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Two weeks in a minivan with three kids? There but for the grace of god goes this childless 20-something. Luckily our man Karesh is made of sterner stuff, and was happy to put the 2011 Toyota Sienna through its real-world, families-are-no-place-for-the-weak paces. Here, in pictures, are some of his impressions.
9 Comments on “Bonus Gallery: Road Tripping In The 2011 Toyota Sienna...”
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4 cyl or 6 cyl?
I’m curious to hear impressions of someone who has spent significant time behind the wheel of the new sienna with the 4 cyl.
EDIT: Ops, only needed to scroll down one more post.
I’ve driven the four and it’s acceptable for general people-hauling; a little slower than the the 3.3L in my 2006, and a lot slower than the 3.5L. It’s a better engine than the Caravan’s 3.3L, that’s for sure.
It’s about a thousand dollars cheaper and a bit more frugal at the pumps. It might be cheaper to maintain down the road. I personally think it sounds a bit better, but I don’t like the way V6s sound in general, so that’s just me.
Personally, I would take the four. The big six is more than this vehicle needs unless you plan to tow.
As stated in the review, the four seems pointless.
Do any of your kids take a booster seat or car seat?
The backwards-facing car seat is the death of small cars – it sure is hard to find a backward facing car seat that fits properly in anything less than a large sedan / SUV. And if you need two rear-facing seats, you really are up a creek.
My 2004 Mazda 6 would do a rear facing car seat, in the center seat. But I do understand where you are coming from there.
My 2004 Mazda 6 would do a rear facing car seat
Did it touch, or come within an inch of the front seats’ seatbacks and was it at the recommended recline angle? I find a lot of people think their cars can accommodate a rear-facing seat, but many install it incorrectly.
@psarhjinian Did it touch, or come within an inch of the front seats’ seatbacks and was it at the recommended recline angle?
The Britax Diplomat in my car was between the front seats, touching them – but the county firefighter (who went through a seminar to be certified in installing car seats) said that it wasn’t an issue – there was also a strap tethered to the base of the front seats. I don’t remember the instructions saying the seat back can’t touch the front seats in rear-facing position. Did I miss something?
It depends on the seat manufacturer’s specifications, but most seats will require some play so that, in an accident, the seat travels a little and absorbs some of the force, rather than the child’s body. The police who run the clinics I went to where quite up-front about angle and no touching the front seats.
The front tether on rear-facing seats is a strange concept for me. I’ve seen that on American carseats, but never in Canada.
My youngest is seven, and uses a simple booster.
I have three, but never had more than one in a rearward facing seat at the same time. I managed to fit a Britax Roundabout, a fairly large seat, in between the front seats of a Ford Contour.