2015 Toyota Sienna First Drive Review

by Lyndon Bell

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November 13, 2014

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6 min. Reading Time

The minivan segment, while boasting fewer models than in the past, continues to be something of a highly competitive environment. Of all the players however, only one offers the option of an all-wheel drive powertrain—and that one is the subject of this 2015 Toyota Sienna first drive review.

Thanks to the refresh to which the company has treated its minivan for 2015, the Sienna goes into the new model year as one of the freshest offerings. (Along with the all-new Kia Sedona.) But when it comes to the nature of the American family’s quintessential automobile, none of the competition languishes on its laurels, so you can bet the others are hot on its heels.

With that said, this refresh is quite due, given this third generation Sienna model has been around for five years. Introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2009, for the 2010 model year, Sienna was definitely due for a remake. Much is made of the fact the Princeton, Indiana native is both designed and built in America for Americans. And indeed, the model has also been one of the best selling minivans in the country throughout its run.

So, does this new one have what it takes to remain firmly in the hunt?

To find out, read on…

Models And Pricing

Going into the new model year, Toyota’s product planning team has chosen to offer Sienna in five basic trim levels. These are L, LE, SE, XLE, and the ultra-luxurious Limited. Pricing for the Sienna L starts at $28,600, plus destination charges of $885, for a total of $29,485. Sienna L is available only with front-wheel drive.

Sienna LE is offered with both front-drive and all-wheel drive. Pricing for front-drive LE (including destination) starts at $32,215, while the all-wheel drive iteration comes in at $34,745. Meanwhile, Sienna SE, also a front-drive proposition only, starts at $35,785, while SE Premium with navigation and the rear seat entertainment system commands a price of $40,565.

The 2015 Toyota Sienna XLE with front wheel drive starts at $35,985, and the all-wheel drive version goes for $38,185. The XLE Premium with front-drive starts at $39,220, while the Premium XLE all-wheel drive model starts at $41,440. Like the SE Premium models, XLE Premium Siennas also feature navigation and the rear seat entertainment system.

The top of the line Sienna trim package is the Limited. The front-drive Limited has a starting price of $42,535, while the all-wheel drive Limited starts at $43,665. Sienna Limited Premium features rear seat entertainment, HID headlamps, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The front-drive Toyota Sienna Limited Premium is tagged at $45,905, while the all-wheel drive iteration carries a starting price of $47,035.

This trim package strategy is said to simplify the number of potential Sienna configurations from 47 to 24, making the ordering process much simpler.

Remember, all pricing quoted above includes Toyota’s $885 destination charge.

Design

While there is quite a bit of newness inside the 2015 Sienna, one must be rather sharp-eyed to pick out the changes to the exterior of the Toyota minivan. Largely confined to lighting changes and grille work, SE and Limited get new LED daytime running lights. New taillamps are fitted to all models save SE, and new grille treatments were prescribed for all models except L and SE.

That said, to our eye, the Toyota Sienna remains one of the best-looking minivan offerings out there—particularly in its SE guise. Now we’ll be the first to admit, performance capability in a minivan is about as important as math skills to a parrot, but we’re just as impressed with the aggressive look of the Sienna SE, as we would be with a parrot capable of appearing to do math.

With its sloped nose, large grille openings, huge foglights, five-spoke alloy wheels, and the spoiler at the trailing edge of its roof, Sienna SE looks (dare we say) pretty tough—especially when rendered in darker colors. We can just imagine how sharp it’d look if someone say, lowered Sienna’s ride height another inch, flared the wheel wells, went up one more size on the tires and wheels, blacked out the windows, and added side skirts and a rear valance with dual exhaust tips.

Hello, TRD, is anybody home…?

Features And Controls

The standard features list for Toyota Sienna L includes a three-zone automatic climate control system, a touchscreen audio system, a rear view camera, blind spot monitoring, automatic headlights, an engine immobilizer as part of the security system, and eight airbags. Sienna LE adds the Entune Audio Plus sound system and its larger seven-inch touchscreen.

Moving up to the SE adds a sport-tuned suspension system, smoked headlamps with the aforementioned LED daytime running lights, LED rear combination lamps, 19-inch wheels, a sport mesh grille, perforated leather trimmed upholstery, heated front seats, a sport meter cluster, and a 4.2-inch multi information display between the speedometer and the tachometer.

XLE adds Toyota’s smart key, rear cross traffic alert, and a premium gauge cluster. To all of the above, the 2015 Sienna Limited adds a heated steering wheel, and a premium JBL audio system with Navigation and the Entune apps suite.

The optional rear seat entertainment system features a 16-inch screen capable of monitoring two video sources simultaneously. Called the Dual View Entertainment Center, the displays are rendered side-by-side on the ultra wide screen.

Comfort And Cargo

Leading the list of interior changes is the liberal application of a broad slate of premium soft touch materials. This single detail elevates the luxury quotient of the Sienna’s accommodations considerably. Contrasting nicely with these bits are metallic accents around the air vents, on the center console stack, and surrounding the glovebox button.

The layout of the center stack centralizes the controls for easier access, while also moving them closer to the driver. The shapes of the knobs are more standardized and easier to reach. The steering wheel has been redesigned and features controls for the audio system, multi information display, telephone, and voice commands.

Speaking of voice commands, Toyota is uber-proud of its new Driver Easy Speak feature, which uses a microphone near the driving position to feed the driver’s voice into the audio system and amplify it so passengers in the second and third rows can hear the driver’s words more clearly. Voila! No more screaming at the kids in the back of the van.

The new Sienna boasts a Blu-Ray player, a HDMI input, an SD card input, and a USB input—although more of the latter would be welcomed given the number of people the Sienna is designed to hold (up to eight) and the fact all of them are likely to want to charge a mobile device simultaneously at some point.

Cargo volume behind the first row is 150 cubic feet with the third row folded and the second row removed; behind the second row is 87.1 cubic feet. There are 39.1 cubic feet of capacity behind the third row.

Safety And Ratings

Sienna features a new LATCH location for the third row seat—in addition to the previously existing ones, for a total of four. The passenger seat cushion contains an airbag now, and a new selectable force limiting seatbelt can adapt to a variety of body types to improve its performance.

Many of the latest in high tech watchdogs are offered as options too; you’ll find smart cruise control, hill start assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a pre collision system, and vehicle dynamics integrated management, which coordinates brake control with steering and throttle inputs.

Every Sienna comes standard with the Toyota Star Safety system; consisting of anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), brake assist (BA), enhanced vehicle stability control (VSC), traction control (TRAC), and smart stop technology (SST).

As of this writing, the 2015 Sienna’s crash test results had yet to be reported. However, the 2014 model is in many ways identical, save the additional spot welds added to make the 2015 model more rigid. IIHS ranked the 2014 Sienna “Good” overall, (its highest rating). NHTSA awarded Sienna four stars overall, due to its four-star side crash rating. In frontal crashes and rollovers the 2014 Sienna scored five stars.

Engine And Fuel Economy

Power for Toyota’s family hauler comes from the same 3.5-liter V6 employed in the previous version of the minivan. Power output is 266 horsepower and 245 ft-lbs of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission, which feeds either the front- or all four wheels in all-wheel drive models. Properly configured, the Sienna is capable of towing up to 3,500 pounds.

Fuel economy is rated at 18 miles per gallon in the city, 25 on the highway and 21 combined with the front-drive powertrain. The all-wheel drive version of the Sienna is rated at 16 miles per gallon in the city, 23 on the highway, and 19 combined.

Driving Impressions

For our first drive impressions we spent some quality time with the SE version of the revised Sienna and are happy to report it does indeed feel tighter than the last version of the sporty Toyota minivan we sampled. Thanks to the suspension refinements, and the new tighter body structure, the SE version of the Sienna turns in more sharply, exhibits less body roll, and feels tighter overall. Yet, it is quieter and rides more smoothly as well.

The newfound quietness owes its existence to more sound insulation and additional padding. This, in conjunction with the nice new interior treatment really gives the Sienna’s interior a pleasant ambiance. Soft touch materials on the dash and door panels, pretty much everywhere you might physically come into contact with some aspect of the interior of the Sienna, ups its game rather nicely.

The improved handling is something of a double-edged sword though. Now that Sienna SE corners harder, the engine feels a bit underpowered. Yes, we know this is a first drive review of a minivan, and not the latest sport sedan. But when they put so much emphasis on the sporty handling characteristics, it’s quite natural to want scintillating acceleration too. Of course in this regard, we’ll be the first to admit the average minivan driver would probably not give it a second thought.

Given they have some 4,560 pounds of curb weight to arrest, the brakes felt nicely resolute, and the steering actually demonstrated reasonably nice feel for an electronic system. All in all, we found Sienna SE to be a rather enjoyable driver. Bolt on a supercharger, along with the body mods we mentioned earlier, and we’d be in minivan heaven.

Hello TRD, is anybody home yet…?

Final Thoughts

Before we go, we have to say we know we’re probably one of maybe one tenth of one percent of the driving population who would consider the mods we’ve been raving about how cool it’d be to apply to a Sienna SE. Before you think we’re knocking the Sienna because it isn’t configured that way, please know we rank the Sienna right up there in the upper echelon of minivans.

We do think the Honda Odyssey still has a slight edge over most versions of the Toyota, and the new Kia Sedona is pretty sleek to look at too. But if you need all-wheel drive, you have no other choice, Sienna is it. Similarly, if you enjoy the feel of a good handling automobile, and you’d like a bit more responsiveness from your minivan, the Sienna will both surprise and delight you.

Keep in mind though; the all-wheel drive powertrain and the Sienna’s SE package are mutually exclusive. Still though, that nice new interior treatment can be had with both configurations, and the broad array of tech Toyota offers for the Sienna makes it even more of a compelling choice.