j m 
2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan LE 8-Passenger 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
Fun to drive every time, and easy with 3 kids.
 This is an honest review of our experiences with the minivan so far, and compared to driving the Rav4 and Honda Pilot.We were looking for used Sienna minivans and think this was a great deal through Edmund's on a new vehicle and Carmax in Laurel, MD. We've only had it for about a month, but couldn't be more pleased with it. We were thinking Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, based on reviews and our experiences with Honda and Toyota. My 2007 Rav4 is 9 years old with almost 80K and NO issues, except for the many recalls that were annoying (but safety is important, and I' m sure the company has to be careful about everything). I had never driven or test-driven a minivan and I didn't want to give up my 2007 Rav4 (my husband sold his car and uses the Rav4 for work), but I needed a car that fit 3 kids better, and take extra passenger if needed. In the Rav4, we had an extra thin infant car seat base with booster in the middle and latch car seat on the other end. It was hard for the 7-year old to access the seatbelt in the middle and to squeeze the booster in-between. I love how the Rav4 handles similar to a car. I drove a 2003 Honda Pilot and didn't like the shift on the column because it wasn't easy to downshift (something important to me for safety), and it handled more like a truck and was hard to stop. There is not much room in the Pilot when the 3rd row is opened, has little leg room in 3rd row, and hard to put permanent car seats in 2nd row if you need access to the 3rd.The shifter is easy to use on the dash, and easy to tap to the left and down for downshifting. The acceleration is smooth and it has power. I was going close to 80 MPH without realizing it on the highway! And it seems to downshift quickly when braking. It handles very well- really not much different to get used to, except it's larger and longer. It doesn't feel like driving a minivan. Our garage is tight to fit 2 cars- even the Rav and small car, but it's easier with the van and Rav to get the kids out with the sliding doors instead of car doors touching each other. The sliding doors are great- many ways to open and close them, including the handles and easy push-button inside. They seem to retract if they sense something in the way, however, my son closed it and it was pushing hard into my arm as I was getting the baby out and got me off-balance before it stopped. The fold-down seats are easy to fold and many configurations. We store the 8th seat away so we can get back to the 3rd row, otherwise only a small person can squeeze behind the seat to get out. It's so much room- I can easily walk to the back to help with buckles, although the oldest can buckle himself in the back. I have the youngest 2 in middle with infant seat and latched seat with harness for 4-year old. It's easy to move the middle seats forward and back with much leg room for either row- kids are not kicking into the backs of seats. I had 2 extra kids I was watching and fit 5 kids easily. The latch is easy to use in both rows, and also has anchors behind the seats.The temperature controls are great for separate temperatures in left and right front and rear. The radio and controls are all great- bluetooth. I accidentally called someone 2 times- once from the steering wheel and once from the touch screen when choosing something... I thought they were calling me, so it was something I had to get used to! I love the console with cup holders, plus 2 extra pull-out ones in the dash. There is a lot of storage in the console and glove boxes; there's a coin holder, sunglass holder, door storage for water bottles, cup holders and storage in 3rd row. A few more features are compass, USB connection, blind spot mirror, grocery bag hooks in backs of seats. The seats are very comfortable and fabric seems nice and easy to clean. The electric driver controls are great- I can sit up pretty high and I love the lumbar support. I sometimes would get uncomfortable in other cars like Rav- my back and legs hurt after awhile, and I thought my neck didn't feel comfortable with the headrest. I think the controls are better in the van so I can stay comfortable. The gas gauge is tiny and hard to see when the steering wheel is in the way, but the display says an approximate distance until the tank empties and shows estimated MPG while driving. The backup camera is nice. I think it is necessary- it seems hard to see around otherwise. I don't like to only rely on it though because it doesn't show sides and it displays like a fisheye and things appear very far away. Visibility seems really good- there are blind spot  mirrors too. It seems to be decent on gas, but I'm not exactly sure- I'm sure it is at least 20.