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Why wait to buy a 2021 Sienna - is it really worth it?

23K views 63 replies 19 participants last post by  Siennashopper 
#1 ·
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.

Thank you for any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.

Bob
 
#2 ·
It sounds like waiting for the 2021 would be a better decision.

You don’t drive many miles and the vast majority of those miles are in the city. The current sienna is rated for 19MPG (city) and I can verify it gets about 16MPG in city driving. The new sienna is rated for 33MPG combined meaning highway will likely be around 28-30MPG and city will be closer to 35MPG.

I think the pricing will be similar to the 2020s with the exception of the mega high end platinum model. If you won’t be purchasing that model I think it’s a wash and the fact that the hybrid is available on every trim is a big plus.

space is very similar (someone correct me if I am wrong) and the Sienna already had the Odyssey best in interior room to begin with so you should only be gaining room over your current van.

.9% is a good rate but I think you should be able to get a decent rate on a 2021.

acceleration is a priority but only 10% on your driving if highway so that means that a only small portion (merging onto the highway) of only 10% of your driving is important. I think the 2.5 hybrid Powertrain will have enough pep to get you where you need to go without any issues. If it isn’t as much as you would like, it’s still only a small portion of your driving where you would even notice.

sorry for any typos, writing on an iPhone
 
#4 · (Edited)
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.

Thank you for any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.

Bob
The main reason I would not get a last generation Sienna is that the design currently is very old introduced in 2011. The safety of that vehicle is no where near its competitors and the 2021 Sienna is going to be far safer and much more modern and fuel efficient. Attached are IIHS results for the passenger side. Personally if I was buying today I would get a 2020/2021 Honda Odyssey followed by a 2020/2021 Pacifica. I plan to wait until this Fall to get the 2021 Sienna. If I was buying early next year I'd also consider the 2022 Kia Sedona, but it won't have AWD or Hybrid engine.

If you must have second row removable seats then the 2021 Toyota Sienna wouldn't work, but the storage otherwise looks similar. The current Sienna 0-60 is around 7 seconds. Looking at the 2020 Highlander Hybrid which the 2021 Sienna will share is 8 seconds, so likely 2021 Sienna will be between 8-9 seconds. Both my current vehicles are slower that so doesn't bother me.
 

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#5 ·
Thank you all for the very helpful replies, good points all. Subject to change without notice, we've decided to wait and review the 2021 Siennas in person, before we purchase a Sienna (2020 or 21). I just hope nothing expensive happens to our 2002 Odyssey before then.

Regards to all and thanks to Siennachat.com,

Bob
 
#6 ·
I guess you decided, but I would stick with a 2020. The second row was already terribly designed on Siennas, with the miniature middle seat and the runners remaining in the floor after seat removal. So, if they won't even be removable that is a deal killer to me. The only reason to buy a minivan is the utility (speaks to your #2). Removing the second row results in a suburban man's cargo van.

Also, reliability is the other consideration.Seems like the current model has been good. Our 2015 has. I wouldn't trust a 1st year new model.
 
#8 ·
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.

Thank you for any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.

Bob
I read a couple articles on the 2021 Sienna, and was disappointed. Personally I think the 4 banger is too small for a car as heavy as the Sienna. If Toyota just HAS to use a four cylinder, make it bigger. Hybrid cars are more expensive to repair as well. It may be a good idea for some, but not me. The 2020 will be my last Sienna unless Toyota changes their format. Also if they move the cruise from that lil stalk on the right to buttons on the steering wheel, I'm DONE! (Best cruise ever.)
 
#9 ·
Toyota hybrid vehicles have been extraordinarily reliable. Our 2012 Prius v wagon has not required a single repair since we bought it new. Toyota hybrids are quite peppy off the line due to the combined torque of the electric motors and the ICE. If I'm not careful, I can easily spin the tires of our Prius when taking off from a stop. Wanna drag race our Prius? :giggle:

I've rented Toyota with the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel and liked the new button format. The new button format seemed as easy to use as the stalk.

The only reason to buy a minivan is the utility (speaks to your #2). Removing the second row results in a suburban man's cargo van.
It depends on what you mean by "utility". We and most people I know who have bought minivans got them so they can carry more people and their stuff than possible in 2-row vehicles. I never thought about using our Sienna as a cargo van when I bought it. The cargo vans we've rented had far greater load carrying capability and were much easier to load due to their high roofs and larger door openings. Being able to carry some surprisingly large and heavy items behind the Sienna's 2nd row has been a bonus - like yesterday's incoming wine shipment. Woohoo!

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I've had a 4'x8' utility trailer for almost 40 years. It's infinitely better for carrying "rough" cargo (e.g. building materials) than our Sienna. If I didn't have my trailer and needed one, I would rent a similar size Uhaul trailer which is only $14.95/day.
 
#10 ·
lol. You can't compare a Prius with a Sienna in terms of power. Imagine this scenario, a fully loaded Sienna (6 passengers and their luggage), going up a mountain at high altitude. You think a 4 banger will be enough? What I love about the Sienna and any minivan is that they make great road trip cars. But being underpowered on our highways, that's a safety concern. Bring on the V6 option!
 
#11 ·
Aren't you getting a little worked up about this without personally experiencing how the 2021 Sienna hybrid performs? What does your negative speculation accomplish? If you don't like the Sienna hybrid after driving one then you can buy something else. Or go ahead and buy something else since you're certain that the Sienna hybrid isn't for you.
 
#17 ·
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.

Thank you for any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.

Bob
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.

Thank you for any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.

Bob
Whatever you do- make sure to check the third row seats when folded down. Our 2013 folds down with a flush floor with no gaps. Our 2020 does not do the same leaving a 3 inch gap in the floor when they are folded down. I have complained to Toyota and they have no fix. I provided pictures of both vehicles to prove my point about the messed up feature and still did not get satisfaction.
 
#20 ·
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.
A few thoughts from my perspective:

- I don't think the new 2021s will demand much of a price premium over the current models unless you are looking for the highest level trim (a Platinum with all the gadgets).

1) Since you mostly drive around town, a hybrid vehicle could be a great choice.

2) From the pre-production models, it still looks like the Sienna has ample storage space. When specs are released, you can compare directly.

3) I would not be too worried about financing rates. I am thinking they will continue to offer good financing as interest rates remain historically low. Different than SUVs, I don't expect a new Sienna to drive a huge market shift to buy a minivan (cause a shortage of minivans).

4) Calculate what you would be spending on a new car (down payment and monthly payments), compare that to what your repair costs have been for the Odyssey in the last year. If you can keep your old car running for a few more months, you will then have three options: keep your current car, purchase a leftover 2020, or purchase the new 2021.

5) The current V6 is very responsive. We will need to wait to see reviews of production 2021 Siennas before judging if the hybrid can offer the same level of responsiveness.
 
#22 ·
I just think the 4th gen is so ugly I would definitely get a 2020 instead just because of that, resale value be damned. It looks like a cross between the Odyssey and Pacifica... not a good thing. Of course, to each his own, and I'm sure some people think it looks mighty fine...
 
#27 ·
Reliability wise I think the 2020 is a good purchase since they've been making that Gen for over a decade and the 2021 is going to be a first year model. With the exception of the non removable seats I like everything about the 2021 better. I like the looks on the 2021 better, except that I hate the fake intake ducts under the rear lights. It's the same in the Camry and I don't understand why they put them there, its as if the 2016-2018 Prius (2019 was early redesign to fix) designers were called in to make some design decisions.
 
#31 ·
Thanks for all the helpful replies. We purchased a 2020 Sienna Limited Premium. Our Honda Odyssey did not want to wait until the 2021 Siennas were out. Just had to drop another $100 (new battery). In the last year, we have spent close to what she is worth on repairs. So, it became a no-brainer, don't spend any more money on her.

We are quite pleased with our new car.

Regards to the great folks on Siennchat.com
 
#35 ·
To me the current Gen 3 Sienna with 6.X second 0-60 is downright sporty or at least above average. My old Mazda B2500 with 119 hp and 10.0 0-60 is uncomfortably slow and I've driven it in the mountains and I could see someone stating that may be unsafe, but the average car that can go 0-60 anywhere around 7 to <9 Seconds is safe in my opinion. My wife's new 2020 Sonata Hybrid with 192 hp is about 8 seconds to 0-60 and that seems very peppy to me especially after driving my truck for so long. I'd suspect the 2021 Sienna to be adequate and safe.

Once IIHS sets a benchmark and a car manufacturer does a clean sheet new model they build to that spec to pass the new IIHS benchmark and do internal testing to ensure they do. Really for a company like Toyota to not to pass or get the IIHS award is by choice such as the new headlight requirements in which the lower trims always fail to pass cause manufacturers don't care to spend the money on it to get a "+" award. Another example would be in the past IIHS only tested the driver side for overlap and manufacturers such as Ford F150 amongst others only beefed up that side, so now IIHS caught on and test both sides. If people stop buying those cars due to headlights we will see the changes happen over time as they get implemented more often, but people definitely are more swayed not to buy a car if it gets poor structure scores and its very very unlikely the new Sienna will score low in this.
 
#38 ·
In the end it will come down to what sells. Toyota's strategy is to shift over to hybrid vehicles. If the V4 hybrid sells well (as well as it can in a declining segment), Toyota made the right choice. If it does not sell well, Toyota could consider offering a V6 in the future, or could choose to just stop selling the Sienna (following many other manufacturers in exiting the minivan segment).

 
#41 ·
We are planning to use the Siena as a camping vehicle. No need to sit 7 or 8 passengers. Only needs to seat just the 2 of us. The non-removeable 2nd row seats was the deal killer for the 2021. So was no point in waiting for it. Purchased a new 2020 instead. On the 64 mile trip from the dealer to home, 33.7 MPG for the 2020 XLE. Not a very big sample but was pleasantly surprised it was that good.
 
#42 ·
Congrats on the new 2020, it will probably be a super reliable vehicle. We know the 2nd row on the 2021 isn't designed to be easily removable and then easily replaced, but I'd be willing to bet that for those that are doing a small RV conversion or that want to permanently or semi-permanently remove the seats there will be a way to do it. I mean they have to bolt the seats in some how. If people unbolt them on their own and something happens Toyota can shrug and say the vehicle wasn't designed to. Probably won't be very easy to do or replace, we'll see.
 
#44 ·
take it from someone who owns. A 2020 Toyota Highlander hybrid. The hybrid system in this truck moves it with authority going up hills. There is no lag whatsoever in passing situations, climbing long hills on interstates, or having to punch it to get around annoying drivers trying to prevent you from getting in their lane. (I drive in new York). Those electric motors produce more torque in the low end then any V6 powered vehicle I have owned and that is the key to it feeling powerful. Trust me, you dont miss that extra 40hp your missing. Although Toyota does not release torque numbers on the hybrid system, most reviewers state it has over 300ft pounds. the 3.5 V6 only has 262 ftlbs

I has a 2017 Sienna that I traded in for this highlander. That van could not get out of its own way unless I put it close to the floor due to that awful preforming 8 speed.

as far as Toyota hybrid systems, I have had them since my first 2007 Prius. That car went 250k and it needed nothing but basic stuff like oil changes, tires, filters and one set of brakes. I cant say nothing bad about there hybrid systems at all.
 
#45 ·
We have had a 2007 Prius along with a Chevy Bolt which we have as our primary vehicle. There is no question that we would have preferred a hybrid to a straight gas vehicle. We have had our 2020 Sienna now for 2 weeks. We are getting 33 MPG without AC and 31 MPG without AC on. We were expecting worse gas performance. I think the real question knowing why you need the Sienna. If it is hauling more than 2 people around then waiting for the 2021 hybrid makes sense. If it is just 2 people (like us) using it as a low end RV then the irremovable 2nd row seating just doesn't work and the 2020 makes more sense.
 
#46 ·
We've been testing the 2020 Siennas and are quite impressed. We want a new Sienna, it will likely be the last new car we buy. Trying to decide if its really worth waiting for the 2021 hybrid. How much more costly do you think the 2021s will be over the 2020 models?

Some factors:
1. We drive less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly in town and on the interstate less than 10% of our driving.
2. Don't want to lose any interior space in the back.
3. Can get 0.9% financing on a 2020 model.
4. We have a 2002 Odyssey to trade-in or sell outright. We are tired of putting money into it for repairs.
5. When I drive on the interstate, acceleration for merging is very important. It appears that the 2021 will not be as responsive as the V6 package.

Thank you for any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions.

Bob
I'm sorry but I think this hybrid will be the demise of the Sienna. I think Toyota will wind up eating a bunch of these. This is still a large heavy car. In a vehicle this size performance is paramount. Especially in passing, and being able to hold its own on a mountain road. Toyota offers a hybrid drivetrain as an option in several other models. They really should have done the same for the Sienna. I could stomach the new front end if they still had a decent V6 version. I hate to see Toyota pull such a boner. It is going to limit the market for Toyota minivans. My only option is to look to Honda. Too bad, I really liked the Sienna.
 
#47 ·
Maybe it’s just me but 245 hp seems adequate to me. Old 2006 Siennas had 215 hp and as late as 2017 Odyssey has 248 hp. Electric motors put down instant torque. We will see on October 27th driving impressions, my guess is it will be more than adequate just like the Highlander Hybrid.
 
#52 ·
Camrys and Accords with the V6 do not make up the majority of their sales and I would be willing to bet the 208 hp Camry Hybrid and the 212 hp Accord Hybrid outsells the V6 in both of their lineups.
I recently purchased a 2020 Sonata Hybrid that’s only 192hp and I’m completely fine with it’s power and it’s rated at 52 mpg. I plan on purchasing 2021 Sienna as soon as it hits the lots and I’ll probably be fine with the power in that as well and would prefer getting 36 mpg vs the Odyssey’s 22 mpg.
 
#51 ·
The 2021 Honda Odessy has 280 hp with zf 9 speed. So the highlander/sienna hybrid is not that far off. If you still insist on the v6 go test drive the Honda, and then come back to test drive the sienna. You will see the difference.
Most Chevy products, Ford products are now coming with turbo 4 engines instead of v6. These are just as heavy as the sienna and all contain about the same hp numbers.
The other factor is the torque numbers. As I have said before any 4300lb plus car that gives me 7 second 0-60 times, I will take it any day of the week.
 
#53 ·
Toyota already offered a 4 cylinder Sienna in the current gen, it had such dismal sales that they quickly dropped it. Now they won't offer the V6 as an option. Hmmm. Probably because they know that the 4 would have dismal sales as well if given the choice of a cheaper V6.
 
#54 ·
yes that 4 cylinder was the older 2.7l and it got about the same fuel economy as the v6 model, so people naturally went up to the v6.
The number to watch is the torque value. The 4cyl combined with the electric motors gives more torque then the current gen v6 and doubles the fuel economy on a 4300lb van...
it’s kind of like the fox body Mustang. It only had 200 hp but 330ftlbs of torque which is what made it so potent on the streets along with its light weight
 
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