Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities.
This is another vehicle of which I have absolutely no memory. Below is not the version that ran on May 18, 1998, since my editor took an already dull review and dumbed it down even further. You may argue that the 1996 Chrysler minivans were radical. While extremely handsome and stylish vehicles, they were still conservative when compared with the GM Dustbuster vans or the Previa.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Since Chrysler introduced the first modern minivan for the 1984 model year, other automakers have been trying to “redefine” the concept with rear-wheel drive, mid-engines, and radical styling. Now 15 years later, Chrysler still controls more than 50 percent of the minivan market, and it’s clear that the formula originated by Chrysler is the only one that works: conservative styling, front engine, front-wheel drive, and a car-based platform.
The all-new Toyota Sienna, which replaces the weird, expensive, and slow-selling Previa, follows the formula to a tee. It shares its platform and spirited 24-valve V6 engine with the best-selling Camry. Its looks differ little from Chrysler’s minivans, and it offers a flat floor and optional dual-sliding side doors. It rides and drives more like a car than a van, although the steering wheel is still at a bus-like angle. Entry requires a minimal step-up.
The Sienna is available in CE, LE, and ultra-lux XLE trim. Our tested LE seats seven, with front and center captain’s chairs and a three-person rear split-bench. All of the rear seats have cupholders embedded into their backs, enhancing their usefulness when folded forward. Each seat also has a pull-out cupholder in its side, a nice touch. The rear seats are light and can be removed quite easily but lack the handy wheels of the Chrysler minivans, making them a little more cumbersome. Toyota thoughtfully designed the rear-most seats to tumble forward to provide extra luggage space when necessary.
Even though we had the mid-level model, it was still impressively equipped. All of the requisite power features were there (including power rear vent windows), as well as alloy wheels and CD player. There is no center console in order to provide the ability to walk to the back of the van, but this allows you to enter and exit the van from the sliding doors in case you ever find yourself in a really narrow parking space (not impossible in the city).
Overall, an excellent minivan, but new and/or redesigned minivans are on the way next year from Kia, Honda, and Ford (all following the formula). But with the Toyota badge and the almost mythical quality that goes with it, Toyota should sell every Sienna it builds.
For more information contact 1-800-GO-TOYOTA
SPECIFICATIONS
Type:5-Door Minivan
Engine:194 horsepower, 3.0 liter V6
Transmission:4-Speed Automatic
EPA Mileage:18 city/24 highway
Tested Price:$26,555
“. . . Toyota should sell every Sienna it builds.”
This line always strikes me as hilarious, and it appears in lots of reviews, not just this one.
It seems kind of obvious that a car manufacturer will sell every car it builds. What else would they do with them? Give them away? Cut them up for scrap?
Well now that you mention it, for nearly a couple years around 2011 my local junkyard kept getting multiple examples of brand new Hyundai/Kia cars, strangely all destroyed and with the roofs cut at the pillars and collapsed onto the interiors. Some were just released models like the Cadenza too – but anyway to answer your question, yes, sometimes a manufacturer *will* cut them up for scrap!
Hello, Hyundai Kia Marketing,
This is what “Sweepstakes” are for. How do you think Chrysler moved all those LeBaron and Sebring Convertibles over the years? Also, donations are tax deductible here in the USA.
What a waste of resources and opportunity. Give a 18-20 year old a “free” car even without the ten year warranty and I guarantee you will have a customer for life. It’s not hard to find people that are in need and something like a new car could (usually does) change their life.
Check out an episode of the Price is Right. Compliance/would be rental vehicles that I for the most part would list on e-bay or trade in for something else if I was lucky enough to win them. Almost without exception, contestants are in tears or elation over them.
It’s possible they were prototype or engineering mules that could not be sold to the public and thus needed to be destroyed. There’s a junkyard in Virginia that gets all the IIHS crash test cars – we got a replacement glovebox lid for our Wrangler from a yellow Wrangler they had that I found the test video online for. The piece was perfect, the Jeep had twelve miles on it with one very serious front impact. 🙂
This is as opposed to previous (and sometimes current) practices of the Big 3, where they build thousands of vehicles that actual sales numbers don’t justify just to keep the factories running and to post big “BUILD” numbers. Regional sales reps then had to arm-twist dealers into taking poor, unwanted cars and trucks, and then the manufacturer has to offer dealers and customers huge incentives to move them. Even then, sometimes, no customer will touch it until it ends up on the used car lot because it’s so old it can no longer be sold as new. Or, they just dump them into various rental fleets.
This is a vehicle that to me represents “middle of the road” more than any other minivan. Not weird like a Dustbuster, or crisply styled like the original Odyssey, neither the safe domestic bet like the Chrysler’s nor the oddball domestic bet of a Windstar or Uplander, and not as cheap as a Kia. But then I drove one, a first-gen that friends owned, and found it quite confidence inspiring in rain and snow in the Sierras, comfortable, roomy and far more economical than my truck. I can see why people bought them. But still not for me.
“neither the safe domestic bet like the Chrysler’s”
This vehicle represented a “turning point” for Toyota. Toyota since its debut in the USA built reliable cars (I have owned several) but lacking in safety.
This was exposed on National TV when Dateline crash tested a Previa and the researcher who actually owned a Previa ended up trading it in based on the astoundingly poor results.
Toyota went back to the drawing board and came up with this design. Dateline crash tested this design and the same researcher said that this Sienna was at the time the safest car he had ever crash tested.
This also lead to the demise of Toyota’s fun cars. Celica, Supra, MR2 and the creation to the Scion brand for cars that were not exactly engineered for the best crash results. This lead to Toyota becoming the beige, boring car it was know for, for about the next twenty years.
As a result, this van combined with Odyssey began to eat into Chrysler’s market share and combined with slowing sales of minivans in general, lead Chrysler to embrace its 1960’s performance roots and also leverage Jeep and Ram to become minivan “alternatives.”
The Toyota Sienna was the de-facto “safe bet” in the minivan segment as soon as that Dateline episode aired and you should be able to find early Sienna commercials that echoed “safest car ever tested” online. I remember seeing them on air at the time.
Actually I meant safe bet as in no one would question your patriotism or sensibility. I somewhat trust the DOT and NHTSA around crash safety, a little less trust in the insurance industry, and no trust in television news programs.
While very true and one of the worst of the bunch, terrifying IIHS offset crash results were the standard rather than the exception for minivans in 1997. I just looked at the Astro, Aerostar, Odyssey, and Grand Caravan and Lumina APV/Olds Silhouette…and thank goodness for two decades of crash structure improvement! Ford figured it out early with the 96 Windstar and the Dodge was decent, but GM’s two vans were still collapsing like accordions clear through their 2004 (Silhouette) and 2005 (Astro) final runs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7acNOaFLfV8
Found the commercial above
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh-2QaXnzxE
The Dateline clip is also on youtube. The Sienna/Previa begin at 7:36
This is the same Dateline that rigged the GM truck crash test and ended up admitting they rigged it?
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-10-mn-1335-story.html
They kind of lost all credibility with that stunt. The same way 60 minutes did with the Audi 5000 “test”
https://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/manufacturing-audi-scare-5665.html
Did they ever come with crank windows? I’ve seen CE 3-doors (!), which were rare, but never knew if they had power windows standard. But most were LE and XLE 4-doors.
These were still too small compared to the long wheelbase chrysler vans. People bought them because they were Toyotas, not because of their functionality and utility. It was finally the 99 Odyssey that really put a dent in the chrysler vans. The 99 odyssey was a van that beat chrysler in reliability and utility….too bad the reliabiltiy didn’t include transmissions aha ha ha.
Toyota would finally hit the mark with the 04 Sienna which I think is one of the best minivans ever. It had optional seating for 8, 60/40 folding 3rd row seat (hondas was 1 piece) and optional AWD and solid reliability.
I thought this was the boringest shape ever designed when it was available along with the original Highlander. Later I owned a 2005 (2nd gen) model but now I find myself thinking that this older version is actually a pretty good size, easier to park, and not as large as most of the current crop. There are probably plenty of people who might like a smaller minivan, but then again Mazda tried it a couple of times and the 5 never really took off, perhaps it was TOO small. The market isn’t big enough anymore for anyone to take a chance on that nowadays, a CUV seems to work for most. I also find myself not disliking the first Highlander nearly as much as I used to either…:-)
The problem with the mazda5 was it had zero cargo room if you needed to carry 5 people. The european version could sear 3 in the second row but not the us version. Customers saw the crv rav4 outback etc as a better alternative since it could seat 5 without comprimising cargo capacity.
Jim, my inlaws had one of these first gen Siennas and put it through the ringer of five kids and no time to clean or pamper it. Gave reliable service despite kids yanking door handles clean off, and managed to fit everyone for years despite the tidy size. The new ones are enormous. Our neighbors have a 97 Grand Caravan and it seems nearly identical in size to this Sienna.
3800, I agree with the Mazda5 being too small. It was a people or cargo vehicle, couldn’t do both at the same time.
I DO apologize, Mr Dixon, but I snort every single time I read the title “African Americans On Wheels”, as it sounds either like an amusingly over-specific categorisation (like, say, “Vans For Pacific Northwesterners On Minor Drugs” or “Ex-Guatemalan Small-Car Seekers”), or a response to some empowering Constitutional development, and I get totally distracted from the articles.
What WAS the idea? What would be in any way distinct about what such a buying group?
I’ll take a stab at this one, realizing though that this topic can be a minefield of sensitivities. Also, I should acknowledge that I am not benefiting from first-hand experience of reading or subscribing to black-oriented publications, so other folks may have different perspectives.
With that said, it seems that publications aimed specifically at African-Americans had somewhat of a heyday in the 1970s through the 1990s. These publications were obviously a result of our country’s troubled racial past, and as a consequence of that troubled past, many blacks preferred to read advice & recommendations from a trusted source… such as publications that focused directly on their communities.
There were many such publications, black business magazines, culture magazines, etc. And, like our featured clips from African-Amercians on Wheels, newspaper inserts. Sometimes these inserts were specifically put in papers delivered or sold in heavily black neighborhoods.
It’s a sign of how quickly things have changed that consumer publications targeted exclusively to African-Americans seem somewhat outmoded now. Some of these publications do still exist, such as Ebony magazine, though their reach is much smaller than they once were.
If others feel comfortable chiming in here, please feel free to do so. As I said, the above is my own impressions, from the outside looking in.
a result of our country’s troubled racial past, and as a consequence of that troubled past
Sorry, but it’s grossly inaccurate to suggest that racism in the US was something just in the past. In fact, it’s not just inaccurate…and refusing to use the right word (racism) isn’t helping.
“Snort” may not exactly be the most appropriate response.
There are 42 million African Americans. And some 24 million Australians. So to assume that this very large market almost twice as big as the whole Australian market wouldn’t have its own media is a bit…um…well, I’m not sure what the right word is.
Given the deeply rooted racism in America, it’s only obvious that African Americans would want to have their own media voices. And that tradition goes very deep. Some 500 black newspapers sprang up in the 35 years after the end of the Civil War. Every city and many towns had black papers, some quite large and sophisticated.
This evolved into magazines, radio, tv, cable networks, and of course the internet. It became a very large business, and billions of dollars were/are targeted by advertisers per year to the black media.
When it comes to cars, African Americans, like Hispanics and Asians and other ethnic groups, naturally have their own preferences, and that was long ago recognized by the car makers, who have devoted advertising budgets to reach these various segments going back a long time.
The transition to digital media has not been kind to black newspapers and magazines, obviously. But radio and tv are still strong, as is digital media. In 2018, some $18 billion dollars was spent by US advertisers targeting the black market. That compares to $15.8 billion Australian dollars ($9.61 $US) total spent on media in 2018 in Australia. So you’re snorting at a media market that is exactly twice the size of your whole media market.
I could go on, but are you starting to get the picture?
I find the title funny. I still do. My snort is literally at that fact (yet another thing I picture is wheeled people). It just sounds ponderous, and dated even in 1990’s.
Marketing to the black community is now is surely not labelled so clunkily.
If there is indeed marketing to ex-Guatemalans in need of small cars – and there may be, who knows – it won’t be labelled as such.
Perhaps you get the picture of why it could sound amusing to me?
I was aware of the news history, still present in radio and tv, and knew (if vaguely) that marketing to specific racial groups is a big thing.
However, I have learnt something from you saying that TRUSTED voices for a black buyer could still relate to something as mundane as cars, which is slightly amazing. Deep-running waters, huh.
Perhaps it’s a regional word usage issue. Are you aware that “wheels” is extremely commonly used as a way to refer to cars? As in “Nice wheels you got there”. Although in more recent years, “wheel” and “wheels” is also used in reference to a guy’s ability to attract or seduce women.
In any case, it doesn’t strike me nearly as funny as it does you. But I suspect there’s colloquial expressions from Australia that would strike some Americans as funny.
As to marketing to different ethnic groups, it’s done all the time. Here’s a good article on four versions of a Toyota Camry tv ad, targeting white, black, Asian and Hispanic markets.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/12/business/media/toyota-camry-ads-different-ethnicities.html
No, I think it’s just me, tbh. A quirk.
Thanks for the NYT link. In a market of just 1 million cars (and 50-odd makes) no grouping gets such specificity here!
Well, with a minor exception for CUBs – cashed-up Bogans (read a bit redneck-ish). They seem to get a lot of manly ute four-wheel drive splashings through mud. With a boat. (Hard to tell from a shaver ad without sound, really, but I digress).
The ad industry was very, very white here too until not so long ago, something I never reflected on then, never having been a victim of racism (or sexism).
Justy – I described the magazine in this COAL:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-automotive-interregnum/
Thanks, Adam. It’s fascinating about the marketing, as Paul mentions the “preferences” of an ethnic grouping, but I can’t see any continuities in what you reviewed back then. Perhaps, being Sunday newspaper inserts, it was directed at upper-middle black readers generally, ie: a “trusted voice” without specific car groupings in mind?
A friend of mine had one of these, and it was an exemplary car for over 200,000 miles, at which time it suddenly fell apart like the Blues Brother’s Monaco. He got every penny out of it.