2024 Toyota Sienna

The Toyota Sienna is, in my opinion, a great vehicle. But, then again, I have three kids - I am the de facto target audience for this vehicle.

Interior

Interior of the Toyota Sienna is, for a lack of a better word, roomie. It’s actually ginormous. There is so much space in here that you could probably lose a small child - definitely a small dog.

Front seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of space for stuff between the two front seats. Cupholders and storage abound, per usual, but there’s actually a whole bunch of space for stuff along the floor between the two front seats. I actually don’t like this because stuff that is stored there can easily wind up under my brake pedal - not good. But of course you could just refrain from sticking hard water bottles down there and you’ll be fine - maybe use it for papers or bags that won’t move about as easily.

There’s the usual spots to plug in mobile devices, with both USB-C and the old standard USB outlets available. Speaking of USB outlets… unfortunately the Apple CarPlay connection isn’t wireless - you’ll need a cord..! I’ve always said that I love Toyotas, much because they have a well-thought-out interface. And that interface usually includes a wireless connection to your cellphone. However, I realize that the Sienna is fitted with the old(er) generation of the Toyota infotainment system. That’s a bummer because the new system(s) is/are awesome. As a matter of fact, in all honesty I would actually wait with buying a Toyota Sienna until it gets an interior refresh - or a full make-over - so that it has the latest Toyota tech. Other than the need for a tech update, I love this minivan - so if tech isn’t your thing you’ll probably be very happy with this vehicle.

Minivans are meant for people to haul people around town - oh, and for road trips, they are awesome road trip rides. Most minivans are similar when it comes to space available behind the third seat. It’ll differ a bit, but not enough to make a real difference in what you can pack and not. Now if there is one minivan that seems to have more space that others, I may be the Toyota Sienna - even with the third row in use, there’s a giant hole to carry stuff ion the farthest back of the car.

Speaking of storage, there’s a bunch of little nooks and crannies where you can store stuff throughout the car - there’s even a shelf in front of the front passenger.

The second row of the Toyota Sienna has two captain seats - interestingly they are movable along their rails from way up front to way back in the car. They actually move a ginormous length - you can slide up so your knees hit the front seats or you can slide so far back that I can’t even kick the front seats, and I’m 6 feet tall. I like that - that’s very handy.

The fact that seats are movable to that degree also means that I can stagger my kids - ie each one is a little bit in front of the next one on the other side - so nobody’s really sitting next to anybody, and therefore we’re limiting the fussing and fighting going on back there.

The handle to get in through the sliding doors of the Toyota Sienna is impressive. It’s not just a little handle that so many other minivans have, this one actually is a good foot and a half tall with multiple spots to grab it - meaning it is great for children as well as adults. They can all grab the same handle and they can all reach it.

The rear doors are electronically controlled - pretty standard in a minivan. You can open it using the exterior and interior door handles as well as by hitting one of the multiple button inside (up front too, thank you very much). But more interesting is the kick-to-open feature… Standing outside of the sliding door with your hands full and the key fob in your pocket? No worries - just kick under the little symbol just in front of the sliding door and it will unlock and slide open for you. Viola!

Third row seats are decently comfortable. Would I put an adult back here for a long drive? No, but then again the four other seats are for the adults - the third row is reserved for children - even if an adult can sit back there for shorter trips.

Driving Characteristics

Since it's a hybrid, the Toyota Sienna is a fairly quiet car, and when the engine does kick in it’s not overly intrusive. That hybrid engine, though, makes for a great drive. Snappy, one might even call it - rarely said of a minivan.

Being a minivan the Toyota Sienna isn’t something you’ll be busting around your local roundabout like Ricky Racer in. However, this is a pretty peppy minivan. The hybrid system means you’ve got power immediately and as the combustion engine kicks on with the CVT transmission, you’ll get a lot more power heading for the tires.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna actually doesn’t wobble around too much in corners (which was more common on older minivans) and feels really stable on the freeway. Obviously, the Sienna is a somewhat large vehicle, but it seems to have more in common with a sedan than an SUV when it comes to handling. It’s not at all like a large SUV that would feel both bouncier and less in control. This minivan feels like an oversized sedan.. Actually somewhere in-between an oversized sedan and an SUV.

Our review vehicle is equipped with four-wheel-drive, which means that it can probably get you wherever you plan on going - even able to keep you out of trouble on muddy or snowy roads. I think it’s funny when people buy really capable off-road vehicles, but the most off-roading they do is when they accidentally hit a curb at Whole Foods - this I feel is an interesting way to spend money. I would be willing to bet that any adventure 97.3% of the driving population plans to go on, can be done in a Toyota Sienna with four wheel drive. You’ll be fine in this family hauler even if your choice of sport includes skiing or off-grid ice fishing. The remaining 2.7% of the population - the folks who may actually take their vehicle off-road and drive it closer to its limits - might want to look at the Sequoia instead of the Sienna… or maybe the Grand Highlander.

The Toyota Sienna has three drive modes. If you’re like most people, you’ll probably just keep it in the “normal” mode. However, should you feel the urge, there is also a sport mode, as well as an eco-friendly mode. The former, of course, being the more fun drive and the latter being the gas saving ecologically (and economically) -friendly setting.

Technology

As noted the technology is lagging in the 2024 Sienna. I am always happy with Toyota’s infotainment system(s) - also their convenience package(s) - but I’ve gotten used to the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which has a whole slew of technological advancements included. The Sienna has the 2.0 version of the Toyota Safety Sense, so it does still have the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, and other bells and whistles, but I definitely feel a difference to driving the 3.0 version - the 3.0 feels safer (no surprise), it feels more in control.

Exterior

This is definitely a Sienna, there’s no getting around that. The 2024 looks pretty much the same as the the 2023, and the 2022. But, there isn’t anything wrong with the exterior of this minivan anyway, so why change it?

The front has an aggressive look to it (can we say that about a minivan?), with a huge grille and sharp headlights. From the side the 2024 Toyota Sienna is unmistakably a minivan, not much going on here. The huge sliding doors (which have a “kick to open” hands-free feature!) are absolutely the best way to get in and out of anything, but they leave little room for design. I don’t think I can stress that enough - these sliding doors make family life sooo easy. The doors won’t smack into neighboring cars and kids can easily pile in and out of the vehicle.

Summary

I really like minivans. And I really like the Sienna. I also really like the Toyota tech package - Safety Sense - which unfortunately is lagging a couple of versions in the Sienna. So, if you’re into minivans, but also tech, I would wait for the next Sienna, hoping that it’ll be updated with the latest Safety Sense. If tech is not really high on your list, or maybe you’re one of the folks who turns all the features off when getting into a car, then this is a wonderful vehicle.