Our time with the Toyota Sienna has come to an end I’m sad to say. You may remember we were lent a vehicle to drive for the past three months by Toyota. I shared my first impressions of the 2014 Sienna, and how comfortable and spacious we found it for road trips. Even though our time with the Sienna is done I still have more to share.
I wanted to share the top 10 features of the Toyota Sienna from both Mom & Dad and the kiddos. So without further ado, here are two Top 10 lists.
Top 10 Features Parents Loves
- All Wheel Drive (AWD): The AWD is what every family car needs. We drove the Sienna through snow and ice, heavy rain, sleet, and slush. It handled all those terrible driving and road conditions with ease. Whereas our other cars would slip and slide on ice or snow the Toyota was able to drive right over it with no issues.
- Navigation System: Between carpools and road trips the navigation system is a must-have. It isn’t just handy for going somewhere new, I was also able to use it to find alternative routes when we encountered traffic or construction. It also showed us what came next on each exit as we drove which was incredibly helpful when we needed gas or a snack.
- Entertainment System for the Kids: I’m all for family time, but on long road trips (especially in heavy traffic) I prefer quiet to road trip games. The DVD player was handy for those long trips, and we could even hook up a game system for extra road trip fun.
- Headphones for the Backseat: See #3 add to it the wireless headphones that came with the car and the jacks in the third row. This made for a quiet trip where the kids could enjoy Scooby Doo while I listened to music in the front.
- Seat Warmers: Totally amazing. My only wish? That it had a steering wheel warmer too!
- Graceful and agile handling: Despite being a sizeable car it drives smoothly and easily. The handling is much more ‘car-like’ than minivan making it fun to drive.
- Rear Parking Camera and Sensors: Not only does the Sienna make it safe and easy to back up but parking was a breeze thanks to the agile handling, and sensors that alert you when you’re too close at both the front and rear.
- Automatic Folding Seats: Need I say more? They fold themselves with a press of a button-no need to yank and pull things or pull seats out of the car (remember those days?).
- Low-glare mirrors: I have mild trouble seeing at night when I drive and found that a feature I never knew existed was just what I need. The side and rear mirrors have a lower level of glare in the dark. It made driving much easier on my eyes.
- Safety: I would be remiss to not add this to my list. The Sienna is chock full of safety features and has excellent safety ratings. While I’m glad we never needed them I’m glad they were available.
Top 10 Kid-Approved Features
- Entertainment System: The kids love this and it was a special treat to use the entertainment system.
- Wireless Headphones: The kids loved these almost as much as we did! Tuning into the movie or their music was a fun way to ride along.
- Automatic Sliding Doors: All the kids love the sliding doors and the fact that they are on both sides makes it even better than our current car (which only has one sliding door). No more jockeying for spots ‘in line’ to get in the car.
- USB-enabled: Using the USB allows the kids to plug in and play their favorite music.
- Lounge Chairs in the 2nd Row: The 2nd row of the minivan also had amazing lounge chairs that enabled the kids to take lounging to a whole new level.
- Reclining 3rd Row: The 3rd row seats also recline which makes up for the lack of lounging they do.
- Panoramic Sun Roofs: This may have been my 7 year old daydreamer’s favorite. Staring out the window at the sky was an amazing way to pass the time.
- 2nd Row Windows that go Up & Down: This was new to us too-having windows that go up and down in the 2nd row was new to us. The kids loved being able to have their window down (well when it was nice out).
- Rear Passenger Controls: My kids love to be in charge of the controls in the back-they choose the temperature and fan speed.
- Storage and more Storage: Cup holders and cubbies are awesome, but they love that the console in the middle of the front seats can slide back to give them room to put their drinks in reach and a cubby-like area to store their stuff. (Is it just me or do your kids bring the whole house when you go somewhere?)
There you have it-our Top 10 features! With below 0 degree temperatures outside I wish we still had our Toyota to drive around in if only for those comfy seat warmers.
Kelly
Disclosure: Toyota has generously lent me this vehicle to drive and share with readers and a small stipend to help fund our adventures. All opinions are my own. To learn more about the 2014 Sienna visit Toyota.com, and check out the various 2014 Sienna models here.
Great lists! The one thing I really miss on our minivan (the competitor model) is the AWD. I never realized just how different AWD vs FWD really is (other than the obvious difference). I would feel so much safer in the Sienna AWD!
Oh… and I had steering wheel warmer in an old car - miss it terribly! It should be standard on every vehicle!
We love seat warmers. When I was pregnant, I would go in the car just to warm my back!
That sounds awesome… and making me realize that my car has none of these features.
Yup. This is definitely our next car. Love it.
wow! It has everything! Going through your list I was saying yes! to every feature. Our car right now does not have GPS or seat warmers. Two things I would love
Our old Saturn had seat warmers. When we bought the car in 2005, I was why do we need seat warmers? Well, after the first winter, I was totally glad we did. I miss my Saturn and those seat warmers!