What We’ll Miss Most Of The Sienna

We do a lot of traveling so we’ve been thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Toyota over the past couple of months to receive compensation and test drive the Toyota Sienna.

Sadly the time has come for the program to draw to a close. Since we are in the market for a new vehicle we’ve really taken this test drive seriously and have been evaluating how the would fit into our lives as a family of four who love to travel. As the weeks have passed we’ve truly enjoyed our time with the Sienna so much that we’ve added it to the top of our wishlist list for when we go car shopping.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite features and what we’ll miss most about the Toyota Sienna.

Storage Space

We took a family road trip for Kora and Logan’s double birthday party and were amazed at the amount of storage space. We were able to pack all of our luggage, Yoshi’s enormous kennel, and all the birthday gifts into the Sienna and no one had to sit with anything under their feet or on their lap. I love how deep the trunk is as well. For daily use with the third row in place it adds a lot of extra storage.

3rd Row Folds Flat In One Motion

I was amazed at how easy it is to fold the third row flat. I remember having a minivan as a kid and my dad spending ages trying to get the third row out. In the Sienna it’s truly one motion and the seats are laying flat. So convenient, handy, and helpful.

Multiple Climate Zones

I’m always cold and Dave and the kids are always hot so having the multiple climbing zones was wonderful. On a cold winter day I could turn on my heated seat and bump up the temperature on the passenger side while the three of them could have the heat set at a comfortable level for them and everyone was happy. The climate controls for the backseat are located up top behind the drivers side or it can be controlled by the driver or passenger up front.

Dual Zone Entertainment System

The Dual Entertainment System is phenomenal and so fun. Kora & Logan enjoyed being able to watch movies while traveling especially on our road trip. Dave and I liked how the headphones allowed for the kids to hear the movie and we could listen to the radio, Sirius/XM, a CD, or use the Bluetooth connection on our phones.

We didn’t get a chance to try it out but you can actually split the screen where one child can watch a movie while another plays a video game. So amazing and makes traveling so much different than from when I was a kid!

Dual Powered Sliding Doors

These door have been amazing and have made parking with kids so much easier. It was funny because after having the Sienna for a while I found myself pulling into a parking lot and starting to say, “Be careful when you get out. Don’t swing the door…” and then I’d realize there were no doors for the kids to swing! With the push of a button the doors open on either side and the kids could hop out without worry.

Blind Spot Monitoring, Rearview Camera, & Cross Traffic Alert

I love these features. They make driving the Sienna feel so much safer. With the Blind Spot Monitoring system a little light shows up in the sideview mirrors whenever a car is in your blindspot. The rearview camera shows what’s behind you and the Cross Traffic Alert beeps whenever you are backing up and a car crosses behind you. These features are all wonderful and while it’s best to still double-check yourself it does feel so much safer having them there to assist.

Kora & Logan have enjoyed having the Sienna too and I had them take a minute to interview each other to find out what they’ll miss. The videos are a bit shaky because they were so excited to move around to show off everything.

Those are some of the features of the Toyota Sienna that we’ll miss most. It’s been amazing having the 7-passenger minivan for these past few months and we can’t wait to go car shopping soon in the hopes of adding one to our family.

What about you? What are your favorite features of a family vehicle? What do you look for when car shopping?