The Toyota Sienna competes directly with the Dodge Grand Caravan, the Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler Pacifica. The Sienna is a relatively stylish, economical minivan with available airline-style, second-row seats. It's one of the top-rated minivans for safety, and the Sienna offers one thing its competitors don't: all-wheel drive. A 2015 refresh brought some interior tweaks and reworked grilles on some trim levels. Only minor changes were made for 2016; the Sienna adopts a new 8-speed automatic and gets a slight power bump for the 2017 model year. MORE: Read our 2017 Toyota Sienna review The Sienna offered today first went on sale in the spring of 2010 for the 2011 model year. About the same size (and a little heavier) than the version that preceded it, the new Sienna has a more premium look and feel. The powertrains that year included a 266-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, with a 6-speed automatic transmission and either front- or all-wheel drive; Toyota also offered a 187-hp, 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine in 2011 and 2012, but discontinued it in 2013.
Like most of its rivals, the current Sienna can carry up to eight passengers with the right seating combination, and it offers a pair of sliding doors, with power doors as an option. It also has a third-row seat that can stow under the floor when not needed, although it doesn't offer a similar feature for the second row like the Chrysler van does. It offers special reclining airplane-style seats for the second row, which have since copied in the Kia Sedona. The Sienna remains unique among minivans as the only one that still offers optional all-wheel drive. All versions of the Sienna now sport a USB port; Bluetooth with audio streaming; and power sliding side doors. Seating includes those available plush second-row captain's chairs with footrests, and the infotainment offerings have been spiced up with a new split-screen setup that's perfect for gaming. Toyota gave the Sienna a mild update for 2015. Changes include reworked grilles and lighting elements on some models, as well as tweaks for the interior.
The powertrain menu remains the same, with a standard V-6 and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. Toyota has made some chassis improvements, including stiffening the structure, and massaged the body to improve aerodynamics slightly but the changes didn't affect the EPA ratings of 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway for front-wheel-drive models. The 2015 model also earned the IIHS' "Good" scores in all but the new small front offset test, where it scored an "Acceptable" rating. Its five-star overall rating from the NHTSA carries over. For 2017, Toyota improved the Sienna's powertrain and efficiency with an uprated direct-injection version of its 3.5-liter V-6 (that now makes 296 hp) and an 8-speed automatic. Toyota introduced the Sienna as a more conventional minivan offering in the late '90s. It replaced the egg-shaped Previa, which had a mid-engine, rear-drive design that resulted in strange packaging. The Sienna came on the scene in 1998 with front-wheel drive and an interior layout that more closely aped that of the segment's leaders.
That model shared underpinnings with the Camry sedan, as does the model to this day that in combination with production located in the U.S., brought costs down. Initially, the Sienna used the same powertrain as the Camry V-6—a 194-hp 3.0-liter, replaced after several years by an even smoother, more flexible 210-hp version. These first-generation Siennas have proven reliable, but Toyota hadn't yet found its way to the front of the pack; seating was definitely a step behind the Chrysler minivans of the time, and the third row had to be lifted away rather than folding flat, and the interiors were quite drab. A lot of shoppers who are intimidated with the immense size and weight of newer minivans might find these Siennas just right. Side airbags and stability control became available in 2001, so with the stronger engine, too, the 2001-2003 models are the pick of this bunch. For 2004, Toyota introduced a redesigned and considerably larger Sienna. With a 230-hp (or 215-hp), 3.3-liter V-6 and 5-speed automatic transmission, this Sienna delivered performance that was about the same as the model before it, though the 266-hp, 3.5-liter engine introduced for 2007 gave the van more confidence for passing and highway hauling.
But this Sienna didn't have a lot of charisma or style, and near the end of its life it was looking quite outdated next to some rival models. Interior materials were also panned for being a bit drab and plasticky, once again, on all but the top XLE and Limited models. These vans came well equipped, though buyers had to move up to the higher trims to get items like power sliding doors, the power-folding third-row seat, and the power tailgate. While LE models came with a bench in the second row, XLE and XLE Limited models came with twin captain's chairs. Options included front and rear parking sensors, a JBL audio system, and laser-guided cruise control. Toyota made side airbags standard for 2006.How do you Change, Replace, or Install Broken 1998-2003 Toyota Sienna Tailgate Handle Replacement Fits years: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 All Toyota Sienna for sale Step 1: Open the vehicle's tailgate. Step 2: Pry and remove the trim panel that covers the rear door pull.
Step 3: Pry and remove the rear door handle (interior). Step 4: Pry and remove the exterior license plate cover, exposing 2 screws. Loosen and remove the Phillips screws (2). Step 5: Loosen and remove the 10mm bolts (3) that were exposed in Steps 2 & 3. Step 6: You can now pry the rear door's interior panel from the door frame. Step 7: Disengage the tailgate handle's locking cable by pulling and disengaging the retaining clip. Do the same for the handle on the bottom of the door. Step 8: Loosen and remove the 10mm bolts (4) that secure the door handle (and mounting panel) in place. Step 9: Mount the new tailgate handle to the panel, and secure it by tightening the 10mm mounting bolts (4). Step 10: Engage the locking cables to the new tailgate handle by reconnecting the retaining clips. Step 11: Reattach the interior door panel. Simply reverse the removal process. Be sure to re-engage the clips that hold the panel to the door frame, and tighten the 10mm retaining bolts.