#Endorsed – I am part of the Toyota #SiennaDiaries blogging team on behalf of TMS/USA. I will be test driving this 2014 Toyota Sienna through the end of 2013. All opinions are my own.
We have been test driving the new 2014 Toyota Sienna for just over 2 months now. There are many, many things about this car we have come to love! First, the car is a beauty even if you don’t like vans! She gets as sporty as she can while still giving you all the functionality and space that only a van can offer for the price and gas mileage.
Once you’re inside the Sienna, the first thing you’ll notice is how open it feels! There are big huge windows everywhere! Our model comes with two separate sun roofs, big wide front row windows that actually open, and even little extra windows up between the driver’s window and front windshield where there is normally a big block from a paneling has been opened up to another small window giving you more visibility. I’ve driven some cars int he past where I just feel like I can’t see a darn thing! Not in this car, even with kids in 4 out of the 5 seats, I can see really well in every direction.
Other features we really have loved are the built in sun shades that can be clipped up or removed from the clips and the shade rolls down and stores inside the window frame. With so much sun in our state (this picture was taken in November, yup beautiful sunny days here still!) sun shades are absolutely essential! We have loved the built-in entertainment center for long drives to keep the kids happy and entertained. The seats themselves are really comfy with leather fabric that is easy to clean. I was surprised to see footrests for the captain seats in the first row and chairs that roll on a track making them so incredibly easy to slide forward or backward for where you need more legroom.
The Sienna is loaded with features from Satellite radio, built-in GPS, separate temperature controls for driver/passenger/rear, heated seats, multi-disc player, and much more. One of the features on the dash that we’ve relied on quite a bit, actually, is the miles to empty indicator. If you follow me on instagram, you might have seen me share that we got down to just 8 miles until an empty tank. Whoops! Too much fun playing and chatting, not enough paying attention to the gas tank!
More than anything, though, I appreciate what a great family car the Toyota Sienna is. I used to have to open and close both heavy doors by myself with a baby on my hip and often grocery bags on my arms too. Now, the kids can very easily get in and out of the car themselves with the doors opening with the push of a button or an easy tug on the handle. The back row can even fold down into the floor with the touch of a button and the back hatch just takes one button push as well!
The couple times I’ve had to go back to my regular van for a trip, it always completely surprises me how extremely heavy those doors are and how much effort it takes! In the picture above, we all went to a local soda shop my husband loves and each of the kids got to pick out their own soda after a long morning of cleaning up our home one Saturday afternoon. The Sienna makes it easy to want to take all the kids for a drive because it’s no longer such a hassle to get them in and out and buckled into the car. They all hop in, buckle themselves up except our youngest, and then we are off!
If you’re in the market for a family vehicle, be sure to head in to test drive a 2014 Toyota Sienna and see if it’s the right fit for your family!