After nine years of loyal service, my wife's 2000 Saturn SL was about to give up the ghost. Obviously, my honey needed a new car.

I learned that she had fantasized about a minivan for some time and that seemed odd to me. Who on earth fantasizes about driving a minivan? My wife, that's who. Of course, there are a lot of minivans on the market, so which one were we to purchase.

As luck would have it, we've become Toyota converts over the past few years due to my Toyota Matrix. Yes, I've beaten the tar out of that thing and it still runs like a sewing machine. When you combine our mutual dislike of American vehicles with our admiration of my Matrix, the choice seemed obvious -- the Toyota Sienna was the vehicle for my wife.

My wife test drove a 2007 Sienna first of all and loved it. We decided to get something new for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that my darling decided a new car is a desirable thing indeed. So that's what we wound up with -- a 2009 Toyota Sienna and my wife couldn't be happier.

First of all, I've got to mention something that confused me. There was a sticker on our minivan informing us that it was made in Princeton, Ind., and 90 percent of the parts used in its construction were manufactured in the U.S. or Canada and 10 percent came from Japan. That being the case, are we really talking about a Japanese vehicle anymore? It seems that building that van provided a lot of work for a lot of Americans, and I'd count that as a good thing, right?

I also noticed, immediately, the best thing about this van -- the ride. The interior is amazingly quiet and the thing just rather slinks down the highway. The ride is stable, amazingly smooth and feels downright luxurious compared to anything else we drove. That's right -- it just "felt" better than the Toyota Highlander, Chrysler Pacifica and certainly my Matrix. Perhaps the silky smooth ride has something to do with the fact that you're lugging a huge vehicle down the road (it is a seven-passenger van, after all) and that weight means the thing stays anchored to the road.

It could also have something to do with that 266-horsepower V-6 that is mated to a five-speed, automatic transmission that shifts effortlessly. It's worth mentioning that the engine has plenty of power to lug the van and dialing it up to about 90 MPH on the interstate is absolutely no trouble. In spite of that power, the fuel economy is pretty solid -- we achieved about 25 miles-per-gallon on the interstate in a trip up to northwest Arkansas and get about 22 to 23 MPG in mixed driving. For a van that can seat seven, that's not bad at all.

Another noticeable thing is the front end of the vehicle. It's wedge-shaped and set so low in the front that you really can't see the hood of the vehicle from the driver's seat. That can be annoying, but the design has to do with fuel economy I'm told. I rather like being able to see the front of my vehicle, but it takes some getting used to with the Sienna.

Now, we bought the base model (the CE) because I'm a cheap bastard and $25,000 seemed like a lot to pay for a vehicle, what with the uncertain economy and all (not to mention my reluctance to spend any money on anything). Here's where Japanese vehicles are unique -- when you get a base model, you still get a heck of a lot of features. You get safety features such as advanced airbags, ABS (electronically assisted brakes) and a stability control system that assists with traction when necessary. If you want to spend the extra money, you can get all-wheel drive, too. We also got a great, six-speaker stereo, a heating and cooling system with independent controls for the rear of the vehicle, the standard electronic entry system, cruise control and a few other conveniences. Yes, you've got cup holders all over the place, folks. What was missing? We didn't go for the onboard DVD system (we've got portable players for the kids), rear cameras, Bluetooth connectivity for cell phones or any of the other more advanced features. The stereo, however, plays CDs in both standard and MP3 formats and has a handy accessory jack for my wife's Apple iPod Touch.

The great thing about a minivan, of course, is the fact you can haul people and stuff all over the place. In our van, we have captain's chairs on the first two rows and a bench seat on the back. You get ample foot room in the first two rows, but the third row might be a bit cramped for anyone over the age of 13-years-old or so. This is billed as a seven-passenger van, and that is true -- but those three passengers on the back row had better be small children or you'll have some cramped quarters, indeed.

On the plus side, that back row folds down to allow for plenty of cargo space. We helped my parents move back into their old home (it's a long story -- their house got crushed by a tree back in November and had to be rebuilt) and loved the roomy van. The middle seats in our van can be rotated forward to provide more space or removed completely. Even when the back row is up, we have plenty of room for groceries and can easily jam some suitcases and such back there for long trips. I've got a family of four and hauling them on trips has always been a problem due to my love of smaller vehicles. That problem no longer exists.

Finally, the best thing about this vehicle is the insane reliability offered by Toyota. It came standard with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty on almost all components in the van and a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty on the drive train. We spent a little bit more money to extend the warranty so the three-year, "bumper-to-bumper" coverage runs for seven-years and 100,000 miles. Our Toyota dealer here in central Arkansas (Landers Toyota -- great lot) is tops when it comes to service, so I feel pretty good about our warranty and that service department taking care of any problems we might have. Like I said, however, this is a Toyota and that company has a great reputation for making rock solid vehicles for a reason. I hope that reputation holds up with regard to our month-old van!

Are there problems with this van? Well, the styling isn't exactly cutting edge. I'm not sure if that can be helped, however. This is a minivan and those are wonderfully utilitarian. The van is rather plain and anonymous, but I doubt many people opting for a minivan are too interested in cutting edge styling, anyway. The interior is comfortable, but a bit plain. There is plenty of room in the van and my eight-year-old daughter is thrilled she can run all over the thing. The huge side doors slide open and close easily and one nifty feature is the windows on that thing can be rolled down like the front power windows in the vehicle. Oh, and you get three power ports (two in the front and one in the back) for powering portable DVD players and such.

All in all, my wife is thrilled with her new van and I like it, too. I've tried to convince her to get a bumper sticker that reads, "If this van's a-rockin' don't come a-knockin.'" I've had no luck with that so far.
Amount Paid (US$): 25,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2009
Model and Options: CE