Wednesday, December 2, 2009

2011 Toyota Sienna: New 7/8 Passenger Minivan Debuts at LA Auto Show

The third-generation Toyota Sienna minivan was officially revealed today at 2009 Los Angeles Auto show. The new model features a somewhat more aggressive design (note: key word here is 'more'...) that than its predecessor with many styling cues borrowed from the Toyota Venza - we'll leave you to decide if that's a good thing.

The 2011 Sienna's seven- or eight-passenger configurable interior has been redesigned from the ground up and now boasts a more modern styling. Toyota claims that the interior is more than two inches longer, and that the seats now have longer ranges of travel, thus increasing passenger space and making it possible to accommodate a wider range of heights and sizes.

Furthermore, the new Sienna gets wider doors making it easier to enter or exit the vehicle.

A choice of two petrol engines will be available on the Sienna, including an entry-level 2.7-liter four cylinder unit that produces 187HP and returns EPA-estimated fuel efficiency ratings of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg on the highway, and a 3.5-liter V6 with 266HP that delivers 18 mpg city/24 mpg highway.

Each engine is coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission while the V6 model is also offered with all-wheel drive.

The new Sienna will come in five grades, base, LE, XLE, Limited and the new "sporty" SE. The latter gets more aggressive looks with different side skirts, 19-inch alloy wheels, smoked lights, exclusive instrumentation and unique interior colors and trim plus a sportier tuned suspension.

The all-new 2011 Sienna will begin arriving at Toyota's U.S. dealerships in February 2010.