Toyota Sienna LE Quick review (from a MZ5 owner anyway)

[coolmazda5]

Do you know what happens when your flight is the last one Monday eve? All the "normal" rental cars at the airport lot are gone so they start getting the backups upfront: minivans! Not because those are bad or abnormal but, Who rents one for a 1-soul business trip? (Now, for a family weekend, there is no better option ...)

Anyway. Got a Sienna LE as a rental and, what the heck, since in the past I've been picking on them, I wanted to give it a fair look...

Upside

• Nice silver color tone
• The gauge luminescent colors at night look nice
• Good legroom on every seat. Those cars are HUGE
• MP3/WMA capable CD Player
• Very peppy V6 engine (3.5L, 266HP according to the web site)
• Trip computer is very useful (Temp, MPG AVG, Compass, Fuel Remaning Distance, etc.)
• Little concave mirror to check the crowd in the back seats
• Electric door (nice to have, but not too much use IMO, is too slow, yeah yeah for safety reasons, I know)
• 5AT keeps revs in the lows 2-3K RPMS
• Minimum cabin noise, very pleasant

Downside

• Average 15.2-16MPG according to the computer trip. YYYIIIKES!! (freak)
• Hub caps (yupnope)
• The model is so large that it looks somehow disproportional compared to the wheels
• Shifter and console are nice, but it was not very comfortable to switch (i.e. P-R-D changes)

Anyway, The Sienna seems to be a fair option for 3+ kids. In the meanwhile, very happy to have my MZ5.

 

[coolmazda5]

Here are some pics...

 

[starlightmica]

We get 19mpg mixed local/highway on our 04 Sienna LE which has the less powerful 3.3L V6. Ours has the 6 spoke alloy wheels and the 8 passenger seating which I see your rental had. We have filled up all the seats on a few occasions and once had 4 adults and 4 kids in car seats simultaneously.

Big & comfortable, handling is definitely lacking, though. Looking on the various forums, no one else I've found owns both a Sienna and a Mazda5.

 

[Dyx]

Does anyone else notice a more than passing resemblance between a Sienna and a Mazd5 from the front? Especially the headlights and grille on the latest models.

 

[MazdaUlimited]

Le gets hub caps? over here in Canada we get Alloys for our LE model. CE is where you get steel wheels with hubs caps.

 

[starlightmica]

Does anyone else notice a more than passing resemblance between a Sienna and a Mazd5 from the front? Especially the headlights and grille on the latest models.

 

[slvrsleeper]

It is interesting to me to see tha fact that "minivans" have now achieved the sort of fuel economy once reserved for V8 powered full size vans. Its as if the gloves came off when the full size vans became extinct. I mean 16 MPG is atrocious! Even with a 25 gallon tank that only gets you 400 miles of range. My 5 can go that same distance on eleven fewer gallons of gas! (deadhorse Like you, I thank heaven that Mazda decided to import the 5 to the states.

 

[coolmazda5]

We get 19mpg mixed local/highway on our 04 Sienna LE which has the less powerful 3.3L V6. Ours has the 6 spoke alloy wheels and the 8 passenger seating which I see your rental had. We have filled up all the seats on a few occasions and once had 4 adults and 4 kids in car seats simultaneously.

Big & comfortable, handling is definitely lacking, though. Looking on the various forums, no one else I've found owns both a Sienna and a Mazda5.

19MPG for a 3.3L Sienna is not bad for the size, especially as you may drive with the family most of the time. For this 3.5L I actually tried to slow down on gas (first day were just full throttle accelerations, that thing flies ). I also reset the MPG calculator after the first day, but it just went up a bit.

You are right, this rental was an 8 seater, really spacious and comfy (the driver seat was a power one). I got a Dodge Caravan with similar goodies as a rental some months back (lucky me), but the Sienna is much better in comparison (IMO). Handling, yes, it just felt very big and tall, good brakes though

Does anyone else notice a more than passing resemblance between a Sienna and a Mazd5 from the front? Especially the headlights and grille on the latest models.

Not really

Le gets hub caps? over here in Canada we get Alloys for our LE model. CE is where you get steel wheels with hubs caps.

Alloys are an option for the LE here in the US. XLE and Limited have them standard.

http://www.toyota.com/sienna/models.html

 

[doctorz]

Does anyone else notice a more than passing resemblance between a Sienna and a Mazd5 from the front? Especially the headlights and grille on the latest models.

My kids get them confused all the time.

 

[P5w3kids]

Yeah, and my kids think anything with a hatch is the same as my P5. And I never thought the Mazda3 and P5 looked much alike.

But I do see the resemblance here.

 

[fantom71]

As of Halloween night, I am a proud new owner of a Mazda 5. Our other car is a 04 Sienna LE. These two cars cannot really be compared but they are both awesome for separate reasons.
My opinion of the 5 after 1000 miles is this:
Despite what I have read, it is quite peppy (with the MT).
31 MPG during my 650 mile trip is very good.
Crisp handling makes you think you are in a sedan. Surprising lack of roll in corners.
The fit and finish is quite good for a car in this price range.
It will handle my family of five quite well.
There is NO cargo room with all seats occupied.
The radio is quite good (actually better than expected) but the iPod connection does not work.
The Sirius works well, but I prefer the controls and features of the external unit (Starmate 4 is awesome).
I cannot wait to get rid of the Toyo Proxies that came as OE tires.
For what I need it for, the 5 fits the bill perfectly.
Did I mention the chance to have a van that has a manual tranny? (I LOVE IT!)

My Sienna after 50,000 miles:
Fit, finish and reliability are top notch.
Fully occupied, there is still room for the luggage at vacation time.
I have averaged 21.7 MPG for the 50k.
Whereas the 5 handles very well, the Sienna is a much more competent cruiser.
The Sienna is just bigger and plusher. Overall, everything is an upgrade over the Mazda.


I use the 5 as a work car and back-up kid hauler. The Sienna is the primary kid hauler and travel workhorse. I would have no problem recommending either of these terrific vehicles.

 

[Dyx]

Yup, there are times when I wished for a larger van/ suv but the Mazda5 is the right size for me most of the times. And I do wish I could get a manual tranny but I'm not the only who's going to drive it, so auto it is (sad1)

 

[starlightmica]

As of Halloween night, I am a proud new owner of a Mazda 5. Our other car is a 04 Sienna LE. These two cars cannot really be compared but they are both awesome for separate reasons.

I use the 5 as a work car and back-up kid hauler. The Sienna is the primary kid hauler and travel workhorse. I would have no problem recommending either of these terrific vehicles.

Wow, the parallels - we also have a family of 5, use our two vehicles similarly, usually only one kid rides in the Mz5. Couldn't get the stick in the 5, never got around to teaching the wife how to drive one...

 

[coolmazda5]

Couldn't get the stick in the 5, never got around to teaching the wife how to drive one...

Lucky that my wife is the opposite, she does not want to have an auto. We saw a Grand Caravan at the mall the other day and said she would not mind the idea of driving a larger family car but asked me to "research" how much the Caravan with manual would run for, LOL...

 

[slvrsleeper]

I concur on the OE Toyos. We have had rain the last few days and my initial impressions of them in the wet have only been confirmed. C.R.A.P. (thats Can't Really Accelerate, Pathetic to those of you who don't speak acronym) I'm glad that you are getting into the low twenties in regular use fantom71, I just thought it funny that what once was considered a "minivan" could really be considered a "full-size" Most certainly by us 5 owners. Coolmazda5 I'm sure SRT has a hot rod version of the Caravan in the works with the turbo 4 from the SRT4 complete with manual tranny! Hold that thought I think a flying pig just buzzed my house LOL

 

[paging_drburgos]

My kids get them confused all the time.

lol mine too! "Daddy thats your car" while pointing to a sienna

 

[paging_drburgos]

i love the new 08 front end. Looks sportier and a lot more like the 3

 

[doctorz]

Actually, the other vehicle my kids confuse with the 5 is the Matrix/Vibe twins. Same silhouette. It really threw them when our next door neighbor got a Matrix last year.

 

[raspykart]

yeah If I had a dollar for every person that called it a Matrix and I had to promptly widen their horizons.... long story short the 5 would be paid off I would really really like to hear from some owners that use a cargo bin on the roof for road trips in the 5. How bad does it hurt mileage, and how convenient is it? In my opinion the 5 owns over all minivan except the cargo category and its few n between that one needs an SUV worth of cargo room. So in those rare occasions I'd use the roof, its low and should be accessible? And I'd bet even with 6 souls n a roof full, the Mazda would still get better mileage and run laps around a full size van similarily loaded down. And all of that for 2/3 the cost. Roof rackers plz chime in, I will be getting one some day potentially, and maybe a hitch n bike carrier.

 

[coolmazda5]

Actually, the other vehicle my kids confuse with the 5 is the Matrix/Vibe twins. Same silhouette. It really threw them when our next door neighbor got a Matrix last year.

I heard the same, that the Mazda5 looks like a bloated Vibe/Matrix (lol2), that is why I'm glad the 2009s Matrixes/Vibes are stepping away from the Mazda5 type shape and look more like compact wagons (at least IMO).

And yes, I did not attempt to make an Apples to Apples comparison for these 2 cars in this thread, so I'm glad to somehow find out that we have the same line of thought based on the replies.

Now, let's spend some time discussing the sliding door factor... (lol)

I wish people who don't own a Mazda5 and argue that the standard doors are better, drive one with a baby on car seat during a cold Monday morning and see how long it takes to open, setup and get ready to roll