Great Bones But Room For Improvement
Had I never owned a later model Sienna, I probably would have given this van top marks. However, the 2004 redesign so improved the platform as to largely eclipse the performance of its predecessor. The van is extremely reliable and has few issues. I acquired it from my sister-in-law, who is a doctor and is extremely fastidious in the care she takes of her vehicles--as am I. At sixteen years of age, it has fewer than 100,000 miles on the odometer--itself a rarity. Everything works, which I would expect from a well-maintained Toyota. I have a friend who recently retired his 1968 Toyota Hilux pickup. He claimed that he had put over a million miles on it during its lifetime. Having borrowed it from time to time for household hauling jobs, I can well believe that. While my wife's 2000 Corolla was a bit of a lemon, I know several other Corolla owners who claim to have driven their cars a half-million miles or more. By that standard, my van is just getting broken in.
One thing that kind of bothers me about this vehicle is the "chattering" body squeaks when I go over any sort of bump in the road. My previous Sienna--a 2004 LE that got totaled in an accident--never had that sort of issue. Another is the noticeable body lean in turns. Again, the 2004 redesign ameliorated that characteristic considerably. Other issues that the redesign improved include the overly-wide turning radius and the longer, wider, more-accessible cargo bay. The fact that newer models' third-row seats fold into the floor is also a welcome feature. Oddly, this van's driver's seat isn't quite as roomy for the legs as is the front passenger's seat. As I am quite tall (6'6"), this is more of an issue for me than it would be for most drivers. Some of the van's controls are oddly placed, necessitating that I direct my gaze away from the road while driving--a dangerous practice.
On the plus side, this van's center and rear seats are much easier to remove and replace that are it's replacement's. Also, it's headlamp lenses are made of glass, which doesn't oxidize and "fog" the way that plastic lenses do. For its vintage, it's a really decent automobile.
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