Some automobiles can haul a load of passengers, others are supremely snug and loads of others ship unimaginable gasoline effectivity. Plot these attributes on a Venn diagram and the 2021 Toyota Sienna would land smack-dab within the center. It can accommodate as much as eight adults, plus it is appropriately soft and amazingly economical. For drivers that have not fully turned their noses as much as minivans, the brand new Sienna makes a powerful case for itself.One of one of the best arguments in favor of this Toyota is gasoline economic system. After a superb ol’ thrashing on all kinds of roads, I averaged simply shy of 35 miles per gallon in my Platinum-trim, all-wheel-drive tester. That’s virtually economy-car effectivity, plus it is proper in step with this Toyota’s window sticker. According to the EPA, it ought to return 35 mpg metropolis, 36 mpg freeway and 35 mpg mixed. Front-drive fashions are rated at 36 mpg throughout the board, and all-wheel drive is on the market throughout the lineup.Delivering that astonishing real-world effectivity is a hybrid drivetrain, which is customary in all 2021 Siennas. Yep, a conventional V6 is now not provided. This gasoline-electric propulsion system, which is constructed round a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a 1.9-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal hydride battery pack mounted beneath the entrance seats, delivers 245 horsepower, a superb bit lower than you get in both a Honda Odyssey (280 hp) or non-plug-in-hybrid Chrysler Pacifica (287 hp).

2021 Toyota Sienna is a hybrid-only van with a number of performance
See all photographs

As you would possibly count on, the Sienna’s efficiency is completely ample however hardly thrilling. It feels a bit tepid round city, precisely the place you’d count on a hybrid with rapid torque offered by electrical motors to shine. Paradoxically, this van appears punchier out on the open highway, accelerating extra vigorously. Still, a bit of additional giddy-up can be appreciated, particularly in case you’re hauling a full load or towing wherever close to this van’s 3,500-pound restrict. When working exhausting, the Sienna’s fuel-sipping drivetrain additionally sounds a bit distressed, louder and extra grumbly than I recall the Toyota Highlander Hybrid being, which has principally the identical powertrain. Minor gripes apart, it is exhausting to argue with the economic system this family-hauler gives.Riding on a by-product of the automaker’s ubiquitous TNGA platform, the 2021 Sienna grows barely in comparison with its predecessor. It’s a fraction of an inch wider and 3.1 inches longer. Additionally, the wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer and the ground is a bit decrease. The Sienna’s new basis additionally gives better rigidity, giving it an impressively stable really feel, whereas a brand new impartial rear-suspension design improves dealing with and refinement. This minivan’s journey high quality is supple, with little coarseness from the highway filtering via to the cabin. Its inside additionally stays impressively hushed, even at freeway speeds. Handling is benign and predictable, with a little bit of physique roll when pushed via corners, although my Platinum mannequin’s Bridgestone Turanza tires mounted on chrome-clad 18-inch wheels hand over lengthy earlier than you can ever get your self in bother, howling even when mildly pushed. Braking efficiency is nice, although the pedal does really feel rubbery and a bit unnatural because it progresses from regenerative to friction braking.

There are loads of storage cubbies contained in the 2021 Toyota Sienna.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
But this isn’t one thing your passengers are ever going to note. The Sienna’s aft lodging are beautiful, particularly with the super-long-slide bucket seats, that are customary tools on all seven-passenger fashions. Recliner snug, they transfer 25 inches fore and aft for stretch-out room, plus on front-drive Limited and Platinum fashions additionally they include fold-out ottomans for even better luxurious. As for this Toyota’s third-row seat, no, it does not function any built-in leg-rests, however it’s lots spacious for grownup passengers and could be very soft.

When it is time to haul cargo as a substitute of individuals, these long-slide second-row seats are, sadly, nonremovable — nicely not with out some instruments and a service guide. This is as a result of they comprise airbags. Ditto for eight-passenger fashions; their second-row seats can’t be taken out, both. The Sienna’s second-row seats do, nonetheless, fold and push all the best way as much as the again of the entrance buckets, offering a beneficiant quantity of inside house, 6.5 toes from the backrests to the rear hatch, although it nonetheless has considerably fewer cubic toes of room than both an Odyssey or Pacifica. Fortunately, this Toyota can nonetheless haul 4×8 sheets of constructing materials, with the plywood or drywall considerably awkwardly resting on high of the second-row seat’s headrests. The new Sienna’s cabin is thoughtfully designed and nicely constructed. Some of its inside supplies are moderately abnormal, however nothing is chintzy or frail feeling. There are additionally loads of locations to place issues, with a big cubby operating throughout the dashboard and generously sized door pockets. I really like the design of the middle console, which appears to be like like a bridge operating from the dashboard again between the entrance seats. That console additionally makes the Sienna really feel cozy but open on the similar time.Second-row consolation is certainly one of this minivan’s main promoting factors. 
Craig Cole/Roadshow
One disappointing facet of this minivan is the infotainment system, which runs on a typical, 9-inch, tablet-style touchscreen. Bright and clear, it is easy to achieve, although the software program is mediocre at finest, unattractive and never significantly intuitive. Toyota actually wants to enhance its multimedia choices lately, in addition to the back-up and 360-degree cameras, that are gritty wanting and fairly inferior to what’s provided in different automobiles.Fortunately, it is not all unhealthy information. The Sienna gives loads of different tech, a lot of which could be very helpful. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are customary. A 10-inch shade head-up show is included on the Platinum mannequin, making it simple to maintain observe of auto velocity and navigation prompts with out taking your eyes off the highway. A 12-speaker JBL sound system is on the market, as is a crisp, 11.6-inch, 1080p HD rear-seat leisure display screen. Ensuring everybody’s units keep absolutely charged, seven USB ports are sprinkled all through the cabin. Two helpful standalone choices the Sienna may be had with embody a 1,500-watt energy inverter with a household-style outlet on the again of the middle console and one other one within the cargo space, plus a digital rear-view mirror, which supplies you a a lot wider subject of view behind the car. The 2021 Toyota Sienna can be ordered with an built-in vacuum cleaner and a mini fridge, although these options won’t be accessible instantly at launch as a consequence of provider points.As for driver-assistance tech, Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 is customary on each model of the Sienna. This suite consists of useful options like automated excessive beams, road-sign recognition and pedestrian detection. Adaptive cruise management with lane centering is included, too, and it really works as marketed, attentively adjusting velocity primarily based on site visitors situations and doing a commendable job retaining my tester in the course of its lane. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are each customary on all grades, too, which is nice information.Thanks to its loopy gasoline effectivity and lounge-like inside, the brand new Sienna is an all-star minivan.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
The Sienna’s appears to be like have grown on me since I first checked out a prototype mannequin, however that entrance finish, which was impressed by Japanese bullet trains, remains to be a bit a lot, with its large grille and swept-back headlamps. But hey, I recognize Toyota taking a danger right here, and issues do get higher the additional again you go. This minivan’s highly effective rear fenders movement neatly into its distinctive taillights, giving it a shapely look in profile. The molded-resin tailgate can also be surprisingly trendy, with its built-in spoiler.A base, front-wheel-drive, LE model of the 2021 Toyota Sienna begins at $35,635, together with $1,175 in vacation spot charges. The range-topping, all-wheel-drive Platinum mannequin proven right here stickers for round $51,460, which remains to be an inexpensive sum. I say “around” as a result of it is a prototype mannequin; an official determine shouldn’t be accessible on the time that is revealed.There’s not an excessive amount of competitors within the minivan section proper now. Having reviewed many of the accessible contenders, on the finish of the day, I believe Honda’s Odyssey is a bit higher to drive and the Chrysler Pacifica extra engaging, however this Toyota remains to be an undeniably good household transporter, particularly with these throne-like second-row seats and stellar gasoline economic system. 

Now enjoying:
Watch this:

2021 Toyota Sienna first-look video

6:34