By Peter Perrotta
In the 1995 Hollywood classic comedy film “Get Shorty”, John Travolta’s character, Chili Palmer, repeatedly passes off his Oldsmobile Silhouette as the “Cadillac of minvans”.
When he went to rent a car the only choice left was the minivan. So, Palmer tries to make amends to all of his friends he is trying to impress by telling them his minivan is a top-of-the-line choice.
The Silhouette and Oldsmobile is now a distant memory. But, the minivan segment is still alive, but at this point, barely breathing.
Minivan sales as a percentage of the U.S. auto industry fell from 4 percent in 2009 to 2.6 percent in the first quarter of last year, according to research and data firm IHS Markit.
But, automakers, like Toyota are still trying to keep this segment alive by doing things to “spice up” the image of the minivan.
Enter the 2020 Toyota Sienna SE Premium AWD “Nightshade” edition. That is the vehicle I
recently road tested for one week.
The Nightshade edition is a $700 option that is available on the 2020 Sienna SE Premium AWD that includes a black sport mesh front grille; black door handles, wheels and spoiler; black outside mirror caps; and a black Toyota emblem and grade badging.
The vehicle I tested came in Silver Metallic and with the Nightshade edition package added, I must admit it did jazz the Sienna up a bit.
However, truth be told, a minivan is a minivan no matter how you dress it up.
My sons are 33 and 21 years old respectively, so it had been quite awhile since I set myself up behind the wheel of a minivan. When my 21-year-old son was 5, we owned a minivan and it came in quite handy for those long road trips to Florida.
When I first got behind the wheel of the Sienna it took me awhile to get my bearings, but I must admit by the end of the week behind the wheel of this minivan, I became fully acclimated to the bigness and squareness of this ride.
This Sienna features a 3.5 liter V6 engine that produces 296 horsepower at 263-pound feet of torque. It is matched with an eight speed transmission. While one isn’t going to win any Indianapolis speed races with this vehicle, it certainly has ample power to motor the average American family cross country these days.
I personally found this Sienna rather enjoyable to drive once I got used to driving the minivan again.
The 2020 Toyota Sienna SE Premium AWD Nightshade Edition I tested had an MSRP sticker price of $45,165. Added options included the Nightshade Edition, $700; door edge guards, $79; and paint protection film, $395. When you add in the $1,095 for destination and delivery the final sticker price was $47,434.
The Sienna SE Premium comes standard with a ton of really nice features.
Interior standard features include: leather trimmed front seats; eight-way power driver’s seat;
second row captains chairs; premium JBL audio system; seven-inch touch screen; dynamic navigation; rear seat DVD (Blu-ray) entertainment system; Apple carplay and more.
Some of the standard exterior features include: auto, on and off headlights; dual power sliding doors; LED daytime running lamps; blind spot assist and cross traffic alerts and a power tilt moonroof.
The folks at Toyota estimate that the annual average fuel costs for the Sienna V6 will be about $2,000. It uses about five gallons of gas, on average, per every 100 miles traveled.
The overall EPA fuel economy rating for this vehicle come in at an average of 20 miles per gallon (24 mpg on the highway and 18 in city driving).
This particular model vehicle has not been crash test rated by the federal government yet.
The Sienna is available in five models: L, LE, SE; XLE and Limited.
The Sienna comes in a choice of a seven- or eight-seat configuration. The vehicle I tested had a seven-seat configuration with first and second row captains chairs and a three-seat third row.
As far as comfort and utility goes, you really can’t beat this minivan. Besides the comfortable seating patterns it also offers up to a massive 150 cubic feet of interior cargo space.
In the Japanese import sectors of the minivan category, the two stalwarts in the offerings remain the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey.
If you are a family considering the lease or purchase of a minivan, one would be remiss to not consider either the Sienna or the Odyssey when you go test driving and ultimately make your choice for which vehicle you would like to take home.
Peter Perrotta’s On The Road column appears weekly. Comments and questions are welcomed. To contact him, email [email protected].