Bluetooth is available on 2006 and later model Siennas equipped with the GPS Navigation System. Sadly, those are some pricey minivans. :sick:
iPod integration has been available on most Sienna models (does the CE offer it?) since 2006, I believe.
I do agree that the 1999-2004 Odysseys have quite a lot of hard plastic, but I like the no nonsense layout of the dashboard and the classic Honda steering/driving experience, and to me, it's the driving experience that is the biggie. (and for that driving experience, I'll be willing to take some hard plastic here and there)
Got the LE with package 3, cargo mats, and first aid kit. It is basically very close to the Ody EX, though the Honda has auto climate control (I actually prefer manual, so this was another advantage for me) and the Sienna comes with a Trip Computer. The Toyota brochure is incorrect but mine also has a power seat, like the Ody EX.
Close enough, basically.
Could not ignore the important advantages I felt it offered for our purposes:
* best 8th seat in the business, in any segment * best gas mileage (19/26) at my price range * most plush cloth seats, plushest ride too * most cargo space, 148.9 beats Suburban and Expedition EL * lower price (25247 vs. 26883 for Ody locally) * slightly quicker with the new 3.5l
Interestingly, for 2006 models, I may have chosen the Odyssey. The 3.5l engine is a big improvement over the 3.3l one. Also, package 3 on the LE model now comes with power sliding doors on both sides, and last year it was only one side.
So they way they package the stuff I wanted now, in 2007, makes the Toyota more affordable to boot. In 2006 I would have to have moved up to an XLE.
Oddly, the higher you go in price and content, the better a value the Honda becomes.
That's how tight this race is. Both are so competent it's hard to imagine what they will improve on next. Maybe offer the DVD player and NAV as a-la-carte options on the cloth models.
I'm happy, the wife is even happier, and the kids are downright thrilled. :shades:
Ahh the Supra - I was too young or too poor to own one when they were still sold here, but I spent way too much time daydreaming about owning a twin turbo... Nice cars - still look great, too.
Good choice. Trust me, if you're only comparing features for price, the Ody looks like a better value, which is part of the reason I bought one (I own an '04 EXL-RES) over the Sienna (I was a sucker) but when you take the whole ownership experience into account, the Ody is a disappointment. It simply has a slightly prettier face and until the '07 Sienna came out, it was the more fun to drive of the two, but like I've said before, the cheapness of the Honda becomes obvious after a few short weeks - or days, and then the relationship turns sour. As far as the auto-climate control, I just had to laugh about that because when I drive it, I set the temp and forget about it, but my wife has never used it that way. She turns the temp from one extreme to another, just like she does with a manual temp control, so I don't even care about that feature anymore. Toyota is world class quality and holds up much better over time. It's worth the extra upfront cost if you plan to own it for a while. Still, it's hard to call the Honda a bad choice - I've had a BAD car before and this is not a BAD car, it's just less of a car than the Sienna, and less than the automotive press makes it out to be. Consumer Reports actually rates the 07 Sienna higher than the Ody, so it seems the relatively weak 3.3L was its achilles heel in the past.
if anyone does the comparison you're suggesting, be it at the low-end Honda vs. same in Toyota, or the mid-range, or the top-end offerings, the conclusion they would come to would be likely quite different.
the maddening part of the toyota experience starts with what is advertised as available vs. what is really available.
they actually make it challenging to perform an apples to apples comparison. that's on purpose of course.
Well, I hope you have better fortune with yours than I did with mine. I sold my 98 Sienna off at the beginning of the year, good riddance. It didn't hold together well at all, many issues. Whilst mine was in the shop last fall, our local Toyota dealership lent me a new 07 Sienna. Quite a bit plusher, quieter, roomier, larger dimensions. It felt more ungainly to me though. Not a bad looking vehicle. If you are a driving enthusiast, you'd be wise to look elsewhere. Personally, I think that Toyota refines the fun out of the equation. My 2 cents.
iPod integration is NOT available on the Sienna. :sick:
The Sienna has WMA integration which but NOT the actual MP3 format used by the genuine iPods. My nephew has a genuine iPod and when it could not be controlled by my 06 Sienna controls, we read the manual to learn the Sienna uses WMA.
BUT, the Sienna LE 8 passenger 2nd row seats have NO armrests while the Odyssey has them (but they can't be used if there is a 3rd person using the Plus One seat). The 2nd row seats of the Odyssey are also more comfortable than the 2nd row seats of the Sienna.
I am glad my Sienna LE has only one power sliding door because the power sliding doors move so slowly.
I do NOT like the shiny circles around the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel/temp gauges because they cause very annoying sunlight reflections as does the poorly designed middle portion of the Sienna dash. The Odyssey has a much superior design for the instrument cluster and the entire dash than does the Sienna.
It is very easy to exceed the EPA 26 MPG highway estimate with the Sienna.
Anyone experience droning-resonance sounds at 1500-1600 and 2000-2100 RPM when more torque needed? It was unnoticable (almost) in a new, but, man, now sounds like a ghost van! Honda customer service does not admit that, though dealership wrote "need to wait until Honda comes with the solution" after replacing power steering, A-pipe, exchanging all exhaust and rechecking the engine mounts. Don't get cheated by honda and "great reviews". PS: Siena has softer suspension, which pushed me towards Honda, but its better the having a ghost in a car.
Really? That's interesting. I thought that since it had the auxiliary audio input that it would be iPod compatible since a ton of those auxiliary audio devices are iPods.
The 2006+ Siennas do have those auxiliary audio inputs, right? :surprise:
That is one reason I bought the Frontier over the Tacoma when it came time to dump my Sienna. It really was a decent appliance for what I used it for (hauling my work gear) It was O.K. with the middle and rear seats ripped out of it. But, just A to B, dull as all get out. Our local Toy dealer loaned me an 07 Sienna last Fall while mine was in the shop. It felt like a different vehicle altogether. A tad more powerful, but a little ungainly, not as agile. Quite a bit wider - barely squeezed it into my garage. Haven't driven the Odyssey, but heard that it has strong engine performance, and a car-like ride, handles well.
Yes, they do have the auxiliary inputs. All it takes is a mini plug cable that connects the i-pod to the auxiliary adapter. Tanker5 gives a more detailed description on how to hook it up in the Toyota Sienna Audio/Entertainment Questions.
Yes, the 2006 Sienna LE, XLE, and Limited have auxiliary audio inputs BUT the stereo controls do NOT control the input volume, etc. on a genuine iPod or an external cassette player. The only compatible unit must have WMA (Windows Media Audio) encoding for the Sienna stereo controls to work completely and it can not be MP3, AAC, or ATRAC. The volume, changing tracks, etc. has to be done with the iPod itself and not the actual Sienna stereo controls.
Whenever I use my ipod in the auxilary input and I have it connected to the charger I hear a loud buzz. This buzz is not present when I disconnect the charger. Has anyone fixed this?
True, I did sacrifice arm rests in the 2nd row, but it was worth it to get 3 real seats. The nanny fits comfortably between the 2 kids when she's with us.
The kids are in booster seats and the booster seats themselves have arm rests. :shades:
We test drove an Ody EX-L, and I found the leather was a bit stiff. So we did not find those 2nd row seats any more comfy, in fact 3 out of 4 of us did not like them so we looked at the cloth models. I liked the LX cloth, but not the EX cloth, but you can't get power doors.
The Sienna LE's cloth was nicer, in our opinions (all 4 of us liked them). Plus I could get most of the stuff I wanted.
We added an aftermarket movie screen and GPS, and voila, everyone is happy.
23.1mpg overall here on the very first tank, and I am thrilled with that. This thing is still green, so I can only imagine how it will do once it's properly broken in.
sounds like a "ground loop" or some form of electrical coupling. are you using a good quality aux cable that properly fits?
is the charger an iPod or aftermarket charger?
are you going 12VDC vehicle convenience outlet, to a tiny 12VDC to 125VAC invertor, to a "wallwart" 125VAC to DC adapter...or is this something specifically made for the iPod to go 12VDC to what the iPod takes?
i'm not sure what you have is a defective configuration or not. you might want to google it and see if others report that sort of thing and what they've done to solve it.
if your iPod plays fine on battery via the AUX input with it fully charged, i'd say charge it and use it that way. probably it isn't good to leave it constantly charging anyway. what does the iPod manual say?
one possibility is an higher-amperage external battery supply that you can charge and connect with the iPod for longer playing time.
another possibility is a new charger, perhaps something providing better isolation/filtering between the vehicle 12VDC and the supply to the iPod.
another possibility would be to use one of those FM transmitters, although, you're probably going to suffer some in terms of left/right channel separation vs. the aux input. and possibly, if your charger is bad, it will also create problems and noise / buzz.
I would assume you are talking about the GRADE of steel used in the body panels? I haven't researched it to tell for certain, but my observations are that Toyota uses higher grade steel - thicker, higher tensile strength, more resistant to rust, which makes them a little heavier, but more robust.
The 2005+ is not much different, just more attractive with textures and a little smoother over the road - not so much jiggly-wiggly, in my opinion. But, my point is that the overall experience with the Ody is what disappoints. Driving it through the canyon a couple of weekends ago, I thought, yeah, it really does have nice feedback and is actually fun to drive.... I just wish I didn't find the rest of the car so low budget. To each his/her own.
It's about 200 lbs lighter, but about 7 inches shorter overall, which could account for some of the weight difference. The rest of it is a mystery... I just know my Honda dents very easily and the sheet metal looks extremely thin. I have owned Nissans that were the same way. The Toyota's (and one Lexus) I have owned have been noticeably more robust in this regard.
After a big long break my family and I are back in the process of buying a minivan in the most serious way!!!! My American SUV has 55,000 miles on it, a bad transmission and we can't afford the 3.50 a gallon in gas!! Anyway as I have stated before the seats in the Odyessy have always had something lacking. My back just has not done well with it. I have researched almost all vans and crossed out all SUV's and have decided it is the Odyessy vs Sienna even though it might not be great on my back. Miy question is what other people who have Sienna's or are thinking about getting one what do they think of the depth of the driver and passenger seats? Don't you feel that it is a little short? I have noticed this and am wondering if it gets uncomfortable after a while. I too have noticed that some of the plastic in the Odyessy is flimsy. My old old Odyessy was the same way, however I have wondered about it in the Sienna as well.
Try sitting in a Sienna for awhile, even if you just sit in the parked van. See how it feels. Tell the salesman helping you that's something you need to compare before buying the vehicle.
Personally, I have always thought the Ody's seats were one of it's better points. There's power adjustments for just about everything and a manual lumbar support. They're a little flat.... but not uncomfortable. To my back, the firmness is definately a good thing. The Sienna seats, like the rest of the van, are relatively plush, but supportive and comfortable, though I haven't experienced them on a long trip... yet. I will be purchasing an 07 next month, so I can give you a better answer then, if you haven't made your purchase yet.
:sick: I totally agree about the confusing option packages on the Sienna. That was another thing that pushed me to the Ody when I bought my 04 EXL-RES. Honda's marketing people seem to get it. I am still sold on the Sienna's quality and the new 3.5, but the closer I get to buying it the more frustrated I am about the option packages, and trying to find one with 8 seats, with all the options I want seems nearly impossible. I keep wondering if I should get the XLE, but then it's only 7 passengers...
Does your Ody have cylinder deactivation? If it does, that might explain the droning when you demand more torque. Just a guess... The deactivation is standard on the EX-L and Touring models, and disengages/engages three of the cylinders by using a sort of connecting rod thingy (I think that's the technical term for it) to either increase economy when cruising, or increase power when needed. It scares me. :shades: Why doesn't anyone like the Sienna's softer suspension? I could understand it if we were talking about a sports sedan, but a minivan is supposed to be comfortable, isn't it? It isn't like it falls off the road! I think it handles very well and has a great ride/handling compromise. The Ody is too firm. Rough roads upset its chassis and cause strange vibrations throughout the cabin, and sometimes it sounds like loose suspension bits... Maybe I do have loose suspension bits? But I don't think so, the dealer services it and they've never said anything was out of sorts.
Why doesn't anyone like the Sienna's softer suspension? I could understand it if we were talking about a sports sedan, but a minivan is supposed to be comfortable, isn't it? It isn't like it falls off the road! I think it handles very well and has a great ride/handling compromise. The Ody is too firm. Rough roads upset its chassis and cause strange vibrations throughout the cabin, and sometimes it sounds like loose suspension bits... Maybe I do have loose suspension bits?
The Sienna is really floaty in comparison to the Odyssey. The Odyssey isn't as firm as the Honda Accord, which 350k people a year deem to be comfortable enough for them. The Odyssey simply drives like a car, something the Sienna doesn't. That's why a lot of people like the Odyssey - it drives like a smaller vehicle.
I guess it's a relative comparison. We graduated from a 1998 Pontiac Montana when I bought the Ody. The Montana was definately a floater, not to mention the most unreliable hunk of garbage I've owned. Compared to that, the Ody feels like a sports car. But the 2007 Sienna I drove about a month ago did not feel floaty... I was actually surprised to find more solid road manners than I expected. Definately softer than the Ody, though. I thought it was a good compromise for the majority of the type of driving we do.
The Ody definitely felt smaller and lighter, but in return the Sienna rides more smoothly and feels more substantial (i.e. heavier). That's odd because the Ody is actually the heavier one.
The Ody still has torque steer, too. There's a limit to what you can do with that much power and FWD.
The Ody's seats have more side support but the leather is hard, 3 out of 4 of us found them less comfortable than the cloth on the LX models. But the LX has no 8th seat and no power doors.
No matter what model we chose we had to compromise somewhere. I could not get AWD on the Sienna with the 8 passsenger model.
In lieu of the AWD try 4 snow tires on seperate rims. We bought 4 from Tirerack for our Sienna and it's winter ability is outstanding. With Stability control, traction control ABS, all the airbags everywhere, and 4 Michelin snow tires, the vehicle is very comforting in a snowstorm.
Drove it once in a Blizzard (50+ mph winds from the side and very heavy snowfall - up to a foot and more in places) and other than going slower then usual it was a walk in the park. The kids were happy because they got to watch an extra DVD as the 3+ hour trip was 4.5+ hours. This is about as bad as conditions get on the roads and we did fine - the interstate was closed for 3 days after the storm, and was closed just hours after we made it through. I90 accross Eastern South Dakota.
Once you try real snow tires you will never go back to all seasons. I have had 4 snow tires on all my cars (during the winter) for the last 15 years. Even my low riding Integra makes it through conditions when the ditch is littered with cars.
Do you have the tire pressure monitoring system? If so, did you have to do anything special with the winter rims/tires? For instance, did you have to purchase the monitors for the extra rims or can you just turn the system off?
I'm looking for a minivan for my wife and will probably do what you say.
OBTW - I'm in SD also and found myself in the middle of that blizzard with my 4WD Pilot - sure glad I had that!
Yes we have the tire pressure monitor, but it does not have sensors in the wheels. It just uses the ABS/trac sensors to detect if a wheel is rolling differently. If all 4 tires go down at the same rate it will not report anything wrong.
Anyway there are no sensors on the wheels - just bolt the new ones on. An added bonus is that the summer/all season tires last quite a bit longer since they are not used as much.
That actually changes for the 2007 models. They no longer use the ABS. That makes it tougher to use snow tires.
You can either ignore the light, or keep hitting the reset button for the TPMS. It's right next to the power mirror controls, easily within reach for the driver.
Just looked it up on Tirerack. $400+ for 4 additional monitors. Sometimes technology outsmarts itself. I am happy with the version in the 2006, and don't miss it in my Accord or Integra.
I suppose I would just ignore the light. Last flat tire I got was about 7 years ago, and I figured it out myself. Still even with the additional $400 it is less than AWD and does not hurt your gas mileage nearly as much.
I grew up in Iowa - so, I can relate to both... I bought some cheap steel rims for my current minivan and had the snow tires mounted on them by Sears. They swap them out for free every spring and fall. I then buy some cheap hubcaps to put on and I'm set for the winter. Now, I did it that way because our current minivan is 10 years old and I'm not that concerned about the looks. However, when I decide to pull the trigger on a new minivan, I will probably spend the extra cash and get some good alloy wheels. If I'm going to spend the coin on a new minivan, I don't want to drive around half of the year with bad looking wheels. Hope that helps. Go Cyclones...
Odyssey has SUPERIOR seating for ALL passengers. The Sienna driver's seat is equally comfortable to the Odyssey seat and has a more comfortable left arm rest on door handle than the Odyssey but the Odyssey has a more comfortable fold down right arm rest for the driver than does the Sienna.
ALL other seats in the Odyssey are superior to any other minivan. However, the Sienna has MORE cargo space behind the 3rd row seating than any other minivan.
The Sienna has a design flaw with the bright shiny surfaces around each part of the instrument cluster and the shiny, sloping surface on the outer edges of the central cluster of the dash. The Odyssey dash is superior in design to the Sienna. The Sienna has a superior Transmission Selector with P, R, N, D, 4, 3, 2, L while Odyssey is only P, R, N, D, 2, L. The actual gear shifting in each seems comparable.
I get a back ache when riding as a passenger in the 2nd row or as a front passenger in my 2006 Sienna. Both my daughter and I HATE the stupid armrests of the Sienna. Her 1999 GC SE has better armrests than the Sienna and the 2nd row Quad seats are much more comfortable than the 2nd row seats of my 7 passenger 2006 Sienna LE.
Although the Sienna has a better stereo than the Odyssey, the standard sound system in the Sienna is NOT as good as the optional Infinity 10 speaker system of the 1999 GC. The Sienna stereo sounds better when CD's are played than the 2007 GC SXT but the 2007 GC SXT has a superior radio. :shades:
The 8th seat in the Sienna is far-and-wide completely superior to the tiny little "bridge" that Honda gives you for the 8th person. The armrests on the outer seats become the back rest for that middle position, a complete after thought.
Someone humorously described the senstation of sitting in that position in the Ody as "wearing a thong bikini" because you basically have a 7 inch wide seat and have to rely on the outer bolsters of the captains' chairs to pinch you in and hold you in place.
For the 7 passengers, perhaps you are right, if so let's be specific and say that. Though I disagree because of Honda's materials (see below).
For the 8th passenger, Toyota wins. I'd give the Sienna's 8th seat a B+ for comfort. The Ody's 8th seat gets a D-. It'll do in a pinch (literally), but I wouldn't want to be there for any significant amount of time.
Perhaps a picture shows it all, here is the Ody's "plus one" temporary-use seat:
Here is Toyota's 8th seat, suitable for adults to sit in comfort even for long distances, in fact my wife often sits there to watch a movie with the kids in total luxury while I drive:
It's clearly a real seat, with its own side bolsters, a full length seat bottom too (Ody's is not full length nor full width). That's not even a good picture to show just how much better is it vs. the Honda's.
Ody may have 7 positions that are more comfy, but for the 8th Toyota wins by a landslide.
We also didn't like the Ody EX' choice of fabric, it feels like mouse fur or recycled peach fuzz. The LX' velour-like cloth is much nicer. The EX-L's leather is hard as well, so that limited us to a Honda Odyssey LX, and those only come in 7 passenger models, plus no power doors.
Neither of these vans are perfect, we had to make compromises no matter what we chose.
As you can see it's a real seat and even has a built-in seat belt, so no reaching up to the ceiling and hooking that up, saving you trouble.
We really wanted 3 seats in the 2nd row so either my wife could sit with the kids or so we could bring the nanny along and not have to punish someone by sending them to the 3rd row.
Isn't choice a wonderful thing? Being able to pick among varying products is a lot better than having all the options be the same.
Those who have to seat 7 or 8 regularly will find the Sienna to be a better choice, no doubt. The wider 3rd row and larger second row center seat are definitely roomier, especially for larger adults.
For those who seat 7 or 8 on occasion, the PlusOne seat is a lot easier to move or remove. It can also stow under the floor in place of the storage area. It works very well for kids in narrow boosters or teens/preteens who don't need a booster any longer.
As for comfort, that's also subjective. Some people like super firm, others don't. Some people need a lot of lumbar or thigh support, some are taller or shorter, etc. Superior for one person is going to be uncomfortable for another.
As an owner of a 2006 Sienna LE 7 passenger, I write from personal experience.
The ONLY comfortable seat in the 2006 Sienna is the driver's seat. I have sat in the 2nd row seats while my daughter was driving and can NOT tolerate sitting there longer than 2 hours maximum. Ironically, the less expensive Sienna CE has a more comfortable front passenger seat than the Sienna LE.
When I get a decent offer after January 1, 2008 - I will trade in our 2006 Sienna LE on an Odyssey EX (unless the 2008 GC or 2008 T&C make drastic improvements in seat comfort and replace the cheap hard plastic on the door panels).
It isn't so much that the plastic is flimsy, just that it's all hard, which lends to rattles in the cabin. It looks attractive, but you'll have to get used to the stark hardness of everything in sight. The Sienna has some soft surfaces on the dash and doors, but also has some hard plastic pieces here and there. Cost cutting measures. The Ody seats are fine for my 6'2" frame, which I think is due to the seating position more than the supportiveness of the seats, but it works... and I have a history of minor back problems. Will be purchasing an '07 Sienna in about three weeks so stay tuned.
I wouldn't worry as much about the T&C door panels as I would the tranny - they have a history of premature tranny failure. Hopefully it's fixed on the new models.
Is it possible that maybe you found the other seats in the Sienna uncomfortable because of the more obvious reason - you weren't the one driving? :shades:
Odysseys have had higher percentage transmission failure than DC minivans since 1999 but I think Honda has also corrected their problem.
The reason I feel the Sienna has very uncomfortable 2nd row seats is because I have been a passenger in the 2nd row of my former 2002 T&C LX for 3 to 4 hours more than once (while my daughter has driven) than I have in the Sienna and NEVER had my back ache. I have also been a passenger in the 2nd row seats of her 1999 GC SE for long distances and those seats were very comfortable. ALL Odyssey seats have been very comfortable for me as a passenger and as the driver. I prefer the seats in the 2001 Ody EX to those of later model years.
However, the Sienna driver's seat is very comfortable while the driver's seat in both DC minivans was NOT.
Honda issued a voluntary recall to add a second cooling line to the transmission for all '99 and later Odyssey's, and that fixed the problem. My brothers 2002 actually had a failure and Honda replaced the entire transmission at no cost. It's so nice when auto manufacturers own up to their problems - kudos to Honda for that. I wish GM would've been so responsible with my previous van - a '98 Montana. The engine blew at 80K. Biggest car mistake I've ever made, buying that car. So glad it's not darkening my driveway any longer.... :sick:
The Honda salesman was very nice (Ourisman Honda in Rockville, MD) and he showed me how the PlusOne seat fit in that lazy susan rotating thing. Very cool feature.
In fact I bet most Ody owners keep the seat in there 99% of the time.
hansienna is entitled to his opinion, but I disagree about the seat comfort. At least on my 2007 LE model. The fabric is velvety and soft, and the cushions are very accomodating.
When we did test drives, we basically took a survey, asked which of the 4 of us were comfortable.
In the Ody LX, all 4 were happy.
In the Ody EX, that dropped to 3, mostly because I didn't like the fabric (very personal, subjective).
In the Ody EX-L, only 1 person was happy, my son. 3 of us found the leather too hard.
So at that point we decided to get cloth, more of us liked it plus it's cheaper.
We didn't try a Sienna with leather, since we'd already made that decision. We also didn't try a 7 seat model, since we really wanted that 3rd seat in the middle row.
I guess we are all shaped differently, so it's best to sample each chair yourself.
The odd thing is that I feel the exact opposite way that hansienna feels. The driver's seat is my least favorite seat in my van. There isn't enough side support. The cushion is a bit too flat. Mostly it's a matter of adjusting to a new seating position, more upright, almost like sitting on top of a bar stool.
I was used to a Miata (very low, firm seat) and a Forester (excellent seat bolsters, firm seat).
Driving the Sienna feels like I'm sitting on the Miata's roof, more or less.
The arm rests help a tremendous amount, holding me in place. I also do not use the dead pedal, as I've found I'm more comfy with my left foot resting flat on the carpet.
It's definitely an adjustment hopping out of the Miata (which I still own) and into the Sienna. Night and Day.
Comments
iPod integration has been available on most Sienna models (does the CE offer it?) since 2006, I believe.
I do agree that the 1999-2004 Odysseys have quite a lot of hard plastic, but I like the no nonsense layout of the dashboard and the classic Honda steering/driving experience, and to me, it's the driving experience that is the biggie. (and for that driving experience, I'll be willing to take some hard plastic here and there)
Close enough, basically.
Could not ignore the important advantages I felt it offered for our purposes:
* best 8th seat in the business, in any segment
* best gas mileage (19/26) at my price range
* most plush cloth seats, plushest ride too
* most cargo space, 148.9 beats Suburban and Expedition EL
* lower price (25247 vs. 26883 for Ody locally)
* slightly quicker with the new 3.5l
Interestingly, for 2006 models, I may have chosen the Odyssey. The 3.5l engine is a big improvement over the 3.3l one. Also, package 3 on the LE model now comes with power sliding doors on both sides, and last year it was only one side.
So they way they package the stuff I wanted now, in 2007, makes the Toyota more affordable to boot. In 2006 I would have to have moved up to an XLE.
Oddly, the higher you go in price and content, the better a value the Honda becomes.
That's how tight this race is. Both are so competent it's hard to imagine what they will improve on next. Maybe offer the DVD player and NAV as a-la-carte options on the cloth models.
I'm happy, the wife is even happier, and the kids are downright thrilled. :shades:
The Sienna has been perfect, except they forgot to air down the tires (39-41 psi!), so road noise had been a bit high. It's much better now.
the maddening part of the toyota experience starts with what is advertised as available vs. what is really available.
they actually make it challenging to perform an apples to apples comparison. that's on purpose of course.
If you are a driving enthusiast, you'd be wise to look elsewhere. Personally, I think that Toyota refines the fun out of the equation. My 2 cents.
There's more than 2 cents that feels that way., and about more Toyota products than Sienna...
The Sienna has WMA integration which but NOT the actual MP3 format used by the genuine iPods. My nephew has a genuine iPod and when it could not be controlled by my 06 Sienna controls, we read the manual to learn the Sienna uses WMA.
I am glad my Sienna LE has only one power sliding door because the power sliding doors move so slowly.
I do NOT like the shiny circles around the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel/temp gauges because they cause very annoying sunlight reflections as does the poorly designed middle portion of the Sienna dash. The Odyssey has a much superior design for the instrument cluster and the entire dash than does the Sienna.
It is very easy to exceed the EPA 26 MPG highway estimate with the Sienna.
It was unnoticable (almost) in a new, but, man, now sounds like a ghost van!
Honda customer service does not admit that, though dealership wrote "need to wait until Honda comes with the solution" after replacing power steering, A-pipe, exchanging all exhaust and rechecking the engine mounts.
Don't get cheated by honda and "great reviews".
PS: Siena has softer suspension, which pushed me towards Honda, but its better the having a ghost in a car.
The 2006+ Siennas do have those auxiliary audio inputs, right? :surprise:
when it came time to dump my Sienna. It really was a decent appliance for what I used it for (hauling my work gear) It was O.K. with the middle and rear seats ripped out of it. But, just A to B, dull as all get out.
Our local Toy dealer loaned me an 07 Sienna last Fall while mine was in the shop. It felt like a different vehicle altogether. A tad more powerful, but a little ungainly, not as agile. Quite a bit wider - barely squeezed it into my garage. Haven't driven the Odyssey, but heard that it has strong engine performance, and a car-like ride, handles well.
The volume, changing tracks, etc. has to be done with the iPod itself and not the actual Sienna stereo controls.
The kids are in booster seats and the booster seats themselves have arm rests. :shades:
We test drove an Ody EX-L, and I found the leather was a bit stiff. So we did not find those 2nd row seats any more comfy, in fact 3 out of 4 of us did not like them so we looked at the cloth models. I liked the LX cloth, but not the EX cloth, but you can't get power doors.
The Sienna LE's cloth was nicer, in our opinions (all 4 of us liked them). Plus I could get most of the stuff I wanted.
We added an aftermarket movie screen and GPS, and voila, everyone is happy.
23.1mpg overall here on the very first tank, and I am thrilled with that. This thing is still green, so I can only imagine how it will do once it's properly broken in.
sounds like a "ground loop" or some form of electrical coupling. are you using a good quality aux cable that properly fits?
is the charger an iPod or aftermarket charger?
are you going 12VDC vehicle convenience outlet, to a tiny 12VDC to 125VAC invertor, to a "wallwart" 125VAC to DC adapter...or is this something specifically made for the iPod to go 12VDC to what the iPod takes?
i'm not sure what you have is a defective configuration or not. you might want to google it and see if others report that sort of thing and what they've done to solve it.
if your iPod plays fine on battery via the AUX input with it fully charged, i'd say charge it and use it that way. probably it isn't good to leave it constantly charging anyway. what does the iPod manual say?
one possibility is an higher-amperage external battery supply that you can charge and connect with the iPod for longer playing time.
another possibility is a new charger, perhaps something providing better isolation/filtering between the vehicle 12VDC and the supply to the iPod.
another possibility would be to use one of those FM transmitters, although, you're probably going to suffer some in terms of left/right channel separation vs. the aux input. and possibly, if your charger is bad, it will also create problems and noise / buzz.
Not that the area needs to be structurally rigid, but I bet they're about the same.
Why doesn't anyone like the Sienna's softer suspension? I could understand it if we were talking about a sports sedan, but a minivan is supposed to be comfortable, isn't it? It isn't like it falls off the road! I think it handles very well and has a great ride/handling compromise. The Ody is too firm. Rough roads upset its chassis and cause strange vibrations throughout the cabin, and sometimes it sounds like loose suspension bits... Maybe I do have loose suspension bits?
The Sienna is really floaty in comparison to the Odyssey. The Odyssey isn't as firm as the Honda Accord, which 350k people a year deem to be comfortable enough for them. The Odyssey simply drives like a car, something the Sienna doesn't. That's why a lot of people like the Odyssey - it drives like a smaller vehicle.
The Ody still has torque steer, too. There's a limit to what you can do with that much power and FWD.
The Ody's seats have more side support but the leather is hard, 3 out of 4 of us found them less comfortable than the cloth on the LX models. But the LX has no 8th seat and no power doors.
No matter what model we chose we had to compromise somewhere. I could not get AWD on the Sienna with the 8 passsenger model.
Drove it once in a Blizzard (50+ mph winds from the side and very heavy snowfall - up to a foot and more in places) and other than going slower then usual it was a walk in the park. The kids were happy because they got to watch an extra DVD as the 3+ hour trip was 4.5+ hours. This is about as bad as conditions get on the roads and we did fine - the interstate was closed for 3 days after the storm, and was closed just hours after we made it through. I90 accross Eastern South Dakota.
Once you try real snow tires you will never go back to all seasons. I have had 4 snow tires on all my cars (during the winter) for the last 15 years. Even my low riding Integra makes it through conditions when the ditch is littered with cars.
I'm looking for a minivan for my wife and will probably do what you say.
OBTW - I'm in SD also and found myself in the middle of that blizzard with my 4WD Pilot - sure glad I had that!
Anyway there are no sensors on the wheels - just bolt the new ones on. An added bonus is that the summer/all season tires last quite a bit longer since they are not used as much.
Good to see somebody else from SD.
You can either ignore the light, or keep hitting the reset button for the TPMS. It's right next to the power mirror controls, easily within reach for the driver.
I suppose I would just ignore the light. Last flat tire I got was about 7 years ago, and I figured it out myself.
ALL other seats in the Odyssey are superior to any other minivan. However, the Sienna has MORE cargo space behind the 3rd row seating than any other minivan.
The Sienna has a design flaw with the bright shiny surfaces around each part of the instrument cluster and the shiny, sloping surface on the outer edges of the central cluster of the dash. The Odyssey dash is superior in design to the Sienna. The Sienna has a superior Transmission Selector with P, R, N, D, 4, 3, 2, L while Odyssey is only P, R, N, D, 2, L. The actual gear shifting in each seems comparable.
I get a back ache when riding as a passenger in the 2nd row or as a front passenger in my 2006 Sienna. Both my daughter and I HATE the stupid armrests of the Sienna. Her 1999 GC SE has better armrests than the Sienna and the 2nd row Quad seats are much more comfortable than the 2nd row seats of my 7 passenger 2006 Sienna LE.
Although the Sienna has a better stereo than the Odyssey, the standard sound system in the Sienna is NOT as good as the optional Infinity 10 speaker system of the 1999 GC. The Sienna stereo sounds better when CD's are played than the 2007 GC SXT but the 2007 GC SXT has a superior radio. :shades:
Not true.
The 8th seat in the Sienna is far-and-wide completely superior to the tiny little "bridge" that Honda gives you for the 8th person. The armrests on the outer seats become the back rest for that middle position, a complete after thought.
Someone humorously described the senstation of sitting in that position in the Ody as "wearing a thong bikini" because you basically have a 7 inch wide seat and have to rely on the outer bolsters of the captains' chairs to pinch you in and hold you in place.
For the 7 passengers, perhaps you are right, if so let's be specific and say that. Though I disagree because of Honda's materials (see below).
For the 8th passenger, Toyota wins. I'd give the Sienna's 8th seat a B+ for comfort. The Ody's 8th seat gets a D-. It'll do in a pinch (literally), but I wouldn't want to be there for any significant amount of time.
Perhaps a picture shows it all, here is the Ody's "plus one" temporary-use seat:
Here is Toyota's 8th seat, suitable for adults to sit in comfort even for long distances, in fact my wife often sits there to watch a movie with the kids in total luxury while I drive:
It's clearly a real seat, with its own side bolsters, a full length seat bottom too (Ody's is not full length nor full width). That's not even a good picture to show just how much better is it vs. the Honda's.
Ody may have 7 positions that are more comfy, but for the 8th Toyota wins by a landslide.
We also didn't like the Ody EX' choice of fabric, it feels like mouse fur or recycled peach fuzz. The LX' velour-like cloth is much nicer. The EX-L's leather is hard as well, so that limited us to a Honda Odyssey LX, and those only come in 7 passenger models, plus no power doors.
Neither of these vans are perfect, we had to make compromises no matter what we chose.
As you can see it's a real seat and even has a built-in seat belt, so no reaching up to the ceiling and hooking that up, saving you trouble.
We really wanted 3 seats in the 2nd row so either my wife could sit with the kids or so we could bring the nanny along and not have to punish someone by sending them to the 3rd row.
Those who have to seat 7 or 8 regularly will find the Sienna to be a better choice, no doubt. The wider 3rd row and larger second row center seat are definitely roomier, especially for larger adults.
For those who seat 7 or 8 on occasion, the PlusOne seat is a lot easier to move or remove. It can also stow under the floor in place of the storage area. It works very well for kids in narrow boosters or teens/preteens who don't need a booster any longer.
As for comfort, that's also subjective. Some people like super firm, others don't. Some people need a lot of lumbar or thigh support, some are taller or shorter, etc. Superior for one person is going to be uncomfortable for another.
The ONLY comfortable seat in the 2006 Sienna is the driver's seat. I have sat in the 2nd row seats while my daughter was driving and can NOT tolerate sitting there longer than 2 hours maximum. Ironically, the less expensive Sienna CE has a more comfortable front passenger seat than the Sienna LE.
When I get a decent offer after January 1, 2008 - I will trade in our 2006 Sienna LE on an Odyssey EX (unless the 2008 GC or 2008 T&C make drastic improvements in seat comfort and replace the cheap hard plastic on the door panels).
Is it possible that maybe you found the other seats in the Sienna uncomfortable because of the more obvious reason - you weren't the one driving? :shades:
The reason I feel the Sienna has very uncomfortable 2nd row seats is because I have been a passenger in the 2nd row of my former 2002 T&C LX for 3 to 4 hours more than once (while my daughter has driven) than I have in the Sienna and NEVER had my back ache. I have also been a passenger in the 2nd row seats of her 1999 GC SE for long distances and those seats were very comfortable. ALL Odyssey seats have been very comfortable for me as a passenger and as the driver. I prefer the seats in the 2001 Ody EX to those of later model years.
However, the Sienna driver's seat is very comfortable while the driver's seat in both DC minivans was NOT.
In fact I bet most Ody owners keep the seat in there 99% of the time.
hansienna is entitled to his opinion, but I disagree about the seat comfort. At least on my 2007 LE model. The fabric is velvety and soft, and the cushions are very accomodating.
When we did test drives, we basically took a survey, asked which of the 4 of us were comfortable.
In the Ody LX, all 4 were happy.
In the Ody EX, that dropped to 3, mostly because I didn't like the fabric (very personal, subjective).
In the Ody EX-L, only 1 person was happy, my son. 3 of us found the leather too hard.
So at that point we decided to get cloth, more of us liked it plus it's cheaper.
We didn't try a Sienna with leather, since we'd already made that decision. We also didn't try a 7 seat model, since we really wanted that 3rd seat in the middle row.
I guess we are all shaped differently, so it's best to sample each chair yourself.
The odd thing is that I feel the exact opposite way that hansienna feels. The driver's seat is my least favorite seat in my van. There isn't enough side support. The cushion is a bit too flat. Mostly it's a matter of adjusting to a new seating position, more upright, almost like sitting on top of a bar stool.
I was used to a Miata (very low, firm seat) and a Forester (excellent seat bolsters, firm seat).
Driving the Sienna feels like I'm sitting on the Miata's roof, more or less.
The arm rests help a tremendous amount, holding me in place. I also do not use the dead pedal, as I've found I'm more comfy with my left foot resting flat on the carpet.
It's definitely an adjustment hopping out of the Miata (which I still own) and into the Sienna. Night and Day.