Please talk me in or out of a Toyota Sienna hybrid
We’re a family with 2 rear facing car seats, 2 dogs (1 M/L, 1 S). We frequently go to parks or family’s houses on the weekends with all of us, 2-3 single-day road trips/year, generally several instances/year where it comes in handy to have extra seating for…
We’re a family with 2 rear facing car seats, 2 dogs (1 M/L, 1 S). We frequently go to parks or family’s houses on the weekends with all of us, 2-3 single-day road trips/year, generally several instances/year where it comes in handy to have extra seating for extra adults. We currently have a Lexus GX and are aiming for a vehicle with a more comfortable passenger experience, more family-friendly usable space, better MPG, lower payment or insurance if possible, but not absolutely necessary. Will prioritize reliability. Is a minivan overkill for us?? I always thought of them as being for families with 3+ kids and almost feel like a poser even looking at one. but I don’t think I’ve ever talked to, or heard of, a person who has a minivan and doesn’t absolutely love it. I am not a car person and don’t care about having a boring ride or any particular image, but my husband is a bit biased against the whole minivan image and loves cool cars. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and time 🙂
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Minivan owner for 12 years, it’s the ultimate utility vehicle. We have two kids and had a medium dog. They’re just so useful, especially with sliding doors and a lower load floor than an SUV. It’s time to replace ours, and it’s my wife who is anti-van. I’d get another Odyssey in a heartbeat. Only other thing pushing back is I’d like to go full EV, which has us looking at a Kia EV9.
Tbh the sliding doors alone seem life changing
This is what I keep coming back to! Imagining kids being able to climb in and out, or loading diaper bags and groceries, without worrying about our doors banging into shit, sounds amazing.
Haha I have a friend with 4 kids and she says she’ll drive minivans even when she has 0 kids, she loves them so much
Cant recommend the minivan life, specifically a Toyota Sienna, highly enough. I agree that with only 2 kids, it’s questionably necessary, but the dogs put you over the edge I think. So convenient, he’ll change his tune in about 2 hours. Our 2021 Sienna is a hybrid and averages 32mpg.
This makes sense. I had a RAV4 hybrid and had an ongoing game with myself to see how high I could get the average mpg haha so the sluggishness won’t bother me a bit, but hubs has a bias against 4 cylinders. It’s the battle of mpg vs power over here
Maybe the best pitch I’ve read so far!
No it fucking rocks and the sliding doors will make your life so much better
Apparently the Sienna’s second row seats aren’t removable which is kind said a bummer. It’s amazing how much you can fit in an Odyssey with the second row removed.
I am a car guy. Drive 21 sienna. One of the first delivered of the current Gen. It's truly amazing. I truly get 35 mpg, kids don't swing doors into cars in parking lots, dog jumps in the back no problem, I recently had family visit and we all went camping for 3 days in it, no problem. The best thing, the true cost to own on them is damn near as low as an economy car--https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html - - so low, in fact, that I've been able to make a payment to myself the while time and saved up the cash to buy whatever I want next... Literally whatever I want. My dog passed away last year, my oldest is off to college, and I just don't need the van as much anymore. I'm using it more and more as a car, just me and the youngest with occasionally the wife. So I started car shopping. I literally have tried mdx type s, x5, TX 500, cayenne... And nothing is making me bite. I literally like a crappy sienna with 80k miles more than these 'aspirational' cars I can now easily afford. Maybe I'll just keep it and retire early. Get the sienna, never look back.
Minivans are amazing for a family car. Bought our first 3 weeks after #2 was born. 22 years later we are having a hard time moving on and considering another even though we only have 1 left at home.
The minivan is great, especially with young kids getting in and out is a pain until they're like 10 and stop banging the door into other things. If you are dead set against the minivan then I'd recommend the grand highlander hybrid. It has the dual bucket seats in the 2nd row so it's a breeze for carseats and while the 3rd row isn't super comfortable (the seats are stiff) you can easily fit 2 more adults back there or 3 if you squeeze a bit with normal rear storage. We wanted a hybrid and there was no sienna anywhere near us so we tried the GHH and went with it. It's not quite as convenient as the minivan, but it drives well and gets 32+ MPG. Typical toyota bullshit at the dealer and the interior quality leaves a lot to be desired but IMO it's the closest you'll get to a minivan that isn't a minivan.
Lots of comments here talk you into it. I drove a ‘21 sienna hybrid and agreed that it has good mpg, good for family and lots of trunk space. Good turning radius and better visibility when driving than trucks or big suvs. Reliability is great. HOWEVER, I know it’s not a sport car but getting up to speed to merge into highway is slow and feels really sluggish. It’s going to be very different from your GX because the GX has a powerful V8 engine and smooth transmission compare to the hybrid and cvt transmission of the sienna. If your husband likes cool cars, he’ll probably dislike how slow and sluggish the Sienna feels despite its great practicality. You guys should test drive one and see how it feels. Best of luck!
Real men drive minivans. They really are the ultimate family vehicle.
I wanted a minivan. My wife said never. I wanted sliding doors. I wanted to look COOL. She got an SUV... SUVs are so dumb and minivans are so cool. I don't think all men think that way though. I've sincerely complimented random dudes on their minivans and out of the maybe 3 times I don't think it was well received. Oh well.
I have a minivan with just 2 kids and it’s life changing
Loose the ego, get the Minivan, be happy! Kids + Minivan is the true win. Also what year is your Lexus GX, miles, and Trim? I'm looking to buy one lol
road trips/recreation on pavement with 2 car seats and 2 dogs you need the Sienna. every SUV will be a significant compromise for 2 inches of ground clearance you (probably) don't need. rent a Sienna for the weekend and find out. Odyssey is nice too with more power but lower fuel economy. but the Toyota HEV drivetrain is best on the road for reliability and economy IMHO
We rented one for our last two vacations. This year we got a base model. I don't recommend it. The seats were uncomfortable and interior felt cheap. Last year we had a mid level and we loved it. Tons of room, great fuel efficiency, and comfortable. This car is for you. He can have whatever car he chooses
Do it. Lee Iacocca knew something
The Sienna is going to check every one of your boxes. More space, excellent MPG, amazing for weekend / day trips, etc. Plus, once your kids are in school, those sliding doors are essential for carlines. You never have to worry about them swinging open a door and hitting a car, or struggling to close it. The Sienna is not plush like a Lexus, but when you are driving around with pets and kids that's probably a good thing. Toyota also has fantastic resale value, so if you decided to trade it down the road, it will retain it's value. The only challenge is finding one and getting any sort of deal. The dealerships will not typically budge on the price (at least in the southeast they don't) and finding the trim and color you want may take some time. But, overall they are perfect for young families and I highly recommend!
Minivans rock, even with 1 kid. Sliding doors and giant door openings are amazing. They're easy to drive, have more power than you'd think, and fit all the stuff.
Minivan are always the answer. We got one and love it. Three caveats on the Sienna, which is otherwise the best in class: mid and upper trim Sienna are only available with captain's chairs that are a pain to move, so if you have young kids that need to be strapped in to the third row it's a deal breaker imo. All 3 of the Sienna's competitors offer an option that fixes this There's no adjustable setting on the Sienna's regenerative braking, so it can make some people carsick It's extremely expensive, 10-20% more like-for-like than the Honda/Kia/Chrysler
Minivans are the best, period. I used to be able to fold down the seats and put a full sheet of plywood or sheetrock in mine. And no worry about getting rained on like in a truck.
As someone who never thought I’d drive a minivan.. I freaking love my 2025 Toyota sienna and I don’t regret it for a single second! I have 3 kids and a dog and it’s perfect.