2021 Sienna Hybrid Official Thread

Just read this C&D article. I may have to let our old reliable Odyssey go for one of these. Well, maybe wait for a 2022 so that they can get all the initial model year problems resolved.
Tested: 2021 Toyota Sienna Sheds Minivan Stereotypes

 

Yeah, I will be keeping my eyes on new Sienna. We had 2005 Sienna which was replaced with a used 2014 Pathfinder Hybrid last year. Although Pathfinder Hybrid gives us better mpg than the old Sienna, after seeing the EPA numbers on the new Hybrid Sienna, I really should have waited to get this instead of Pathfinder. My wife who is driving Pathfinder now prefers a minivan, and it is better suited for our use case. Yeah, there was Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid when we were looking for our replacement. It is a plug-in hybrid, but it's Chrysler. We had very bad experience with their minivan before. I would much rather spend money on Toyota, if they cost same.

 

The gas mileage of these large hybrids is impressive. I used to drive a 2007 Honda Civic. It was originally rated at 40mpg (and I think they later revised it down), but I don't think I ever got over 36mpg, and in the city it was closer to 30. But I still thought that was pretty good. Now Toyota has the RAV4, Highlander, and Sienna hybrids that are more efficient than my old car.

But I don't have much use for a large vehicle unless it can really go off road. I'm waiting for a 4Runner Prime.

 

well - they do offer it in an electric version all-wheel-drive, if you could choke down the $50k plus price tag. And if a fully-equipped, especially with dealer prep and taxes? You're looking at over $60k

Very odd it doesn't have removable seats, center row. Our plugin Pacifica minivan - between either removing or dropping seats below the floor? You can lay down whole sheets of drywall or plywood back there, or have lots of room for camping.

Considering there's at least $7,500 incentive for the plug-in, and the Pacific has huge warranty, and good things reported from Car and Driver, the stats swayed us towards the Pacifica.

2020 Chrysler Pacifica Review, Pricing, and Specs

Toyota was so quick on the draw, having hybrids before most others, but with plug-in big cars? The 2021 is the Pacific has third year in production. Glad to see the Sienna has gone hybrid, but having 90% of our mileage on all electric means we easily average between gas and electrons around 61 MPG after nearly 2 years of driving.
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My wife and I are both retired and we wonder if we still need two cars. Since we got the Prius V we drive it almost exclusively. The Odyssey sits for weeks at a time until something comes up that requires a larger vehicle like using our trailer. When we attempt to start the Odyssey, the battery is usually dead. I resorted to a trickle charger which solved that problem but my wife doesn't like having to disconnect cables and mess with the hood just to drive it.

We could replace the Prius V and our Odyssey with a Sienna that could do it all. It would consume little fuel (36 mpg combined) and save us on maintenance, registration and car insurance. Of course that means higher insurance premiums and a car payment again.

 

Oh, I didn't read that part. That is absolute deal breaker for us. Yeah, flat 8x4 plywood on the deck is a must for a minivan. Our 2005 Sienna was more of cargo van than passenger van. The second row seats sat in the garage most of the time.

 

I want a SUV that can actually go rock crawling. I live in Colorado, and getting away from crowds to go camping or hiking usually means driving on some challenging roads. A highlander is just an overgrown minivan to me. I just got back from a trip to Southern Colorado, and my favorite part was Imogene pass. My stock 2007 4Runner was the least capable vehicle we saw all day. Almost everyone else had either lifter Wranglers or lifted 5th gen 4unners with big off road tires. There were a couple pickups too.

I think there are airbags in the second row seats, so that's why they aren't removable. But obviously they were installed in a factory, so they can be removed somehow, like the front seats that "aren't removable". But unfortunately that might turn on the airbag light.

The Sienna is more efficient on gas than the Pacifica. If Toyota offered a Plug-in Hybrid Sienna, it would be better than the Pacifica in almost every way. The Prius Prime and RAV4 Prime shows that it can be done with minimal changes besides a larger battery. But either they don't want to or they don't have enough battery production.

 

Yeah, I will not try loading heavy drywalls on top of the folded chair. If the second-row seats are not removable, then it will not work for us.

 

Yeah, I see drywall cracking when hitting a bump that way.

The second row of the Pacifica Hybrid don't fold into the floor like the standard minivan, but they are removable. The third row does the hiding in the floor trick. We had the Dodge versions at work, and those folding seats are easy to use.

 

As long as the second-row seats are removable, it will work for us. Our old 2005 Sienna had that set-up, removable second-row bucket seats, and a stow-away third-row bench seat. I had the second-row seats removed and stored in our garage most of the time. With the third row being stowed away, we used the van as a cargo van most of the time, and when we needed extra seats, just raised the third-row seats.

 

Official Specs are out:

2021 Toyota Sienna - Toyota USA Newsroom

No real surprises but if you get the Platinum Limited, the weight is 4,725 lbs (2,143 kg). Wow!
Ground clearance is 6.3 in (160 mm), the same as the Lexus UX250h.
Turning circle is slightly better in AWD at 38.3 ft (11.67 m) versus FWD at 39.2 ft (11.95 m).
Same 1.87 kWh NiMH battery as in the Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RXh.
18 gal (68 L) gas tank yields 630 mile (1,014 km) of range. Second only to the Prius Prime. This is based on 35 mpg combined (6.72 L/100km) for the AWD. FWD actually beats the Prime’s stellar range at 648 miles (1,042 km). Of course at the end of a trip fueling will be a slight sticker shock over the Prime and I’m willing to bet the odds of 7 bladders over 4 or 5 will require slightly more interruptions during long trips.


iPad ? Pro

 

any idea how that weight Stacks up against the Subaru all-wheel drive plug-in?
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Without looking, the Subaru is lighter, but also a couple size classes smaller.