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NH - practical advice or gripes about Toyota Sienna (or other minivans) - Hot Topics | Forums | What to Expect (1)

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ebee1234

I don’t know anyone personally with a van. I will have 3 in car seats come August (+ a 60lb dog) and just can’t imagine how we would make an SUV with 3 rows work, so I’ve come to the conclusion a minivan is the way to go. I’ve heard good things about both the Sienna and Odyssey, but wondering about day-to-day considerations that won’t be obvious by test driving. Any gripes or hacks to share?

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benjibear

I don’t have a mini van but if I were shopping for a vehicle with 3 car seats and a dog I would think trunk space would be up there. My next thing would be cost of maintenance of the vehicle. I will never buy a non-Japanese make for the simple fact that they are the most reliable vehicles so can’t go wrong with Toyota, Honda, or Mazda. Another super important thing for me would be air vents in the rear seats lol. Also if you do look at a car with a third row, make sure that 3rd row is actually functional and an adult can fit in it. All the fancy tech is just an added bonus and not requirement if the vehicle isn’t reliable or spacious.

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gymnbomb

Really love my Sienna!! It is a 2017 so not sure how different the current ones are, but a huge plus for us was how much you can move the second row seats forward/back to customize which seats/rows you want more leg room in.

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ebee1234

@RozDoyle,

I haven’t driven either yet. So far just research online re: pricing and features. Last year we got a VW Tiguan and even after a lot of research and a couple test drives there are so many nuances you just don’t know about a vehicle until you start using a day-to-day. Especially when there’s three kids in car seats and the logistics of where everybody sits and how that works. Still trying to wrap my head around all of that.

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BEEd123

I have a 2020 Sienna and while I do love it and it works good for my family of 6, it would be a challenge for us to fit everyone if we were to ever have another baby. Doing 3 across in this vehicle just isn’t easy. I have heard the Odyssey is much more spacious.

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nenns1

I had a 2010 odyssey and loved it. I could fit 3 car seats across the middle row when they were all little. Then as they grew I switched my oldest to the back once she could buckle her car seat buckle herself (around age 5). The versatility was fantastic. I haven’t driven the newer model so not sure how it compares - I heard there were some changes to the way the back seats move around. I miss my van but after 230,000 miles it was time. And I needed AWD.

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NH - practical advice or gripes about Toyota Sienna (or other minivans) - Hot Topics | Forums | What to Expect (46)

Bravolebrity

I have a 2019 Honda odyssey that we bought new ahead of our 3rd child (now we have 4). I really don’t have many complaints though I don’t drive it too often; it’s probably more my nanny’s car than mine. One key difference between Siennas and Oddyseys is the Sienna has 4WD or AWD option. The odyssey didn’t when we bought ours. I live in a climate where we do have snow and ice, and I’ve not found this to be a problem. The trunk space is great, especially if you have to put a stroller in. There is still room for other things, like groceries, for example. I also have a Kia Telluride, and there is no trunk space if you need the third row. You can fit a stroller but nothing else. It’s a wonder I havent been taken out by the stroller the number of times it’s fallen out when I opened the hatch, forgetting it was back there!

Back to the Odyssey, the vacuum seems like a nice feature but isn’t worth it. It came with our model, but it’s kind of useless.

Overall, the Odyssey is great. I also know people who have the Kia Carnival and love it too, so also one worth looking at. It looks a bit more like an SUV than a minivan, if the van bothers you. It still has sliding doors which is imperative for kids!!!

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RozDoyle

@Bravolebrity,

my mom (who is technologically way less than savvy and admittedly a bit spacey lol, but LOVES buying new SUVs) called me the other day and raved for 30 minutes about how amazing and beautiful the Carnival is and that she spent THREE HOURS looking at them online the night before, and all the features they can have (she’s only buying it if it’s loaded with everything), and at the end, I was just like, “you know that’s a minivan?” Mind. Blown. She had no clue ����

I’m thinking “did the sliding doors not give it away??” I mentioned that and she, honest to g-d, said, “I thought ‘what a cool feature to have on an SUV. Why hasn’t anyone thought of that??’” THEY HAVE, LADY. ITS CALLED A MINIVAN! Just get you a minivan and be happy haha.

She always makes fun of me and my love for minivans, so it was truly a great moment.

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Bravolebrity

@RozDoyle,

That is so awesome!!! They really are nice looking, but the sliding doors are a dead giveaway in my opinion!

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justPIVOT

My parents have both. I have driven and ridden in both. The Sienna feels slightly roomier/bigger than the Odyssey. It's also higher as well. Sienna is AWD while the Odyssey is only front wheel. Not sure how that affects you but we get snow where I live so AWD is more practical.

I like the passenger seats in the odyssey more compare to the Sienna. But I like the driver seat in the Sienna more than the Odyssey.

They're both really good cars. I do suggest test driving both to see which one you feel more comfortable with. My SIL bought the Odyssey because she liked the way it drove while my cousin bought her Sienna because she liked the way it drove compare the Odyssey lol.

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Qzdc8381

I just bought the Sienna after having the Odyssey for three years. The Sienna is sooooooooo much better!!!

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ebee1234

@Qzdc8381,

what do you like better about it

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jbaby2be

We were on a list for a sienna for 2.5 years- and our name just came up for one- so availability in your area is a consideration.

While we were waiting we bought a Kia carnival with plans to trade it in for the sienna if we didn’t like it. We love it so much we passed on the sienna. The only potential downfall to it is it’s not AWD like the sienna (but neither is the odyssey). We live in the frozen tundra and got good winter tires and it was no issue through the winter. The 2025 carnival will be available in hybrid too

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ebee1234

@jbaby2be,

pretty sure I’d be looking at getting used, maybe 2020/21 onwards. It appears that availability isn’t an issue in my area but this is a great point and something I never considered. I’m hoping to line up a babysitter this weekend so we can do some shopping/test driving ☺️

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ImJustSooTired

We purchased an odyssey last year, and it makes my life with 3 kids so much easier! I had a pilot prior. I really wanted a Sienna (since all newer models are hybrid) but it would have been much more costly. I’m sure you can’t go wrong with either. I love my trunk space and I love that the middle seats can “glide” back and forth. I also love that my second row can have captain seats (very spacious for adults) or has a seat that can be added to make it a bench. We only purchase Toyota or Hondas in our family because we plan on having our cars for a long time.

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