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2011 Toyota Sienna - Does this make the minivan cool again?

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Discussion starter · #141 ·
2xtremefocus said:
Talkin about the Toyota Sienna, are they still gonna be putting those stupid run-flat tires on them?

I've had to deal with SO many of those at work. I hate doing run-flat tires. They are such a pain in the ass to mount and dismount.

And, on a minivan of all things. What sense does that make? I understand on some cars, but on a minivan?
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IIRC, the run-flats were put on AWD models because there was no space to put the spare tire underneath otherwise. Where one would usually put a spare tire (behind the rear axle) is taken up by the rear seats that fold into the floor, so it instead goes under the middle row of seats. But on AWD models, the axle goes where the spare tire would've.

So, they had a decision to make - put the tire someplace that takes up interior room, or scrap them altogether and go to run-flat tires. Given that so many people won't change their own tires anyway, it made sense to ditch the spare tire and jack altogether on the AWD models. But they had to have run-flat tires for for safety's sake - having no spare tire and no run flats won't fly with safety-conscious customers and their precious, precious kids.
 
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#142 ·
Zoomer69 said:
But they had to have run-flat tires for for safety's sake - having no spare tire and no run flats won't fly with safety-conscious customers and their precious, precious kids.
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What's the point of even putting run flats on the van. As soon as the first tire change is needed they put less expensive non-run flats on the vehicle. Now they are up the creek w/o a paddle.
 
#143 ·
that is the consumers choice and decision and can't be pinned on the car maker. You made the decision not to use run flats. It's hard to make it an option from the start because so many people buy the car off the lot and don't order it ahead of time.

I say the best option is to go to tweel tires if they want to go to a run flat technology.
 
#144 ·
wilko said:
What's the point of even putting run flats on the van. As soon as the first tire change is needed they put less expensive non-run flats on the vehicle. Now they are up the creek w/o a paddle.
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You have no idea how many times I've done this.
 
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#145 ·
HotRodKristina said:
For a vacation with my daughter, our bikes, and luggage a wagon would be packed to the gills, and I'd probably have to use a roof rack. A minivan would hold all of it nicely.
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But a question to ask yourself, is it really nessary to limit your choice in a vehicle to someone you might use once a year?
 
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#146 ·
Again that is my mindset, why spend more on a vehicle for something you may use only 1-2 times a year. and could easily plan ahead for and just rent a vehicle for those points in time. possibly saving you money overall.
 
Discussion starter · #147 ·
Not everyone wants to drive around in little nimble 4-cylinder hatchbacks, or have the space constraints that people in Manhattan have that dictate small cars (if they do cars at all).

Usually, if you're buying a minivan, it's because the extra space is NEEDED. A family with two young children requires the space for hauling around stuff like diapers, baby wipes, toys, playpen, and so on. Or, they're using it to haul home some flat-pack furniture from IKEA, or hitting the Costco to stock up on groceries. Or, they're hauling home the ENTIRE youth soccer team from the meet that's 3 hours from home - stuff like that.

Then, of course, we have the people who equate size with safety, and don't care that it's costing more in fuel or makes it a chore to park because they can get hit broadside by a semi-truck and walk away.

Oh, and the Zip car idea doesn't work so hot in, say, Jackson, MI. What they do have is a local Enterprise that'll happily stick you $200 a day for a minivan rental, or the Home Depot with the $20/hour pickup truck.

Life at the end of the cul-de-sac comes with entirely different priorities.
 
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#148 ·
Zoomer69 said:
Oh, and the Zip car idea doesn't work so hot in, say, Jackson, MI. What they do have is a local Enterprise that'll happily stick you $200 a day for a minivan rental, or the Home Depot with the $20/hour pickup truck.

Life at the end of the cul-de-sac comes with entirely different priorities.
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Very true, for many people renting and borrowing isn't very convenient. Plus I don't know who or why people use Zip Car, it sounds like a great service until you need a car and its $9-$15/HR....... per HR!!! WTF??? I just rented a car for $18/DAY while I was in San Fran last week.

A family having a Minivan or SUV isn't really a problem, if you own a home or you're active you'll use them all the time and easily justify the cost and size. The problem I see with many modern families is that they think both adults in the family need Suburbans for some reason. As long as you have one vehicle large enough for the entire family your second vehicle can usually be something more economical for commuting. If either Adult needs to half the fam they take the larger vehicle, simple as that. Thats why I used to have a Murano for towing, trips, and cargo and the MINI for daily commuting.
 
#151 ·
If you are using it in the above described situation on a daily or weekly basis yes that is justification for a minivan. When you have 2 teenage kids though who wont be caught dead with there parents around, etc... there is less point to a van over a wagon. Also most people don't buy new furniture all the time, and even if you do shop at ikea, almost everything is flat packed and will fit in a small car.

as for the zip car thing. $9-$15 per hours includes the insurance, gas, etc... there is no "extra charges" or hidden fees. Zip car also tends to use nicer cars than you can get at a rental car place. The other thing is the car is parked where you need them in areas served by zip car. You can find one in walking distance of where you live to go pick one up, or they have them stationed at ikea, home depot and all the other major shopping centers where you could use them. They can also be rented on a daily basis and the "advertised rate" is if you don't use it often, the more you use them the bigger a discount you can get.

I think complaining about the $11-15 an hour or $60 a day when you need the car is allot cheaper than the $1,000 or so a month it costs in the areas where they have zip car to own the same car.

Also where the hell are you renting cars for $11 a DAY? to get a decent rental car after the extra insurance etc... is always in the $60 a day range, plus you have to go to a rental center than is inconvenient, fill out paperwork etc...
 
#153 ·
Here is a minivan I built a couple years ago for SEMA. The idea for the project was to show that just because you drive a minivan, it doesn't mean your life of customizing cars has to be over. This Sienna had 20" wheels, custom body kit, custom paint, full kicker stereo with 2-12's, xbox 360 and 6 monitors.

I wonder where Toyota got the idea to introduce an "SE" model for the new Sienna...hahaha


Image
 
#156 ·
HotRodKristina said:
That's your typical 'bolt on betty' SEMA-mobile :lol:

Should have at least shaved the roof rack and lowered it a bit more.
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I get what your saying, but keep this in mind. The van was built to show what you can do with a minivan, not a complete custom vehicle.

The roof rack was left for two reasons
A. typical minivan owners use the roof rack and we were building a vehicle both custom & "useful".
B. The van eventually had Sat TV added and the Sat dish mounts to the roof rack.

As for lowering it more, again the body kit did help lower a little and a lower suspension would be the last thing a minivan owner would do.

Thanks for your input though...guess I see why it's so hard to get aftermarket companies to build products for vans.
 
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