'22 Tundra CM vs Sienna? (I know, don't laugh)

My wife’s vehicle gets worse fuel economy than my Tundra. Lol

 

You have gotten a lot of good advice.
Sienna has 692kg payload. 1525 lbs.
If I did not need the ground clearance where I go or the need to tow over 3500 lbs , an AWD Sienna is a real option.
SUVs and Vans have dry safe first class storage. Pickup truck beds for storage are not in the same class.
But you need to line the inside of the SUV/VAN with something before carrying the dirty stuff.

 

I thought about it but I imagine the cost, considering they are all hybrids, will be quite high. Plus, I don’t think there would be much advantage over my current armada in terms of utility or mpg. Our main issue with the armada besides poor gas mileage is it’s just not that useful. The third row is super cramped so in the rare occasion we use it, only kids can fit back there. And with the 3rd row folded down, there isn’t that much cargo space given the size and weight of the vehicle. That’s why I figured a 1/2 ton CM with a whole bed of space would have more utility. Or, a minivan would also have more utility than our current armada.

 

Just for clarification purposes, I could care less about the “image” of me driving a minivan. If it drives nice, the cost is reasonable, and meets our needs im fine with it.

One thing that may sound silly but does have me concerned is I do love to drive and love the feel of a solid, road worthy, vehicle. I won’t lie and say I enjoy a lot of power in my vehicles. I understand there is no free lunch between power, utility, price, and mpg- something has to give. If only the Germans offered a large wagon that didn’t require premium fuel and didn’t cost and arm and a leg, I think that’s what we would buy. However, that’s not reality. I’ve been reading comments here that so many people are amazed at the 22 Tundra’s power, smoothness, and quietness, that I guess I am trying to rationalize buying a Tundra over what is probably a much more practical vehicle, a minivan like the sienna.

 

minivan is very not masculine as most would say XD

 

Sienna is a better choice from the sounds of your usage.

I'll also throw out that they'll hold a ton of cargo with the seats down. My Durango gets used as a truck more than my truck does at the moment.

 

I have a 21 CM that is awesome for my family, I have a 3 and a 2 year old, the car seats fit perfectly, there is plenty of room, its our family fun vehicle for offroading and camping and such. I will be able to fit a 3rd car seat in it, but there would be no room for changing/feeding and what not. With a third on the way, I will be getting a Sienna at some point, possibly in about a year. They only come in hybrid now and I would go with the AWD, wilderness edition since it comes with a lift. Its easily the best minivan option with the hybrid, its the same price as an Odyssey or a Pacifica and it gets double the mileage of both.

Good things about the minivan are its easy to maneuver for city errands, gets great city mileage, its easy to get kids in and out, its not flashy at all so you will stay under peoples radar, insurance is probably way less, there is almost no aftermarket support for minivans so you wont be tempted to mod it lol.

Bad things would be a serious drop on the manliness scale, anemic to drive, no aftermarket support for mods, your kids will probably ask you to pull up to the back of the school to pick them up.

BTW, I am not getting rid of the tundra. Selling the wifes matrix when we decide to get the van.

 

This is just one of the reasons I drive a truck. Hauling garbage from the house or lake lot to the dump at least once a year.

Also, I'm not aware of a minivan that would safely tow a travel trailer that meets our needs.

 

Needs, or wants?

 

If the wife wants it, it's a need.

 

If you rely on a vehicle to determine your level of manliness, I think the said vehicle is the least of your worries.

 

Smart man!

 

I assume it's as well maintained as all your other stuff, so that's a steal! Or is it older than I am?

 

A quick bit of searching shows this is a solid deal. Hell, I'd be tempted just for the better economy as a commuter.

 

Plus you can still off road in it.

https://youtu.be/8NbXm3V-_nM

 

Sigh. Fine.

~16:00-25:00 is the minivan offroading part. The rest is just pure entertainment.

 

Tiktok generation dude. Gonna need to get it down to 30 seconds max.

 

tick tock?

 

I bought a 2004 Chevy 2500 Crew Cab with a 6L engine thinking it would be our "family truckster". At the time, they didn't make a 1500 crew cab. When winter came and our state switched to ethanol gas, my mileage dropped from ~11 (already bad) to ~9 mpg. I realized that it was a huge mistake and within a few months traded for an '04 Sienna, which I believe was the first van to have 8 passenger seating (we had 4 small children at the time). 18+ years later we're still driving the Sienna daily. Definitely the best car buying decision we've made to date.

On the other hand, if you're considering a new Sienna, you're stuck with a hybrid, which would be a big "no" for me.

 

That seat belt trick is a real life hack

 

They call them shaggin wagons for a reason

 

Ok, so test drove a sienna hybrid. Am I missing something or is this thing completely gutless. Like, zero power. And this was with zero cargo and 2 adults, including myself. I have driven my in-laws 2018 sienna with the v6 and it drive like a completely different vehicle. Plus, the sounds the sienna hybrid made at moderate acceleration seemed rather uncouth for a $45K+ vehicle.

Am I just used to my armada’s V8 and will I get used to the I-4 in a sienna?

 

My wife has a 21 Sienna and I figure when my new Tundra comes in this week I'll likely have a 21 Sienna lol. At least until I manage to find her a woodlands edition. We actually really like the Sienna. I disagree with the lack of power. It's more than adequate. She's coming from a 400 horsepower Ford Explorer and likes how the Sienna drives just wants a bit more elevated driving position hence the woodlands edition. In fact, I tried to buy her a Sequoia in 2019 and she turned it down as she felt it didn't have adequate acceleration. With the instant torque of the electric motors in the Sienna, she's happy with it.

 

https://jalopnik.com/the-2023-toyota-sienna-25th-anniversary-edition-will-be-1848949265/amp

 

With the excellent resell value of the Tundra, get it and if does not fit your need trade it in for the Sienna.

Most likely won't get as good trading the other way around.

 

Exactly this plus more. As a current owner of both a Sienna and a Tundra I can tell you that the Sienna wins hands down on almost all things. The only reason I got the Tundra is we upsized our travel trailer from a 19' that I pulled with my Sienna to a 28'. Funny thing too is that the Sienna actually has more payload capacity than the Tundra (1375 lbs vs 1245 lbs) per the label on the door opening.