150k mile review-2010 Sienna

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The 2010 Sienna just rolled over 150k miles; I thought I'd give you all a review of it.
It's a plain-jane LE, so no power doors/allow wheels, etc. It seems like an excerise in how many dash plugs (for features we don't have) they could get into one car! However, it is reasonably well equipped for being a near-base trim.
Overall, it's been good even if it doesn't feel too "high-quality".

The good:
-Power/Acceleration- the 2GR-FE is plenty of power for the Sienna under most situations. It makes about 270 hp, and feels quite quick. That van can haul... 0-60, I believe, is sub-8 second. The engine is the high point of the van. But it is very eager to break the front tires loose when starting from a stop.

-Space- we have hauled a full-sized couch with the back seats out and the tailgate fully down. In normal use, there is plenty of room for most things and 5 people plus a dog. This is why people buy minivans!

-Reliability- other than a pretty expensive repair to the VVT system at 100k and the replacement of an interior door handle that broke, it has been very reliable. It is also on its third radio due to several issues, and has an a/c refrigerant leak. But nothing else you wouldn't expect (tires, brakes, batteries, bulbs, etc). No oil consumption to speak of.

-Parking/turning circle- it turns very tighly and is easy to park. Ours has no backup cam/parking sensors but, honestly, they aren't really needed.

-Mileage- driven reasonably on the highway, it gets about 25 mpg. This is reasonable considering the space! City mileage is markedly worse, though.


The average:
-Handling- it feels like a long Camry, for good or bad.

-Transmission-a 5-speed auto, it shifts very strangely when cold but isn't too bad otherwise. When driving through SD at 80-85 on the Interstate (speed limit is 80), as we do frequently, it is in desperate need of a taller gear. It moans and groans at that speed. But at more reasonable speeds it is fine.

-Steering-light but fairly predictable. Somewhat touchy at higher speeds.

-Seat folding/removal- the middle row must come out as they don't fold into the floor. This process is terrible (there are many steps and the seats are very heavy). But the back row folds flat (although the right side is tough to bring up because they used only one latch one the far side of the seat, so you have to stand/kneel on the opposing side).

-Gauge cluster design- it has the Optitron gauges that look pretty "sporty", though they are somewhat distracting and bright at night. Ours doesn't have a trip computer, so no compass/thermometer/fuel range/average economy.


The bad:
-Seat comfort- the seats are, simply put, terrible. They very quickly become uncomfortable and are covered in a mousy cloth. I'm not sure what type of body they are designed for... The middle row has 3 separate seats, but none have an armrest

-General feeling of quality- it isn't awful but is unimpressive. The glove box randomly falls open when we're driving. The door panels are cheap and flimsy. The pull handles (where you pull to close the front door) have squeaked from the get go. Something has come loose behind the dash and rolls around. Interior plastics are verrrry cheap.There is an unprotected airbag wiring connector under the passenger seat that sits right where the passenger's left heel is. Speaking of the passenger seat, one of the more laughable features of the Sienna is its "passenger seat storage bin"- it is a grey tub just like what busboys use in restaurants, and it is kind of wedged in under the seat. It would make a decent oil drain pan. The whole interior is similarly-colored and made of cheap plastics.

-Cupholders- there are 14 but none of them are very good. Most are too small, and the ones in the console/table have stiff rubber flanges that grip very tight and crush cans/styrofoam/flimsy water bottles.

-Headlights- the low beams are quite dim, even with new bulbs. This has been the case for as long as we've had it.

-Tire wear- being heavy and FWD, it chews through tires like nobody's business (they're done after roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of their life)

-"repair-a-bility"- Changing the rear license plate light took me about 4 hours due to an impossibly terrible design of the back tailgate (every interior trim panel on the tailgate, including a massive piece of plastic with 50 clips covering the whole tailgate, had to come off, and then the exterior trim piece above the license plate had to be removed because the socket was stuck... Additionally, it's not really designed with the DIYer in mind, and it has a cartridge filter. Hubcaps make it impossible to fill air without removing them.

-Radio-mediocre at best, very little bass, although it does have a 6-cd changer and an aux input.

-A/C- even from new it has lacked the oomph to cool the cabin adequately unless driving at high speeds. Driving around town, even in MN summers, it is inadequate.

-Snow/Ice- it is abysmal in the snow, even with new tires. It slides all over the place. Traction control is very sensitive and it will not let you accelerate at all if it senses the slightest slip. But if you turn it off, you won't be able to keep it on the road. This is the car's biggest shortcoming, for someone living in MN.


All in all, it's been a very good vehicle, even if it hasn't exactly exuded quality. It's been reliable and has been a great family hauler. The 2GR-FE is a definite bright spot.
 
Nice review. AWD would fix the snow issue but that AC issue would sour me (it's why I got rid of my 09 Grand Cherokee, well it was leaking, worked fine when full). Have you compared it to other Siennas?

Any leaks (besides AC)?
 
I guess our 2012 XLE is much upgraded from your stripper ‘10.

At 73,000 miles, it has only had oil changes (at 10,000 mile intervals!) and recently the recall on sliding door wiring. We find the drivetrain to be exceptional. The 6-speed tranny is beautifully matched with the 2GR-FE. It’s my favorite feature of the vehicle. The torque and super quick steering make the van feel very “light on its feet”. The XLE has leather seating so the seats are better than you describe although I admit they aren’t the best for long distances especially compared to my ‘07 Tahoe for example. Our minivan is exceptional in the snow. With all the weight over the FWD it gets through anything with OE level AS tires. No need for winters here. We’ve even gotten decent tire life going 50,000 on the OE Firestone 710s.

All in all, we love this vehicle with the added plus that it’s made in Indiana. I may well trade it in for another one.
 
Originally Posted By: HoosierJeeper
Nice review. AWD would fix the snow issue but that AC issue would sour me (it's why I got rid of my 09 Grand Cherokee, well it was leaking, worked fine when full). Have you compared it to other Siennas?

Any leaks (besides AC)?


No other leaks. And that reminds me, we rented a 2011 (the newer body style) for a trip once after we hit a deer with ours, it was worlds ahead in comfort (much better seats) and in interior quality. The plastics in ours are pretty cheap. The 2011 seemed much more "put together". Same delightful 2GR-FE. Similar fuel economy.

And to respond to Indydriver, that extra gear must be appreciated. You're right, your van is much nicer than ours! It was a big step up.
 
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Thanks for this review. It seems Toyota has their idea of what quality is.

I used to own a 1996 Tacoma 4x4. Bought it brand new. Powertrain was excellent. The truck was very durable until you got inside. The seats were not that comfortable. The dash was a super thin yet hard plastic resin. Lots of bendable plastic elsewhere. The door and interior trim was just enough to cover the metal and that was it.

As a work truck I would recommend it. I find it interesting that our experiences 14 years apart are so similar.
 
I think Toyota has cheapenned the product over the years based on 2 I bought new-and I am comparing an 04highlander with a 94 camry- 04 highlander has shorted (no thigh support) seats and a/c is barely adequate- 04 A/C would freeze you out
 
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
I guess our 2012 XLE is much upgraded from your stripper ‘10.

At 73,000 miles, it has only had oil changes (at 10,000 mile intervals!) and recently the recall on sliding door wiring. We find the drivetrain to be exceptional. The 6-speed tranny is beautifully matched with the 2GR-FE. It’s my favorite feature of the vehicle. The torque and super quick steering make the van feel very “light on its feet”. The XLE has leather seating so the seats are better than you describe although I admit they aren’t the best for long distances especially compared to my ‘07 Tahoe for example. Our minivan is exceptional in the snow. With all the weight over the FWD it gets through anything with OE level AS tires. No need for winters here. We’ve even gotten decent tire life going 50,000 on the OE Firestone 710s.

All in all, we love this vehicle with the added plus that it’s made in Indiana. I may well trade it in for another one.


The 2012 is the newer body style, so notionally it is much upgraded. That said, our friends have a 2015 XLE and have had a variety of issues with theirs (sunroof, stereo, other electrical gremlins).

I felt that the toyota van did have a bit more pep than our Odyssey (though Ive experienced a more jumpy DBW in some toyota products, seemingly intended to give a false feel), but its interesting that some of OPs observations were consistent with mine on the newer model Sienna.

We have been happy with the tire life (still at 7/32 at 31k on our OE michelins) and snow performance, so it seems that the latest generations of vans are better in these regards.

OP, your comment on seats is interesting. I never encountered this in any other vehicles, but are encountering it now. The seats in our Odyssey are ideal. They fit very well. The seats in my Accord are sort of what you describe - not sure what body they are designed for, or what's lacking, but they do cause some mid-back fatigue on long trips.
 
Do you run snow tires? Even with the Focus wagon, I can tell the difference between a fwd with 2/3 of the weight on the front wheels and a fwd with much less. I couldn't get up my driveway in winter with 3 season tires on a minivan or wagon, and probably most fwd sedans would be a struggle.
Anyways, sounds like the van delivered what's expected of it. Sure a nicer interior would be good, but to pay for it and have the kids trash it doesn't make a lot of sense to me atleast.
 
We have a 2009 LE 8-passenger. Quit happy with it. No major issues either. Get about 24 mpg on long trips.
We do have the power side doors, love those.

Did you change the dpark plugs yourself? With 92k on ours, I plan to this spring. Have to take the windshield cowling and the intake manifold off to get to the rear plugs...what a pita!
You are right about the engine. Good motor and lots of power. I hope I don't have the VVT issue either.
 
I heard mini-vans are especially poor in the snow (with 2WD) as going up any incline at all the weight of the vehicle shifts to the rear-and takes traction off of the front. Don't know if it's true-but it's what I have heard.

Of course-as others have said-it's the only mini van with AWD-that's a way to cure the issue.
 
How much was the VVT repair and what was the cause of the problem?

Thanks

UD
 
Our friends have a 2010 Sienna. I agree that the interior quality is not the best, however theirs has stood up to abuse for ~140k. The owner runs an in home daycare, has two dogs that are always in the car, and three kids that all play hockey. It has stood up to the abuse far better than my relatives 07 Odyssey. I completely agree with the 2GR being an incredible engine. It has FAR more torque than the J35 and gas mileage is very similar without using a system like VCM. I'm not sure about your cloth seats, but the leather ones are very comfortable. I recently rode in a previous generation Sienna, and found that the cloth seats were very comfortable but the quality issues still apply. It's JBL synthesis system was quite worn and sounded poor. Another Sienna I have ridden in of the same generation had a great sounding JBL system. Both older vans were as tight as a drum with over 200k. None of the 3 Siennas have had any major issues except the power door issue on the 10. However, the Odyssey mentioned has had all the common issues for the 05-07 models and build quality that is not as good either.

Also, both families with the Siennas equipped with the 2GR run the living snot out of them. Neither make any noise at cold start that is typical with these engines, nor have they encountered any issues with these enigines despite performing only basic maintenance at "quick lubes".
 
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