Used 2022 Toyota Sienna

The 2022 Toyota Sienna goes quite far in several directions to make minivan ownership cool. Most obviously, there’s an SUV flavor to the exterior design. It’s also one of the few minivans to offer all-wheel drive.

Fresh for 2022, the Sienna Woodland Edition takes that theme and saunters with it, packing all-wheel drive as standard, raising the ride height slightly and promising $250 to the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) for every unit sold. Toyota has promised a minimum donation of $250,000.

Speaking of environmental matters, this generation of Sienna — which debuted only last year — comes solely with a hybrid drivetrain, making it a rarity for the class all over again. With seating for up to eight, many safety features as standard, lots of space and 18 beverage holders, the 2022 Sienna is an excellent family vehicle. It might just be cool enough, too.

A raised driving position is present and correct. Large glass areas are great for all occupants, while providing excellent outward vision for the driver.

The virtue of a hybrid drivetrain is fuel economy and the 2022 Sienna certainly delivers that. Not that we expect Porsche-like performance, but 245 horsepower leans more toward adequate than accelerative. For comparison, the Honda Odyssey’s V6 makes 280 horsepower. With a full complement and their luggage on board, the Sienna needs all the virtual colts it can corral.

Then again, 36 mpg. And the ride quality is comfortable enough to keep most family members happy.

The Sienna’s all-wheel-drive arrangement isn’t the same as old-school mechanical setups. The rear axle is turned by a second electric motor whenever it’s required. This is known as an on-demand system and enables fuel economy to almost match its front-drive counterpart.

The new Woodland Edition (available in a distinctly non-rural Cement color or Midnight Black) not only comes with all-wheel drive as standard, but ground clearance is also raised by about half an inch. A few dirt roads won’t stop it in its tracks, but it’s hardly one for the bandana crowd.

Here are the things that really matter in a new minivan. The LE and front-drive XLE have seating for eight, while the rest of the range accommodate seven occupants. There’s plenty of legroom in all three rows: 39.9 inches in the second row and 38.7 inches in the third.

The second row comes with window shades as standard. The third-row seats have a 60/40 split-and-stow action.

Toyota cabins haven’t always been noticeably quiet, but the company has raised its sound insulation game with this new Sienna.

Up front, the standard 9-inch infotainment touchscreen isn’t the largest of its kind, but still a generous size. The center console has been designed to provide some stowage space underneath it for purses and the like.

Cargo space goes from 33.5 cubic feet with all the seats in place to 101 cubic feet behind the front row.

Influenced by SUV designs, but not copying them. That’s how Toyota describes the looks of its newest Sienna minivan. We’ll let the company get away with that one. Anything that might make a minivan seem more acceptable in the eyes of a typical middle-class family can only be a positive.

One unarguably good feature is the inclusion of powered sliding side doors on both sides, with hands-free operation (a moving foot does the job) from the XLE trim and up.

The supposedly sportier XSE models have trim-specific treatments front and rear, with special-design 20-inch alloy wheels.

LONG-SLIDE CAPTAIN’S CHAIRS
Although it’s common for second-row seats to slide forward and back for extra versatility, the long-slide captain’s chairs in the 2022 Sienna have an extraordinary amount of travel: 25 inches. They can go right back to touch the third row (as long as no one is sitting there) and even a little beyond if that rearmost row is folded.

DRIVER EASY SPEAK
A microphone picks up the driver’s voice and sends it through the audio system’s rear speakers, where troublesome youngsters can be admonished loudly and clearly.

The base trim of the 2022 Sienna range is the 8-seater LE, which has a perfectly respectable level of standard equipment. This includes 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights/taillights, heated side mirrors, powered sliding side doors, keyless entry/ignition, 3-zone automatic climate control, 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, second-row shades, and cloth upholstery.

Safety is well catered for, with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, active lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, and radar-based adaptive cruise control.

The infotainment system is controlled by a 9-inch touchscreen and contains Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, Amazon Alexa compatibility, Wi-Fi, seven USB ports, satellite radio, Bluetooth, plus six speakers.

For buyers who decide they’d like even more features in their new Sienna minivan, the XLE offers the no-cost option of two captain’s chairs in the second row, reducing the occupant count to seven. One combination that isn’t available is an 8-seater XLE with all-wheel drive.

XLE trim also brings LED fog lights, hands-free side door operation, powered tailgate, 4-zone automatic climate control, simulated leather upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel, front/rear sparking sensors, and eight speakers.

An optional XLE Plus package adds a 12-speaker/1,200-watt JBL audio system, navigation, advanced voice recognition, and wireless charging (plus a few other features). This model is also eligible for Driver Easy Speak, which becomes standard in the next trim up.

The special Woodland Edition has all-wheel drive as standard, plus navigation, JBL audio, two 120-volt outlets (optional in the other trims, but not the LE), tow hitch, roof rails with crossbars, heated front seats, long-slide second-row captain’s chairs, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The XSE has a sportier suspension than the rest of the 2022 Sienna range. The highest grade of infotainment system is optional here.

Wireless charging, heated/ventilated front seats, leather seating surfaces, power-adjustable steering column, third-row shades, navigation, and the JBL system all come in the Limited model.

Platinum adds self-dimming side mirrors with puddle lamps/memory settings/reverse tilt-down, rain-sensing wipers, foot rests (ottomans) for the second row, and a head-up display.

All versions except the LE are eligible for a rear seat entertainment system. The top two trims also offer a digital rearview mirror (see the Safety Technology section below).

Toyota decided to make this generation of Sienna hybrid-only. On the combustion side is a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine running on regular 87-octane gasoline. It’s joined by either one electric motor if the arrangement is front-wheel drive (FWD) or two if all-wheel drive (AWD) is installed. These are energized by a nickel metal hydride battery pack.

Total output is 245 horsepower, relayed to the wheels through an automatic transmission. Every 2022 Sienna can tow up to 3,500 pounds with the proper trailering equipment.

Hybrid components in the 2022 Sienna are covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty, while the battery pack has a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty.

2.5-liter inline-4 + electric motors
245 horsepower total system output
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 36/36 mpg (FWD), 35/36 mpg (AWD)