2020 Toyota Sienna

The 2020 Sienna is living out its twilight years as Toyota prepares to launch an entirely new generation of the popular minivan for the 2021 model year. Despite cruising for a decade with without an update, the family-friendly people hauler has kept itself relevant with inoffensive styling, a potent powertrain, a spacious interior and its class-exclusive all-wheel-drive offering. Unfortunately, recent minivan launches from rivals Honda and Chrysler have revolutionized what a kid-hauler could and should be, and the Sienna doesn’t measure up.

Although the Sienna isn’t keeping pace with segment leaders, it packs the most power. Now in its third generation, the Sienna offers five trims: L, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. A trendy blacked out Nightshade package can be layered on top of the sportier SE. All models are equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine that delivers 296 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. The Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey have moved to nine- and 10-speed transmissions, but the Sienna uses an eight-speed automatic transmission to funnel power to the front wheels or all four corners.

If all-wheel drive is of paramount importance, only the Sienna and the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica rank. When configured with front-wheel drive, the Sienna achieves an EPA-estimated 19 mpg in city driving, 26 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg combined. The AWD Sienna gets 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. Both the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey are EPA rated at 22 mpg combined. The Pacifica Hybrid is the game-changer with a claimed range of 32 purely electric miles and an efficiency rating of 82 MPGe.

The Sienna’s V6 paired to the eight-speed transmission are a perfect match. At low speeds, the accelerator and transmission yield a smooth, linear acceleration. On the highway, passing power is plentiful. The Sienna also has no issue cruising steadily at higher speeds. Even when loaded with six passengers on a steep incline, it can still climb happily albeit with a tad of engine noise inside the cabin. 

Confidence in the Sienna’s power allows for better enjoyment of its quiet ride. Over road impurities, disturbances are kept to a minimum, and body motions are sedate. Steering is equally neutral, offering predictable, linear response from operator inputs. 

Minivans are in somewhat of a golden age of styling, as there are no outlandishly unattractive options. The Sienna has largely stuck to one basic look since inception, and while it worked for a while, interest is waning due to its advanced age. The Pacifica looks slick and handsome and the Odyssey styling is techy in a robotic kind of way. Unfortunately the Sienna’s soft corners can’t shake that turn-of-the-century design influence. 

The expectation of a minivan to feel truly luxurious is low as family life has a way of desecrating any vehicle’s interior space. Again, the Pacifica feels more premium with scale-shifting offerings that set a high bar for the Senna.

The Sienna’s interior is straightforward and functional but lacks any pizazz or warmth. It can be configured to carry seven passengers with captain’s chairs in the second row or eight with a 40/20/40-splitting bench (both options are removable). Front-wheel-drive is standard on eight-seaters and AWD is standard on seven-seaters. Beware, however, eight passenger Sienna can’t be coupled with AWD and the L can only be configured with seven seats.

The only soft-touch parts on the mid-lineup XLE in the front cabin are the armrest, the top of the dash and the front of the glove box. The rest of the interior is composed of hard plastic surfaces. In terms of organizational storage, there are only a few pockets and a large deep center console compartment.

The dashboard panel is covered in a hard, modern-looking matte material, but the glossy infotainment system has dated plastic buttons reminiscent of a minidisc player. Even Toyota’s gangly shift stalk seems old compared with Honda’s push-button shifter and Chrysler’s turn-dial transmission. Design aside, the layout is extremely user-friendly and the bevy of buttons and dials are great for no-look adjustments. The Entune infotainment system is easy to use and responsive.

The second-row seating is one of the Sienna’s weak points because of a lack of convenience features. Both the Odyssey and Pacific’s second rows offer innovative features to ease the usability and increase the functionality. In addition to a full-seat tilting feature, the Pacifica has an available Stow ‘N Go system with compartments that act as storage or hiding spots for the second-row seats, if a flat floor is needed. The new Odyssey introduced a Magic Slide feature with side-to-side seat movement that aids third-row ingress and increases interior adaptability.

The Sienna’s second-row seats only fold or slide forward. The seats can be removed to open up space, but the process will still be clunky and awkward for taller adults. If the seats are removed the attachment dock is exposed, which prevents the floor from being truly flat.

Despite its lack of features and amenities, the Sienna still offers a spacious interior in a smaller package. Although it’s roughly three inches shorter than the Odyssey and Pacifica, the Sienna provides 164.4 cubic-feet of passenger volume compared with 163.6 in the Odyssey and 165 in the Pacifica. The Sienna’s smart interior configuration helps six-footers comfortably fit in any of the three rows.

The Sienna starts at $32,685 and the loaded Limited Premium tops the range out at $49,100. The 2020 Toyota Sienna mid-grade XLE offers a traditional minivan experience and a superior powertrain, but its competitors excel across the board with premium features and contemporary designs. For Toyota loyalists that must have the Sienna, wait for the new generation of Sienna slated to arrive in a year or two.