A Week With: 2025 Toyota Sienna Platinum AWD

Once a parent, always a parent. Perhaps at no time is that adage more true than when you slide behind the wheel of a minivan. The latest Toyota Sienna Platinum model, with its small refrigerator, on-board vacuum, and seating for seven, most certainly enhances that feeling.

While the minivan competition is a tight one, there aren’t many players — Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival — but those who love minivans tend to be loyal to their particular brand, and the look, feel and equipment on the Sienna sets the bar high for the competition.

The right box

One of the most difficult issues minivan designers face is how to make their rectangle with sliding doors look appealing — and different from the competition. Chrysler went round, Kia went SUV-like and Toyota slid in between, and it works.

The nose of the Sienna features a large grille topped by slit-like headlights. It looks slippery, but not too aggressive. A long crease down the side rises from the top of the front wheel well all the way back to the top of the taillight at the back. It’s matched by another crease lower on the body planels that flattens out the side without making it look like a boring, well, rectangle.

The styling is simple, clean and subtle, which is perfect for a minivan. The rear liftgate featues large taillights that borrow the slit-like shape of the headlights, and a few sculptural elements to make it look sculpted without being overdone. For a minivan, it’s pretty sleek without looking like a spaceship.

Our tester came in a new color for 2025, Magnetic Gray Metallic with 18-inch alloy wheels that complete the look. If you still have kids, they won’t roll their eyes about it, but if you’re flashing back to the blander boxes of the 1990s and early 2000s, this is a nice upgrade.

The right feel

There are few spaces you want to be catered to more than the inside of a minivan, and Toyota delivers in the Sienna. Right when you sit down, it feels like everything rises up to meet you. The center console is so well designed, starting with four cupholders and two cell phone holders, not to mention the wireless charging pad for your phone.

All are within easy reach, and they can handle just about anything you are drinking or any phone you are using. The space under the cupholders is open so you can shove a large purse, diaper bag or messenger bag in there. It’s up off the floor — nice on snow or wet days — but easy to access.

The center console also features a massive storage bin, which on the upper trims like our Platinum model, is also the FridgeBox, which will keep drinks or food cold or even frozen as you traverse around town.

 

The front seats are heated and ventilated on the Platinum trim, which is nice when the weather is in extreme mode. They’re also very comfortable, providing plenty of support and since they’re leather, they’re easy to clean. In the second row, the captain’s chairs slide out a little farther than normal, offering ottomans to ensure supreme comfort while on the road.

The right tech

While sitting comfortably and having great cupholders and space are important, more often than not, it’s the technology that makes or breaks a minivan. The Platinum model comes with two 12.3-inch screens: one for the gauges and the other for the infotainment touchscreen. Both are clear and easy to reach, which is really the minimum expectation.

The system features six USB charge ports and a USB media port, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The wireless charging pad is fine, but your phone’s going to be warm when you pick it up. The JBL sound system is very good, considering producing great audio in a cave with leather seats is probably pretty difficult.

In addition, the rear seat entertainment system features wireless headphones and a 11.6-inch display screen with 1080p HD, which makes for delightful viewing. And when whomever is watching movies or YouTube in the back is done, the Sienna comes with a handy vacuum cleaner to take care of the mess they might leave.

The technology extends to the driving and safety of all on board. The 10-inch color headup display is impressive, providing all of the information you might need on the driver’s horizon. It features many of the safety applications one expects these days, such as rear cross-traffic alerts, blind spot monitoring, front and rear parking assist, and more. Additionally, the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 with pre-collision technology. I did get a couple of alerts, but it never actually brought me to a stop.

The right way to go

If it’ll stop on its own, it means you’re making it go. And it does that pretty well with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder hybrid engine. It comes with all-wheel drive, which has been handy in Michigan these days with all the snow in recent weeks. It handles those conditions with aplomb, which offers peace of mind when there are others in the vehicle.

The setup produces 245 net horsepower, which isn’t going to make you want to take it to track day — unless you’re going to use a different car once you arrive. But the ride is nice and kind of cushy, but not too soft. Steering is numb, but I’m not bothered by that in a minivan. It goes where you direct it to and that’s just fine.

The fuel economy is excellent, not for a vehicle this size but for just about any vehicle. This hybrid gets 34 mpg in the city, 36 mpg highway for 35 mpg combined, and I saw just under that combined number during my week with the Sienna.

Would I?

Of the four minivans on the market, I’ve been in two of them in recent months (the other being the Kia Carnival) and both times I’ve been reminded just how good these vehicles really are. They’re comfortable and loaded with technology, plus they offer so much flexibility. They also remind me of days gone by, filled with soccer tournaments, dance recitals, trips up north and to the beaches near Savannah, Georgia.

I’ll put the tissue down to say the Sienna continues to be a leader in the segment. I’m not sure I want on more than a Carnival, but that decision would almost depend upon the day. The pricing would be critical, and Toyota’s top-of-the-line Sienna Platinum with all-wheel drive is not just a pretty penny, but a bunch of them. Our tester came in at $61,749 including destination fees. If I constantly hauled kids or people around, and if you do, it must be on your list of vehicles to consider.