BIG WHITE, B.C. — Pity the poor minivan, the dad jeans of the automotive world.
Read any minivan review, and the test driver inevitably leads off with a caveat about their distinct distaste for the style, the ubiquitous “soccer mom” reference thrown in to punctuate their pained point.
Well, after using a 2015 minivan on a recent family ski trip to Big White, I guess it’s time I got measured for some dad jeans?
The front-wheel-drive Toyota Sienna SE V6 effortlessly swallowed up gear and luggage for the six of us — two adults, one teen, two preteens and a 60-pound dog, without any need to fold down any of the three rows of seating. Granted, my skis, the longest at 176 cm, had to poke through into the back row, but no need for a fuel-sucking roof cargo box or bungeed down ski back.
The cargo area of the Sienna easily swallowed up all the gear and luggage of two adults, three kids and a dog.
Andrew McCredie, Driving
Try any of that in an SUV.
The five-hour drive from Vancouver to Big White, a 45-minute scoot from Kelowna, was as comfortable as in a luxury sedan, everyone including the dog with more than enough personal space in the spacious vehicle built for eight.
Despite being a front-wheel-drive version, not the more winter-friendly all-wheel drive, the trusty steed never wavered along a slippery-in-spots Coquihalla and Connector, with more than enough power to pull us up the grades, and confidence-inspiring stopping power to keep us on the straight and narrow on the down slopes.
Also read: Let’s stop calling it a minivan — it’s an adventure vessel!
In terms of the performance, my only complaint would be the six-speed automatic transmission, and only because a more contemporary seven-, eight- or possible nine-speed would provide better fuel economy. That said, my real world combined number of 11.2 litres per 100 km was much better than I expected, given the cargo load and the terrain covered on the nearly 1,000-kilometre round trip.
Try getting that number in an SUV.
Creature comforts designed for road trips were plentiful and well-suited, with the two headsets linked into the 16.4-inch ceiling-mounted video screen ideal to shield the girls’ preteen taste in movies from the teen boy’s more, umm, cultured tastes. Likewise, satellite radio up front gave the parents a chance to relive their misspent youth via the ’80s and Hair Nation channels without the derisive eye rolls and embarrassed exclamations of the younger brood. The dog? He was just happy to have half the third-row bench to himself, content in his chewy chewing and stuffie snuggling.
The front-wheel drive Toyota SE V6 is one of five trim levels available and proved the ideal vehicle for a family ski trip to Big White.
Toyota Canada, Driving
All of which is precisely what the minivan is all about. That is, transporting without compromise the modern family and its modern trappings to and from soccer games, ski hills, beach parties, camping trips, country picnics and more banal and everyday trips taken on the road most travelled.
Critics of course will say the very nature of a minivan is a compromise, to taste, to style and to sexiness. Like dad jeans.
Also read: Our review of the 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan
While not the inventor of the minivan — that honour goes to Chrysler — Toyota has been an innovator of the species, and the 2015 Sienna represents the high-water mark of that development.
The biggest innovation is all-wheel drive, and the Sienna is still the only minivan in Canada that offers that drivetrain.
The trusted steed gets a well-deserved rest after the drive from Vancouver to Big Whist Ski Resort, located 45-minutes from Kelowna.
Andrew McCredie, Driving
The Sienna debuted in 1997 as a replacement to the Previa, and was smaller than other minivans on the market. That changed in 2003 with a bigger platform, one based on the tried-and-true Camry sedan.
The third generation came out in 2011, and the 2015 model comes in no fewer than five trim levels, starting with the $30,690 seven-passenger base model. Next up is the LE, available in eight-passenger front-wheel drive ($33,950) and seven-passenger AWD ($36,775). My tester, the SE, is an eight-passenger FWD model, and starts at $37,495 and adds a sport-tuned suspension and improved power steering. The penultimate model is the XLE AWD ($41,380), a seven-passenger trim loaded with safety and technology features, while the top-of-the-line all-wheel drive Limited comes loaded with all the goodies ($45,875).
All models are powered by a 266-horsepower 3.5-litre V6 mated to the aforementioned six-speed manumatic gearbox.
New for 2015 features include: newly designed instrument panel; a backup camera standard on all models, as are Bluetooth connectivity, a fourth anchor point for child protection seats, a passenger seat cushion airbag and a pull-down conversation mirror.
