2024 Toyota Sienna Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Available in Canada in LE, XLE, XSE, and Limited trim levels, nobody can say the Sienna doesn’t cut a distinctive look. Although the Kia Carnival gives the Sienna a run for its style-points money, Toyota’s kid-friendly machine comes with sleek front and rear fascias and is available in cool colours like deep blue, red or bronze.

LED lighting is standard all the way around, but upper trims get Bi-LED projector headlamps to really push back the dark. Our XSE tester is the “sporty” trim, with a black metallic mesh front grille, black heated side mirrors, and 20-inch dark wheels.

The Sienna comes standard with cloth seats, three-zone climate control and room for eight. Our XSE trim nixes the second row bench seat in favour of two captain’s chairs and comes with leatherette-trimmed sport seats. There is even a heated and leather-trimmed power steering wheel with helpful Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) controls right there under thumb. (Note our tester is U.S. specification and includes some features not available in Canada, such as ventilated front seats.)

We like the horizontal design lines, which add to a feeling of spaciousness. The fixed centre console is trimmed in some nifty satin accents and the cup holders and shifter are in easy reach. While we wouldn’t call the interior luxurious, it’s nice enough for a kid-mobile that will likely get cereal smushed into every crack and crevice.

Every Sienna is a hybrid minivan, combining a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with two electric motors powering the front wheels and a small battery pack. All-wheel drive (AWD) models get one electric motor diverted to the rear wheels, so regardless of drivetrain, the Sienna produces 245 horsepower total.

Those looking for hot-to-trot performance aren’t going to find it behind the wheel of the Sienna. Sure, our tester is equipped with sport-tuned suspension and there is an actual Sport mode button for better acceleration, but the resulting ride is still not much fun. Instead, the minivan feels sluggish off the line and the continuously variable transmission (CVT) doesn’t do it any favours. Yes, acceleration is smooth but it seems pretty slow, especially when merging on the highway or powering up a mountain pass. That CVT can get a little loud, too.

However, driving the minivan around town is a mostly pleasant, if forgettable, experience. Normal or Eco mode are best here, but there is also an EV mode for slow-speed areas (think parking lots or school pick-up lines). The brakes can be a bit grabby, causing us to spill a drink a few times, but the steering is light and accurate. Visibility is excellent.

If you want to have a bit more driving pleasure as you toddle around town, you might want to look at the other options. The Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival or Chrysler Pacifica all offer strong V6 powerplants.

The Sienna gets a lot right here, but some seating features can be tricky to master. Starting up front, we love the lower storage pass-through that can fit bulkier items like a purse or small backpack. There are four cupholders up front, as well as some bonus holders in the front doors. A shelf above the glovebox is great for storing smaller items, and it houses the available wireless charging pad.

Both side doors are powered and those in the second row can close them by either activating the interior handle or pressing a button on the B-pillar. The second-row captain’s chairs can slide fore and aft 63.5 centimetres, providing riders with up to 101.5 centimetres of leg room, about as much as is available to the grown-ups in the front. However, the slide function is a bit complicated to operate and the seats can’t be removed, drastically cutting maximum cargo space when compared to other minivans.

There are cup holders in the second row as well as a nifty little net pocket on the aisle side of the seat. Window shades gently shield the little kiddos from the browbeating sun during naptime.

It’s pretty easy for an adult to hoist themselves up into the third row, so little kids should have no problems. With the second row moved all the way rearward, our knees touched the seat backs while sitting in the third row, but when placed at a more moderate position, there is enough room for the rearmost passengers. In fact, when the second row is pushed all the way forward there is 99 centimetres of legroom, the best in the class. We really like that the third-row seats tilt (almost enough to take a comfy snooze). Like the second row, window shades and cup holders abound.

Every Sienna gets tri-zone climate control with physical HVAC buttons, but our XSE tester adds another zone for the front passenger. No more arguing with the family over interior temperatures or telling little Suzy to put on a sweater. The rear liftgate can be activated with a quick kick motion, revealing 949 litres of cargo space. The third row can be stowed quite easily, but the seats don’t seem to lock into place once flush with the floor. Regardless, with those seats out of the way you have 2,129 litres to store all your gear, expanding to 2,860 litres when the second row is folded.

Unfortunately, the Sienna is still equipped with Toyota’s older infotainment technology. This means a nine-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The newer system is much quicker with better graphics and more features, but we like the inclusion of physical buttons for common menus like audio, navigation, phone and home page on this set up.

Also unimproved is the back up camera. The view is grainy and has no business being displayed inside a 2024 model year vehicle. Gauges are analog but there is a 7-inch digital display in the middle of the cluster with information like speed, fuel economy, audio and the like. Still, those who live or die by the screen may want to give the Sienna a pass.

However, you do get available SiriusXM satellite radio and 12-speaker JBL stereo system. There is even an available rear-camera mirror that streams a wide-angle video feed directly to the centre rear-view mirror. Our tester wasn’t equipped with this, but hopefully it’s got better resolution than the standard backup camera. Some trims get in-dash navigation but come on, you’re just going to use Google maps anyways, right?

There are plenty of USB ports, both -A and -C, scattered about the cabin, and our tester comes with a 1500-watt inverter with a 120-volt outlet for the second row and one in the rear cargo area. Be warned that you must turn on these outlets using a button located near the driver’s seat. Neglect to push it and your laptop will just sit there wasting precious charging minutes.

The Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver’s aids is standard across the board and includes things like lane departure alert, automatic emergency braking that can detect a pedestrian or cyclist, road sign recognition, full-speed adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are also standard.

Most systems work as advertised, with adaptive cruise control taking away much of the stress of commuting in stop-and-go traffic. Although a lane-keeping assist in theory should keep the Sienna centred in its lane, we experienced a bit of side-to-side movement while using it. The good news is that the button is smack-dab on the steering wheel, so the function is easy to turn on and off.

There are plenty of airbags in the Sienna including side curtain airbags for all three rows. Nice to know the little kiddos are protected. Rear passengers also get a seat belt reminder and you’ll get a reminder to check the second and third rows for cargo and/or people when you turn off the Sienna. Not that you need that, I’m sure.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna has been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with four out of five stars for frontal crash and rollover protection and five out of five stars for side crash protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the 2024 Sienna the top score of “Good” in crashworthiness and seat belt and child restraint systems. However, in front crash prevention the minivan was rated as “Average.”

Perhaps the Sienna’s biggest draw is its fuel economy. The hybrid powertrain gets a Natural Resources Canada fuel rating of 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 6.5 on the highway, and 6.6 combined in front-wheel drive models. In an AWD Sienna, those figures climb slightly to 6.8 L/100 km city, 6.6 highway, and 6.7 combined. We didn’t see quite as good economy during our week with the vehicle, but our 7.4 L/100 km certainly beat the pants off the ratings of the rest of the segment.

However, if you want to up your hybrid game, you should look at the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid. This minivan will give you up to 51 kilometres of all-electric range, at which point it switches to gas-only propulsion with a rating of 8.0 L/100 km combined.

The base Sienna LE with FWD and eight-passenger seating starts with an MSRP of $48,015, including a $1,930 destination charge and other fees. A top of the line Limited with AWD and second-row captain’s chairs costs $66,215. Our XSE tester in front-wheel drive costs $53,515 in Canada, fees in.

Those prices are about in line with the Honda Odyssey, but the Chrysler Pacifica can go even higher when fully kitted out. Those looking for a bargain should check out the Kia Carnival, starting at under $44,000. As a bonus, upper Carnival trims also get an infotainment system with a 12.3-inch screen.

Toyota’s warranty is pretty standard: a three-year/60,000-kilometre warranty for the vehicle and a five-year/100,000-kilometre warranty for the powertrain. Hybrid components are covered for eight-years/160,000 kilometres and the battery gets 10-year/240,000-kilometre coverage. Roadside assistance is included for three years with unlimited kilometres.

While SUVs seem to rule the roads these days, families shouldn’t forget about the tried-and-true minivan. The 2024 Toyota Sienna is the perfect buy for frugal parents who want to save money on fuel while hauling their offspring and their gear from home to school and wherever else kids go these days. Sure, it’s not the most dynamic vehicle to drive and the tech could use an update, but add the safety features and interior space to the Sienna’s stellar efficiency and you’ve got a darn good van.

Note: Images show a US model.