I’ve driven a few different minivans before and it is my opinion that the Toyota Sienna is the best family minivan of 2014! I am not alone in this thinking. The reputable and trustworthy site Kelly Blue Book just named their 12 Best Family Cars of 2014 and Toyota Sienna made the list!
You can read the entire list on their site. As part of the #SiennaDiaries campaign, I am driving the Sienna until April. So far, my entire family is enamored and it is on this list because it deserves the spot of glory.
My kids love the reclining captain chairs (which I enjoyed on my recent trip, I’ve never been so comfy on a road trip before!). I enjoy how extremely easy it is for me to reach every single seat to buckle my children.
I noticed my current vehicle – the Acura MDX – did not make the list. I am not shocked in the least! It is not very family friendly at all. The third row has almost no leg room and trying to reach my children back there to buckle them in is a feat of gymnastics. Not to mention my least favorite feature – the rear A/C and heat takes a long time to reach the 3rd row.
But the Sienna was designed for families. There is a ton of room for backpacks and groceries and still enough room for them to sit and not be cramped. I was also extremely impressed with the extensive safety features (which I will explain in a future post, so stay tuned!). And the A/C and heater has vents throughout the van so everyone is comfortable at the same time. And one feature my kids all adore – sunscreens! Every single rear window has a screen you can pull up to block out the sun.
Congrats Sienna! You earned it!
Toyotas are definitely dependable cars. My husband has an old Celica. He loves it! It has over 100,000 miles and still going strong!
I love the new Toyotas. I am going to be getting a new car and we’ve looked at them, but this car is something we will have for a long time and there just aren’t mechanics in my area that work on them.. It’s still not off my list though!
It’s definitely well deserved. I only drove it for a week but instantly fell in love with the model we had.
The Sienna is well deserved. I’ve driven a Sienna for the last 1.5 years and it’s hands down the best vehicle we’ve ever owned.
I’ve heard great things about the Sienna! Glad to know I am hearing them from you as well!
I’ve always been anti-mini van, but have been looking at them with a kinder eye recently.
I drive a mini van and have all these extras and love it! It’s definitely made family travel a lot easier and more comfortable for everyone.
I didn’t even know Toyota made minivans! When we bought ours I thought the only options were the Town & Country (that we have) and that crazy expensive Honda one.
Safety + space – those are two of the most important things to me in a vehicle! I’d love to have a more spacious vehicle that I could haul stuff around in. Sounds really comfy too!
It’s nice to know from someone “real” that it really does earn its award!
This looks great. So nice that there is room built in for comfort
Last year we had to purchase a new vehicle to replace our van. We had convinced ourselves that the girls were now old enough that we could get an SUV instead of being stuck in minivan land for another umpteen years. So we test drove a bunch of SUVs and ultimately ended up buying a van after all. They ride so well, are comfy and are perfect for road trips.
I know mini vans have a stigma but they are SO luxurious~!
My family is in search of our first minivan so I appreciate your recommendation!
We are in the market for an upgrade from our sedan. The Sienna would be perfect to accommodate our family of 4!
That is really nice!! I love my mini van. It’s not a Toyota – but I’ve always loved Toyota. Maybe next time!
I’m actually looking for a new vehicle right now. I’m not completely sold on the whole mini van idea, but after reading your post I guess they’re not sooo bad haha.
Nikki, the things that make a minivan worth it are the number of passengers and comfort of all passengers. I’ve honestly never really understood the stigma attached to minivans….I’ve driven one since high school. But I will respect it 🙂 Depending on the ages and number of kids you have you might not need one or you might LOVE one 🙂