Even stripped down it comes with more than most
Written: Jan 18 '04
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Pros: Split folding rear seat. Reliability. A lot of "Stuff" for the money.
Cons: Hard time finding one for less than sticker price. Side air-bags are an option.
The Bottom Line: Buy this vehicle. Couldn't imagine owning anything else now.
The reliability is unmatched. The price is reasonable.
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| ejward02832's Full Review: 2004 Toyota Sienna 2WD |
After shopping all summer for a mini van (Chrysler Town and Country, Honda Odyssey, Mazda MPV, and Nissan Quest), we bought a 2004 Sienna LE with option package 1, 4, and 7. This combination gives you essentially the electric side door, cold weather package (Heated wipers, mirrors, rear heat and AC, etc), towing package (Wiring harness, bigger radiator, bigger battery, better alternator, and power steering cooler), and the safety package (Side curtain air bags, 4-wheel disk brakes, traction control, ABS, etc.).I tell everyone I know, if you have the means, buy one today.
Here are some key points broken down:
Exterior: I think this vehicle stands out with some great styling. Better than most American models. The Mazda MPV with the sport package looks sportier but, come on, this is a mini van. If you were going for exterior looks, you wouldn't even be looking at mini vans. As you can see, I'm not really a mini van person. Toyota has redesigned the look for 2004. No more of the name Sienna burned into a plastic lower panel. They also managed to hide the middle hinge for the sliding door under the rear window. No more giant groove down the side like you see on most mini vans.
Interior: Tons of room. The Nissan quest seems bigger but, the Sienna has more cargo room. I have been on a couple of long trips and never fatigued. Even sitting in the third row. And I'm 6' 1". This is a great vehicle to take friends with kids out to dinner or the theater. There's plenty of room behind the 3rd row of seats for everything (Stroller, exer-saucer, booster seat, and it still leaves room for groceries). The third row is also a 60/40 split so you can fold down just half if you want. We haven't had to yet. None of the other mini vans we looked at have this. The finish of the interior is pretty standard. The controls and gauges are well placed. Nothing out of the ordinary. There are 10 cup holders and 4 bottle holders! I have no idea what you'd do with all of them. The glove box is actually 2 glove boxes. There is the standard size glove box and there is a smaller one above it. We use the top one for maps and the registration. The second row seats push together which allows you to put a car seat right in the center. The Nissan Quest didn't do that. I thought that was odd.
MECHANICS: The 4 cylinder, 230 horse power 3.3 liter v6 moves the mini van sufficiently. The Sienna has more torque and reaches maximum torque at a lower RPM than either the Nissan Quest or the Mazda MPV. That'll get onto the highway a little quicker. The ride is more car like than the Mazda.
We were looking at SUV's at first but safety was our primary concern. But they were smaller and SUV's don't have to have steel reinforcements in the doors (And most don't). The Sienna has them. SUV's don't even have to have rear bumpers. That's why most SUV bumpers are mearly ornamental. Side curtain airbags add an extra layer of safety in the Sienna. But the side curtian air bags are NOT standard. They are part of option package 7. Every Sienna LE that we looked at had option package 7 on it though. The reliability is unmatched. The price is reasonable. It's a little more expensive than the Nissan but, you get a little more too. The Mazda MPV is less but, much smaller. By the time you add the options on the MPV just to get it up to what the Sienna come with standard, the MPV costs just about as much.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 25102
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: LE with Acessory package, options packs 1, 4, and 7
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Epinions.com ID:
ejward02832
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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