2004 Toyota Sienna 2WD

Pros: Available features, roominess, interior versatility, most clever third row, easy handling, refinement
Cons: Awkward styling, recalcitrant powertrain, slick tires, rear seats a bit low, availability, pricey

Logic suggests that Honda and Toyota should dominate the minivan segment. They excel at creating refined, comfortable, and reliable transportation. This fits family sedan buyers’ top priorities, and the Accord and Camry dominate that segment. It even ...

Pros: Great highway ride, different looks, mileage
Cons: Weird cruise-control stalk, strange options packages

Got a good deal on a new 2004 LE with curtain airbags, Stability control/brake assist/4-wheel discs/ABS, rear audio, and the alloy wheels. Also opted for dealer-installed leather. Let's start by saying that I had already decided on the 2004 Odyssey, ...

Pros: Design, Power, Seating arrangements, overall feel of quality, that new car smell.
Cons: A/C weak, acceleration lag, industry created lack of availability.

Where do I start. Ive owned Toyota's off and on for many years now. Ever since I met my wife we have had one or two Toyotas in the family. Now with the addition of another child, her Corolla just didnt cut it. We pounded the pavement in search of a ...

Pros: Style, Space, Power, Comfort and Value
Cons: Minor interior issues.

This review was updated on 1/16/04 with additional information on maintenance and performance. Our 2004 Sienna purchase story We picked up our new 2004 Sienna on 8/12/03. We ordered it on 5/29/03 from our local Toyota dealer. We had a frustrating ...

Pros: spaciousness; seating configs. (2nd removable or row-forward); 2nd row power windows; 40/60 split 3rd row
Cons: many options/packages, but can't get combos. wanted. Ex.: LE7 BW_Package HID NAVIGATION.

Vital Statistics: Vehicle: Toyota Sienna 2004 Trim: ...

Pros: Split folding rear seat. Reliability. A lot of "Stuff" for the money.
Cons: Hard time finding one for less than sticker price. Side air-bags are an option.

After shopping all summer for a mini van (Chrysler Town and Country, Honda Odyssey, Mazda MPV, and Nissan Quest), we bought a 2004 Sienna LE with option package 1, 4, and 7. This combination gives you essentially the electric side door, cold weather ...

Pros: extremely smooth, quiet ride, seats 7 comfortably, power sliding door, disappearing 60/40 rear seat
Cons: Rear hatch requires some effort to close. Wife gets to drive it more than me.

I had hesitations about buying the Honda minivan. My '86 Civic had non-stop problems: stripped oil ...

Pros: Smooth ride Plenty of seating, storage space Interior configuration options Mileage
Cons: Electrical glitches OEM tires only fair

We bought our 2004 Sienna LE when it first came out, and have about 35,000 miles of experience with it. Overall, it is an excellent van, with a smooth ride, powerful motor, and lots of comfort. The rear seats are a dream to fold from the open ...

Pros: handling, cargo space, safety features, design improvements
Cons: hard to find, certain option packages in short supply, lag in acceleration from stop.

It was time to finally buy a minivan, and even I was excited. My wife and I have two children and found that traveling in our Camry or Century was difficult for trips over 45 mins. We needed something with passenger and cargo space. I did my ...

Pros: Looks, Ride, Turning radius, Quality of interior materials, comfort above average.
Cons: Some hesitation in lower band of acceleration. Need to add dimming control to dash/dash components

There is a story behind every purchase out there so here goes mine. I have an old GMC safari that ...

Pros: Interior. Great features. Smooth ride. Good mileage. Loads of useful features.
Cons: Sunglass holder. Parent mirror.

My wife and I have two kids, ages 3 and 10 months. We had all but made up our mind to purchase the Honda Odyssey.

My wife liked the roominess of the Honda, and I loved the flat folding rear seat. However, we ran into waiting list after...

Pros: Flexible Seat Configuration; Power Sliding Doors at LE trim level; Power windows on sliding doors
Cons: Captain chairs hard to move. 8 passenger option needs improvement.

After a lot of research on the web, we decided on Odyssey being #1 on the list and Sienna being #2. We test drove the two vehicles in that order. My wife and myself were immediately sold on Sienna due to the following additional features compared to ...

Pros: Safe, Quiet, big engine, flexible seating.
Cons: Need to shop around to get 8 passenger version with certain option packages.

We recently purchased a 2004 Sienna LE 8 passenger minivan to replace our trusty 1995 Honda Odyssey. Quite an improvement! It is one of the safest vans in the IIHS crash test and available with a host of safety equipment such as side airbags, traction ...

Pros: 60/40 fold flat rear seats,lots of power,great handling,good looks
Cons: acceleration delay

I looked at them all. They all had good points but if you want all the best features in one van go w ...

Pros: Fairly peppy and maneuverable. Fairly good sound system.
Cons: WINTER!! Electrical, windows and doors freezing shut. Red paint scratches easily. Hard seats.

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 ...

Pros: Ample power and comfort. Great styling. Plenty of room.
Cons: Hard to get all the options you want right off the lot.

I hate minivans. Always have. Thought I always would. Had a set of twins. Joined the league of m ...

Pros: Comfortable, flexible, good storage, good power, great safety features.
Cons: Black plastic trim, one power door in LE, poor carpet quality, expensive.

The Toyota Sienna is an awesome van- easy to park, seats 8, has storage and cup holders everywhere, good power and fun to drive. Hard to get but worth the wait and extra cost over the Honda, Nissan, Ford, Chrysler and other vans out there. We have ...

Pros: Interior room and comfort, Size, Car-like Ride, Styling (hey, it's a minivan) 8-passenger option.
Cons: Underpowered, RECALLED FOR LEAKING GAS TANK IN ACCIDENT, Overpriced, Bad option pakages, fake availabilty problem.

I have never written a review before, in my life. Most of these reviews here are so obviously writte ...

Pros: The everything van: lots of interior room, more power, tight turner, bigger seats.
Cons: Brakes are soft, exterior is too big, rear seats hard to move

My family has moved from our Toyota Sienna 2001 (see my review posted back then in 2002) to the 2005 model. The Sienna 2005 is much bigger, a little faster and has a much larger interior. Its actually a little too big for my taste, but the salesman ...

Pros: Good Looks, Comfy, Power Doors and Hatch open from Key Fob, Drives Great, Versatile Seating
Cons: Expensive - have to buy an expensive package to get what you really want

We needed a bigger vehicle and the Saturn sedan just was not cutting it. We considered the Odyssey and Pilot. We decided that we really didn't need an SUV and a minivan would be much more roomy and practical for the family. We felt that the Sienna was ...

Pros: Second row windows roll down 2/3 of the way, 3rd row folds into floor.
Cons: rear door is somewhat hard to close.

We recently purchased a 2004 Sienna LE after thorough comparison. It had come down to the Honda Ody ...

Pros: plenty of room for the kids and kids stuff power side door
Cons: reliability (in my case) jerky acceleration heavy cumbersome rear hatch options are very expensive

I originally wrote a review on the Toyota Sienna back when I purchased it in Aug 03. Initially my wife and I were really happy with our 04 Sienna LE. The van was purchased primarily for my wife to cart around our three small children, chores, etc. In ...

Pros: Toyota quality, XLE Limited has many nice extras, an entertainment system on wheels.
Cons: Styling doesn't make you go "ooooh ahhhh"

The kids aren't getting any smaller so we decided to move up in size and get a minivan. We ordered the Sienna XLE Limited because of the extras it offered above the other trim levels. The Sienna has plenty of room for our family and enough gadgets to ...

Pros: Drives well and has a very good turning radius.
Cons: Not as good build quality as I had hoped for.

Purchased a month ago and I've already taken it back 4 times. 3 days after bringing it home the air conditioner would only work on the passenger side. The driver's side was only pushing air. I was told that they had never seen this problem before. It ...

Pros: ROOM storage ride comfort ease of driving style
Cons: Nothing yet....but we've only had it for 2 days.

I purchased a 2004 Toyota Sienna SLE 2 days ago. We took it for the weekend and fell in love w/ it and told the dealer Monday to start the paperwork. I have 2 boys. Both LOVE "the blue van". It's called stratosphere I think....but I call it midnight ...

Pros: Best Mini-Van on the market (as of Dec. 2003) - but the price is high...
Cons: Driver side sunglass holder - very difficult to access

I purchased 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE (with package #17) in Nov. 2004. Because my wife wanted to get a leather I had to go with XLE model. Deciding between 2004 Honda Odyssey and 2004 Toyota Sienna - decided to go with Sienna and have no regrets.. I ...

Pros: Comfort; space; good engine power.
Cons: Steering feel and play; 2nd row seats heavy; no clock display dimming.

My wife and I were looking for a minivan to handle our home remodeling materials hauling and our upcoming two-week vacation journey, meandering nearly 2,000 miles. We had one major criterion in mind: we had to comfortably fit in it; I am 6'7", my wife ...

Pros: Lots of room, quiet, nice handling.
Cons: Less than helpful FACTORY support despite it being my fifth Toyota within a 10yr. period.

We have owned a 04 Sienna XLE since Feb 04 (7 months after introduction of the new body style and platform). We did our research for the "best" Minivan...money was not a factor. Previous vans we had were a 98 Sienna XLE and a 99 Honda Odyssey. Problems ...

Pros: The vehicle itself.
Cons: Lack of availability.

JUST BUY IT! Originally, we wanted the all-wheel-drive XLE Limited model and were very disappointed that, after countless phone calls to dealers across the country, none -- I repeat NONE -- could be found (except in Iowa of all places). Being from...

Pros: power,styling,offered options,idea of the hiding 3rd row seats
Cons: unsafe 2nd row roll down window,confusing packages,2nd row 3 passengers seating

This Monday,my brother came showing off with his 04 Sienna i am not a big fan of the Sienna ever since the previous models were well ... not boring but not exciting. For 2004 Toyota went a little to far,redezining completly.You still can tell its a ...

Pros: Handling, ride,comfort, flexibility, mileage, third seat comfort and leg room, turning radius
Cons: Manual is long-winded, but it is all there.

This minivan has met all my expectations. It handles well for such a large vehicle and is cavernous inside. Interior is very flexible and we have used for all purposes, hauling bikes, a full load of cargo and up to 7 people in comfort. Third seat is very comfortable where I was consigned for a few weeks after eye surgery as a passenger.

Pros: Great power and comfort
Cons: Loud engine noise in cabin, poor brakes and poor dash and sliding door fitment.

We bought the Sienna XLE in mid July 2004, and have been enjoying it ever since. There is plenty of room and with three small children, it is nice to be able to seat the Grandparents.

I enjoy the plush leather seats (although I could use a little more leg room), and strong engine performance. The power side and rear doors are very handy when you have a double stroller to push, especially in the rain. We like all of the little storage areas tucked everywhere and the cup holders.

I do not enjoy poor braking performance. These brakes really struggle to bring the heavy van to a halt and it is nerve racking to stop suddenly, or brake on a steep down grade.

Fitment is also a problem as the dash panels are not lined up very well, and the sliding doors do not fit flush with the body of the car.

We have just under 5000 miles of varied use and know that it will be another long lasting and trouble free Toyota...if the brakes hold up.

Pros: Beautiful and comfortable
Cons: Technical problems

The new Toyota Sienna is beautiful and comfortable but it is full with problems. I own it for no more than 6 months and I have already visited the dealership 3 times:
1. Battery is running out quickly
2. skid-control started to work at 10 MPH on a perfectly dry road, this one is really dangerous!
3. Rear window exploded when i closed the rear door (and believe me, I am not a very strong guy)

So the car is beautiful and very comfortable but it breaks very often ... make your own decision.

Pros: The tow truck driver is a nice guy
Cons: just one, J U N K !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There must be a lot of Toyota sales people on this site. I have had nothing but trouble with mine. No starts, leaking oil, electrical problems. It has 15000 miles on it. I'll never buy another Toyota . The dealer will not even take my phone calls anymore. NO MORE TOYOTA'S

Pros: New body design, shifter, turning radius, 60/40 spring loaded rear fold away seats
Cons: A little bumpy on rough roads, no standard traction control

We purchased our 2004 Sienna LE just 3 weeks ago and we love it! The drive is extremely quiet and the power is very good. The turning radius is really good and steering is tight and smooth in close quarters. We were and still are really impressed with the 60/40 split spring loaded rear seat that folds away into the floor and there is plenty of space back there even without folding away the seat. We purchased the LE8 which will seat 8 passengers and because all the middle row seats flip down and forward, it makes it really easy to get through to the back row seating. We were almost ready to go into Honda and purchase the Odyssey until we saw and test drove the Sienna which seemed to "one up" the Odyssey because of all the updated features. The gear shift on the Odyssey was a concern for my wife and she and I both loved the shifter in the 2004 Sienna which seemed a little sportier and different.

Pros: Well designed seats, great interior, Luxury car ride and very,very quiet
Cons: Lousy gas milage but you can use regular with no problems.

I never wanted a minivan. Then, after having a child and having a few discs get badly damaged, I read the writing on the wall and bought one. I looked at the Sienna but dismissed it at first because of the gas tank and my loyalty to Honda. However after lots of research I came back to the Sienna and ordered an XLE limited. I have a 93 accord dx, a 95 volvo 850 and a 69 mercedes 280 and the Sienna is all 3 wrapped up together with more room. I love it. When I get into it I am reminded of the Mercedes. The quiet and solid feeling is pure Volvo(as are the safety features).I am reminded of the Accord by all the nice plastic in the back and the sewing machine-an Elna-sound of the engine. And, for the first time since an SUV ran into the back of my Honda, I can go on long roadtrips painlessly.

Pros: Reliability, low maint, room, convenience, features make sense, ergonomics.
Cons: manual pass. seat, accel lag, no 115v in front cabin.

XLE Limited, 30,000 mi, bought new May '03 ($34.5K, no DVD or Nav). Love the van.
Changed oil, rotated tires per Toyota schedule, about every 5,000 miles. At 22K started hearing engine noise & knocking under load. I use mid-grade 89 octane. Then I started feeling notchiness in the steering wheel. Dealer (Longo, El Monte, CA) knew of steering issue, replaced steering shaft under warranty. Horn doesn't always blow, dealer can't duplicate the problem. Brakes: Fronts were at 10% remaining at 30K miles, dealer replaced for $165.00 (Yikes - next time I do my own!). Be prepared to pay around $450.00 for the full 30K service (I passed on most of it for now, will do some now, some later.)
All else is great. A/C is cold, heater is hot. Lots of room, my teen boys love the ride and rear seat audio. Good power (hate the acceleration lag!), decent mileage. Laser cruise control is nice, so is traction control. Van should have a 115v outlet in the front cabin area. The (2) 120v outlets up front are nice, but I have to carry an inverter for my toys with standard house plugs.

Pros: Cruise power, acceleration great. Super bright headlights. Roomy interior and rear power windows nice.
Cons: Cruise poorly located and easy bump to off. Also must be reset after stop.

With only 6000 miles on the odometer we have yet to experience any body problems. However, it could stand a little tweaking in the looks dept. We have hit a fox and an oppossum and both died screaming. Tonight, we narrowly missed a skunk and I thought my wife was going to die screaming. (P.U.) The fox hit really hard and only caused minimal damage to the front bumper. I really expected to find major damage and the van had only 200 miles on it at the time.
Rear entertainment system is unusable without earphones and Toyota is too cheap to supply them. we had to buy some at Walmart in order to hear anything.

Pros: Overall ok
Cons: Battery saver appears to be an Achilles heel; bad problem if you have kids

We have overall enjoyed our 2004 Sienna but the battery has gone dead three times recently. True we found a dome light on each time but it is supposed to have a Battery Saver function that turns off the interior lights after 30 minutes. The dealer said "oh that's a new feature on the newest models. The NHTSA web site has 7 complaints that this feature was supposed to be on Siennas. A different dealer said "All Toyotas for the past several years have had that feature" When I told him our van's didn't seem to work he literally acted like he couldn't hear me.

Our 1996 Chrysler minivan's battery saver worked perfectly the whole time we had it.

This feature needs to work if you have kids.

Pros: Interior space and furnishings. Exterior attention to detail.
Cons: Price and availability. They're hot, so finding a "deal" required alot of research and patience.

I never thought it would happen to me; I love my mini-van. When we traded in our 3 year old Volvo V70 T 2.4 for the 2004 Sienna, I thought we'd be giving up in ride and comfort to pick up space, but I was wrong. The pick and handling are on par with the Volvo and the added room makes the Sienna a winner on comfort. We tried the Odessy and a few others, but none had the ride, size and comfort of the Sienna.

Pros: Toyota Reliability.
Cons: SEATS SUCK! Dealers are all assholes. Too damn big.

I just got the Sienna XLE and here is my honest opinion.

I am a 35 y/o married male and we bought this to have more room for our daughter.

Here are my gripes:

1) The seats look comfortable but don't have that "feel" that my Camry has. It pokes into my lower back too much and is very uncomfortable to drive. I cannot stand this.

2) It is too damn large. It's huge. It's like a battleship. I didn't realized until I got home.

3) No auto off lights.

4) The engine sounds like it's trying really hard to work.

I love Toyotas but this one is a LOSER for me. For any 30 something year olds out there with only 1 kid - GO BUY SOMETHING ELSE NOW! Don't make the same mistake I did.

Pros: Quality, Comfort, Features, and options
Cons: Does not have automatic seat memory. DVD must be controlled from rear

I paid $40K for my fully loaded Limited Edition Sienna and enjoy every penny of it. So far I have driven about 4,000 worry free miles. I love the voice navigation and rear DVD system. The van rides smooth and has all the luxury features of a car that cost twice as much. I upgraded from my 2003 Acura MDX for it and enjoy driving it almost as much as my 560SL. I haven't used my laser guided cruise control but that just shows how much of the latest technology was put into this vehicle.

Pros: Roomy, fold-away seats, smooth quiet ride and overall redesign leaves the competition behind.
Cons: Aside from owning a lemon, the large vehicle size results in many parking lot scratches.

Bought solely based on Toyota's reputation of reliability and craftsmanship. It is our "family car". But Gas tank has been replaced; Electronic module has not worked properly since tank replacement (4 visits to dealer alone). The Rad has blown, resulted in leaving the car overnight and it was needed to take my 3 year old son for his physio therapy. Most recently, on 23,000km my rotors needed to be machined. Totally disappointed in the lack of reliability and craftsmanship. Beginning to lose count the number of times I have been to a dealer for repairs