It can remotely lock and unlock the doors, and start or stop the engine for pre-heating or cooling. There are also overall vehicle health reports and notifications that can be sent to a smartphone about any warning lights.
The hybrid Sienna strikes a good balance of fuel economy and performance and is still more practical than just about any crossover SUV. SUVs are no longer exceptions to that perception, so one might as well choose a minivan! Having reviewed cars since , he takes pride in providing relevant and technically savvy consumer advice, and is extending that over into reviews in various other categories at Daddy's Digest.
He is a proud dad of one and is letting the wonderful journey of parenthood teach him new things every day. Jerry Vo. Share this article. Next Article. Essentially, AWD helps deliver more traction to the wheels to prevent them from spinning and going out of control. Rather, it sends power to two wheels and when the other two are slipping; it sends power to them as well. AWD is important for winter driving because it prevents loss of traction on slick surfaces.
Once the wheels start slipping, the AWD kicks in and ensures your vehicle remains stable. Winter weather is notorious for its low visibility—a factor that makes driving risky. As the name suggests, the Traction Control feature on the Toyota Sienna controls the amount of traction your vehicle gets. To do this, TRAC monitors wheel operation and senses if a wheel is spinning and not gripping the road. Once it detects that a wheel is losing traction it slows the vehicle, allowing the tire to make proper contact with the road.
TRAC is useful when driving in winter because it ensures your vehicle maintains adequate traction on even the slickest of surfaces.
Wheel lockup is dangerous as it can make you lose control of your car. Stability control helps your vehicle stay on the road even in low-traction conditions such as snow and ice. Also read our article about driving the Honda Odyssey in snow and winter. It reduces the torque a vehicle requires to accelerate, thus, forestalling excessive wheel spin.
It is possible to install additional snow equipment on your Toyota Sienna. And no other manufacturer today offers AWD on a minivan, so this makes the Sienna an easy choice for some shoppers who need the added capability of the AWD system.
Toyota first offered all-wheel-drive on the second-generation Sienna, which debuted for the model year. AWD has continued to be offered on every model year since, all the way up to the current Sienna. As the name implies, the AWD system in the Toyota Sienna differs from the standard system by delivering power to all wheels instead of just the front two.
During normal driving conditions, the AWD Sienna works just like any other minivan and driving the front wheels only. However, if the system detects and slippage, such as on snow or mud, the Active Torque Control system sends power to the rear wheels. It will also power the rear wheels if it detects enough body roll that slippage is possible.
The system will send more power to the wheels with the most traction. This is very similar to systems that are prevalent on many crossover SUVs. By only powering the front wheels during most driving, the engine is less stressed and therefore delivers better fuel economy. Then, you have the AWD system as a backup should you encounter any slippery roads. Opting for the AWD version of the Sienna means paying more upfront as well as more for gas, unfortunately.
Ice is a different beast in itself. I can't count how many idiots I see 5 miles up the road in a ditch in a snow storm that thinks" Hey I got 4wd", well, like I said you could have 4,6,8,10 wheel drive and you still cannot stop on ice.. Good luck with shopping AWD Siennas, they are the only way to go with the right tires for the right conditions. My experience was last winter, we had the touring tires and were trying to get up a mountain in snow and it was terrible.
The engine throttles down and the traction control kicks in and it was a problem for us. Tires matter in snow. And I would keep all weather on all year. We tend to drive on beaches of Florida in the summer, and you can get stuck there too if you don't have proper traction, at least on the drive wheels. I don't like that the engine of the Sienna sits back behind the front wheels--I think that hinders traction and performance.
I had a FWD Oldsmobile Silhouette for many years that had all weather tires, and that car was so reliable in the snow--any snow, any hills. The engine sat directly over and a little forward of the front tires and I think that made a difference when traveling over snow and sand.
If I could have another Silhouette, honestly I would have gone with that over the Toyota that I now have. Guru55XTR answered 3 years ago. The Sienna is hopeless on upgrades in snow, even with new winter tires on all four wheels. The lack of winter traction is so disappointing. It stops well, and handles well on level ground, but this van will not go up hill in snow! I live in a snow belt area of the Alleghenies low mountains and have to borrow a Subaru AWD to go anywhere that includes a snow covered hill.
I would suggest special rain tires for summers also. Also, the van hydroplanes easily on wet roads. Do not buy a Sienna FWD if you live in hilly snow country. It couldn't be any worse! JeanClaudesDammeVan answered 3 years ago. You are posting on CarGurus Canada so I will assume you live somewhere that gets significant snow during the months of November-March if you live in Vancouver and that's not the case, disregard. The ride quality is far superior on either tire to the old run-flats, which were very rough and had poor performance.
In summer I get good mileage, in the winter the AWD with the snow tires is amazing, the traction is as good as any vehicle I've driven although the aggressive TCS means you can't get it to go sideways very easily even if you want to. I love it and would never go back to a FWD vehicle, the ability to put power down on low-traction surfaces is a game-changer. I can creep up my snowy driveway as slow as I want now, while my neighbours are taking runs at it or getting out to push.
No more worrying about whether you'll get wheel spin when trying to make a left turn through traffic, or a right turn at a red light. The only downside to this is that you are running without a spare.
The only flat I ever had on this vehicle was discovered in my garage, and I was able to drive to the tire shop on a half- deflated tire to get it repaired. Your mileage may vary. James answered 3 years ago. Put better tires on that Sienna with AWD and they are very good in the snow. Those run flats are crappy whether its the michelin or the bridgestones. Get a all season tire heavily siped with some sizable spacing and grooves to the tread and the Sienna goes in the snow great.
Jean Claude might be the most knowledgeable poster but the other guy who takes his Kia out instead of an awd sienna has got to be kidding me and knows nothing about tires or traction. Toyota is notorious for putting lousy original equipment tires on their cars. GuruWD9B7 answered 3 years ago. Dodgelover's answer rang a bell with me. I've had a Sienna AWD since new. I got rid of the run flat tires and put on a recommended all season tire. It was an improvement but I was not impressed. I purchased winter tires and had them mounted on separate rims as we get lots of snow and degree Winter temperatures.
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