2022 Toyota Sienna XSE shows that minivans may be desirable

Who said the minivan is dead?

With three-row SUVs dominating the road, you might think that minivans have more or less disappeared from existence. Not so: The Toyota Sienna minivans in 2022 show that there are many lives left in this segment, simply because you can't deny their long-term usefulness. For this generation, automakers are giving their trucks more charm and more features.  

Toyota sold 83,447 Siennas in the first nine months of 2021. This redesigned model has been carefully designed. This is still a healthy number, and not alone. Currently, it is competing with the updated Honda Odyssey, the updated Chrysler Pacifica and the new Kia Fiesta in the minivan market.

The new Pneumatic Sienna has a long hood and curvilinear shape, which is somewhat similar to a sports SUV, although its double side doors expose its true nature. It is very aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of 0.28. However, rear visibility is poor, so it is best for drivers to use large exterior mirrors. In this generation, Toyota's minivans mainly appear as traditional hybrid vehicles, without the need to plug in, whether it is front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configuration. Prices range from approximately US$34,460 to US$50,460. After testing, the price of the 2022 Toyota Sienna XSE I drove was $42,860.

How spacious is your garage? Sienna is quite large: 204.1 inches long, 78.5 inches wide, and 68.5 inches high. It requires slightly above average effort to enter, but the passengers sit very high and there are a lot of glass areas.

My adventurous style Sienna XSE has a comfortable, high-end spongy interior space with a practical console and ample storage area. Its bold style dashboard has a button to start, an advanced sound system with 8 speakers and an easy-to-use 9-inch touch screen. For those who do not want to use the screen, there are buttons and controls for audio and climate control, as well as the comparability of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, four-zone automatic climate control, and supportive heated electric front seats.

My test Sienna XSE AWD has a sponge-like interior with plenty of storage space. Its two second-row captain seats are not as comfortable as the front seats and can accommodate seven people. It fits eight people and has a second-row bench seat and a third-row seat. The third row is easily reached by sliding the aisle between the captain's chairs.

There is also an electric tilt/sliding sunroof, electric sliding side doors, an electric lift door and front/rear parking assist system. Options include wireless smartphone charging and rear seat entertainment systems.

The third-row seats are quite comfortable for adults, but they are best reserved for children. It can be folded manually into the cargo floor, but it will take some time to figure out how to put it in an upright position. The cargo capacity is 33.5 cubic feet, or 75.2 cubic feet when the second row is folded.

Safety features include pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure warning with steering assist, lane tracking assist, blind spot monitoring and road sign recognition.

The new Toyota Sienna is equipped with an advanced 2.5-liter 189-horsepower four-cylinder gas engine and two electric motors with a total output of 245 horsepower. This truck uses all-wheel drive and weighs 4,675 pounds, but it can travel 35 miles per gallon in the city and 35 miles on the highway. Even better, it can make a fuel with an octane number of 87 reach these numbers.

The acceleration in town is fast, and passing 65-75 mph on the highway is good, although the gas engine will buzz when it needs a lot of power. Otherwise, the interior is impressively quiet. The time for 0-60 MPH is a considerable 7.7 seconds, whether it is giving or receiving, at least in the case of the driver alone. I think if the minivan is full of passengers and/or a lot of cargo, you can use more power. Towing capacity is 3,500 pounds.

Manually shifting gears with the shift lever in the "Sport" mode. The CVT gearbox provides the fastest acceleration from standing up, although it is questionable whether other drivers will challenge Sienna to the rally. It's just blurred motion. The driver can select EV, economy, normal or sports driving mode through the console switch. Normal mode is best for typical driving. A rather trivial feature is a dial with pointers near the speedometer, which tells the driver whether his driving is economical or strong. 

If I use it to move suddenly or turn in a curve with higher than average speed, I can feel the weight of Sienna. Sports suspension and on-demand all-wheel drive help here. The ride is quite strong but soft. This is a good long-distance vehicle, still easy to maneuver in the city.

The accurate steering of my test Sienna was quite heavy, but not offensive. However, the sturdy brake pedal has a numb feeling, even though the braking distance is okay.

Using the old minivan motto, the 2020 Toyota Sienna XSE AWD Hybrid can easily become an excellent mother car. But it certainly won't scream like the vans of the past.

Quick summary? The 2022 Toyota Sienna is a sporty, economical minivan that is above average (if not absolutely spectacular) in every category. This new model and its updated competitors have injected new vitality into the minivan market, so even if you don’t like it in the end, you have more good choices than ever before-TFL discusses it in the video below: