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

I’ll be honest, I like the fact that the tundra has big honkin turbo torque and the fact that there is a huge aftermarket. But, it’s my wife’s car and not mine and I have come to terms with it. It’s just not nearly as practical as a sienna. And I doubt she will need the power of a tundra, although she is used to driving a 5.6 liter v8.

 

I own a ‘21 Sienna Platinum AWD and a ‘17 Tundra CM 4x4. I also have a ‘22 Camry SE Nightshade hybrid, it has the same engine as the Sienna.

We put 17,000 miles on the Sienna in 12 months, averaging 32mpg hand calculated over those 17,000 miles. No problems at all. The Gen 4 Sienna offers a ridiculous combination of space and fuel efficiency. It’s very comfortable to drive, as evidenced by the 17k in a year.

The 1500w inverter in the Sienna is a game changer. Bring your coffee pot, microwave, instant pot, or space heater to the campsite. READY mode let’s you use A/C or the inverter all night without running the ICE all night (with CO2 monitor and exhaust run recommended). Journey Off-road has lift kits available. Don’t waste your money on the Woodland edition. It’s an overpriced XLE with a 0.6” spacer lift. Unless you love the cement color, don’t bother.

The 2nd row seats are removable but require wrenches and an airbag simulator. It scares people who can’t do an oil change but is actually quite simple. YouTube instructions.

In ECO mode, it’s flat out slow. But slow = good MPG. On SiennaChat there are people reporting over 40mpg and 700mi to the tank. In SPORT mode there is plenty of power to merge and accelerate on to the highway. It’s a heavy vehicle optimized for fuel efficiency so you have to take it for what it is. A lot of people are put off by the sound of the I4, but it doesn’t bother me at all. Platinum has active noise cancellation which helps.

Almost everyone buying a new Gen 4 is having to wait and many are paying over MSRP. We waited 3 months and paid MSRP. Toyota slashed production versus last year, about half as many available now. The gas price crunch has made it even more difficult to find.

Any questions just ask.

Edited to add a point about sliding doors. Power sliding doors are super underrated. If you have kids, especially young ones, the Tundra doors can be a Herculean task to open and close. My 4 year old (now 5) can open and close his own door safely. With the hands-free open and close option, carrying a car seat or groceries or whatever, it’s a huge practical convenience.