[DrMikeinPDX]

Hi Folks,

I was active on this forum several years ago when I was doing a sound deadening project on my almost immortal 2006 Sienna. The old minivan now has 205k on the clock and while it still runs like new and uses no oil, we are thinking about some long trips in the future and would be more comfortable with a newer Sienna.

I don't like the looks of the 2018 - 2021 Siennas, so I'm looking at good used ones in the 2015-2017 range.

Which of those years has been the least troublesome? Any significant design differences?

Also we are concerned about front seat comfort. Are the power seats more comfortable?

Take Care,

Mike near Portland Oregon

 

[adksienna]

Most will advise to stick with the 2015-2016. It has the non-DI engine (longer between spark plug changes) and the trusted 6-speed trans. I am pretty sure the seats are the same, so no difference in comfort between the power and non-power.

 

[DrMikeinPDX]

Good info, adksienna! My old 2006 is still running fine on the original spark plugs, which I appreciate a lot.

Mike near Portland, Oregon

 

[paul r]

Here is an opinion of a youtube member for the 2011-2020 years. You can fast forward to 31:44 to hear his recommendations which adksienna also dittos. My 06 LE is at 182k miles and still runs great. Good luck!

 

[DrMikeinPDX]

Thanks Paul R. That was very helpful!

 

[Dadvan]

I would keep your existing unit around but encourage changing spark plugs with new Toyota units (purchased at a real dealer). Maybe assess coils, plugs, wires as well. As long as you have maintained your water pump, belts, and transmission, you should be fine. This is a Toyota, after all.

That said, I recently got a 2016 Sienna FWD and am thrilled with it. Love love love the powertrain, and deliberately avoided the 2017+ direct injection/dual injection system. Also heard some complaints about the 8 speed transmission the 2017+ have. My 2016 always feels like it is in the right gear or shifts wonderfully at the correct time. Whoever put together and programmed my powertrain combo did a super job.

 

[starche]

2019 LE Sienna. Fantastic engine, awesome 8 shifts gearbox. Great experience in total, sporty acceleration, smooth shifting, great Toyota Sense features.

Am I missing something?

Just stay away from '17 Sienna's.

 

[DrMikeinPDX]

This week I test drove a 2016 and a 2019 Sienna. They both have more power than my 2006, but I don't need lots of power in a minivan, so that's not important. One thing I didn't like is the higher dashboard that obscures more of the road ahead. Although these vehicles are the same size as my 2006, it felt like I was driving a larger vehicle.

Front seat comfort is important to me. The 2019 had a very comfortable power driver's seat, the 2016 power seat was less comfortable.

There were a couple of funny things about the two Siennas I tested. Both had some corrosion on the unpainted engine parts that I don't have on my 2006. The 2019 was really bad. After reading the Carfax report, I found that it started life as a rental in Canada, where I assume they use salt on the roads. The 2016 had minor corrosion - it started life as a rental in Florida.

The other funny thing was that both smelled terrible. One smelled like an old locker room and the other reeked from a tree-shaped air freshener they hung from the mirror. These were both on dealer lots.

Wish I could find one owned by a private party, but that is extremely rare in my area. The used vehicles all seem to get snapped up by dealers. Or maybe I'm not looking in the right place online.

For now I still enjoy driving my 2006, but will keep my eyes open for targets of opportunity.

 

[LetsGoPlaces]

Just try finding other places and sometimes may need to go out of state.

 

[fibber2]

The difficulty of finding a great young van isn't new. In early 2016 we purchased a CPO 2015. We live in NY, and did a few weeks of tri-state searching. We finally located our 'target' vehicle: one in Ohio, one in Virginia. We ended up with the Virginia van.

 

[starche]

Bad smell usually means they had water damage (flood). Stay away from such vehicles/

For high dash - well, that's the reality in our days. Not big fan of that, but I guess it is what it is./

 

[DrMikeinPDX]

Hey Guys,

One feature I'd like to find is power rear vent windows. I'm referring to the "third row" side windows. Anyone know what trim lines included that feature? I haven't found them on any Siennas I've looked at, but apparently they do exist, because there is part listing for the motor. Still looking at 2016s and 2019s.

 

[starche]

Hey Guys,

One feature I'd like to find is power rear vent windows. I'm referring to the "third row" side windows. Anyone know what trim lines included that feature? I haven't found them on any Siennas I've looked at, but apparently they do exist, because there is part listing for the motor. Still looking at 2016s and 2019s.

I would think that Limited should have it. My LE definitely missing that thing.

I wonder if I can install those motors by myself. Shouldn't be that difficult, but might be expensive? Did some1 tried that?

 

[LetsGoPlaces]

Hey Guys,

One feature I'd like to find is power rear vent windows. I'm referring to the "third row" side windows. Anyone know what trim lines included that feature? I haven't found them on any Siennas I've looked at, but apparently they do exist, because there is part listing for the motor. Still looking at 2016s and 2019s.

The XLE and LTD comes with that feature but the LE ands SE does not come with it.

 

[bunmango]

I would think that Limited should have it. My LE definitely missing that thing.

I wonder if I can install those motors by myself. Shouldn't be that difficult, but might be expensive? Did some1 tried that?

definitely doable if you’re mechanically inclined - there’s a whole thread about it here quarter window retrofit from manual to power (se and le)

 

[starche]

definitely doable if you’re mechanically inclined - there’s a whole thread about it here quarter window retrofit from manual to power (se and le)

Wow. That's exactly what I need. Thank you for that link.

Sure enough I can do that, not that difficult. However, I'll wait till summer, it's a bit cold here in Canada lol

 

[DrMikeinPDX]

I thought you guys might like an update on my Sienna search. After doing my research, I decided that the sweet spot for reliability was probably 2016.

I drove three different 2016s and a 2019. I have been unable to find any privately owned Siennas that looked good, so these were all located at dealers of various types. Prices ranged from 19K to 25K. Two had obvious problems with corrosion and odors. One came from Canada and one came from Florida. Three of the five started out life as rentals.

My main impression after test driving these four Siennas is that for my purposes they are not much of an upgrade from my old 2006 with 205k on the clock. They don't ride or handle any better, in fact my 2006 feels more agile around town. The newer models felt more truck like.

None of them were any quieter on the road. Note that I did a pretty extensive sound deadening treatment on my 2006 which made a big difference when I did it back around 2010 so it's not really a fair comparison. One funny observation is that when I close the drivers door, the new models sounded cheap and tinny while the 2006 sounded like a luxury car due to the sound deadening.

The newer Siennas definitely had more power than the 2006, but I don't own a minivan for sporty driving, I have other vehicles for that.

Obviously I didn't check gas mileage, but from what I can see it's about the same.

I was hoping to find more comfortable seats. The cloth non-power seats in my 06 are OK, but wifey and I are getting older and like our comfort. The power leather seats in the high end models were slightly better, but not a lot. The power cloth seats in the lower models were a definite downgrade from 06, largely due to the short front to back seat length. The models with the leather seats also had low profile tires, sunroofs and DVD players that I didn't want. None that I tested had the power rear vent windows that I'd love to have.

Overall, this has been an educational, but rather frustrating experience. I've decided that for now I will hold onto the 2006 and just pay careful attention to maintenance and repairs. I had it checked out extensively in December and it is in surprisingly good shape mechanically.

 

[DrMikeinPDX]

Here is an opinion of a youtube member for the 2011-2020 years. You can fast forward to 31:44 to hear his recommendations which adksienna also dittos. My 06 LE is at 182k miles and still runs great. Good luck!

Thanks for posting this YouTube channel. I am really enjoying his videos!