Ask the Car People.SM


The New 2011 Sienna Minivan - Mommy Hate

31 messages,  Last post on Sep 06, 2011 at 10:39 AM

You are in the Toyota Sienna Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Auto Repair, Brakes, Electrical, Van

Messages Page 3 of 4

#12 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [miltwempley] by ateixeira

Aug 04, 2010 (1:49 pm)

Replying to: miltwempley (Aug 04, 2010 1:12 pm)
2 things that I can think of:
 
1. Few if any are produced that heavily loaded. And no other van offers AWD and laser cruise control and a power folding 3rd row seat.
 
2. High margin models are discounted most heavily, so that's a $41k van if you can even find one.
 
Did you pay $45k? I doubt you did.

#13 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [ateixeira] by miltwempley

Aug 04, 2010 (1:58 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Aug 04, 2010 1:49 pm)
I paid 43,327.04 before taxes. Total paid, 47,928.09 after taxes and documentation. This is not, however, the matter being discussed. This discussion is about safety and quality concerns about Toyota. Someone expressed concern that for the dollars paid, we shouldn't have these kind of problems. Do you have a counter argument or would you rather discuss the specifics of dollars paid? Can we get back on topic?

#14 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [miltwempley] by ateixeira

Aug 05, 2010 (7:28 am)

Replying to: miltwempley (Aug 04, 2010 1:58 pm)
I don't think the price tag should have much to do with it. A buyer should except a safe car no matter the price.
 
A higher-end car with more options (lane departure warning, blind spot warning, things like that) has more things that could break. Look at the historical reliability of, say, a Range Rover.
 
As to your original point, I do agree the LE is the better value, which is one of the reasons I got one (I also wanted the 8 seater model, though, and back then it was CE or LE only).
 
I don't think that the LE's lower price makes it OK for people to be having problems, though.

#15 of 31 Parent Hate as well by tfaw_big

Aug 05, 2010 (11:20 pm)

We bought a top-of-the-line LTD AWD with all the options about 6 weeks ago. We had owned a 2004 XLE prior, and we need to replace the 2004 with this new 2011. Because we had just moved to Chicago, I decided we needed a minivan with AWD, so I decided to go with Sienna, although my initial reaction to the 2011 was fairly negative.
 
Anyhow, the interior of the 2011 just seems cheap and not as comfortable when compared to the prior version.
 
Well, we just put about 1500 miles on the 2011 through a road trip vacation. The 2011 did not perform well, as the tires were pretty loud and there was some odd smells coming through the vent. And to top it off, the sonar sensors stopped working as well (front and back). But it gets worse, as the navigation screen cracked - we did not place any undue pressure on the screen at all.
 
Took it to the dealer today,and they are claiming something must have impacted the screen and they are not honoring the warranty. So now I have to play hardball to avoid paying 1,800 to replace the screen. We will see what happens tomorrow, but my sense is that Toyota product is probably a lot worse than I ever thought, and I will likely unload this crap machine once these issues are settled with the 2011.

#16 of 31 Re: Parent Hate as well [tfaw_big] by ateixeira

Aug 06, 2010 (9:18 am)

Replying to: tfaw_big (Aug 05, 2010 11:20 pm)
The Nav screen cracked? Holy cow!
 
File a formal complaint here:
 
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm
 
Also, call Toyota's 800 number, they can put pressure on the dealer to help you.

#17 of 31 Re: The New 2011 Sienna Minivan - Mommy Hate [ateixeira] by DLu

Aug 10, 2010 (10:20 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Aug 04, 2010 12:41 pm)
Toyota has the gall to display an MSRP of $45k-plus on the Limited (all the Ltd in New England have the Premium Pkg when I was shopping around) -- especially considering that all their commercials are the Ltd trim -- so to me that's the message they conveying.
 
Just because Toyota is desperate to move their product with steep discounts doesn't mean they still aren't trying to market their Sienna as befitting an $45k-plus price tag.

#18 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [ateixeira] by DLu

Aug 10, 2010 (10:30 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Aug 05, 2010 7:28 am)
Regarding safety, thankfully I have not had any problems yet. In fact, my wife was able to make some emergency maneuvers and the thing handled it quite well.
 
My one point is that Toyota is not paying nearly as much attention to details as they used to be (it seems). It's okay if trim pieces are hard and fraying around the edges for a cheap car, not one that you are trying to parade around as some luxury "spa" that moms would love to spend a lot of time in. So, again, I am disappointed in the Ltd. I agree that having actual problems and things falling apart is a big No-no.
 
btw I know that there are a ton of New England dealers with $45k-plus Ltd AWD vehicles on the lot (again, talking about MSRP here). Sure, I only paid $39,500 for it, you're right.

#19 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [DLu] by ateixeira

Aug 10, 2010 (8:24 pm)

Replying to: DLu (Aug 10, 2010 10:30 am)
CR dinged them, too. Overall score dropped from 93 to 80, though it's still their 2nd highest rated van.

#20 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [ateixeira] by deltheking

Aug 10, 2010 (9:43 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Aug 10, 2010 8:24 pm)
Yes,that was disappointing b`cos the 04-09 Sienna especially the 07-09 Sienna was very good except for the exterior shape. They corrected that in this redesign but elsewhere they really cheapened. Dont know if Odyssey also goes the same way. If not ,then Ody will be a home run and Toyota will have to do some major refreshening with better materials.
 
I hope Ody is really good - it puts some real pressure on the Sienna to deliver in the next year.

#21 of 31 Re: Unicorn? [deltheking] by ateixeira

Aug 12, 2010 (8:01 am)

Replying to: deltheking (Aug 10, 2010 9:43 pm)
Same here...I'm not a fan of the lightning bolt but I don't really care that much about how it looks. Vans are all about function.

Messages Page 3 of 4

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement