TOYOTA Sienna 2021

Body and cabin

Following Kia and Chrysler, Toyota tried to disguise the Sienna as an SUV with an aggressive nose and tapered side windows. But the sliding side doors are the giveaway: this is a minivan; it has even gained 8 cm of length and 3 cm more wheelbase. Meanwhile, height has been reduced by 2 cm and the roofline plunges significantly more than before.

In the end, all interior dimensions except legroom have decreased. The same goes for cargo volume, particularly overall space behind the front seats. The reason is simple: the second-row seats can no longer be removed because of the integrated side airbags.

The best you can do is flip up the cushions and push the seats as far forward as possible. The only way now to fit in a traditional 4x8 ft. sheet of plywood is to slant it on top of the middle seats. The winners in terms of versatility are still the Chrysler Pacifica, with second-row seats that fold into the floor, and the Chrysler Grand Caravan, on which the feature is an option. Both they and the Honda Odyssey minivan with its removable middle seats offer much more usable space than the Sienna.

Which is not to say that space is tight in the Toyota. While third-row headroom may be limited, the seat is much more accommodating that in any crossover. All seven-passenger Sienna’s—meaning all models except the XLE front-wheel drive and LE, which seat eight—feature ultra-long second-row seat sliders for optimal legroom adjustment for the people in the third row.

The best seats in the house are still the two front rows, with their comfortable and supportive bucket seats. The driving position finally suits most physiques thanks to the move to an electric parking brake, which eliminates the layout that was such a problem for the driver’s left foot. The longer range of the telescopic steering wheel is also much appreciated.

The entirely redesigned dashboard looks a lot like a car’s, with a thin floating centre console linking it almost horizontally to the cubby between the seats. There is no lack of storage: in addition to four cup holders and a shelf in front of the gear shifter, the area under the console looks large enough to accommodate a backpack.

All models have a 9‑in. touch screen with a logical interface despite the rather dated graphic design. Toyota had the good sense to turn it slightly towards the driver and include real buttons and knobs for the main functions. The climate control system has its own display and controls. The trip computer needs getting used to, but overall the ergonomics of the cabin remain excellent.

What would a minivan be without special family-oriented convenience features? All Sienna’s come with the EasySpeak intercom system, which allows parents to keep things under control right back to the third row, without having to raise their voice; the sliding doors and liftgate open and close with a wave of one’s foot (except on LE models); and the XSE Technology and Limited still offer a rear entertainment system, despite the prevalence of tablets and smart phones.

No use looking for a spare, unless you buy a Sienna LE. It’s been replaced by a repair kit on all the other models to lower the weight and fuel consumption. But all the journalists at the launch would willingly have traded a few tenths of a litre per 100 km for this essential safety component.

Safety

All Sienna’s come with the usual driver assistance features—automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, blind-spot monitor and automatic high-beams. XSE Technology and Limited now add automatic rear cross-traffic braking. These systems cannot replace driver attention, but they can reduce the risk of damage and injury in certain circumstances.

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 5 / 5
Frontal impact: 4 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 4 / 5

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

The Toyota Sienna 2021 earned its first-ever "Top Safety Pick+" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), achieving the highest rating in most of its tests. This includes the rigorous headlight performance evaluation for all trims.

Mechanical overview

The Sienna is one of the last models (except pickups) to adopt the automaker’s New Global Architecture platform. Much more solid, it is notably responsible for the improvements in crash protection. Bolted to the platform are a revised steering system and the series’ first multilink independent rear suspension.
 
The biggest change of all, of course, is found under the hood. The 3.5-litre V6 of the past 14 years gives way to a 2.5-litre four-cylinder coupled with a pair of electric motors. The duo becomes a trio when you order all-wheel drive, with the rear wheels exclusively powered by an axle-mounted motor.

All versions are equipped with a 1.5‑kWh nickel-metal hydride battery for the electric motors that self-charges based on driving conditions. A continuously variable electronic transmission, with no pulleys or belts, transmits power to the front wheels.

Like that of the Camry, Highlander, RAV4 and Venza, this hybrid powertrain develops 245 hp on the Sienna, or 51 hp less than the outgoing V6. The instant torque produced by the electric motors is said to compensate in daily driving, though no specifics were revealed by Toyota.

Most importantly, the hybrid powertrain reduces combined city/highway consumption to 6.5 L/100 km, from 11 L/100 km, according to Natural Resources Canada. The all-wheel-drive version increases that by just 0.2 L/100 km, because the rear motor powers the wheels only as required, with no heavy, energy-wasting driveshaft. No other minivan has a rating under 10.6 L/100 km, except for the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid, which requires 8 L/100 km when the battery of the electric motor is depleted.

The 2021 Sienna retains its 1,588 kg/3,500 lb towing capacity in spite of the lower engine power. In this respect it beats out its electric-powered Chrysler rival, which lists no official towing capacity at all.

Driving impressions

As for the Toyota RAV4 Prime at the close of summer in 2020, Toyota chose Kingston, Ontario, for the press launch of the Sienna. The event took place at the end of November, with all sanitary measures strictly respected.

Following a presentation including social distancing and mask, each journalist was assigned his or her own test vehicle. The drive on a variety of back-country secondary roads, some unpaved, soon revealed that Toyota has stiffened the suspension of its minivan. Without being uncomfortable, the ride is certainly not as smooth as before on bad pavement.

On the other hand, there is much less body lean in tight curves, and better control of body movements on long pavement undulations. While the steering is still not a model of road feel, it is more precise and stable compared to the 2020 model.

It should be mentioned that we spent the day at the wheel of a “sport-tuned” front-wheel-drive Sienna XSE with 20 inch low-profile tires. The other versions with 17‑ or 18‑inch wheels might have a more compliant ride.

All versions are sure to be well served by the hybrid powertrain. Performance is amply sufficient in or outside of the city, for safe passing or merging. As usual with Toyota, you cannot feel any shudder or vibration when the gasoline engine switches on or off.

Power reserves should be sufficient even when the vehicle is loaded, but there will be more engine noise to contend with. Fortunately, the immediate reaction of the continuously variable transmission reduces the noise level when you release the throttle.

The outgoing Toyota Sienna’s V6 was certainly smoother and more refined than the new hybrid engine. But it never could have achieved the 7.6 L/100 km fuel consumption displayed on the trip computer in our test drive. Results like that, even though higher than Toyota’s announced rating, help to alleviate some of the irritants brought in by the remake.