In many places, the popular wisdom is that minivans are irrelevant and outdated.  The truth is that this is just what some automakers would really like for you to believe; it’s mostly Ford and GM marketers who are trumpeting the death of the minivan.  The ugly truth is that Honda and Toyota jumped into the minivan game and beat Ford and GM so soundly that the American manufacturers took their ball and went home to build crossovers.  The 2011 Toyota Sienna illustrates exactly why that happened.
Like going toe-to-toe with Porsche or Ferrari on the race track, one should not go into competition with the Toyota Sienna unprepared.  All-new for 2011, the Sienna has backed up its already impressive utility and driveability with more expressive looks and a more efficient four-cylinder model.  Toyota’s Giant Box just got even harder to beat.

Styling-wise, there’s only so much you can do with a minivan.  Shave too many of the edges off the box and you lose cargo capacity; reduce the height too far and it might as well be a station wagon.  Long and tall is essentially the only way to go.  The Sienna makes the best of these limitations, with an aerodynamic new face and contoured hood bearing a strong family resemblance to the Venza and Camry.  A long wheelbase and hidden door tracks help to mask the Sienna’s size, which is considerable.  LED taillights at the rear are accentuated by wing-like fender sculpting, also similar to the Venza.  The Sienna’s got just the right curves in just the right places to be clearly a member of the Toyota family.   The range has also grown to include a somewhat incongruous sport model; the Sienna SE sports 19-inch wheels, a more aggressive front fascia and a lowered suspension.

The interior is where the attention to detail really counts, and the Sienna is practically a rolling living room.  The high, chair-like seating position and efficient dash with stubby shifter are expected, but the Sienna excels at surprise-and-delight, and this van is the best mobile command center yet.  The center console splits, enabling the rear cupholders to slide closer to second-row passengers.

When split, the flat space inside the console will hold a grocery bag or other awkward object and keep it from rolling around.  It’s a stroke of ergonomic genius that comes in very handy on those little errands that don’t involve furniture or $300 of groceries.

At the front of the console, the floor is designed to hold another bag.  The deep space inside the console can hold a purse or possibly even a smallish laptop.  The available entertainment system features an extra-wide screen, enabling second-row passengers to watch two different programs at the same time.  A power tailgate and sliding side doors, are available, of course.  A navigation system and backup camera with a panoramic display are on the menu too, also of course.

Flying first class?

In the Sienna Limited, the “Lounge” second-row seats adjust fore and aft and even recline, sprouting Barcalounger-like leg rests.  Need to haul cargo?  The third-row seats fold into the floor and the second row collapses and slides forward.

It was so exciting, I rounded up a bunch of people and made a quick hundred-mile road trip just to show it off.  With five adults aboard, the Sienna quickly begins to feel like a rolling living room.  It’s spacious enough for six-footers and taller to be comfortable for an afternoon of driving, and the deep cargo well behind the rear seats provides ample luggage room.

Fully loaded, the Sienna’s 266 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 comes in handy.  Equipped with variable valve timing and lightweight construction, the 3.5 is an excellent powerplant for a minivan, in that it goes about its business as unobtrusively as possible.  I never found the Sienna lacking for grunt, and the new six-speed automatic transmission slips neatly through the gears without hunting.  The Sienna is also available with a four-cylinder engine for the first time.  The 2.7 liter four produces 187 horsepower and also sports variable valve timing.  Fuel economy is improved slightly, to 26 mpg on the freeway.  To round out the family, an all-wheel drive Sienna is available.  Properly equipped, the Sienna can even tow up to 3500 pounds.

On the road, the Sienna feels big and heavy, like a minivan should.  A widened track reduces the waddle inherent in minivans for a more stable ride, and the MacPherson strut front suspension is combined with electronic power steering for navigation that is as direct and predictable as the helm of a five thousand-pound vehicle can be expected to be.   An unexpected encounter with a golden retriever in the middle of the freeway gave me a chance to experience the Sienna’s stability firsthand, and both dog and minivan were unscathed.  Anti-lock brakes and stability control are standard equipment, as is Toyota’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM), a comprehensive driver-aid suite which works to mitigate loss of control before it happens.

The downside to minivans, especially the good ones like the Sienna and Odyssey, is a tendency to creep up into luxury-car territory when it comes to pricing.  That’s not so much of a problem with the Sienna, because the good driving dynamics and ergonomics are part of the basic vehicle, of course.  Pricing starts at $24,260 for the four-cylinder and $25,500 for a V6.  Both starting prices are lower than those of the outgoing model, by the way.  Of course, if you want to load on the options for a serious party vehicle, you’ll be more interested in the higher-end XLE and Limited.  My XLE tester was equipped with the DVD and navigation systems, reclining second-row seats, satellite radio and full-vehicle smart key access, and stickered for $42,211.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2011 Toyota Sienna
Length:  200.2 in.
Width:  78.2 in.
Height: 68.9 in.
Wheelbase:  119.3 in.
Curb weight:  4490 lb.
Cargo space: 150.0 cu.ft. (all seats removed)
Base price:  $24,260
Engine:  3.5 liter DOHC V6
Drivetrain:  six-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
Horsepower: 266 @ 6200
Torque:  245 @ 4700
Fuel capacity:  20.0 gal.
Est. mileage:   18/24

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