Here at SSB, I’m all about second chances and when it comes to the Toyota Sienna – I’m here giving it another look. You see, back in June of 2021, I tested the completely redesigned Sienna XSE Hybrid – it was the start of summer here in Phoenix, Arizona where temps start to sore well into the teen part of 100-degrees. As a result of this, my outlook wasn’t as positive as Toyota probably would have liked. 

Now two years later and as we start to enter our fall season, the temperatures are more comfortable and there is just a whimsical specialness in the air that gives us sign of life as the plants start to recover from their deathly state, as do I as well. As a result of a last-minute change up, I was offered the Sienna XLE Woodland Edition as an alternative to the Mercedes GLE AMG we had originally had on the schedule. It’s not quite the same, but this opens an opportunity to give the Sienna another chance and be more open minded.  

Straight from the start there was a dramatic difference between the one I tested in 2021 to this new, 2023 model and it comes in the form of all-wheel drive. As part of the Woodland Edition, all-wheel drive comes standard, whereas on the other five trim levels it comes in the form of a $1600 option. But because the Sienna is a hybrid that uses two front mounted electric motors paired with a gasoline engine, the all-wheel drive adds a third electric motor to the rear wheels, eliminating the need for a prop shaft. The electrified all-wheel drive system seen here is similar to what we saw in the Corolla XSE Hybrid, it is a booster system to help get things moving in a smoother, uplifting crutch kind of way. Plus, it acts like a traditional all-wheel drive system that kicks in when the roads get a little damp and in need of some additional traction.  

Adding the all-wheel drive with the extra motor doesn’t change the overall performance of the Sienna, the electric motors paired with the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine produces a combined 245-horsepower accentuated through a continuous variable transmission. Even with the extra boost, it still takes the Sienna nearly 8-seconds to achieve 60-mph. Granted, with the assist, it doesn’t feel like it.  

Noticeably, our XLE Woodland Edition rode much better than our previously tested XSE model. It is amazing how much two inches can make a huge difference when downgrading from the 20-inch rims to 18-inch. The ride quality was far smoother and refined with very little creaking coming through the cabin. Toyota also fixed the shuttering issue between the interchange of the gas engine and the electric motors; the transition between the two is now so smooth, you don’t even notice it is occurring.  

And then there’s the fuel economy. Our previous test with the XSE resulted in a dismal 28-mpg return, which by hybrid standards is a sad result, but our raging hot temps are just no match for a hybrid system fuel economy. Thankfully, that was not the case during our second time around as we averaged just short of 38-mpg’s combined and a return of over 500-miles to a single tank. Smack us silly and call us impressed.

Being the XLE Woodlands Edition, our Sienna sat right dab in the middle of its lineup with a starting price of $49,520 – $10,000 more above the entry-level LE model. And much like the XSE we tested in 2021, it hosted its fair share of upgraded premium essence in minivan formation like the texturized synthetic leather seats that matched the accented material on the dash. The all-wheel drive only comes with room for 7 passengers leaving to the second row with captain chairs that make it easy to maneuver should a passenger need to access the third row. And what’s a minivan without blind shades?  

Unfortunately, even with this second go-around, there were still a couple of unsavory opinionated items that carried over like the second-row seats being too far away from the cup holders and storage compartments and the rear seat entertainment system still had a complicated pairing process. However, I am also certain that it is partially due to user error and I’m not in control of the Sienna’s built-in Wi-Fi account and passwords.  

As minivan goes, the Sienna certainly has re-won my secret love affair for the minivan world – I may not have kids of my own, but when transporting my cat from my home to my parents, the hands-free foot sensor to open the sliding door sure was a nifty feature when I had my hands full, there’s more storage space than I would even know what do with and the dash mounted shelf made for a nice place to put my wallet, phone and keys.  

The Sienna also comes with the usual host of technology like AppleCar Play & Android Auto, and an impressively programmed autonomous driving software that turns stop & go traffic into a stress-free oasis. That system being part of the Toyota Safety Sense system that also features lane assist, forward collision assist, blind spot assist, rear-cross traffic assist, automatic high-beam assist, pedestrian detection with emergency braking and traffic sign assist.  

I mentioned in my previous article that it is sad that the V6 engine has died off; that was always one of my favorite things about minivans. They were the ultimate sleepers in the car world. However, having seen the light of fuel economy and long-range driving, I am pleasantly surprised by this Sienna’s capabilities in terms of performance, fuel economy, and overall comfortability it made on my life.