14-16 Toyota Sienna vs 17-18 (and Honda Odyssey)

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Older powertrain vs newer. Pros and Cons? Is the 17-18 powertrain proven in lexus or camry or something else yet?

Side note, newer Honda Odyssey, VCM still an issue? Chrysler made 8 speed transmissions?
 
The 8 speed ZF transmission is NOT A FCA product, ZF is a standalone German company that sells products to auto makers worldwide. The have a plant in Alabama as well... ZF
 
Sorry, don't have anything to add to the conversation, but you may get more/better responses with the thread in the Vehicles forum instead of the For Sale section.
 
Just saying read the reviews Toyota Sienna has a lot of negative customer reviews on warranty issues not resolved by Toyota! Having said that I have been a happy Toyota owner since 1992.
 
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We love our '14 odyssey. Entertainment/Bluetooth is a bit more sluggish than on my '15 accord, but that's about the only complaint I could make. We looked closely at the odyssey and sienna. I went in thinking we would want a sienna. Odyssey came out better in terms of how well it is made, how we like it's setup, etc.

Our friends have a '15 sienna, and it has had all kinds of issues. I don't think the dealer has ever been able to get the sunroof right.
 
2018 Sienna has the same 3.5L 2GR-FE V6 that they started putting in the Avalon in 2004 and the Camry and then on in other cars. They've just tweaked it over the years.
 
As popular is the odyssey is, it appears to me that it is not a great quality product. Between my family and neighbors, I know 3 with late model ones and they have all lost engines and one had many issues with the transmission.

I know the internet has reports of issues with Siennas ATX but I don't think it can be as bad as Honda's and I trust the Toyota engine more than the Honda.

Just my 2 cents.

I found the reliability issues and complaints to be lesser for the 2015 & newer chrysler vans if you haven't looked at those. I know many will scoff at the idea of Chrysler being on the level of Toyota/Honda but the T&C/Pacifica is a really well done product.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
IMO, anybody looking for a minivan and skipping the Pacifica because it's an FCA product, is doing themselves a disservice.
In terms of reliability all three manufacturers are pretty much neck in neck in this segment.


Absolutely agree. We've put a ton of miles on 4 different MVs at this point starting back in ~2003. 2001 Windstar, 2008 Odyssey, 2013 Grand Caravan and currently a 2016 Quest.

None of them gave us any major issues and all aged pretty much the same with constant kid hauling duty. I do believe a Grand Caravan or Pacifica offers a lot for the dollar.
 
I am drifting off topic, but with the sophistication of modern vehicles the dealers are no longer capable of fixing much of anything. So it's a luck of the draw - do you end up with a vehicle where all the parts are good and it was assembled on a run when none of the assembly line humans were having a bad day?

I am also curious about when (if ever) Honda fixed their V6 VCM problems. I know of three 2012 Odysseys (owned by friends) that had show-stopping engine problems caused by the VCM about every 50,000 miles. They would have to drive them in this limping mode until the dealer could confirm the cause, and then if the mileage was low enough the 'repair' was covered under warranty.

2017+ Siennas have the dual injection (DI + PFI) engine. I have not done research on problems this evolution brought along with it. I think the OP would like to know about this.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
IMO, anybody looking for a minivan and skipping the Pacifica because it's an FCA product, is doing themselves a disservice.
In terms of reliability all three manufacturers are pretty much neck in neck in this segment.


The T&C was high on our list - final running was Odyssey vs T&C, not the Sienna.

But I haven't looked into the Pacifica enough. It looks smaller, but not sure that's true. Assuming it's following the T&C strategy, I'd agree.
 
I've been very pleased with my 2014 Odyssey, its reliable, plenty of power and gets great economy on the road. I find the seats to be incredibly comfortable for long trips and the suspension on the Elite model we have is firmer and has a great ride. The infotainment system is very dated but it works. We seriously considered a Sienna, after a back to back test drive, the Sienna was softer sprung with very soft seats. The Sienna felt more like a Buick, the Honda had firmer seats and a firmer suspension, and drives like a heavier Accord. The Odyssey isn't without its flaws, I find the interior plastics to be on the cheap side in the 14-17 models, while its of good quality, it looks a tad out of place in a vehicle of that price point. The Sienna seemed to have a slightly better quality interior with a few fake wood touches here and there. I recently looked at a 2018 Odyssey while my middle seat recall was being done....cost cutting measures were clearly visible on the 18 model. The interior plastics had an awful feel to them and looked incredibly cheap for a vehicle with a $48,000 sticker, they looked like they would have been better suited on the Civic. Also, the rear seat in the 18 model looked incredibly plain. If I were going to buy a new 2018 minivan, I might look at a pre-owned Pacifica Limited because of their severe first year depreciation before going with the Honda....The Odyssey had a real high end interior up until the 2011 model came out, the plastics appear to get cheaper with each new generation.
 
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Originally Posted By: Nick1994
2018 Sienna has the same 3.5L 2GR-FE V6 that they started putting in the Avalon in 2004 and the Camry and then on in other cars. They've just tweaked it over the years.


It’s a 2gr-fks it has port and direct injection, modified Atkinson cycle capable same as the Tacoma but with its own mapping for the minivan.
 
Originally Posted By: carguy996
I've been very pleased with my 2014 Odyssey, its reliable, plenty of power and gets great economy on the road. I find the seats to be incredibly comfortable for long trips and the suspension on the Elite model we have is firmer and has a great ride. The infotainment system is very dated but it works. We seriously considered a Sienna, after a back to back test drive, the Sienna was softer sprung with very soft seats. The Sienna felt more like a Buick, the Honda had firmer seats and a firmer suspension, and drives like a heavier Accord. The Odyssey isn't without its flaws, I find the interior plastics to be on the cheap side in the 14-17 models, while its of good quality, it looks a tad out of place in a vehicle of that price point. The Sienna seemed to have a slightly better quality interior with a few fake wood touches here and there. I recently looked at a 2018 Odyssey while my middle seat recall was being done....cost cutting measures were clearly visible on the 18 model. The interior plastics had an awful feel to them and looked incredibly cheap for a vehicle with a $48,000 sticker, they looked like they would have been better suited on the Civic. Also, the rear seat in the 18 model looked incredibly plain. If I were going to buy a new 2018 minivan, I might look at a pre-owned Pacifica Limited because of their severe first year depreciation before going with the Honda....The Odyssey had a real high end interior up until the 2011 model came out, the plastics appear to get cheaper with each new generation.


I wasnt expecting an Audi. Maybe you have a $45k fancy version and expect more.

The use of faux wood as maing things look classier or more luxurious is laughable.

I will say that our Ody interior is rattle free. Can't say that much about my BMW...
 
I like the layout of the second row of the odyssey (8 seat model) better than the newer siennas, but dont find the honda seats as comfortable. The Pacificas seem small inside. Are they even available 8 seat? Caravan seats always seemed bad to me.

Fortunately in no rush, but may focus on 14-16 sienna for now, but maybe drive an odyssey at least.
 
Carvana seems an interesting way to buy. Right now loaded with rental and corporate fleet cars. High miles for the model years. I dont remember carvana being like this a year or two ago. Seemed it was more like private party sales through the internet, with carvana as a facilitator.
 
Originally Posted By: FL-400S
Carvana seems an interesting way to buy. Right now loaded with rental and corporate fleet cars. High miles for the model years. I dont remember carvana being like this a year or two ago. Seemed it was more like private party sales through the internet, with carvana as a facilitator.

If my research was right, they have a warehouse/location somewhere in GA...
Kind of expensive.

Check you local dealers (250 miles range). look for one who is not a Toyota/Honda dealer. coupled with end-of-month.... maybe you can have a deal.
 
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