ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The 2021 Toyota Sienna isn’t what you’d consider as enjoyable or sporty. It’s a minivan. Additionally, it’s a hybrid. Certain, hybrid isn’t as correlated with gradual because it was once, however Toyota plus hybrid collectively conjures photographs of Priuses driving a number of miles per hour beneath the pace restrict. But Toyota begs to vary with the XSE trim degree of the brand new Sienna minivan. Just like the outgoing era’s Sienna SE, this distinctive new trim stands other than the remainder of the lineup with its personal styling cues — sporty-looking ones, after all — in addition to unique suspension and steering enhancements.
The XSE sits in the course of the Sienna trim lineup, with a beginning worth of $43,175, together with $1,175 in vacation spot expenses. Its look differs from the opposite grades — each above and beneath. Up entrance, it sports activities a gloss black mesh grille that appears extra aggressive than the horizontal slats on different Siennas. That’s flanked by a pair of extra air intakes that give the entrance bumper its personal form. The front-wheel-drive model boasts darkish, 20-inch wheels, whereas the XSE AWD will get shiny 18-inch wheels shared with the Platinum AWD. The XSE additionally will get black mirror covers, black rocker panels, black rear bumper mesh (atop a body-color decrease accent) and a black antenna.
Inside, the XSE shares the SofTex artificial upholstery because the XLE trim, an improve from the material seats of the LE, however not the leather-based of the Restricted or Platinum. The XSE is just obtainable within the seven-seat configuration, nevertheless it doesn’t lose any of the performance of the opposite trims. It nonetheless retains the brilliantly helpful Tremendous Lengthy Slide seats we loved a lot in a Platinum trim degree we examined for our Sienna First Drive evaluate.
Other than the outside appears to be like, the XSE’s sport-tuned suspension is essentially what units it other than the opposite Sienna trims. Each 2021 Sienna is already a lot better to drive than the imprecise and floaty era prior, benefitting from Toyota’s New International Structure (TNGA) platform and elevated physique rigidity. The XSE’s suspension provides upon that with stiffer coils and elevated damping, in addition to thicker stabilizer bars entrance and rear. Toyota has additionally tuned the steering particularly for the XSE.
All in, the XSE does much more than different Siennas to disguise the truth that it’s a minivan, even when by definition, there’s nothing actually sporty about it to start with. However, hey, what dad hasn’t, after dropping the children off at college, taken the chance to a minimum of strive to flog their household hauler just a little like a sports activities automobile, no matter how ridiculous it may appear? Whereas we famous the composure of the Platinum trim we’ve now examined twice, the XSE does much more to deal with like a smaller car. The stiffer suspension transmits a bit extra of the smaller bumps, vibrations and noises into the cabin, however does not ratchet issues as much as a punishing journey. At the least not in our XSE AWD with its 18-inch wheels – the FWD model with its 20-inch wheels and fewer sidewall is more likely to be totally different.
Since we did not drive the Platinum and XSE again to again, it was arduous to find out how a lot the steering tuning affected the expertise, however together with the suspension, the XSE affords noticeable distinction within the corners. I didn’t really feel almost as a lot physique roll as I’d count on in a pointy nook, and the physique settled down over the suspension when steering returned to impartial. Transitions from left to proper and again couldn’t actually upset this mighty field, both. Granted, I wasn’t rolling round with the added weight of quite a few passengers and their baggage, however I might virtually persuade myself I used to be driving a a lot much less frumpy car than a minivan.
However, nonetheless, the pokey hybrid powertrain doesn’t actually complement the sporty intentions of the XSE trim. It’s nonetheless the identical 245-horsepower hybrid powertrain with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and electrical motors which are meant extra for effectivity than acceleration. It takes persistence to stand up to something near entertaining speeds, however the Sienna XSE can preserve these modest speeds with extra composure than the remainder of the phase. Really, that might in all probability be stated of different Sienna trims as effectively, nevertheless it’s much more sure within the “sportier” XSE.
And we’re comfortable with the method. I don’t want my minivan to blow the doorways off, effectively, something, and I recognize the truth that it feels fairly good to drive. The XSE is, to me, much less about what you truly discover within the driving, however what you don’t — mainly mass and any unruly conduct that outcomes from having an excessive amount of of it. You don’t actually have to consider how that winding highway will toss your passengers round, or that you need to decelerate greater than you usually would for that subsequent nook. The XSE takes all of it in stride … for a minivan.
We like the way in which it appears to be like and the way in which it handles. We just like the hybrid powertrain regardless of its lackluster acceleration. The additional sportiness of the XSE wouldn’t maintain us from going up in trims if we actually wished one thing like leather-based seating or the digital rearview mirror (extraordinarily useful for those who go for the rear-seat leisure display that blocks the reflection). Not like the previous-generation SE that basically modified the Sienna driving expertise for the higher, the brand new 2021 Sienna is so improved, that the sportier trim degree simply is not that totally different. That in the end works out to a web constructive and we’re nonetheless happy the XSE exists. The discerning purchaser will recognize the added confidence and, after all, the differentiated appears to be like. It’s a small comfort for these of us who is perhaps reticent to surrender our tuned, sporty sedan for the area and practicality of a minivan. However, who’s to say you couldn’t tune your Sienna? If that’s your intention, the XSE is the apparent sport-tuned suspension alternative, and might we please have a journey? We all know you’ve received the area.
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