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2021 or 2022 Toyota Sienna AWD as road trip vehicle

sparty

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I‘m *guessing” that Toyota didn’t want to change the ride quality/handling a whole lot, so only is lifting the vehicle 0.7” Maybe. Whatever. As you indicate, if we choose, we can later have the vehicle lifted a bit more.

Don't overlook the mileage hit in the context of fleet averages. If you modify a vehicle to be more capable on rough terrain at the expense of fuel mileage, it doesn't affect the federal stats; if they sell enough with that option package, it does.

Not that I have any particular insight into their thinking, but I've seen engineering decisions that clearly prioritized tenths of a MPG on other vehicles.
 

Ogg

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Don't overlook the mileage hit in the context of fleet averages. If you modify a vehicle to be more capable on rough terrain at the expense of fuel mileage, it doesn't affect the federal stats; if they sell enough with that option package, it does.

Not that I have any particular insight into their thinking, but I've seen engineering decisions that clearly prioritized tenths of a MPG on other vehicles.
This is one of the main reasons OEM tires are usually trash. Low rolling resistance usually also means low grip. I realize this is becoming less of an issue as tire technology advances but I still won't buy a tire that claims it will save me gas as a selling point.
 

Rod9301

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OK, some things to think about for now. Keep comments coming.

Another conundrum I have is our existing 2 vehicles. I really don’t want to have three. We are conservative that way, we are also financially pretty conservative when it comes to cars. My husband drives his until they basically fall apart. He’ll replace parts when needed until it’s just not practical to do so anymore. They are people movers for us, not toys. This isn’t to say they shouldn’t be fun, etc. Fuel efficiency and reliability for important.

Our existing vehicles are a 2015 Outback and a 2005 Xterra (off road....skid plates, heavy duty shocks and off road tires).

The Outback is in great shape and I’ve loved it, but I have some issues with it, especially for long trips. The seats are as comfy as I’d like. With 2 dogs and gear, it’s a tight fit (we’ve done it before). I’ve had to replace both rear wheel bearings after 80,000 miles as well as the axels. Not real happy about that. I’m on my third battery, which seems a bit unusual. (No I didn’t leave interior lights on or anything like that). The navigation sucks and I don’t use it.

The Xterra has been used for real off reading, in Utah. It was bought for utility. It’s in really good shape and our mechanic says it’ll have no problem reachin’t 250,000 miles (it is at 160,000 now). New shocks, bearings, etc. It’s old school and that’s fine with us for this vehicle and that’s part of its charm. For a cross country trip with dogs we are in the same boat as we are with the Outback, it’ll be cramped (which gets tiring after all those miles) and of course the gas mileage on a 4WD truck is not efficient. It would also be nice to have some more creature comforts than it offers for a long trip.

My thought was to sell the Outback. My reasoning is that the Xterra was my husband’s field vehicle (he’s a geologist) and I don’t want to get rid of his beloved vehicle. He really does love that thing, and he’s not one to become really attached to vehicles. In normal use, it doesn’t get driven much. I’m afraid that if I keep the Outback, over the next few years I’ll really resent that vehicle, even though I’ve loved it until the last few months.

With a new vehicle purchase, we will not buy another for another 2 years, until after we move. We are saving our $ for the move and new house and I don’t want to dump even more $ into another vehicle. Could we do it if necessary? Sure. But it would be sort of dumb, financially.

So, I guess this leads me to my next question: Is my reasoning behind selling the Outback for the Sienna a valid one?
We went on a road trip 2 adults 2 kids in Europe in an outback with a ski box on top.
Plenty of room, and we had 4 bikes in the back
 
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Wendy

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We went on a road trip 2 adults 2 kids in Europe in an outback with a ski box on top.
Plenty of room, and we had 4 bikes in the back
Yes, I’m sure. We have traveled long distances with our 2 dogs with ours, with 2 bikes and 2 paddle boards. It got old after awhile. The seats in my Outback aren’t that comfortable for long trips; they give me sciatic pain. And we’d like the option of sleeping in the vehicle, which we can do with the Sienna, even with the 2nd row of seats still in the vehicle.
 

François Pugh

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This is one of the main reasons OEM tires are usually trash. Low rolling resistance usually also means low grip. I realize this is becoming less of an issue as tire technology advances but I still won't buy a tire that claims it will save me gas as a selling point.
My Mazda came with low-rolling-resistance high gas mileage tires (Bridgestone Ecopia 422 plus I think). Grip was not bad. Not good, but not bad. I'm still replacing them with Micheline Pilots when they are done.
 

Philpug

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2022-Toyota-Sienna-Woodland-Special-Edition-7.jpg


 

Tom K.

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The Motor Trend article is more of a PR piece (how can they NOT mention the lack of removable second row seats in a camping vehicle?) but I think they sum up the whole Woodlands Edition nicely with this paragraph:

"Is all of this enough to transform this Toyota minivan into a de facto SUV? Hardly. Is it better than nothing? Sure!"
 
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Wendy

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Well, if the Sienna was transformed into an SUV it wouldn’t be a Sienna anymore, right?
(Why does everything have to be an SUV)?

I test drove a Sienna XLE today. It’s a very, very nice vehicle. Does NOT feel like a minivan when sitting in it and when driving it. More power than my Subaru, and much more comfortable, too. There’s a lot of space in it; way more than the Highlander. (I took at peek at that, too). I’m not needing a super amount of extra clearance, but wanted AWD and some nice features and more room, with good gas mileage. This fits the bill nearly perfectly. I have no issue with driving a minivan. ogsmile

I ended up ordering a 2022 Woodland Edition. There’s not even any definite pricing info on it yet, but the dealer could make an estimate. Pretty much all of the new vehicles need to be ordered right now. All of the vehicles on their lot were “test vehicles” for test driving only, simply because there’s so little inventory of new cars.

With any luck, I’ll get the Sienna sometime in the fall.
 

Andy Mink

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Well, if the Sienna was transformed into an SUV it wouldn’t be a Sienna anymore, right?
(Why does everything have to be an SUV)?

I test drove a Sienna XLE today. It’s a very, very nice vehicle. Does NOT feel like a minivan when sitting in it and when driving it. More power than my Subaru, and much more comfortable, too. There’s a lot of space in it; way more than the Highlander. (I took at peek at that, too). I’m not needing a super amount of extra clearance, but wanted AWD and some nice features and more room, with good gas mileage. This fits the bill nearly perfectly. I have no issue with driving a minivan. ogsmile

I ended up ordering a 2022 Woodland Edition. There’s not even any definite pricing info on it yet, but the dealer could make an estimate. Pretty much all of the new vehicles need to be ordered right now. All of the vehicles on their lot were “test vehicles” for test driving only, simply because there’s so little inventory of new cars.

With any luck, I’ll get the Sienna sometime in the fall.
You should order a mountain bike too and see which one gets to you first! Congrats!
 
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Wendy

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You should order a mountain bike too and see which one gets to you first! Congrats!
Haha, thanks!
Well, my mountain bike is in the shop for a good, thorough tune up and the edition of a seat post dropper. The shop is a very good one, and is super, super busy. It’s been over 2 weeks and my bike still isn’t done! Luckily I have a fat bike and my flat barred road bike.

Patience is required in these times! ogsmile

Edit: The Sienna will be the “cement” (matte gray) color. I’ve always really liked that color, so yay!
 

DanoT

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Congrats on the Sienna.

I am a big Toyota fan. Should you keep the van long term, other than a very few unwanted exceptions, Toyota is the best bet for low cost of ownership and just lasting a long time. Should you decide to keep the Sienna short term, used Toyotas hold their value better than most others.
 
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Wendy

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Congrats on the Sienna.

I am a big Toyota fan. Should you keep the van long term, other than a very few unwanted exceptions, Toyota is the best bet for low cost of ownership and just lasting a long time. Should you decide to keep the Sienna short term, used Toyotas hold their value better than most others.
Thanks! I’ve been impressed with their whole lineup and their commitment to increasing the number of hybrid models produced.

My brother owns both a RAV4 Hybrid and a Prius. He swears by Toyota hybrids, and he’s a picky engineer that researches endlessly before a purchase. So I trust his judgment, too.
 

jmeb

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PugSki Sienna Tribe. Congrats. I have no issue with driving a minivan and I'm a child-less 35-year old dude. Though the roofbox, awning, and lift does help. (And my other car is a Miata no less.)

The new Sienna is a killer ski vehicle from an efficiency point of view. Bring 6+ people and gear to the hill in comfort at 35mpg.
 

jmeb

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So what you're saying is I should apply for a SWAGWAG vanity plate?
 

Tom K.

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With any luck, I’ll get the Sienna sometime in the fall.

Toyota is doing better than most with the chip brouhaha.

Well, my mountain bike is in the shop for a good, thorough tune up and the edition of a seat post dropper. The shop is a very good one EXISTS, AND IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS SO is super, super busy.

FIFY! :ogbiggrin:
 
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Wendy

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Toyota is doing better than most with the chip brouhaha.



FIFY! :ogbiggrin:
Good to know about the chips, Tom.
Haha, yeah, my bike shop IS very good. It’s also one of the few left in the area, too, so there’s that. ;)
 

jmeb

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You spelled SkiTalk wrong.

I'd be disappointed in the forum if this was still available in CO.

I am getting a ski-related vanity plate on my next renewal for the Sienna.....
 

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