2005 Toyota Sienna

We brought this mini-van to replace an aging 1996 Odyssey. It has performed quite well over the past 4 years (we brought it in 2004 - it was next year's model). The plusses are the great turning radius, and the quiet interior and numerous amenities (like lots of cup-holders) as well as the dual A/C and DVD player. The cargo space in the back is also pretty expansive, and when coupled with the luggage rack on top, you have a vehicle that is well-suited for long trips. There is plenty of power to take an entire family of 6 up into the Sierras without overheating.

While the DVD player is nice, the screen is small and incorrectly positioned just in front, between the middle passenger seats. This makes anyone sitting in those seats unable to see clearly. Also, the first generation screens had some sort of mechanical defect that caused them to become loose and not lock in the "open" position. This problem is exasperated by children constantly pushing the screen back to try and get a view (because the screen is incorrectly positioned to begin with).

The seats are all detachable, something that we have used on a number of occasions to haul large objects like IKEA furniture. The rear seat folds down into the body of the van, so there is a minimal effort required to move it for cargo use.

The navigation system is top-notch, routing to new destinations quickly with the aid of a touch-screen. There is also a small LED-based information display on the top that is useful for checking out the temperature, miles to empty tank, or instantaneous mpg.

The middle seats fold down to act as tables for the people sitting in the rear seats, a useful feature if you are travelling with only 4-5 people, but not really useful otherwise.

The AV system is nice, with a built-in inverter providing 120v AC power in two spots. This can be turned on or off from the front. There are also jacks to allow you to connect external audio or video equipment to the DVD screen. The system also includes wireless headphones, a blessing for long trips where people want to listen to music or watch a movie without disturbing conversations happening in the front of the van.

We have gone through 1 set of tires and a battery replacement but asides from that there are no significant complaints from a reliability standpoint.

-Vik Sohal