2004 Toyota Sienna Walkaround Review at Automotive.com
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2004 Toyota Sienna Review: Exterior

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2004 Toyota Sienna Review

The new class leader?
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The new Toyota Sienna was styled in California, designed in Michigan, and built in Indiana. Before designing the new Sienna, chief engineer Yuji Yokoya drove the previous Sienna all over North America, through Mexico, Canada, and the U.S., through every state, every province, some 53,000 miles. A short, slight Japanese man, Yokoya-san was often accompanied by program manager John Jula, a tall, burly American. An odd couple, they couldn't have been more different in stature, appearance, and temperament. But they shared a seriousness of purpose, a devotion to designing the best minivan ever created, and a strong sense of humor. Working with designers and engineers from around the world, they ferreted every weakness and shortcoming of the old (1998-2003) Sienna and addressed it with this new Sienna.

The biggest shortcoming of the old Sienna was its lack of interior roominess. Yokoya saw families buried under luggage. He also determined it needed to be quieter so families could more easily converse on long drives. He wanted better seats. And he wanted to improve stability at high speeds, especially in cross winds and on crowned roads.

The all-new 2004 Toyota Sienna is substantially larger, wider, taller than the previous-generation model. Its wheelbase is 5 inches longer and the track is 4 inches wider than last year's model. Stretching 200 inches over a 119-inch wheelbase, the new Sienna is the same size as the biggest minivans on the market: the Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, Ford Windstar, and the long-wheelbase versions of the Chevrolet Venture and Pontiac Montana.

Everything on the Sienna is big and bold: Big headlamps and big taillamps light up the night and give the Sienna presence in the dark. Black pillars, instead of body-colored pillars, make the new Sienna look even larger than its considerable dimensions. A big windshield, big wipers, and wiper-mounted washer nozzles designed for snow belt improve driver visibility.

The Sienna presents a sleek appearance by minivan standards, enhanced by its steeply raked windshield and the black pillars. The slot for the sliding doors is cleverly hidden, offering a cleaner look. Though you shouldn't expect ogling at the car wash, the new Sienna is an attractive vehicle. Next Page



2004 Toyota Sienna
  
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