2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid review

2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Review: 

Family-hauling minivans don't get more fuel-efficient than the 2023 Toyota Sienna. With its standard hybrid engine, the Sienna gets amazing fuel economy for the class. On top of that, the Sienna is comfortable for long hauls or short trips, and it comes standard with a generous array of helpful driver-assist and other technology. The only noteworthy change for 2023 is the introduction of the single-year 25th Anniversary trim, which combines the sporty styling of the XSE with the features of the Limited. 

The downside to the Sienna is that it's not the best cargo hauler. Unlike on other minivans, the Sienna's second-row seats can't be removed. In addition, the hybrid engine can be noisy under acceleration, and the Sienna isn't particularly quick. Still, if your needs prioritize passenger comfort and mpg, the Sienna's an excellent minivan choice.

• Technology

• Comfort

• Cargo and storage

• Ease of use

• Driving

What tech does the 2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid have?

Connectivity

Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ connectivity is standard on all Sienna trims, and wireless charging is available as an option or standard on Woodland trims and higher. In the rest of the cabin, you'll find plenty of USB ports for charging various devices. If you're road tripping, you might want to subscribe to the Sienna's mobile Wi-Fi plan, available on all trim levels, so passengers can stream their favorite media. 

Infotainment

The nine-inch screen on the 2023 Sienna trims is bright and clear, and it responds quickly to touch inputs. The interface is refreshingly straightforward, and on either side of the screen are physical buttons to select different modes such as audio controls, map, phone, and so on. 

Sienna XSE and higher trim levels come standard with a 12-speaker JBL® audio system that sounds good, if not exactly concert-quality; it can also be found on some XLE trims. It's a clear upgrade over the lower-end systems. If you prefer to literally tell your car what to do, the Sienna's voice commands work well enough with simple prompts. A rear-seat entertainment system, with an overhead display and wireless headphones, is available on all but LE trims.

Driver-Assist Tech

Every Sienna trim comes standard with a helpful amount of driver-assist tech, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control. Best of all, these systems all work quite well. The adaptive cruise control strikes a good balance between maintaining a proper following distance from the vehicle ahead without slowing or accelerating dramatically when traffic conditions change. A backup camera is standard, but you'll need to buy the most expensive Sienna Platinum if you want an all-around view that helps make parking in tight spaces a lot easier.

How comfortable is the 2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid?

Front Seating

Not only are the Toyota Sienna's front seats easy to get into, they're also supremely comfortable thanks to good padding and plenty of adjustments for the seat, plus steering wheel reach and angle. Rather than fold-down armrests, the Sienna has two padded areas on the center console lid; they are still plenty comfy. Heated front seats are on every trim but the base LE, and ventilated seats are standard on Limited and higher trims. Also on upper trims is seat position memory, which includes power steering wheel adjustments.

Rear Seating

The headline for the rear seats is the second row. All seven-passenger Sienna trims feature captain's chairs in the second row with a super long-slide feature, which gives passengers legroom that can be measured in feet, not inches. On Limited and Platinum trims, the seats also recline fully with a pop-out ottoman. Of course, when in their rearmost position, the third row is rendered useless, but it's a great trick if you're on a road trip and want to stretch out. If the second row isn't taking up all the space, the third-row seats are easy to access and there's good space, but the padding is on the flat side so adults should limit their time. 

Ride Quality and Interior Noise

The Sienna has a soft ride, which means it's comfortable under most circumstances. For example, the Sienna remains composed going over small bumps like freeway expansion joints. However, over larger bumps the Sienna bounces too much, which could make sensitive tummies carsick. We'd happily trade a bit of ride comfort for a bit more control in those situations.

When cruising around town, the Sienna is as quiet as just about any other van. However, when you need maximum power and put your foot to the floor, the hybrid's four-cylinder engine gets unpleasantly loud. The engine cacophony stops once you hit cruising speed again, but note that at highway speeds, the Sienna is louder inside than competitive vans like the Honda Odyssey.

Does the 2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid have good storage?

Cargo 

The 2023 Toyota Sienna's cargo area is a bit of a mixed bag. There's as much room as you'll find in other minivans behind the third row, meaning there's plenty of space for strollers, suitcases, massive grocery store runs, and so on. The third-row seats easily fold into the floor with the pull of a single handle, more than doubling cargo space and creating a decently sized flat floor. 

However, if you regularly have to max out the cargo area in your van, you might be disappointed with the Sienna. Its second-row seats don't come out, with Toyota instead using a clever flat-fold system to help maximize space. But in reality there isn't as much room as you get in other vans. For most people, it's likely OK, but if you find yourself regularly needing as much cargo volume as possible, consider the Chrysler Pacifica, with its second-row seats that fold into the floor. 

Storage

While the Sienna may not have the ultimate cargo-hauling capability of its rivals, it does excel at providing storage spaces for small items. On the dash, there's a small shelf in front of the passenger, which is perfect for small items like pens, a phone, or a wallet. The center console bin is huge, and there's a shelf on the floor under the center console between the front seats that's great for a purse or even a diaper bag. Throughout the cabin, there are more than a dozen cupholders, not to mention two-tier door bins and various other storage nooks and crannies. 

How easy is the 2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid to use?

Entry, Exit, and Car Seats

It's no surprise that accessing the second and third rows of the Sienna is a snap, thanks to those wide-opening sliding doors. There are multiple ways to open them: using the key fob, tugging the handle or pushing a button on the handle, and even waving your foot under the door on some trims. The second-row seats slide far forward to make third-row access easy, too. As for the front, the doors are tall and wide, and it's easy to just slide into the seat without climbing, great if the driver has some mobility issues.

Car seat access is also quite good, as you'd expect for a minivan. Eight-passenger versions have five positions for car seats, and the lower anchors are easy enough to reach without issue. With all that extra headroom and legroom, getting kids strapped in is a cinch. 

Interior Layout and Visibility

Driving the Sienna is made easier with its conventional control layout. The shifter handle is a classic PRNDL on the center console—no push-buttons or other odd designs—and the climate controls are also a dedicated row of buttons under the touchscreen. Toyota has crammed a lot of buttons on the steering wheel, but they're labeled and easy enough to figure out. 

Visibility in the Sienna is also very good. The big windows and standard blind-spot warning make maneuvering through traffic or in parking lots a breeze, and the standard backup camera looks great. Toyota also offers a digital rearview mirror that offers a completely unobstructed view behind the van even if your regular view is blocked by people or cargo. However, the rearview mirror and the surround-view camera are limited to the top-most Platinum trim level. 

What’s the 2023 Toyota Sienna Hybrid like to drive?

Driving

While the Sienna has outstanding fuel economy, its 245-horsepower hybrid engine trails the competition by a wide margin, making it the least powerful minivan on the market. So it's not surprising the Sienna takes longer than its competitors to accelerate onto a freeway or gather speed to pass another car. The Sienna has no problem maintaining its speed once it's going, although long uphill stretches can make the engine rev noisily. The rest of the driving experience is pretty good. The steering feels properly weighted for long trips, and the van is maneuverable enough that it's easy to get around parking lots despite its size.

Towing

When properly equipped, the 2023 Sienna can tow up to 3,500 pounds when properly equipped

, which is in line with other minivans. That's enough for a small trailer like a pop-up camper, but if you regularly tow anything larger, you might want to look at a type of vehicle with more dedicated towing features, such as SUVs.

Fuel Economy

Excellent fuel economy is the Sienna's secret weapon, and in this category no other gas-powered van can touch it. Front-wheel drive models get an EPA-estimated 36 mpg on the combined cycle

. For comparison's sake, the Pacifica plug-in hybrid gets 30 mpg combined after its battery is drained. Best of all, if you want excellent fuel economy AND all-wheel drive, the Sienna has you covered with an EPA-estimated 35 mpg combined.