You'll get 36mpg as long as youre keeping it below 70mph. A few less if youre doing 75+

 

If you keep it around 70 or lower you will get 36+. In my climate if I drive conservatively and keep it in the 65 range with cruise control and not a lot of changing speeds rapidly, I've gotten as much as 41mpg on trips that are all highway.

Conversely if I drive 90+ I've gotten as low as 28mpg.

So basically don't speed excessively and you'll get the estimated mileage or better. Go over 75mph and you'll get lower and lower mpg.

 

Short answer is that you can expect the EPA Highway mileage (36MPG), unless you drive aggressively.

In terms of battery charging etc., don't worry about it. Just drive it like you would any other car. Computer works behind the scene to keep it all going without you having to do anything.

Btw, the EV range/mode is mostly meant for parking lots. Sienna doesn't have any option to drive first X miles on battery like Rav4 Prime or Prius Prime.

 

Apologies in advance if this comes through harshly, but there appear to be a number of misunderstandings here. The Sienna has no "electric range". If your battery happens to be full you might be able to go a few miles on electricity if you go very slow. On the highway you're getting basically the fuel economy of the little 4 cylinder, which is why it's so good. You get a little benefit from the regenerative braking whenever you slow down or go down a steep hill. The van should get the EPA rated 35 mpg highway plus or minus depending on your driving style. The engine puts some energy into the battery so it can pull from the battery when it needs extra power.

 

I have had a 2021 Sienna for 7 months now and have driven 23K miles. I can assure you that it is perfectly suitable for all reasonable roles, which include those of a commuter car, a family hauler, a touring vehicle, and a van.

Seeing that you mentioned 19 miles of electric range, you surely mean a different vehicle? The 2021 and 2022 Sienna doesn't have a plug.

 

I think you mean 19mph as the maximum SPEED in EV mode (not distance). If I had that kind of commute I'd be thinking about a more fuel efficient vehicle unless you really need the room and seats of a Sienna. Sienna is great for a 7/8 passenger vehicle, but if you're commuting solo you can do much better.

 

Hey all, thank you for the replies.

I must have mis-read the 19 miles range on battery, given I can't find that again. Apologies for the confusion.

@ROJA @Dimitrij @Sienna9816 @np20412 Overall, how do you find the noise of the car to be? I went test drive a new Sienna, but unfortunately, it was barely charged (too new), so there was a lot of loud purring noise when I accelerate. Does this goes away when the battery get charged more fully? and does it go away when it get up to speed?

@ROJA I have a mid-size SUV right now, averaging probably 28mpg on HWY. I wanted a minivan because my family barely fits in it now. It will be the second car, and if it is more efficient than my SUV, I would use it to commute to work as well. That's the idea. I was also considering the Pacifica Hybrid, but the horror stories of it dying on the HWY just plainly scares me.

 

Hey all, thank you for the replies.

I must have mis-read the 19 miles range on battery, given I can't find that again. Apologies for the confusion.

@ROJA @Dimitrij @Sienna9816 @np20412 Overall, how do you find the noise of the car to be? I went test drive a new Sienna, but unfortunately, it was barely charged (too new), so there was a lot of loud purring noise when I accelerate. Does this goes away when the battery get charged more fully? and does it go away when it get up to speed?

@ROJA I have a mid-size SUV right now, averaging probably 28mpg on HWY. I wanted a minivan because my family barely fits in it now. It will be the second car, and if it is more efficient than my SUV, I would use it to commute to work as well. That's the idea. I was also considering the Pacifica Hybrid, but the horror stories of it dying on the HWY just plainly scares me.

The droning noise, as it's generally referred when the Sienna engine is pushed a little, is unmistakably present. Many many people comment on it after their first test drive.

In my 20K Miles - one year of driving it, I think it happens a lot less in real life, or that you get used to it, one or the other, or both. I say don’t let it distract you too much. Nothing comes close to MPG and inside space like Sienna.

Did you take your 2nd seat passengers for test drive? If not, please schedule another one with them. You will come out with much clearer picture afterwards. (Take your checkbook with you too. There's a pretty good chance you will drive out in one too ).

 

If you don't need AWD and can charge at work, there's a pretty compelling story for the Pacific plug-in van. Most of your driving could be on electric. But you have to be OK with the Pacifica...

I find the van to be pretty quiet in terms of wind noise. Easy enough to have a conversation, talk on the phone, etc. Much better than my Mazda5 with a roof rack. The gas engine is a little noisy only if you are accelerating full throttle (very rare). The electric motor makes a distinctive (quiet) sound when it's driving the wheels. I like it.

You probably have good reasons for the commute but a 67 mile commute sounds horrible unless there's no traffic. In my area that would be at least 1.5 hours each way. Maybe save the money to try to live closer and improve your lifestyle dramatically (I can attest to this firsthand - it has changed my life).

 

I recently had 1000 mile road trip driving most of those miles on the highway going at 75 mph and I got 28 mpg. Both the trip computer and the calculated mpg were 28. Mpg drops a lot above 65 mph.
I get 35 mpg from the suburban drives with no traffic with heaters on and many short trips. I get 40+ mpg if I drive without heater and don't take short trips.

 

This is the same as my experience with my Sienna as above. I have 7600 miles now and I can say that the 35mpg is about a 15% overestimate IMO with general driving. When I do short trips (grocery store, local stuff), the car has to turn on the engine once you start the car which is typical of the hybrid...therefore using gas. When I stop to run the errand and return home, the same thing has to happen with the engine. Therefore, the engine is running more...and my mpg is worse locally. When I do commuting (about 30 miles each way), I get better mileage - if I keep it under 70mph. I get max so far 31mpg if I am careful and control as many aspects of my drive as possible. I use cruise control as much as I can because I let the car do the ideal acceleration/deceleration to get max efficiency. If I drive over 70mph I am only getting 28-29mpg which is a bit of a letdown. However, I have not gotten close to the 35mpg since I've owned the car. If I can factory reset the computer to start the calculations from scratch, maybe...but as of now, not close to 35mpg.

 

I am considering getting a Sienna for commute to work and occasional family outing. I would drive about 67 miles daily in total for commute (90% on hwy).

This is way over the 19 miles EV range that Sienna support. Does anyone know or have experience how Sienna will perform for long commute like this? I am mainly concern about its fuel efficiency. Would it mostly use the combustion engine for the commute? How well would the battery get charged if I do mostly hwy?

I regularly drive a hilly route to our place up North on minor highways and country roads. With practice and a light touch on the accelerator I can run on the EV mode a fair bit on long slight downhills, and I exceed the EPA mileage often.

On major controlled access highways I can still exceed it, but my wife has a heavier foot on the gas and if she drives we get less than the EPA rating.

 

I am considering getting a Sienna for commute to work and occasional family outing. I would drive about 67 miles daily in total for commute (90% on hwy).

This is way over the 19 miles EV range that Sienna support. Does anyone know or have experience how Sienna will perform for long commute like this? I am mainly concern about its fuel efficiency. Would it mostly use the combustion engine for the commute? How well would the battery get charged if I do mostly hwy?

The “ CV” doesn’t work over 20 mph.

 

I am considering getting a Sienna for commute to work and occasional family outing. I would drive about 67 miles daily in total for commute (90% on hwy).

This is way over the 19 miles EV range that Sienna support. Does anyone know or have experience how Sienna will perform for long commute like this? I am mainly concern about its fuel efficiency. Would it mostly use the combustion engine for the commute? How well would the battery get charged if I do mostly hwy?

The Sienna has zero EV range. None. There is a button to engage EV mode, BUT you're limited to 20 mph, the battery must have more than half it's charge, and you can't accelerate too hard for the 60HP of electric motors to suffice without needing help from the engine. You're lucky to go 2 miles.

It would use the combustion engine almost exclusively on the highway. The only time it wouldn't is when you suddenly take your foot off the accelerator pedal. Then as little sign will come on saying "EV" in the gauge cluster. This is not to be confused with EV mode, which is a different sign and only started by using the button by the gearshift. The "EV" light can come on at any speed, and indicated the gas engine is not is use, hence the car is an EV during the time that indicator is on. There is also a hybrid system indicator which shows you in real time whether the engine is on, the battery is charging or being depleted, etc. One of the things I wish Toyota would have included (or at least give the option for an enthusiast) is a mode where the hybrid system will try and keep the battery as charged as possible. For instance, if you have 3 bars of battery and know you'll need more in 5 miles because you're about to be going up a mountain, you'd engage this as yet nonexistent "hyper charge" function so you'll have enough charge in the battery to get you up the mountain. But the system does a pretty good job of keeping everything charged by itself. You really can just drive it like a normal car and enjoy the freakishly good MPG.

Some fuel economy tips:
Don't use the (admittedly hugely addictive) adaptive cruise control. Vary your speed manually. Take your foot off the gas if you think you may have to slow down. The car will shut off it's engine and you'll get some MPG gains.
Accelerate up hills, then take your foot off the gas at the top and coast down as an EV. The faster you're going when you crest that hill, the longer you'll stay an EV going down. You'll need the engine going up the hill anyway, so just make it work a bit harder so it can take a rest and shut off for a few hundred yards on the way down. I've found this saves gas as opposed to going 70MPH on cruise up and down and the engine never turning off.
Don't be a hooligan. Pull away from a stop slowly and gently. You'll be an EV longer. It'll take you longer to get where you're going, but in the city, that's probably just another red light anyway, so who cares? I've started off from a stop as an EV and kept it all the way to about 45MPH. Took a while to get there, but I did it without a drop of gas.

 

The EV kicks on all the time at any speed it can. Much of the above post is simply false, especially the bit about avoiding the cruise control since that’s the single best way to maximize time where forward motion is generated with battery power.

 

I wonder if Sienna's ACC uses different algorithms for driving in the ECO- vs. non-ECO mode.

 

Test drove The hybrid. Was greatly unimpressed. Perhaps the battery was down but it seemed the 4 cyl was running 90% of the time and was unacceptably noisy. General decision was that it was a POS and would not consider one though the mileage would almost cut my gas use in half. This was in a Braun converted handicap van so it may be louder than in an OEM. Would love the Pacifica 30 mile range on batteries but no one does a side entry conversion, only rear entry and I prefer for us to enjoy traveling together as compared to her being in the back with me driving miss daisy.

 

If you did highway driving then yes the 4cyl will be running 90+ percent of the time. Hybrids shine in stop and go local driving, not highway driving.

 

I found this interesting in the Quick Reference manual regarding EV Mode:

"In EV drive mode, electric power is supplied by the hybrid battery (traction battery), and only the electric motor (traction motor) is used to drive the vehicle. This mode allows you to drive in residential areas early in the morning and late at night, or in indoor parking lots etc. without concern for noises and gas emissions."

So there you go. Per Toyota it's basically only good for silent running at slow speeds over very short distances. Intentionally of course, not because it's a tiny battery 😉

 

You’re confusing use of the van in dedicated EV mode manually forced on by the driver with normal driving where EV is managed by the computer and comes on all the time whenever possible to maximize mileage. The only open question for me is whether this confusion is authentic or intentional.

 

I drive 70 miles roundtrip to work, and have put in more than 20k miles. Mostly its on the freeway, at least 80%. I can confirm that driving around 70mph returns the 36mpg EPA rating. Driving at 65mph can bump it up to 40mpg in my route to work.

 

The EV button is a gimmick. There's a set of requirements in order for anyone to force EV using the button. I advise not to use it. You can "force" EV mode by coasting, or accelerating slowly from standstill to a max of 36mph and holding it there on flat surface for about a mile if on full battery, based from my experience. YMMV

 

I would not describe the "forced" EV mode as a gimmick, but it's only useful for a narrow range of specific purposes, e.g. when you want to make sure the engine doesn't turn on while you maneuver inside an attached garage.

I drove 880 miles yesterday, all highway, in my 21 XSE AWD. Loaded with stuff for the holidays and 5 people through the Northeast (so heat on the whole time). I probably got around 28-29mpg doing mostly 70-80mph (77mph was a frequent cruise control setting).

Some general observations - may not be real or not. ECO mode is a little better for fuel economy. Driving off cruise control is better for fuel economy - this one I need to look into more, I just got the sense that my last couple hundred miles (which admittedly were the flattest) I was driving faster and got better mileage numbers.

I think I was expecting to be in the low 30s the whole time but I'm guessing speed matters. But still - pretty impressive.

In my experience, Sienna's ACC is great for fuel economy when driving on flat terrain, in accordance with the "Mother Computer knows best" wisdom. However, on undulating terrain a human driver may allow the speed to decay a little on while going uphill, and then let the car roll downhill as fast as it would (within the speed limit, of course!!!), picking up more momentum for coasting or climbing the next hill. Whereas your cruise control will stubbornly attempt to keep the speed constant, likely forcing the engine to operate above its optimal RPM range.

The different opinions regarding the hybrid Sienna’s highway efficiency is interesting. We recently did a 2000 mile road trip that included some serious mountains and many miles running close to 80 mph. Passed a lot of cars on rural 2 lanes never hesitating to get on the throttle. Total trip average was 36 mpg. The van has plenty of power thanks in part to the torque provided by the battery power when it is needed.

Our last vehicle was also a four cylinder, a 2015 Subaru Forester that was a gutless wonder compared to the Sienna. Our Forester never got above 25 mpg even on the highway.

In my 40 plus years of driving which includes dozens of vehicles (V-8,s turbos), this Sienna ranks at the top of my list as a great highway cruiser from a comfort, power, and efficiency Perspective.

In agreement with your observation I would say that the Gen4 Sienna doesn't feel underpowered comparing to any of the ICE vehicles I have driven over the past 1M miles, and that includes a number of V-shaped- and diesel engines.

Perhaps one of the reasons why some find the van "underpowered" is the lingering stereotype of a poky virtue-signaling device that the hybrids earned in the early era. Others interpret the smooth, jerk-less acceleration of the Hybrid Synergy Drive as a "weak engine symptom". At the same time Sienna has a slightly better 0 to 60 mph than the V6, 300 hp Odyssey.

 

I drove 880 miles yesterday, all highway, in my 21 XSE AWD. Loaded with stuff for the holidays and 5 people through the Northeast (so heat on the whole time). I probably got around 28-29mpg doing mostly 70-80mph (77mph was a frequent cruise control setting).

Some general observations - may not be real or not. ECO mode is a little better for fuel economy. Driving off cruise control is better for fuel economy - this one I need to look into more, I just got the sense that my last couple hundred miles (which admittedly were the flattest) I was driving faster and got better mileage numbers.

I think I was expecting to be in the low 30s the whole time but I'm guessing speed matters. But still - pretty impressive.

 

Yep,that is my experience that when it is flat, the speed control is a winner but once you get into any significant hills the speed control is heavy on the throttle trying to quickly maintain speed and kills your mpg.

 

The different opinions regarding the hybrid Sienna’s highway efficiency is interesting. We recently did a 2000 mile road trip that included some serious mountains and many miles running close to 80 mph. Passed a lot of cars on rural 2 lanes never hesitating to get on the throttle. Total trip average was 36 mpg. The van has plenty of power thanks in part to the torque provided by the battery power when it is needed.

Our last vehicle was also a four cylinder, a 2015 Subaru Forester that was a gutless wonder compared to the Sienna. Our Forester never got above 25 mpg even on the highway.

In my 40 plus years of driving which includes dozens of vehicles (V-8,s turbos), this Sienna ranks at the top of my list as a great highway cruiser from a comfort, power, and efficiency Perspective.

 

Our last vehicle was also a four cylinder, a 2015 Subaru Forester that was a gutless wonder compared to the Sienna. Our Forester never got above 25 mpg even on the highway.

We have a manual 2015 Forester 2.5 and we get between 19-23 MPG when I drive... and 26 when my wife drives. I'm really looking forward to getting Echo level fuel economy out of a minivan. Only worry is the build quality. Maybe should stay out of the forums? lol

 

Even on very flat surfaces if the battery has the charge, if you let up completely on the accelerator and gently reapply the accelerator you can coax the EV on and go much further on EV than what the cruise control would do before the ice kicks on as battery depletes. My foot accelerator feedback is a little gentler than cruise accelerator feedback.

 

I always get the EPA rating of 36 mph or better if I drive below 70mph. I learned to drive in a way that coming from a stop, the ICE only kicks in at more than 15mph if my battery has 4 bars or more. Also learned how to "force" EV when driving on a flat highway at cruising speed of 65-75mph to cut off power from the ICE every now and then when battery is charged.

 

I've only driven less than 3k miles on my 2022 XLE FWD. I never got 36 mpg like you (actual @ pump). I must be driving too fast (75mph ave). But im certain @ 65-75 mph - the ICE never shut-off. I monitor the engine RPM @ 60 or above MPH. At best, it will only idle @ 650-700 RPM (even when you let go of the gas pedal - green arrow charging the battery). The only time the ICE will shut-off to zero RPM is when you step on the brake pedal (even very slightly). Too bad our XLE does not have a built in engine tachometer. I have to use a OBD reader to get the RPM (coz you cant hear the engine at freeway speeds).

 

Speed and wind will affect your results. I get anywhere from 27 - 34 mpg on highway, usually 31-33. It is good (32-35) up to 70mph and then falls off. Tires at 36psi, no A/C or heater, windows up. I use adaptive cruise religiously but always leave the car in normal mode. Most recent 1200 mile drive, 3 tanks, 29.2, 31.4 and 31.2 mpg, lowest early in morning (FL) and then slightly higher in warm day as I drove north on a nice day. 75mph for >90% of drive, slight SE then E breeze. 1 person plus 2 heavy e Mountain bikes.

 

South California
city 50% freeway 50%
38mpg