2018 Toyota Sienna Gets a Makeover
03-26-17, 07:16 PM
#46
Lexus Fanatic
25 years ago, in the early 1990s, we had a somewhat smaller version of that with a set of Mitsubishi-designed triplets...the Mitsubishi Expo / Plymouth Colt Vista / Eagle Summit Wagon. They were compact-car-based, but were smaller than typical minivans. Oddly (and I never understood why...except to offer a choice among the brands)...the Mitsubishi version had conventional doors, while the Plymouth and Eagle versions had a rear sliding door on the rear-passengers' side.
(And, gosh, was their handling lousy....they rolled like a beach ball and cornered on their outside door handles at the slightest steering-input. I was shocked the first time I test-drove an Expo).
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-26-17 at 07:20 PM.
03-26-17, 07:43 PM
#47
Lexus Champion
Not just sliding doors but a completely flat floor in the rear so that when seats are removed or folded into the floor, there is a flat floor and full height in the rear. The flat floor is what really differentiates a minivan from a CUV/SUV; it is what allows the minivan to have the large, open cargo area, and the ease of entering and exiting the vehicle, especially from the 3rd-row.
03-26-17, 08:42 PM
#48
Lexus Fanatic
Not just sliding doors but a completely flat floor in the rear so that when seats are removed or folded into the floor, there is a flat floor and full height in the rear. The flat floor is what really differentiates a minivan from a CUV/SUV; it is what allows the minivan to have the large, open cargo area, and the ease of entering and exiting the vehicle, especially from the 3rd-row.
03-27-17, 06:25 AM
#49
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Underfloor-folding seats are often difficult to do with AWD, particularly on minivans.
The only crossover that has them I can think of is the Explorer.
03-27-17, 06:49 AM
#50
Lexus Champion
The Explorer -- like all other CUVs -- does have folding 2nd-row seats but they do not fold into the floor (like Chrysler's Stow 'n Go seating); the seatbacks merely fold down flat against the seat cushion.
03-27-17, 07:48 AM
#51
Lexus Fanatic
What I mean about the Explorer is the third row flips backwards into a well in the floor behind the third row, which is really unusual for a crossover, but you always see in a minivan. That gives you way more space behind the third row when it's deployed which is a major reason minivans have so much more utility.
03-27-17, 08:18 AM
#52
Pole Position
03-27-17, 08:27 AM
#53
Lexus Fanatic
Even in an AWD Sienna, its still a transverse FWD vehicle with a primarily FWD power allocation, the dynamic limitations will remain.
And its not that its "dangerous", it has dynamic limitations that you don't have in a RWD or rear biased AWD vehicle and its important to understand those limitations. Based on the two vehicles I own, it wouldn't be the one I would choose to drive in the snow, no.
03-27-17, 01:52 PM
#54
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
fwiw - having owned and driven an old subie in lots of snow, which is fwd biased awd, i found no 'dynamic limitations' - it was a blast and very controllable and confidence inspiring.
03-27-17, 02:21 PM
#55
Lexus Fanatic
03-27-17, 02:50 PM
#56
Lexus Fanatic
Put a FWD skid car into a front skid and try and steer the car, you'll feel differently lol
03-28-17, 02:21 PM
#58
I think it's just another case very similar to why TMC doesn't base the RX and ES off more premium rear drive based platforms.
They can, but they see no need to.
The Highlander sells almost 200k units a year, and the Sienna isn't too far behind at nearly 140k units.
Where they differ is maybe in SUV's potential to increase capacity, and the SUV's greater competition.
On the other hand, Sienna/minivans doesn't have as much potential to increase capacity, and Sienna/minivans doesn't have as much competition either.
They can, but they see no need to.
The Highlander sells almost 200k units a year, and the Sienna isn't too far behind at nearly 140k units.
Where they differ is maybe in SUV's potential to increase capacity, and the SUV's greater competition.
On the other hand, Sienna/minivans doesn't have as much potential to increase capacity, and Sienna/minivans doesn't have as much competition either.
03-29-17, 11:02 AM
#60
