The 2011 Toyota Sienna

Volkswagen had vans since the sixties, but it wasn't until Dodge released the Caravan in 1983 that the soccer mom mini-van frenzy came into full swing. There have been many mini-vans since then and a family market was captured. Today's mini-vans are becoming more ergonomic, safer, and with better features than ever before as the pursuit of technology snowballs. There is however one mini-van that hales in comparison to the rest of the lot and that is the mighty Toyota Sienna. Mini-vans are taboo from being cool rides; they are supposedly restricted only to use by moms and grandparents to haul children around in. For 2011 the Toyota Sienna is seemingly making mini-vans cool again. The Toyota Sienna is becoming more and more favorable because of its amount of options for 2011. There are five different trim options, one for every possible consumer; in addition to this there are two different engine combinations and all wheel drive or front wheel drive configurations.

From the outside the 2011 Toyota Sienna is about as sharp as a van can be with an aggressive front fascia with a wide mouth lower air damn that amazingly contains fog lights. From the acutely shaped head lights to the sport wing on the rear the Toyota Sienna is a winner in the styling department. No hub caps on the 2011 Toyota Sienna, it gets the treatment of 19x7 inch cast aluminum wheels which only add to its styling prowess. Under the hood is where the real deal is going on. The Toyota Sienna receives an excellent six speed automatic that makes for smooth shifting and effortless power transfer. The two different engine mills that are available are a powerful 266 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 and a much lighter duty 187 horsepower 2.7 liter four cylinder. The V6 is where the performance is at, it rockets from zero to 60 mph in only 9 seconds; no doubt a great tool when the kids are late to ball practice. However, the performance of the V6 Toyota Sienna aside it still doesn't get the fuel mileage of the front wheel drive four cylinder, which is the best in its class at 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg cruising on the highway. The V6 Toyota Sienna is just slightly lagging with 18 city/ 24 highway. You may want to really sit down and consider your needs for power transfer configurations between all wheel drive and front wheel drive. Although the all wheel drive system on the Toyota Sienna is excellent for places that snow and rain often it's most likely going to fail you when you park at the pump. The all wheel drive Toyota Sienna only gets 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. This abysmal fuel mileage is attributed to the power robbing necessity of the all wheel drive systems transfer case and extra driveline components, as well as a weight increase which makes matters worse. The 2011 Toyota Sienna has a base price of $24,000 and can creak its way up to $40,000 for the top of the line all wheel drive V6 model.

Source: http://www.insideline.com/toyota/sienna/2011/2011-toyota-sienna-first-drive.html