'22 Tundra CM vs Sienna? (I know, don't laugh)

Hi,

My first post here. We currently have a '17 Armada. We are thinking about trading it in for something more practical and with better gas mileage (we currently avg 14MPG or worse). We have 2 kids (7 and 11) and have used the 3rd row maybe 3 times in 5 years. It got us thinking, why are we spending so much on gas for something not particularly practical. The armada doesn't hold much given its size and weight and it is frankly not all that comfortable on long drives (wanders a bit on the hyw since new).

We automatically thought minivan - Sienna (much more space for hauling kids stuff/HD runs/bikes/etc) and better gas mileage. However, I somehow got on a kick thinking a CM Tundra might also work and be able to haul things like a dirt bike, mountain bikes, carious large items, as well as comfortably handle long road trips. Obviously the MPG would suck compared with a Sienna but it may be a bit better than what we currently have.

Long way to say, has anyone compared getting a CM Tundra as the family vehicle/daily driver, or is that crazy and the minivan the way to go?

 

I would NEVER chose a mini-van myself. Just be prepared for bad gas mileage. If you can live with that then Tundra ALL THE WAY! Soccer moms can drive Tundras too!

Oh and one more thing, ALL of the storage in a Tundra is in the back behind the rear window.

 

If you think you will use the bed a lot then sure, the Tundra makes sense.

mtn bikes you can put on a bike rack. And if you didn’t get the 6.5’ bed the bikes hang out the back and are not really secured. I have a 6.5’ bed and topper on my F150 and can stuff our two bikes in there and lock them. If i had the shorter bed then I would probably just put them on a bike rack and use a cable lock.

I also wouldn’t expect a high increase in average mpg with a tundra. It will probably do better than 14 but i bet i would probably average 17 or so

 

You guys make some great points. In terms of driving characteristics and comfort, which would you prefer to drive long distance in? I know the '22 Tundra really improved NVH and comfort, but is it enough to drive better than a Sienna? I do like the higher up feel of a BOF SUV/truck.

 

Also note the CrewMax only comes in a 5.5 ft bed. It works fine for me and is worth the trade-off for the hugh rear seats. A must if you are making it a family vehicle IMO.

 

Well that is hard to answer. I drove my Tundra 3 hrs to the beach on Friday and parked on the beach AND slept in my drivers seat all night. Thinking I would wake up stiff but I did not. It is very comfortable to me. I can't really compare to a Sienna because I have never been in one. It is also 'fun' if you want that too. Along the beach this weekend I was the one pulling out all the stuck 2wd vehicles on the beach. The Tundra pulled them like toys. Such fun to me.

 

Wrong. You're in the 3rd gen section

 

haha you are right. I wasn't thinking 3rd gen. I don't know the bed length of the 3rd gen so my apologies to the OP.

 

5.5ft or 6.5ft for crew maxes

 

The new hybrid Sienna is actually pretty awesome. It is extremely practical and far more efficient. If comfort and fuel efficiency are your priorities, I don’t think any truck will beat that minivan.

The new Tundra is cool, too. Which one would you use more? Do you need a truck bed? Dropping $60k on a truck because you like that it sits up higher seems silly to me if the Sienna would meet your needs better.

 

Longer bed for a shorter engine I guess, lol

 

I am not laughing at all.

Practically speaking, the Tundra and Armada will be close on MPG. The Sienna will likely get 2X better fuel economy.
Parking will be a breeze with the Sienna compared to the Tundra. Drap race, Tundra, hands down.

Your kids are at an age where the truck will seem like the cool option. Just make sure they are prepared to climb up into the Tundra (running boards?). My Tundra fits in my garage, but it is a tight fit.

Daily practicality goes to the Sienna, while particular circumstances (hauling/towing) go to the Tundra.

There will likely be regret with either purchase (compared to the other), IMO. But, I daily drive my Tundra and have really enjoyed it every day.

Good luck!

 

We own a 2020 Pilot Touring trim with the captains chairs in the rear & 2022 Platinum with 6.5ft bed. Kind of depends on how many seat belts you need. I enjoy the pilot and the 2022 platinum has lost a raw truck feel and got more refined. My .02. And my wife wouldn't be caught dead with a mini-van. We don't have kids. However, I like the earlier Chysler Town & Country with the stow&go. Oh, and I rode in a hybrid Sienna and it was pretty good, but I'll take a loaded Pilot over it anyday.

 

How about a sedan or hatchback?

I could see the desire for a minivan if you need the third row space.

 

I know I'm in the minority here, as I'd vote on the Sienna (or other mini-van).

There are two things to consider with your dilemma:

1) Will you actually save any money on gas by spending money on a new Sienna or Tundra compared to just keeping your Armada? (That's a calculation you'll need to work.). Of course, if you just want something new, that is fine too.
2) What do your daily vehicular activities involve? If you need to haul dirt bikes, canoes, gravel for landscape projects, need lots of ground clearance for rough roads, all on a daily basis, well, that's definitely where the Tundra will shine, and no mini-van will do that as well.

My situation? I own a Tundra and a Chrysler Pacifica. We have 3 kids under the age of 9, and my daily tasks are mostly focused around family duty, so my mini-van wins the daily driving detail hands down. Very comfortable to drive, easy to maneuver, plus easy to get kids in/out in a hurry with the sliding doors (don't even need to get out - push a button and they are gone). Also, while I like to take care of my cars, I don't feel as bad when I get a new door ding in it from some careless person for some reason (shrug).

My Tundra is more of my "5 people don't fit into a sports car with a V8 very well with any room for other stuff so let's get a truck that is still fun to drive" bucket. So, when we ARE moving furniture, heading to Home Depot, picking up large things from Costco... that's when I use my Tundra.

I do use the mini-van to move stuff that is fragile though (big screen TV's, computers, monitors, etc...). When you fold down all the rear seats, you can stuff a LOT of things in there and not have to worry about tarps or temperature / weather issues while transporting it.

 

Funny. I just posted a comment about the 1/2 ton being an all rounder.




However, if it doesn't have to do any kind of off road or deep snow duty, I think the Sienna would be a way more comfortable ride. You can pretty easily tow a small trailer with it to handle the dirt bikes or use a hitch carrier for the mountain bikes. The fuel economy will be in a completely different league as well.

 

My only question is why Sienna vs Tundra and not Highlander vs Tundra? They're quite literally the same exact vehicle just SUV vs Minivan and really the only thing the Sienna has over the Highlander is the 3rd row, but you said you never use the 3rd row. Plus, the Highlander has a decent towing rating (3k for the Hybrid, 5k for the V6) so you could always hitch a trailer to it and tow a trailer with your toys if needed.

 

My wife's 2022 Highlander has 3rd row seating but it can fold down. Does the Sienna 3rd row fold down? I assume it does.

 

Look at the Audi A5/S5 sportback and A6 Allroad. You can get a stealth hitch and they are rated to tow around 4000 (not that you would do that). You can get a small fold up trailer or haul a basket without a sweat.

 

Well, it has the 3rd row, but Sienna's 3rd row is much more practical and useable and it folds down as well.

Sienna 3rd row leg room: 38.7”
Highlander 3rd row leg room: 27.7”

 

I love my Tundra and we take it more than my wife’s 22 Highlander. Here lately we’ve been trying to share the miles between them. My truck was in the shop for about two weeks, mainly waiting on a part, and during that time they provided me with a 22 Sienna Hybrid. I was pretty impressed on how convenient minivans are, besides when people see you in one lol. They have to be the perfect vehicle though. We have three kids and there was so much room for them. I was able to keep my gear in the back instead of unloading every time. It was getting 35mpg with my driving habits during the winter. Being AWD it handled the Texas ice like a champ.

So with that said, I’m hoping Toyota actually produces the all electric Tundra. Then my engine bay will be a trunk, I’ll still have a bed for when it’s needed and the mpg will be whatever electricity cost at the time. But that’s still just a rumor, unless someone has heard different.

With that said, I’d go Sienna if you don’t mind being a minivan owner. It was really convenient and they’re affordable, plus you’ve gone this long without a truck.

 

A friend of mine has a Civic and says it's perfect for his family of five. Bikes on the roof or in the trunk as required. YMMV.

 

I'd drive a wagon or hatchback if I could talk my wife into it. No minivans, though.

 

If I didnt haul a shitload of junk every day I wouldve got the sienna. Better mileage, cost less, easier to resale... Theres lots of reasons mini vans are awesome. Mostly because they ain't this ugly bastard

 

One thing I’m addicted to (although my wife would drive the car 60-70% of the time) is the power from the 5.6 V8 in the Armada. It accelerates very nicely for the size of the vehicle. I haven’t driven the Sienna but I am concerned with reports it’s a bit weak in the power department, especially loaded up with kids and kids “stuff.” To be honest, I can’t stand the sound of a weak 4-cyl engine straining to get up to speed. I also have become used to having significant passing power. The Tundra ticks that power box although with the obvious penalty of MPG.
Some have recommended Audis and I do love German wagons, but I dont want to have to fork over premium gas in this current climate. I also don’t want to go down in space from the Armada, which a hatchback or even a highlander would do.

 

Have you ever thought about waiting and seeing if the new 2023 Sequoia would fit the bill since it'll have the same TTV6 as the Tundra?

 

Aren’t people funny? The AWD hybrid Sienna is inarguably a better vehicle at 90% of the tasks most guys use their Tundras for, but most of us wouldn’t be caught dead in one. It’s so fascinating to me how much the average person cares what other people might think when they see what you’re driving.


• Do you need to haul gear protected from the elements?
• Do you have kids? Are they in sports?
• Do you want to be able to take your kids and their friends to do fun things?
• Do you want to be able to open your kids’ doors while your arms are full of groceries/sports gear/whatever?
• Do you take road trip vacations often?

A minivan, especially if its AWD at 35mpg, wins hard at all of the above vs a truck.

“I’d hate for others to think that I didn’t let some weird stigma prevent me from buying the most practical family vehicle ever made.” That’s what “I’d never drive a minivan” sounds like to me. I mean, I feel it too, but lolol.

 

If you’re asking the question, I suspect the minivan is the best thing for you.

From an unashamed owner of a minivan…

 

I have a 2020 CM and my wife has a 2022 Sienna. We went from an SUV to a minivan years ago. Each time she looks at a new vehicle my wife says she thinks she might want to go back to an SUV. We are now on our 3rd straight van, Sienna, Odyssey, Sienna, if that tells you how our searches come out. I can tell you 100% that there is no better people mover than a minivan. We have three kids and friends at all times it seems, so the third row is always in use. Even with the rear seats used, there is more cargo area than there was in our Sequoia by a long shot. Sliding doors on the sides are the best kid invention ever. Cupholders everywhere! It's just the perfect fit for where we are in life right now. The Tundra is fine, it hauls us all around, and pulls the boat, hauls the wood, and all the things that we need a truck for. But for a family first vehicle there is no comparison between the two, Sienna hands down. And we have the AWD and are getting legit 31mpg, so better than double my pickup. Plus, i guess we were probably never cool, so the van didnt hurt our image too much, lol.