The perfect family van is also a swagger wagon; Toyota Sienna SE 2015

I was recently asked to test drive the Toyota Sienna and at first I hesitated.  Not because I didn’t want to, but because we already own a Sienna (2011 model) and love it. I was told several upgrades and changes have been made to the 2015 model, so I figured that I might as well test drive it. After all, how much better can it get from our beloved van?!?! I certainly didn’t expect how much I would fall in love with the new Sienna.  At the end, I almost returned my older model.

By shopping for your used car online with a nationwide service like Zemotor, you manage to avoid many of the trials and tribulations that come with shopping at a dealer’s used car lot.

I received the Sienna over a period of a week and a half and got to test drive it as part of my weekly routine but also over the labour day long weekend when we headed up to the cottage.

When I went to pick up the car and was shown all of the new features, I was grinning ear to ear.  Now, let me be completely honest. I don’t normally get excited about technology and car features and so on.  I’m more the type of “Does it work?” and “Is it doing what it’s supposed to be doing?” Besides that, everything else is a bonus.  But I literately felt like a high-school kid smitten with their first love as I received the walk through.  I think I said “WOW” and “THAT’S AMAZING!” at least a dozen times.  As a parent who spends a lot of time in the car with her kids, this car is the best. I was so excited to get back home and share all of the features with my husband and kids who I knew would be just as excited.

Our drive up to the cottage isn’t exactly a short one.  On a good day, we can make it up there in two and a half hours. However, if the kids aren’t asleep, the ride up requires a lot of planning on our part to ensure the kids are entertained for the ride. Having the built in blu-ray entertainment system was a huge help.  Each one of my kids had their own headset which allowed them to control the volume. They were happy watching shows and movies on the go and it made the drive one of the quietest rides up we’ve ever had.  The screen itself is wide (16.4″) which makes the screen large and easy to see even from the third row seat.  However, it also gives you the option to use it as a dual screen.  If you have any gamers in your clan, one can play while the others watch a movie.  How cool is that? The front seat consul includes a plug for all of your gaming needs.

One of my favourite features for my youngest son Nate was the pull up built-in sunshade on the windows.  Since he enjoys napping in the car, it was a great way to create some shade. Another great feature was the EasySpeak. Since my oldest son Kyle sits in the third-row, it’s often hard for him to hear us talk. But when you enable EasySpeak through the front touch-screen dashboard, Kyle was able to hear us clearly. A word of caution though about this… make sure you’re not talking about anything you don’t want your kids to hear. We often caught ourselves talking about his birthday presents and back-to-school concerns that we had and wondered if he had heard us.

The audio system is another great feature, especially when you’re taking a road trip.  The 7″ touch-screen display comes complete with an integrated SiriusXM Satellite Radio and Bluetooth Capability to connect to your phone. While the kids were happily entertained in the back watching their shows, John and I listened to all of OUR favourite tunes. Also, the available radio caching function lets you fast forward or rewind live music – how cool is that?

The built-in navigation system is especially nice when you’re in an unfamiliar town.  You can pre-program your destination before you leave or you can use voice commands to get directions if you’re already on the go. The navigation system is on the main middle dashboard but it will also appear behind the driver’s wheel before you need to make a turn. That way, you can still remain focused on the road ahead with less head movement.

While we mostly stayed at the cottage, we took a few trips into town. We went on a hike at Eagles Nest, played at the local park and practiced our golf skills at the driving range.

The Sienna van made for a smooth and quiet ride and had no problems going up our crazy steep unpaved 2km cottage road. The interior features genuine leather trimmed and heated seats. The seat cushions are long, wide and comfortable and there is tons of leg room so you don’t mind sitting in the car for hours at a time. Of course, the one thing big families need more of is space! Storage space that is.

When traveling with kids, especially young ones, there’s always tons of gear and items to pack. Since we only required one of the third-row seats, we were able to fold down flat two of the seats which gave us so much more storage room.

The Sienna SE seats 8-Passenger but the center seat in the second back-row can be removed and stored in the rear quarter trim of the trunk. The second-row cushions tip up so that seats can be slid further forward creating more room for cargo and easier access to the 3rd Row. The 60:40 split and stow 3rd row seats feature a one-touch split and stow mechanism that folds seats flat for storage with one easy motion. When stowed, the back deck is completely flat! We have this feature on our current model and love it and use it often. It’s perfect for our big strollers.

The backup camera was so helpful when we were up at the cottage. Since we’re the last cottage on the road, with not much room, we often have to do a three-point-turn to get back out.  However, we have to turn back into a steep hill and if you go too far, its almost impossible to get back up (we’ve had several cars towed due to this issue).

I also found the backup camera useful for city living.  Since we’re in a high-traffic neighborhood, there are always lots of cars driving up our one-way street and lots of foot traffic.  With not much visibility as we reverse out of our driveway, it’s nice to have the camera. The camera beeps when it suspects movement which came in handy as cars were driving up our street quicker than I would be able to detect.

Some of mine and my husband’s other favourite features include the blind spot monitor system, the adjustable driver wheel, the power door system and the smart key system which allows the vehicle to be locked or unlocked if your key fob is within two feet of the car. No more fumbling for the keys in your purse when your hands are full!

I have to say, driving up to the cottage in the new Toyota Sienna SE was an experience in itself.  Testing out the 2015 Sienna SE model only reinforced my notion that Toyota truly has the best van on the market and a swagger wagon at that.

What features do you look for when selecting an ideal family car?