Our new family hauler

Author's Rating:

Pros: Attractive, practical, reasonably sporty and very comfortable.

Cons: Stereo is sub par, mileage so far, transmission drops into first too easily.

The Bottom Line: 
For large young families, this is the perfect vehicle, price, quality, space, style and economy cannot be beat. You will not be disappointed.

Author's Review
We went from 1 to 3 kids in only 2 years (twins for round two) so a large family hauler became an obvious requirement. We looked at the 3 row SUVs and the minivans and found the ease of maneuvering within the vehicle with child seats, space, economy and style afforded by the Minivan was far superior to that of the SUVs. We narrowed it down to the Honda and the Toyota and went with a 2006 Sienna LE - we were able to get a brand new one for less than a 2 year old Honda. I am really impressed with the van, it looks very sharp, fits our 3 kids plus 2 dogs with full compliment of strollers, bags, coolers that come with such a brood. The materials clean easily and are very durable. My wife really loves the van and its great blend of practicality and style.

The 5 speed transmission and 6 cyl motor provide pretty good performance. I find the transmission shifts down to first a little too willingly which makes for some jumpy motions at times. We are getting around 19 - 21 mpg in our predominately city driving - engine is still very green and winter gas is likely contributing to lower economy, should improve in the spring.

Stereo is acceptable, but will be upgraded next year. Sound is boomy / bass heavy and highs are not very distinguished - common of lower to mid-range factory systems. Was not a surprise and does not detract from the vehicle.

Van is a lot larger than you think, she pretty much dominates the garage, but when you consider the interior space...well, it makes sense.

I really like the look of the optional rally wheels we had the dealer put on - makes the van look far more sporty and I catch myself admiring it quite often.