2020 Toyota Sienna Review: A Winner For Families? We Drove It To Find Out

In This Review:

The 2020 Toyota Sienna is loaded with infotainment technology and safety features that make it a good choice for families. However, minivans today require a premium on par with SUVs and crossovers.

Exterior Styling

85

Interior Layout

90

Driving Dynamics

80

Safety & Tech Features

96

Everyday Functionality

97

Reader Rating0 Votes

0

Pros

Safety Features

AWD Capability

Comfortable Interior

Cons

Wind & Cabin Noise

MSRP Adds Up Quickly

2nd Row Seats Hard To Remove

90

Minivans often get the brunt of the jokes, but they are still the best when it comes to versatility and flexible seating for growing families. This week, we tested the top-of-the-lineup when it comes to minivans: a plush 2020 Toyota Sienna Limited Premium. Check out why it could be your best option when it comes to family haulers.

Toyota Sienna: What’s New For 2020?

The 2020 Toyota Sienna remains unchanged but the minivan gets a new Nightshade Edition with blacked-out treatments. For 2020, the Sienna is available in five grades: L, LE, SE, XLE, and Limited. The LE and XLE have an option for the Auto Access Seat with a 330-lb. lift capacity. All models are standard with Toyota’s Star Safety System which includes a number of features to help keep families safe.

Features & Options: The Laundry List

The top-trim 2020 Toyota Sienna Limited Premium AWD ($49,190) comes loaded with everything your family will want and need. It’s standard with automatic headlights; windshield wiper de-icer; tri-zone automatic climate control; and a rearview camera. Tech features include a seven-inch touchscreen with Toyota’s Entune interface; Apple CarPlay; Bluetooth connectivity; and five USB ports. 

Our Limited Premium also came with a sunroof; keyless ignition and entry; blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems; navigation and a premium JBL stereo; a rear-seat entertainment system; and the Driver Easy Speak system which amplifies the driver’s voice through the rear speakers.

Our plush tester rode on 18-inch alloy wheels and featured a different grille; LED daytime running lights; auto-dimming and power-folding mirrors; and front and rear parking sensors. Inside is premium leather upholstery on the first and second rows, driver-seat memory functions, and a heated steering wheel.

How Much Is The 2020 Toyota Sienna?

Total MSRP for our tester including destination: 51,427. By comparison, the 2020 Toyota Sienna starts at $31,565.

2020 Toyota Sienna Nightshade Edition.

Interior Highlights: Comfort & Technology

You buy the Sienna minivan for its family-friendly interior comforts. The Limited models bring an extra level of comfort with the leather seats, heated steering wheel, and premium sound. Adults will enjoy those features but, of course, the kids will love the rear-seat entertainment system when you take longer trips. What they may not like is when mom or dad gets on the speaker and tells them to quit fighting with their brother or sister.

Our Sienna tester came with second-row removable, long-slide captains chairs that make it easy to access the third row. Passengers can lower the window shades and have their own private movie theater to keep them comfortable on a long haul. The entertainment system features Blu-Ray capability, an HDMI input, and an SDXC card reader that can play 10 different audio and video formats.

Interior Highlights: Safety & Security

The 2020 Sienna comes with eight airbags, including dual-stage front airbags; seat-mounted side airbags for the driver and front passenger; side curtain airbags in all three rows; a front passenger seat cushion airbag, plus a driver’s side knee airbag. Active headrests in the front seats reduce the possibility of whiplash. There are four LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) locations in the second and third rows.

• Related: Everything you need to know about Toyota warranties.

Interior Highlights: Lots of Room

The third row folds into the floor, while the second-row chairs can be removed to make an enormous cargo area, large enough to carry your IKEA furniture. One distinctive feature of the Sienna is the small jump seat located between the second-row captain’s chairs. It allows you to add an additional passenger if you are carrying the soccer team for ice cream after the game. When you don’t need it, you can easily remove the seat and stow it away, giving second-row passengers living-room comfort.

 A power liftgate is standard on SE, XLE, and Limited. The 2020 Toyota Sienna can even carry 4×8-ft. sheets of plywood.

2020 Toyota Sienna: Engine & Towing Specs

The 2020 Toyota Sienna is powered by a 3.5-liter DOHC V6 with direct fuel injection. The engine develops 296 horsepower and 263 lb-ft. of torque and comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The standard Tow Prep Package allows the Sienna to pull 3,500 lbs.

Is The Toyota Sienna All-Wheel Drive?

LE, XLE, and Limited have the option for all-wheel drive. EPA fuel economy estimates come in at 18/24 city/highway and 20 combined with all-wheel drive. If you don’t need all-wheel drive, front-drive models increase mileage to 19/27 city/highway and 22 combined. In terms of fuel economy versus the competition, the 2020 Toyota Sienna isn’t the best but it’s also not the worst.

The Toyota Sienna is powered by a 3.5-liter DOHC V6 with direct injection. The engine creates 296 horsepower.

How Does The 2020 Toyota Sienna Drive?

The 2020 Toyota Sienna is built for comfort, not performance, but it’s still one of the quickest minivans available. It will get up to highway speeds without an issue. That aside, families will care more about safety, comfort, and whether or not it’s maneuverable in the city. 

Sienna now comes with Toyota’s Safety Sense system (or TSS-P) that brings front collision mitigation, lane departure warning, and other modern driver assist features. This Limited tester offered good visibility and the backup camera is helpful for those times when you are navigating the grocery store parking lot.

We cranked up the JBL sound system and it kept the noisy city traffic away. It has 10 speakers and a subwoofer for your favorite tunes. The kids won’t mind either as they will be watching the rear-seat entertainment system with their wireless headphones on.

The 2020 Toyota Sienna employs a uni-body construction with an anti-vibration sub-frame and electronic power steering.

Driving Dynamics: Ready For The Snow

The eight-speed automatic offers smooth, practically imperceptible shifts even as we pushed it hard up the mountain roads near Denver. We didn’t have snow this week, but if you live in a cold climate, families will appreciate the optional all-wheel drive. You will have no trouble getting around this winter when the snow flies.

Conclusion: A Winner For Families

The Toyota Sienna Limited Premium might be the plushest minivan on the market. It offers a spacious and versatile interior that’s comfortable for you and the kids. Add in the optional all-wheel drive, and you are ready for when the weather gets bad. However, families on a budget will want the lower trim levels as all of the optional features will quickly drive the price up.

Denis Flierl has invested nearly 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his firsthand reviews are archived on our test drives page. Follow Denis on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy

2020 Toyota Sienna Gallery

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Photos: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

from Automoblog https://ift.tt/2WBDW1L

Hasty Flaming Buffalo! An Indian Scout from Luuc Muis

When Indian delivered a new Scout Bobber to young Dutch designer Luuc Muis, there was a catch: he had just 20 weeks to turn his ideas into metal. And to complicate matters, it would have to be an after-hours job. Because Luuc works full-time for the Harley parts specialist Motorcycle Storehouse and the helmet brand Roeg.

But Luuc delivered, turning his sketches into an incredible Scout Bobber called Hasty Flaming Buffalo, and built with a little help from his friend Bert Jan of Outsiders Motorcycles.

Luuc is 27 years old and has been building bikes for seven years now, as Luuc Muis Creations.

“The project started before I actually knew about it,” says Luuc. “Indian launched a contest in the Benelux countries, and anyone could enter. The deal was to design a custom based on the Indian Scout Bobber—with the winner getting a 2019 Scout to build their design.”

“I was eager to enter, and being an industrial product designer meant this was straight up my alley,” Luuc says. “But in the first few days, I struggled to find a foundation on which to start my design. I eventually made four digital designs, each based on a different era of Indian history.”

Luuc enthusiastically revealed these concepts on his website, and a 1910 boardtracker-inspired design prevailed.

Luuc says his Scout design answers a hypothetical question: “What if the visual design of motorcycles never developed in a hundred years, but technique did?”

On 14 June, Indian told him that he’d won. “I had to make a hell of a schedule for the next 20 weeks—the reveal was due on the first of November!”

Luuc started by reverse engineering the Bobber. He digitalized the engine with a scanner to get the exact geometry and dimensions to design around. With the 2D design as reference, the frame started to take shape 3D, via Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD software.

Straight away, Luuc generated 16 parts that needed to be milled from solid aluminum. These went to Scheffers Engineering in Norway, and were combined with tubing to create a new three-piece aluminum frame.

The 69ci (1,133cc) V-twin engine was the only part of the original Scout that Luuc kept—aside from the axles. Everything else was designed and built from scratch.

“At this point, half the available time had already passed,” says Luuc. “Time became my enemy. Working my day job 40 hours a week, and building this bike as well, started to take its toll. My only choice was to work late during the nights.”

The handmade gas tank was an even bigger challenge than the frame, because Luuc needed to fit several components inside.

The tank literally forms part of the frame—there is no backbone under it—and hides the engine air intake, the air filter and the electronic brains of the Scout. They’re split into two boxes: a Motogadget m.unit control unit and a MaxxECU engine management system.

The tank is entirely handmade out of sheet metal. The left and middle sections hold the fuel and air intake, and the right side (where you can see the body gap) is a cover that hides the electronics, throttle body, air filter and fuel pump.

Fortunately for Luuc, a helpful selection of partners jumped into the fray. There’s a full carbon fork from CeraCarbon Racing, with diamond-cut ceramic-coated carbon fork tubes to add a modern race feel. The rear suspension is a one-off system inspired by modern MTB bike design.

A set of one-off rims from JSR Service are fitted with a custom Moto-Master brake system and Brembo calipers. Old Dutch Leatherworks made the seat and DNA Performance Filters produced a one-off air filter to fit the space underneath the gas tank.

Finally, Kellermann supplied the ridiculously small turn signals, which also act as braking lights.

Sending off all the parts for paint, powder coat and anodizing gave Luuc a few days to catch up on sleep and focus on planning a trip to Akrapovič.

With the help of Bert from Outsiders, Luuc put the semi-assembled Scout Bobber into a rented van and drove over 1,200 kilometers across Europe to the titanium foundry at Akrapovič’s headquarters in Slovenia.

“We were overwhelmed with what we saw, and the way Akrapovič committed themselves to the project,” says Luuc. The Slovenian experts also have form with custom Indians: they helped with the amazing Appaloosa Scout Bobber from Workhorse too.

“We put the bike up on the lift and started constructing the prototype pipes. The next day, the prototype was replicated with two tubes of titanium, making it look very clean and simplistic. Then we added the exhaust tips and laser engraving.”

The Scout is now on its way to the huge EICMA show in Milan next weekend, and time was so tight, Luuc hasn’t yet been able to set up the custom ECU properly. “But as soon as I get the bike back home, I’ll make it run,” he says. “I can’t wait to hear that exhaust and see the titanium turn blue.”

We’ll forgive that little detail, because the Indian lives up to the promise Luuc made with his digital drawing. ‘Hasty Flaming Buffalo’ is a brilliantly executed homage to Indian’s heritage—and hits the goal of melding the looks of a century-old Scout with today’s technology.

Luuc Muis Creations | Facebook | Instagram | With thanks to (and images by) Ronald Rink | Instagram

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/32dcpVf

Turtle Wax Unveils New Products & We Got To See Them Firsthand

Recently Turtle Wax, purveyor of all kinds of car care products, flew me to Scottsdale, Arizona along with a couple dozen hardcore detailing nerds. They unveiled their new line of Hybrid Solutions car care products. And yes, they wined and dined me, but that doesn’t take away from the fact Turtle Wax makes a fine product, and they really do care about how your car looks.

Disclosure: Although Turtle Wax provided me with travel accommodations, the views below are my own and not necessarily those of Gearhead Media LLC. I was not compensated beyond the flight and hotel nor did I receive free samples. The product reveal took place at the OTTO Car Club in Scottsdale, Arizona in October 2019. For more information on our editorial policies, please review our advertising guidelines. 

Turtle Wax Invites a Passionate Crowd

Nerds are an acceptable part of life now, what with all the Marvel movies and Big Bang Theories and stuff like that. It’s okay to be a nerd, no matter what you are nerding out about. And like I said, I was in Arizona (again!) and let me tell you, car detailing nerds are a group unto themselves.

These people can talk about washes and waxes and Q-tips for hours on end. And I don’t mean the Turtle Wax people. They can too, if pushed, but they’re relatively normal. The car detailers in attendance well, detailing is what they do. And I say God bless them for it.

Related: We put a new line of Turtle Wax products to the test.

Turtle Wax brought them in from the far reaches of the globe. Exotic places like Belgium and Wyoming. All of them have YouTube channels and Instagram and Twitter feeds that are simply stuffed to the rafters with detailing content. Hours upon hours of videos about “what to do with your clear coat” and “dealing with bug splatters” and “valve stem dressing tips.” Stuff like that. Literally every person I talked with eats, sleeps, and breathes this stuff. Unabashedly so they glory in it; they revel in it.

Earlier this year, we used Turtle Wax’s new line of Ice Hybrid products as part of a sponsored editorial campaign. Pictured here is our 2016 Fiat 500X after its first official summer detail. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net.

Knowledgeable & Experienced

And egging these detail pros along are the happy warriors from Turtle Wax. Sure, if you ask them something specific, specific they will get. That guy in the company polo who looks like your uncle Eddy; the one with a bad jones’ for Mopars. Oh, he’s all that, but he also has several advanced degrees in chemistry. He shifts from “I over-revved it and splattered the big end all over the start line” to “yeah the thing about that is how the carbon base pairs will allow the polymer to adhere to the framgulangler sub-bonds of the snoutmurculators and . . . ” and that’s when my eyes glass over.

Every person on the Turtle Wax crew is that knowledgeable, however. They are educated about cars, car finishes, waxes, polishes, soaps; everything. The whole nine yards. And they are super nice. (Turtle Wax is based out of Chicago by the way).

Detailing our office vehicle with Turtle Wax Ice Seal N Shine, sent to us by the company over the summer as part of a sponsored campaign. Photo: Danielle Anthony for Automoblog.net.

They Use It Too

Everybody in the company exudes this calming exhalation of Trust with a capital T. It’s not like they’re practiced sales people or anything like that. It’s honesty. You end up believing them because they believe it themselves. They’re not just selling you this stuff (and Turtle Wax sells it by the metric ton, believe me) they actually use it. When one of them says, “Oh it’s so easy,” you know they’re not kidding.

They don’t want to be out there, slaving over the finish on the quarter panel of a shoebox Ford anymore than you or I would; but just like you and I, they want it to look capital N Nice.

Did you know

Ben Hirsch invented the first liquid auto polish in the family bathtub in the 1930s. It gave way to a product called “Plastone” in 1944, renamed Turtle Wax by 1946.

I got the impression everyone at Turtle Wax simply wants to make a good product that they themselves would be proud to use.

What Are The Latest Turtle Wax Products?

Turtle Wax revealed their new line of Hybrid Solutions products during the event. The entire lineup features a ceramic-based technology they got either from Mr. Spock or the vaults at Area 51. I learned a lot about how it works, but more importantly, I know what it looks like when it’s done. It resembles a molecule-thick sheet of diamond over perfect clear coat, over the perfect nail polish on Monica Bellucci’s fingers.

Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions

Here is what’s included in the new Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions line. Each one has a sweet, almost fruity fragrance after they are applied.

• Ceramic Wet Wax: Just spray on a wet car and dry for professional results.
• Ceramic 3-in-1 Detailer: Enhances shine between washes to maintain paint.
• Ceramic Wash & Wax: Add 3 fl. Oz. to a bucket and top off with a gallon of water.
• Ceramic Polish & Wax: Advanced SIO2 ingredients provide extreme water beading and protection. Can be applied by hand or via a machine.
• Ceramic Spray Coating: Also formulated with SIO2 to repel water and contaminants. Super hydrophobic polymers provide water sheeting and protection.

The Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions line was developed with the most discerning detailers in mind, according to the company. The new product line features a ceramic-based technology. Photo: Sam Hurly.

A Good Choice For Your Ride

So, the bottom line is: it’s easy to use, looks fantastic, and costs you less than lunch. If you’re one of those gearheads who does your own detailing, look into this. If you’re one of those guys (like me) who has someone else do their detailing for them, then ask them to use this stuff.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz. 

from Automoblog https://ift.tt/34lM7BO

Bentley Apprentice Program Restores Roaring 20s Engine

Well this is really cool. You might think of Bentley as being rather staid and very British, but they are not opposed to doing things for the sake of style or just because it’s cool. When they ran (and won!) at Le Mans, the drivers wore all-white suits that mimicked those worn by the Bentley boys back in the 1920s. And now, members of the Bentley apprentice program have restored a historic engine as part of the company’s centenary year celebrations.

And what a beast of an engine it is!

Seriously, just look at this thing. It’s big and square and looks like something you’d see propelling the RMS Titanic and not a car. Yes, I know, given the weight and size of old Bentleys, there’s a joke to be made here about that, but I’m going to let it slide.

Quite The Audio/Visual Aid

This is engine number 212, and although it’s early history is sort of vague, we do know the engine was owned by the Royal Artillery Corps School for over 70 years. Yeah, I know, that’s odd. I mean, what were a bunch of gunnery types doing with . . . oh, never mind. It originally sat in chassis #209, then passed to an unknown coach builder for custom bodywork. Somehow it ended up in the hands of the Royal Artillery Corps School in Bovington, Dorset in 1935. The Royal Artillery Corps used it as a training aid to teach students on the workings of the internal combustion engine.

Quite the audio/visual aid.

Members of the Bentley apprentice program have restored a historic engine as part of the company’s centenary year celebrations. Photo: Bentley Motors.

The Story of Engine 212

Engine 212 is a four banger with a 3.0 displacement, so that’s about a large beer can per cylinder. The mill was stripped down to the individual components, reassembled, then affixed to a purpose-built base for the centenary exhibition at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe. The gang giving it a re-do are a group of trainee men and woman apprentices working at Bentley Motors. They spent 700 hours on the beast. To put that into perspective, that’s 17 and a half weeks of work if it were a single gearhead turning wrenches alone.

Engine No. 212 was originally built in 1923, just four years after W.O. Bentley founded the company. So think of this like Ford doing a full factory rebuild of a Model T engine with a bunch of Vo-Tech students from Detroit. Cool move chaps!

Bentley offers a range of apprenticeship programs, ranging from engineering to finance. Photo: Bentley Motors.

What The Bentley Apprentices Did

The apprentices handling the restoration were extremely thorough, stripping down the entire engine to individual components. The parts were photographed, bagged, numbered, cataloged, and then logged on a computer for easier reassembly. All the parts were cleaned and blasted to remove old paint. The engine was then repainted in the colors used by the Royal Artillery Corps School as recognition of their part of the engine’s history. Nice nod Bentley!

What Is The Bentley Apprentice Program?

Much like any other large company, Bentley offers a bunch of apprenticeship programs: engineering, sales, marketing, HR, purchasing, and finance just to name a few. (Yeesh, I wonder what being a bean-counter at Bentley is like?). Currently Bentley has over 130 apprentices on hand. They are all three -or four-year programs that allow a person to develop a balance of automotive skills and qualifications. The apprentices managed this entire engine restoration project themselves, including the planning, budgeting, and risk assessment.

“Everybody involved in the restoration felt privileged to be presented with an opportunity to work with such an important piece of history,” said Amy Denton, an advanced paint apprentice at Bentley Motors. “It allowed us to develop new skills and techniques which will help in our future careers.”

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz. 

Engine 212 Gallery

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Photos & Source: Bentley Motors.

from Automoblog https://ift.tt/2C03Cvd