When Toyota replaced the oddball Previa with the front-drive Sienna for 1998, it staked a firmer foothold in the minivan market. The redesigned 2004 Sienna added all-wheel-drive as an option, making it a true alternative to popular SUVs. Now, for 2011, the Sienna is all-new again, and it’s crossover utilities that dominate the family scene. So, let’s see if the new Sienna can stand its ground.

The 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan starts off by standing its ground on size. Its 119.3-inch wheelbase is the same as its predecessor. But it is a few fractions of an inch wider and shorter overall, much of which can be attributed to its all-new styling, penned entirely at Toyota’s Calty studio in Newport Beach, California. And, Calty has given Sienna a fairly aggressive version of the corporate notched hood, above a sharply tapered trapezoidal grille. Narrow, dramatically swept-back headlights are set high in a pair of bulging front fenders.

From there, the Sienna’s greenhouse follows the slight curvature of character lines drawn high on its flanks. Unmistakable Venza-like taillights wrap around under the D-pillars.

Styling cues vary by trim. The sporty-looking SE’s mesh grille, deep splitter, rocker panels, and smoked taillights set it apart from the rest of the clean but much more pedestrian Sienna lineup. A selection of standard alloy wheels range from 17 to 19 inches in diameter.

But while a dose of exterior excitement is fine, the focal point of every minivan is the interior. To that end, the 2011 Sienna fills slightly bigger shoes than last year, with two inches added to interior length. It’s also wider inside, and the now flowing dash has a less pronounced, more integrated center stack to make it feel even roomier.

The front seat passengers are treated to a funky asymmetrical trim swoosh separating two glove boxes, and the driver will find a more upscale instrument cluster with standard ECO driving indicator in the multifunction liquid crystal screen. A full complement of airbags includes one for the driver’s knee.

Standards include tri-zone climate, CD stereo with aux input, up to a dozen cup holders, and dual sliding doors with power windows. Ascend the trim levels, and amenities like wood trim, voice command navigation, and a novel sliding center console are available.

Unlike Chrysler’s minivans, the Sienna’s second row seats don’t fold into the floor. They’re heavy, but are removable. Seven-passenger models have twin captain’s chairs. In Limited trim they recline. The eight-seater features a split bench with a stowable center section. The captain’s chairs have 23 inches of fore/aft travel and seat cushions that tip up, allowing easy access to the third row. There, the 60/40 split bench is placed two inches further back than before for adult-size legroom.

The optional rear entertainment system has a 16.4-inch screen that can display two inputs—like a movie and a game—at the same time. Unlike Chrysler vans, however, satellite TV is not available.

Cargo volume behind the upright third seat is good at 39.1 cubic feet. Drop the third row and cargo volume goes to 87.1 cubic feet. With the second row removed, cargo volume grows to 150 cubic feet, or more than all rivals.

Sienna continues as the only minivan available with all-wheel-drive. For 2011, it returns as an option on V6-powered LE, XLE, and Limited models.

Base power comes from the Sienna's first four cylinder. The 2.7-liter, shared with Highlander and Venza, rates 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. The carryover 3.5-liter V6 rates 266 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque. A new six-speed transmission with sequential shift handles gear changes for both motors. With the V6, Sienna can tow 3,500 pounds.

Suspension hardware is traditional minivan, strut front and a beam axle rear. But careful retuning, stability control, and new electric power steering provide Sienna an unusually tactile driving experience, especially the SE, which gets treated to an even sportier setup. All-disc ABS brakes are standard.

While the four-cylinder does strain a little under heavy loads, its Government Fuel Economy ratings of 19 city/26 highway are the best in its class. The front drive V6 rates 18 city/24 highway, dropping to 16 city/22 highway with all-wheel-drive. All Siennas run on regular gas.

When it goes on sale later this spring, Sienna prices will start slightly lower than last year at $25,010. The V6 starts at $26,250, and can climb to an eye-popping $40,520 for an all-wheel drive Limited.

That said, the 2011 Toyota Sienna has something for every minivan taste— a more economical four-cylinder, class-exclusive all-wheel drive, and the nicely sporty SE model. So, not only can this highly versatile vehicle stand its ground, it's likely to make a few more suburbanites think twice about buying a big CUV.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has been through many changes during the four generations and 23 years that it’s been sold here in the U.S., but none more dramatic than what is being offered for 2024. This fifth-gen Santa Fe is certainly bigger and definitely boxier, but is it a better Santa Fe?

This 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is indeed a major departure from the wide-mouth, chrome-clad, swoopy-styled midsize five-passenger utility that we’ve known for the last 5 years, and it brings some other big changes with it.

The look is now more slab-sided, slimmed-down, and off-road inspired; drawing comparisons to Land Rover from just about everyone we encountered. The wheelbase has been extended by almost 2 inches, which adds to interior space; so much so that a third row of seating is now once again standard in the Santa Fe. Like many major departures when it comes to styling, time will tell how well it ages, or if there will be another big swing next time around. Many on our staff were not fans of the 21-inch wheels that come with the top Calligraphy trim; and it does appear like they ran out of ideas when they got to the back and called it a day.

But that flat tailgate is 6 inches wider than the previous gen, allowing for very-much minivan-like access to the cargo area, which Hyundai says is the launchpad for adventures, no longer just a simple cargo bay. There’s room for 14.6 cu-ft of adventure gear, or just groceries, behind the third row, 40.5 cu-ft behind the second row, and a max of 79.6 cu-ft with all seatbacks folded. And if you can’t fit everything back there, Hyundai has integrated a cool grab handle into the C-pillar for helping you load stuff up top.

The cockpit of this adventure vehicle feels much more like a luxury car than a rugged utility. Maybe that’s the Land Rover influence again. But really, it’s mostly on-brand from what we’ve been seeing from Hyundai lately. That’s especially the case when you escalate things to top Calligraphy trim. Its $12,500 over base and comes with features such as quilted Nappa leather seats, Eco-suede materials, dual wireless phone chargers, a sweeping panoramic curved dual screen display that we’re more accustomed to seeing in Genesis, with sturdy captain’ chairs with lots of adjustments in the second row. Two-place seating in the standard third row means a capacity of six; lesser trims come with a second-row bench upping that number to seven.

The 2.5-liter I4 turbocharged engine returns, but now as the standard powertrain, getting slightly detuned to 277 horsepower but with the same 311 lb-ft of torque as last year. All-wheel drive is an $1,800 option for all trims except in the off-road inspired XRT where it is included. A 231-horsepower Hybrid is optional. This is a lot of vehicle for the standard four-cylinder to move, even if it is turbocharged, but that seems to be the way things are heading these days. So, we’ll just have to accept the tepid jog to 60 of 7.0 seconds. To be fair, it’s still plenty quick for running errands with the family.

It uses a dual-clutch eight-speed transmission rather than a traditional automatic. Gear changes were smooth with some power drop with each upshift. We reached 95 mph at the end of the quarter-mile in 15.4 seconds. This bigger Santa Fe felt very stable at speed going down the track. It was more in its element in our handling course, with sharp and responsive steering, great balance, and lots of feedback; all making it easy to keep momentum going through the cones. We saw plenty of nosedive with a soft brake pedal in our panic braking runs. But results were quite good, with stops from 60 averaging 111 feet.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with all-wheel drive are 20 City, 28 Highway, and 23 Combined; rounding up our 22.6 mpg of Regular average puts it right on.

An ever increasingly wide bandwidth of options has the base Santa Fe starting at $35,365 and reaching all the way up to $47,915 for top Calligraphy; the Hybrid is available in SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy trims only.
Love it or hate it, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe has made a bold step in style, but it still has plenty of substance to back it up. So yes, it is a better Santa Fe, and now with a definite upmarket push, it lands as an even greater mid-size utility value.