow (unless the roads are closed and AWD means nothing), and I don't have traction control, or ABS, or much ground clearance for that matter.

deepan · January 2003

have to agree with dudleyr on the AWD. Its more of a marketing thing to get the folks who would otherwise buy an SUV. With a 4000lb van with FWD should be good enough for the general population. like said before snow has never kept me from getting anywhere i wanted.

about the seat belt warning. we normally have a cooler on the front seat and when empty the warning doesnt come on. There is a weight that has to be reached for it to come on. HAving said i always put the belt around the cooler just in case.

i though the shift lever is just up & down but the display on the dash is zig zag. I could be wrong here.

The cruise contrl location on the current toyotas is probably one of the best locations i have encountered. It make it easier to adjust without taking your hand off the wheel.

The audio control of the current models on the steering are all illuminated. mine is a 2000 and its illuminated.

coolguyky7 · January 2003

I can see why people don't like the zig zag shifter. But, I think it looks nice and it isn't uncommon to find it in upscale cars like Acura CLs and the Lexus ES 300. The dashboard will have a gear indicator and I'm pretty sure it is in the pattern of the zig zag. That way, you won't have to look down, but rather at the dash in front of you to see where to shift. I would think it would eventually become natural after a while.

danjaecks · January 2003

I agree with the previous comments that AWD is not needed for vast majority of people. AWD is only needed if you have a steep driveway to go up (weight transfers to the rear wheels) or if you have to drive through deep untracked snow.

The danger of AWD is that it gives the driver a false sense of security. There is nothing like spinning your tires when you start off from a stop sign to let you know that the road is SLIPPERY and you have to be more CAREFUL!

andrewtran71 · January 2003

Having owned 4 Toyotas in the past, I consider myself a Toyota person. But I have to say that I am a little bit disspointed with the '04 Sienna, and these are my two reasons:
1) The Navigation System is not voice activated?
Heck, the 2003 Honda Accord has Voice Activated DVD Navigation system and so most likely the new Odyssey will also have voice activated Navigation system.
2) The Leather trims will not be offered on the 8 passenger seating. Why the heck not? Is that too hard to do? Perhaps Honda will offer that with their new Odyssey!
I just hope Honda will make it quickly so that I don't have to wait too long.
I would just hate to buy a brand new Sienna and then find out that the Odyssey has outdone the Sienna (again).
Man, I can see it now----a $40,000 XLE Limited Sienna with 7 passenger seating without voice acivated Navigation system when the twenty something thousand dollar Honda Accord has voice activated navigation system.
What the heck is Toyota thinking?

hschultz · January 2003

I did imply that the new Ody will be out in Fall '05 when I suggested 'next Fall'. Of course, I meant to suggest that it is scheduled to be here this (2004) Fall as an '05 model. It's like when some people say they'll see you next Thursday, when they really mean THIS Thursday.

:-)

Thanks for clarifying.

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