[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARK TAKASHASHI: Minivans-- whether you love them or hate
them, there's no denying that they're
some of the best vehicles for transporting the family and all
of their stuff.
One of the latest minivans to get a full redesign
is that, over my shoulder, the all-new 2021 Toyota Sienna.
And it's joined today by the Honda Odyssey, which also
gets some updates for 2021.
We're going to get into what's cool, what's new,
and what needs improvement over the course of this video.
I'll be talking about the high level stuff,
but I'm probably not the best reviewer for the real world
usability stuff, which is why we're
bringing in Mike, our vehicle testing operations manager
and parent of two.
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Now that we have these Minivans together,
let's see how they stack up at least on paper.
The 2021 Sienna starts right around $35,000
and tops out at $51,000 for this Platinum trim.
Meanwhile, the Honda starts right around $33,000
and tops out with this Elite trim right around $49,000.
Advantage?
Honda.
The previous Sienna's 296-horsepower V6
has been replaced by a 2.5 liter,
four-cylinder hybrid system with a combined
output of 245 horsepower.
That power reduction is a bit of a let down,
but it's not nearly as concerning as the decision
to go with a continuously variable transmission.
Those CVTs have a tendency to dull
the engine's responsiveness, making
the vehicle feel weak and slow.
The Odyssey keeps its 280-horsepower 3.5 liter
V6, as well as it's traditional 10-speed
automatic transmission.
Advantage?
Honda.
The Toyota's hybrid system reaps huge benefits at the gas pump
though with an EPA estimated 36 miles per gallon combined.
On our highway-heavy evaluation loop,
the Odyssey met its estimate, while the Sienna exceeded
expectations with 44.8 mpg.
That's a huge advantage over the Odyssey's 22 mpg
combined estimate, and I think that deserves two stars.
The Odyssey has a cargo capacity that
ranges from 32.8 to 144.9 cubic feet,
compared to the Sienna's 33.5 to 101 cubic feet, which
is so small.
Because unlike the Honda, you can't remove the second row.
Advantage?
Honda.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In less objective comparisons, let's talk about styling.
It's not easy dressing up a big box on wheels,
so I'll try to go easy.
In design school, I was taught to always start a critique
by saying something nice first.
So here it goes.
I like the Sienna's new profile more than his predecessor
mainly because there's more of a hood here
that helped it look a little less like a minivan
from the front.
Unfortunately, the Sienna has two of my least favorite
Toyota styling cues.
It may look less like a minivan up front,
but it looks like a Camry or Avalon
with this ridiculously sized grill.
And then, oh, my god, there's this character
that starts here and goes over the back just like the Supra
and Highlander.
And to me, it's really ungainly.
It looks almost like someone's wearing two Fanny
packs at the same time.
Seriously, they could have done a little better
with the styling.
The Odyssey gets a styling refresh for 2021,
and it's most noticeable upfront front the grill.
It's much cleaner and simpler than last year,
which had kind of a big chunky chrome thing going on.
Further down the side, however, we
have these kind of surface treatment
that do their best to break up the monotony.
But to me, it sort of reminds me of a molded fiberglass hot tub.
Returning is this chrome strip here
that dips down with the window, as well as the floating roof.
I do like how both minivans hide the door rail right here
in the glass.
Overall, I think the Honda is easier on the eyes.
That said, the Chrysler Pacifica gets a major refresh too,
and I think it looks the best of the three
with a more aggressive SUV-like appearance.
Well, that's the end of my usefulness on this video.
So it's time to throw it on over to Mike Schmidt.
MIKE SCHMIDT: [INHALE]
Suburbia.
The roofers.
The barking dogs.
My rambunctious kids.
I got roped into this video today
because, whether I want to admit it or not,
I live a minivan kind of life.
My kids are still in boosters.
I like doing projects on the weekends,
and our family loves taking long road trips.
With the space of these minivans, you can't beat them.
To pick a winner between the Odyssey and the Sienna,
first we're going to look at what they do the same.
Then we're going to look at what they do differently.
Then we're going to get my kids' take on it.
At this point in minivan evolution,
the manufacturers have figured out all the basics.
The Sienna and the Odyssey are Prime examples of that.
I'll show you starting with the backs of the cars.
Both of them have hands-free opening for the rear hatch.
Now personally, it doesn't work for me.
I think it's unnecessary.
I don't feel like dancing a jig to open the rear hatch.
Each van has a deep storage well behind the third row seat.
When you're not using it, you can fold those seats down
into it.
Now, the real disappointment here--
both the top trim Odyssey and the top trim Sienna
have manual folding seats.
I want that automated life.
It's worth mentioning that the Chrysler Pacifica has
push button controls to lower the seat.
Access to the third row is snug whether you're
a capital or lower case person.
Each van has its own way of granting access
to this kid zone, and I'll get back to that a little bit
later.
Ah, the second row.
Both of these vans offer optional bench seats
so that you can fit three across.
In the case of this Sienna, we have just the two captain's
chairs.
Now we're in the front row where the magic happens.
Both the Odyssey and the Sienna have very comfortable
driver's seats.
I've spent an hour or two straight in each one of them,
and I have no complaints.
I can hook up my phone and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Or I can unplug and use the native apps.
But each one of the vans does it just a little bit differently,
and I'll talk about that more later.
CabinTalk is Honda's name for a feature that
projects the front passenger's voice to the rear passengers
by using either the speakers or the headsets.
Toyota has a similar feature called Driver Easy Speak.
But because our test van isn't equipped with that,
we're here in the Odyssey.
This feature is helpful because cabins
get loud with road noise, screaming kids.
Being able to say things like, kids, we're almost there,
allows me to save my dad voice for when I really need it.
Hey, stop hitting your brother.
Finally, these vans have a lot of extras.
Driver aides like lane keeping assist,
and adaptive cruise control, easy access
to latch anchors for child seats,
seat belts-- kids can easily buckle themselves-- big storage
areas near the driver, hooks for bags, 12-volt outlets,
USB ports, cup holders galore, and even vacuums.
With all of the similarities between the Odyssey
and the Sienna, it may seem like this test is a draw.
When actually it's the fine tuning of the little
features that really enhance the experience
and will ultimately decide our winner.
Let's look at the differences in both vans,
but this time we'll start from the front
and work our way back.
The use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
make native apps feel obsolete.
If you prefer not to plug-in your phone,
know that in the Odyssey the Garmin-based navigation system
is pretty awkward.
The Sienna is much better.
Both vans have the classic fold down
bubble mirror for monitoring passengers in the back,
but the Odyssey takes it up a notch.
Honda calls it CabinWatch, and it's essentially
a camera version of the bubble mirror
that allows me to keep tabs on any mutinous behavior
in the backseat.
And it works daytime and nighttime.
Both vans also use rear view cameras
to give you a better idea of what's going on outside.
Here, the Sienna really steps it up.
The Sienna offers a camera that gives a 360-degree view
around the car.
Toyota calls it Bird's Eye View with Perimeter Scan.
At the press of a button, you can get extra piece of mind.
Toyota's second row slides front to back.
You just flip the switch, and push on back.
Now in the case of this Sienna, it has the optional ottomans.
You get a little foot rest.
Now in my case, it's too short for me
anyway, even if I recline it.
But the kids will like it.
You want to see something really cool?
The Sienna has an optional fridge.
Oh.
Honda's seats slide side to side.
With just a little bit of umph, you can move them
to the center, or you can slide them off to the side
if you want to carry long cargo or if the kids are just
getting on each other's nerves.
So how did these vans drive?
When it comes to passing and merging,
you're going to find you have plenty of power regardless
which van you're in.
The Odyssey is going to give you more of a traditional driving
experience.
The Sienna is going to take a little bit more
getting used to.
The reason is because it's CVT and engine
combination can be really loud when the engine's under strain.
That could be when you're going up a hill,
and it could be when you're trying
to speed up onto the freeway.
Also, the brakes-- they take a little getting used to.
I found that they can either be too grabby at times
or not as grabby as I'd want them to be.
Minivans are so similar these days
that in order to be the best, you
have to do all the little things right.
It's been a long time since these two vans
have been so evenly matched.
We'll take the Sienna first.
It's going to win the fuel economy battle no matter what.
But I found that it's floaty ride, non-removable second row,
and it's inconsistent driveability
was really a put off.
And to be honest, that was enough.
Then there's the Odyssey.
Its navigation system is outdated,
but it does all the other things right.
It makes it easy to drive and "easy" is the key word here.
Because as you can tell by the mustache, I'm a dad.
I have enough other things to deal with.
Easy is what I want.
Based on that, the Odyssey wins for me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 1: We're in the Honda Odyssey.
SPEAKER 2: I like it because it has a TV.
SPEAKER 1: I like the arm rests, the cool automatic door.
SPEAKER 2: I don't really like that there's not
TVs on the back of the chair.
SPEAKER 1: We both up to share one TV.
SPEAKER 2: Yeah.
SPEAKER 1: And there--
and there's only one game.
There's hardly any games on the--
SPEAKER 2: And we can't like--
SPEAKER 1: --TV.
SPEAKER 2: --play play against each other.
TOGETHER: We're in the Toyota Sienna.
SPEAKER 2: I like it because you can
control the air conditioning back here, and it has a fridge.
But I don't like it because it has skinnier arm rests.
SPEAKER 1: I do not like it because it does not
have any TVs.
SPEAKER 2: I don't like it because you can't like,
you can't just click the button right up here
to like get the door to close.
MIKE SCHMIDT: So which one do you like better?
SPEAKER 1: Hmm, I think the Odyssey.
MIKE SCHMIDT: Why?
SPEAKER 1: Because of the TV.