It’s a shame that minivans have such a bad rep. Some feel owning a minivan is the ultimate expression someone has “given up on life” or that a person who willingly purchases one is suddenly transported below the bottom of the barrel on a “coolness” scale. But I am not one of these people. In fact, and I may receive some hate for this, I believe minivans are cool in their own right. After all, they are purpose-built machines that serve their intentions well with fantastic pragmaticism, a bevy of features to please their market audience, and are, in some ways, on the cutting edge of convenience.
The 2023 Toyota Sienna is no exception. Like its fairly limited competition, the Sienna is a great family hauler that moves people and their stuff in the most spacious, feature-rich, and pragmatic way possible. And it must be noted that, overall, the Sienna isn’t even perhaps the most competent minivan available. Yet, as a family car, that'll live most of its life on the pavement in the suburbs, I’d take this Toyota over any three-row SUV on the market today. Does that make me uncool? Maybe. But I am a dad after all, so I kissed goodbye to wanting to be perceived as cool or caring if I am perceived as such, a long time ago.
2023 Toyota Sienna XSE
- Sliding Middle Row Seats
- Rear Seat Entertainment System
- Hybrid Powertrain
- Synthetic Leather Seating
- 2nd-Row Captain's Chairs
- Toyota Safety Sense 2.0
- Model: Sienna XSE
- Engine:: 2.5-Liter, Four-Cylinder Hybrid
- Power Output: 245 HP
- Torque: 176 LB-FT
- Range: 648 Miles
- Transmission: Electronic Continous Variable
- Driveline: FWD
- MSRP: $42,945
- MSRP (As Tested): $47,465
- Effecient Hybrid Drivetrain
- Comfortable Ride Quality
- Spacious Cabin
- Loud Engine Buzz
- Non-Removable Second Row
- Misses Some Notable Features Of Its Rivals
What’s New For 2023?
The 2023 model is the third iteration of the fourth-generation Sienna, which arrived in 2021. The Toyota Sienna debuted in the 1998 model year, marking the 2023 version as the minivan’s 25th year in production. To mark the occasion, the Sienna is available in a 25th Anniversary Edition. The special edition model is based on the XSE Plus Package model.
It is available in Celestial Silver Metallic or Windchill Pearl with leather-trimmed and heated/ventilated front seats and a memory function for the power steering column. It also includes second-row extendable footrests, 25th Anniversary unique floor mats, rear badging, and key fob, with black badging, black outer mirrors with memory function, and illuminated door sills.
Contemporary Minivan Style
Minivans in general, the Sienna included, will never be crowned in a beauty pageant, but the Toyota is proof positive that when it comes to vans, functionality tops form. To make way for all the pragmaticism, the boxy design is a must, but the Sienna is aligning with a recent trend to make minivans less, well, van-like. Toyota has gone as far as to claim the new Sienna was inspired by SUVs.
No one will mistake it as such, but the Sienna XSE and above include a larger front grille, a more angular front fascia, a more “aggressive” lower rear fascia, and 20-inch wheels. In line with Toyota’s recent design trends, there are plenty of sharp angles and lines to keep things interesting. Yes, it’s a minivan, but it’s not completely dull.
Sienna Drivetrain Offers A Supremely Efficient Hybrid
The full Sienna lineup is now hybrid, separating the Toyota from the Kia Carnival and Honda Odyssey, which are exclusively powered by gasoline, and the Chrysler Pacifica, which can either be had as a plug-in hybrid or gas-only V-6.
The Sienna is motivated by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder coupled with a 134kW electric motor powering the front wheels for a total output of 245 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel-drive models include a 40kW motor driving the rear wheels, but the total output remains the same. The setup won’t blow the doors off anything - acceleration is pedestrian at best - but it is still adequate for the school run or commuting. A notable downside of the drivetrain is the buzzy engine note, which is pervasive under acceleration.
What the powertrain lacks in gusto, it makes up for with efficiency. All models are rated for 36 highway/36 city mpg for front-wheel drive models, figures that, along with regenerative braking, I seemed to beat during my week behind the wheel with mostly city driving. That’s six more mpg’s than you get in a Pacifica Hybrid, which costs significantly more but can also deliver a notable all-electric range. The Sienna does have an EV Mode, but this is only reasonable for stop-and-go traffic as any decent push of the throttle causes the combustion engine to kick back on.
The Sienna may not be thrilling to drive, but neither is it some bunglesome behemoth (and well, most three-row SUVs aren’t exactly fun to pilot, either). The steering is lightly weighted for agility in parking decks while offering a respectable enough connection to the road, the brake pedal isn’t squidgy, and its road manners are comfortable without the suspension gangster leaning in corners.
Pragmaticism Is At The Sienna’s Forefront
Like its ilk, the Sienna is a far more practical alternative to the three-row SUV landscape. Power-sliding rear doors ensure your kids don’t slam a door into some poor person’s car in a parking lot and are easier for ingress and egress. The middle row captain’s chairs can also be slid forward or back up to 25 inches, providing a mix-n-match of cargo space as needed.
Coupled with a voluminous storage space underneath the bridge-like center stack, the deep center console, a dashboard “shelf” that houses the available wireless charging port, and spacious rear-seat/door cubbies, you could seemingly lose a child in the Sienna.
Also, unlike SUVs, there is no great sacrifice in cargo space when hauling three rows of passengers. With all seats in place, the Sienna’s deep cargo deck (which otherwise flatly stows away the rear seats) can easily swallow up a grocery haul and isn’t flummoxed by taller items like a stroller. The Sienna offers a notable 33.5 cubic feet of storage behind the rear row and up to 75 cubes behind the middle seats.
One downside of the Toyota is its middle seats aren’t removable, a feature some rivals offer.
The Sienna is available in a total of 13 configurations, seemingly providing a model for all. In addition to the 25th Anniversary Edition and higher-riding Woodland Edition, the LE and XLE are offered in either seven- or eight-seat configurations while the XSE, Limited, and Platinum are all seven-seaters.
This Toyota Minivan Is Full Of Family Friendly Features
Practicality is obviously vital in a family hauler, but the Sienna again bests three-row SUVs with amenities specifically geared toward families. For instance, Toyota’s minivan features four-zone climate control that can be adjusted from the front row. The Rear Seat Entertainment System, which is available on all but base models for $1,415, includes a roof drop-down 11.6-inch display with HDMI inputs, a remote, and two wireless headphones.
This adds to seven standard USB ports, and mid-row ottomans and an onboard vacuum cleaner are available when the Cheerios go flying. As standard, the XSE model features a nine-inch touchscreen with navigation, synthetic leather seating, wireless charging, black roof rails, 12 JBL speakers with a subwoofer and amplifier, heated front seats, and other creature comforts.
Safety Features
As expected of the minivan segment, the Sienna delivers plenty of driver’s aids and safety features. All models come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, dynamic radar cruise control, automatic high beams, and Toyota’s Lane Tracing and Road Sign Assists. The NHTSA has not yet rated the 2023 Sienna, but the 2022 hybrid model earned a five-star overall safety rating.
2023 Toyota Sienna Price
The Sienna makes a strong case for itself, with pricing that undercuts the 2023 Pacifica Hybrid by more than $14,000. The Sienna starts at $35,385 without a destination for a FWD model, with the top Platinum AWD iteration cresting $52,000. Even in its highest trim, the Sienna is just slightly more than the $49,995 required for a 2023 Pacifica Hybrid, though it must be noted the Chrysler Pacifica is a plug-in hybrid and can run on electric power alone. Starting at $42,945 excluding destination, the XSE model is an attractive choice for its features and price. That said, more budget-friendly buyers could consider the Kia Carnival, which starts at about $3,000 less than the Toyota but, with its V-6 engine, is far less efficient.
2023 Toyota Sienna Overall — Perhaps Not The Best, But Still Great
For its purpose, the Toyota Sienna is a supremely strong offering that ticks all the right boxes for a minivan. It is convenient, and comfortable no matter how many passengers are inside, it has plenty of features and has the safety, efficiency, and price that mom and dad seek. Yet, it's perhaps not the best minivan out there. Although it’s significantly more expensive, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is just all-around more solid. But that’s not so much a knock on the Sienna, as a compliment of just how competent all the players are in the current minivan market.
Will any of this sway those who have a minivan stigma? Probably not. But if you are in the market for a vehicle that does exceptionally well to haul people and is stuffed with plenty of convenience and comfort, the Sienna is absolutely worth a look. No, it’s not an SUV – it’s better. If you are considering a Toyota Sienna, check out our detailed Buyer's Guide here.