2003 Toyota Sienna XLE review from North America
"High priced car with a serious flaw"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
This is related to a test drive of a nicely loaded Toyota sienna XLE. First off, the dealer gave us the story of how they have a lot of the minivans in stock and no one else does. He also said that the MSRP was the price, no haggling. They wanted 37k for it, where the invoice from the net was 30k. So we drive it anyway. The shifter is conveniently located in the center of the dash where the radio normally is. I found a problem I think. There isn't a lockout button for moving the shifter. It is a weakly gated shifter (read zig zag) When in overdrive the shifter can be bumped into neutral very easily. I did a little test at extremely low speed, and bump the shifter. It slid all the way to park, locking up the transmission abruptly. I think this is a serious safety issue, and should be addressed.
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| The best choice for a minivan.. |
| No regrets. Best vehicle I ever owned! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0+ Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 10 miles |
| Most recent distance | 19 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Taurus |
| Date of Entry | 8th November, 2003 |