X

2011 Toyota Sienna Limited (photos)

The new Toyota Sienna offers a plush rear cabin, and its middle row seats feature ottomans and a 16.4-inch LCD for entertainment. The driver gets some high-tech features as well.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
34118196_SS01.jpg
1 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
Minivan updates have been few and far between as of late, but the segment is heating up. Toyota released significant changes in its 2011 model Sienna, beating Honda to the punch as it prepares an updated 2011 Odyssey.
34118196_SS02.jpg
2 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The basic design of a minivan makes stylistic flourishes difficult, but Toyota made the grille and hood reflect the look of its other models.
34118196_SS03.jpg
3 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The Sienna's power train doesn't break any new ground, relying on a conventional 3.5-liter V-6 with variable valve timing. Its 265 horsepower ensures good acceleration, although the engine sounds strained during high-speed passing.
34118196_SS04.jpg
4 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
Siennas can be had in seven- or eight-passenger configuration. The eight-passenger model uses bench seats for middle and third rows, while the seven-passenger version has two captain's chairs in the middle.
34118196_SS05.jpg
5 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
In the Limited trim version, the side doors and rear tailgate are all power-operated. Pulling the side door handle causes the door to slide open, while buttons on the inside activate the closing mechanism.
34118196_SS06.jpg
6 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
These middle-row captain's chairs are plush. They recline and have built-in ottomans.
34118196_SS07.jpg
7 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
Completing rear cabin comfort is this ultra-wide-screen LCD. It is actually composed of two separate LCDs and can show one wide image or two images from separate video sources.
34118196_SS08.jpg
8 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The Sienna can be had in front-wheel- or all-wheel-drive versions, but the latter incurs a 2 mpg penalty. As for ride quality, we didn't find it particularly soft, but there was a lot of body movement during quick maneuvers.
34118196_SS09.jpg
9 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The third bench row is a little tight for three adults, although children should fit easily. With this row up, there is a deep well for cargo.
34118196_SS10.jpg
10 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
With the third row folded down, the cargo area becomes a large, flat load area.
34118196_SS11.jpg
11 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
Although the interior looks good, Toyota uses hard plastics over the dashboard. The texture on this plastic looks good, but is unpleasantly rough.
34118196_SS12.jpg
12 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The Sienna's steering is overpowered, making parking-lot turns effortless. The vehicle also has a good turning radius.
34118196_SS13.jpg
13 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The instrument cluster design is very clever, using a half circle for the tachometer, temp, and fuel gauges, and a large, full circle for the speedometer.
34118196_SS14.jpg
14 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
This six-speed automatic transmission actually has a sport setting, an anomaly in the distinctly nonsporty Sienna.
34118196_SS16.jpg
15 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
Toyota includes this small LCD at the top of the dashboard, so non-navigation-equipped Siennas can still show rich information. Leaving it in place with the navigation equipped Sienna is a cost-saving measure on the part of Toyota, so the company does not have to reconfigure the dashboard completely.
34118196_SS17.jpg
16 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The DVD-based navigation system in the Sienna uses maps with good resolution. It also overlays traffic information and dynamically routes around major problems.
34118196_SS19.jpg
17 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
Audio sources include satellite radio, a CD/DVD player, Bluetooth streaming, and an iPod interface. The disc slot is behind the LCD.
34118196_SS20.jpg
18 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The iPod interface has the usual categories for browsing a music library, including album, artist, and genre.
34118196_SS21.jpg
19 of 19 Josh Miller/CNET
The car's Bluetooth phone system downloads contacts and lets you dial by name through the voice command system.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos