MOTOR RIVALS

In the kid-friendly, parents-rule world of family vans, The Toyota Sienna remains the only model available with all-wheel drive. But that’s just one of the many compelling qualities that make the Sienna a standout. For 2016, upgraded multimedia features augment the parents’ side of the equation.

Toyota has made across-the-board enhancements to the Entune multimedia head units in the 2016 Sienna. The new Connected Navigation Scout® GPS App Link for Entune® Audio Plus uses the customer’s smartphone to provide navigation functionality through the head unit. And iPhone® users will be pleased to know that all available head units now integrate Siri® Eyes Free mode.

The new Sienna Outdoor Package introduced for 2015 returns for 2016, bundling roof rack cross bars, all-weather floor mats, mud guards and door sill protectors.

The Sienna conquers that obstacle course called the everyday with a silky-smooth 266-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission. This combination gives the Sienna confident power for urban trekking or highway merging while using fuel efficiently. The standard Tow Prep Package allows the Sienna to pull a 3,500-pound trailer. Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and a wide stance help deliver a solid, direct on-road feel. Aerodynamic under-body elements may seem a bit naughty to mention for a family vehicle, but they do enhance Sienna’s dynamic performance.

The 2016 Sienna is available in five grades: L, LE, SE, XLE and Limited, with optional all-wheel-drive available on LE, XLE and Limited, the latter a family luxury vehicle that will spoil children and parents alike.

The Sienna offers a choice between seven- and eight-passenger configurations and comes chock full of versatile features for shuttling passengers comfortably or hauling lots of their stuff. With the third-row seat stowed and the second-row seat removed, the Sienna provides up to 150 cubic feet of available space, and it will carry 4x8-ft. sheets plywood should you be inclined to do so. Sienna is easy to load, thanks to a wide tailgate and wide side doors, low floor height and Tip-Up and Long Slide second-row seats. Numerous storage bins, spaces and cupholders are located throughout the cabin.

For the first time all Odyssey models will include standard Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® connectivity, a 4-way power passenger seat, Expanded View Driver's Mirror, Pandora® interface and an SMS text messaging function. New available features include the Honda exclusive LaneWatch™ blind spot display, Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW). Additionally, Odyssey Touring Elite models will now come standard with the much-anticipated HondaVAC™, the world's first in-vehicle vacuum cleaner, which allows customers the ability to quickly and easily clean-up dirt and debris from every corner of the minivan.

The Honda Odyssey will have a starting MSRP1 of $28,825. This represents only a $150 increase in base price for a thoroughly revised Odyssey equipped with additional standard features for increased convenience.

With the addition of a standard 6-speed automatic transmission paired to the 3.5-liter, 24-valve, SOHC, i-VTEC V-6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), the Odyssey further solidifies its place as the fuel economy leader in the minivan segment with all models offering EPA fuel economy ratings of 19/28 mpg1 city/highway (model-year 2013 EPA ratings were 18/27 mpg on all models except Touring and Touring Elite).

Further enhancing occupant safety, the Odyssey receives the next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. The reinforced frontal structure improves frontal crash energy management through a wider range of offset and oblique collision modes. With the revised structure, the Odyssey is anticipated to earn the highest rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including a GOOD rating in the stringent new IIHS small overlap frontal collision test. The Odyssey is expected to be the first minivan to earn a TSP+ from IIHS.