Sienna or Highlander?

[Hannahlindz]

Hi. I drive a 2010 Highlander and I really like it a lot. I live in Maine and like to have the 4wd. But lately I have been thinking I should trade for a Sienna. The power doors, the space, and the accessible third row are all attractive. Also, I have 2 small children. I know there is a traction control feature, and I cannot afford the AWD model. Thoughts? I think I would like to trade but would like to hear some pros/cons and comparisons. Thank you!

[grandpapa]

Originally Posted by Hannahlindz

Hi. I drive a 2010 Highlander and I really like it a lot. I live in Maine and like to have the 4wd. But lately I have been thinking I should trade for a Sienna. The power doors, the space, and the accessible third row are all attractive. Also, I have 2 small children. I know there is a traction control feature, and I cannot afford the AWD model. Thoughts? I think I would like to trade but would like to hear some pros/cons and comparisons. Thank you!

Very similar problem and here is what I did.

We had 04 Sienna LE AWD and other car (not AWD) at home. Right after someone rear ended and totaled our Sienna, we planned to get the 2011 XLE AWD. Worked with some local dealers back and forth, test drive it many times, the more we test it, the more we DISLIKE it compare to our older Sienna. We really couldn't pass the down graded interior, too cheap even compared to our LE.

We also have 2 boys + my parents so the 2011 AWD is the only way for us since it has a better 3rd row access (without the 2nd row step over middle seat base). Not to mention we really want to have at least 1 car in the family that has AWD.

After going back and forth for a few weeks, then months.. we decided no 2011 Sienna. Instead we looked for 2004-2010 Sienna. Found a limited with low miles but dealer wouldn't give me a deal so I went shopping around the area and found a 07 Highlander. The same car we had before just a little newer on year (had 01 HL many years ago).

I still remembered we had the 01 for a couple years, sold it with only $$500 less then what we paid for. With the 07, I got a good deal on it and I am pretty sure it will hold better resale then the Sienna. So with the HL AWD V6, we now has a AWD at home and in a couple years, if Toyota improve the quality on the current Sienna, we will go back.

In your case, since you only have 2 kids, Sienna is not necessary. I have no trouble with our kids on the 07 so you should be ok on your 2010. I am pretty sure your HL will hold up the value better, that's the key.

Stop thinking about it for days, weeks, I am sure your buying instant will decrease and you will probably know for sure keeping the HL is a better deal

[Hannahlindz]

Thanks for your reply! I think it's the power sliding doors, back up cam, third row (we often do things with other families and need more seating) and Blue Tooth that's attracting me. I am still not decided yet. Thanks for the info!

[DanielAcosta]

Originally Posted by Hannahlindz

Thanks for your reply! I think it's the power sliding doors, back up cam, third row (we often do things with other families and need more seating) and Blue Tooth that's attracting me. I am still not decided yet. Thanks for the info!

We like both our awd Venza and fwd 11 Sienna. Sounds like you might want to consider a Pilot with awd and much bigger interior than Highlander.

BTW, you can add BluLogic to your 10 Highlander for about $200, a whole lot cheaper than a new car.

[skinny2]

I suppose it depends where you drive and how well they clear the roads. We could really use AWD here as the roads rarely get cleaned and it's VERY hilly. However the AWD Sienna had several drawbacks (fast wearing runflats, no spare if you dump the runflats, less mpg, mediocre AWD system, low ground clearance) so we went with FWD and will install dedicated snow tires. I do however have a couple 4x4's to pick from if the snow gets super deep....so if this is your only vehicle I guess I would probably stick to something that can handle the deep stuff better.

[fastlightning]

If your highlander is working keep it. I have a 2011 Sienna and am extremely disappointed with the quality. Never have I owned a car that is in the shop as much as this van. Far too many problems for what is worth. Trading it in soon. Like this week. I am being very serious. 55 vehicles in my life and this ranks in the top 5 for the worst. The grass isn't any greener.

[grandpapa]

Originally Posted by fastlightning

If your highlander is working keep it. I have a 2011 Sienna and am extremely disappointed with the quality. Never have I owned a car that is in the shop as much as this van. Far too many problems for what is worth. Trading it in soon. Like this week. I am being very serious. 55 vehicles in my life and this ranks in the top 5 for the worst. The grass isn't any greener.

so what's the other 4?

I too agree the new sienna is not as attractive as the last gen. In fact, many so call NEW toyota models actually don't have the stuffs (good) like it used to.

[skinny2]

Attraction is obviously subjective. We never gave the previous gen an honest look because it was a) ugly and b) terrible to drive. The latest gen is not a revolution on either count but at least tolerable. Toyota clearly sells a gob of these to rental companies which was the extent of my experience with the prior gen. A couple of them were Ltd models and we never drove one and thought it was better than our Odyssey. If anything it reminded me of the styling of my early-mid 90's Camrys. The interior bits are a little more low-rent in this gen but the styling is better. At least certain color combos. The gray with black is pretty sad to look at.

[Tracksyde]

Originally Posted by Hannahlindz

Hi. I drive a 2010 Highlander and I really like it a lot. I live in Maine and like to have the 4wd. But lately I have been thinking I should trade for a Sienna. The power doors, the space, and the accessible third row are all attractive. Also, I have 2 small children. I know there is a traction control feature, and I cannot afford the AWD model. Thoughts? I think I would like to trade but would like to hear some pros/cons and comparisons. Thank you!

I agree with what some of the others have said regarding 4WD.. however, we had a 2003 Honda Pilot prior to getting the 2011 Sienna. My kids were small back then and in car seats. If you're in a similar situation, I can only assume its a PITA to get the kids in their car seats in the Highlander (like it was in the Pilot). I'm willing to bet its damn near impossible to get a sleeping child out of a car seat in a Highlander without waking up the child. In a minivan, with the 2nd row pushed all the way back, you could get IN the car to get the child out. I can only imagine how much easier it would've been if we had a minivan back then.

Its also probably a PITA to get the stroller in the back since the Highlander is probably a lot higher than the Sienna (which is why we ended up buying multiple strollers until we eventually found one we liked, a Maclaren).

So I think it depends on how small your children are. My kids are 9 and 7 now but my wife still thinks the minivan is worlds better than our Honda Pilot.

So I think you need to weigh the necessity of 4WD against the ease of access you get in the Sienna. You'll get many opinions here. But sounds to me like the "kid factor" is an important one that many may be missing here.

[fastlightning]

Originally Posted by grandpapa

so what's the other 4?

I too agree the new sienna is not as attractive as the last gen. In fact, many so call NEW toyota models actually don't have the stuffs (good) like it used to.

My old Dodge Caravan was by far the worst. 33 times into the dealer in thre years. When I traded it in the electrical was still wierd. Sitting in the sales managers office the van was right outside the window and the lights kept going on for 3 seconds off for 10, on for 3 off for 10, after 5 minutes it stopped. Had to give my keys to the guy cause he thought I was doing it.

#2 Chevy Camaro, overheated in temps over 20C. Would not start if hot. Parts falling off/braking weekly. Tranny, electrical, starters, etc.

# 3 Chevy Corvette, 1984....EVERYTHING! Not under warranty, 5K/yr to drive that POS. This could be # 2 but it was a bit old and tired.

#4 Toyota Sienna 2011 I just don't want to talk about the issues as there are far too many and I get sad/mad when I think about it.

#5 Ford F150. Had four of them but my 1990 was a real lemon. Fix Or Repair Daily...junk!