Surprisingly awesome car
I'm a man's man. Powerlifter. Gun collector. And I love this minivan. We had a 2001 Sienna, and I hauled kids, donations, lumber, mulch, rocks, and many other things in that thing. And unlike a truck, it rode like a car, and whatever I was hauling, never got wet in the rain or snow. (Although, I would like to own a truck too.) We decided to get a new (new to us) minivan a few years ago. We wanted an AWD minivan, so that narrowed our selection to the Sienna. Don't remember what year it was, but we've tested an older Sienna, maybe 2009 or so, and it rode and sounded like a truck ... a bad truck. We were told it was due to the run-flats. So, we gave up and stuck with our 2001 Sienna. Then, while looking around, we spotted the 2016 Sienna. 3 years old at the time. AWD with all the bells and whistles. Not a scratch on her. We decided to test drive it. It rode quietly and very smooth. Pleasant surprise. It had run-flats, but we were told that car manufacturers designed the car's suspension to compensate for the hardness of run-flats. Well, whatever they did, worked. The 2016 Sienna was much bigger than our 2001. And holy crap, it can turn on a dime. Even with the long wheel base, I can make U-turns practically anywhere. And I really like the backup sensors. Pulling out of parking lots, it warns me if cars are coming. Saved me a bunch of times. The problem is now, I expect that from my other cars, and suddenly realize they don't have backup sensors. And the power is awesome. I have to remind myself to stop speeding in this thing. The power doors work great. The power tailgate works great. I like the 3rd row seats folding into the floor. Taking out the 2nd rows seats are very easy, and they seem a little lighter than the ones in the 2001. The only makers of run-flat snow tires is Blizzak, which are fantastic, but expensive (about $300/tire). This is not a cheap car, but it's very nice, very reliable, very capable, very comfortable, and should last us a long, long time.
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