OK. Except Phantom Electrical Problems
Written: Feb 18 '06
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Pros: Fairly peppy and maneuverable. Fairly good sound system.
Cons: WINTER!! Electrical, windows and doors freezing shut.
Red paint scratches easily.
Hard seats.
The Bottom Line: If you get winter weather, be cautious with this vehicle. Toyota roadside assistance is ok but they don't know the vehicle!
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| northbayon's Full Review: 2004 Toyota Sienna 2WD |
We traded in our 1998 Ford Windstar for a Red 2004 Sienna LE. We had looked at the Honda Odyssey and just about bought it, but changed our minds and went for the Sienna.
Overall it's better for maneuvering than the Windstar was and it's wide enough for a 4 foot piece of plywood. However, it isn't long enough to fit the full 8 foot sheet--even with the second row seats rolled up.
I would say that the gas mileage isn't much better (if at all) than the old Windstar for combined city and highway driving.
Our biggest complaints are:
1. Electrical problem 1: Complete loss of power and stalled without warning while driving on the highway in winter. In fact, the owner's manual actually describes the condition! We called Toyota roadside assistance and they were only willing to tow the van and give two of the three passengers transportation back into town.
2. Electrical problem 2: After sitting in a parking lot for a few minutes in winter... Starting it up, it would not shift from Park into Drive or Reverse. Also, there was no power to the heater and the warning light for the ABS braking system and the tire pressure monitor were on. After the engine ran for about 10 minutes, the warning lights went out and it was back to normal.
3. The paint scratches easily and the white primer under the red paint makes the scratches really stand out. Good luck getting touch-up paint. All Toyota has is a virtually useless paint stick. I especially recommend against red.
4. Thin metal body panels seem to dent quite easily.
5. The non-powered sliding passenger door does not close easily. We really have to slam it.
6. When going from mild damp weather to cold weather, every window, front doors and the sliding passenger doors freeze shut. This seems to be quite a bit worse than our 1998 Windstar.
Has Toyota ever considered designing for winter? GM does cold weather testing in Kapuskasing Ontario--very smart. I don't know where Ford tests for winter but our Windstar seemed to tolerate winter better than the Sienna.
7. The seats are quite a bit harder than the Windstar's. My wife really hates long drives now. The second row captain's chairs do not recline nearly enough.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 23000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: LE, Automatic
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Epinions.com ID:
northbayon
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Reviews written: 1
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