rkNE 
2009 Toyota Sienna Minivan XLE 7-Passenger 4dr Minivan AWD (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
2nd Time Sienna Owner
 We live in New England.  AWD was important to us in purchasing this van.  Also the crash test results and the awesome reliability record of this van was the deciding factors for us.  The gas mileage is not the best, as noted by several reviewers here.  But you have to consider that this is a large vehicle with a large V6 engine AS WELL AS AWD option.  The AWD adds 2 or 3 hundred pounds to the weight of the vehicle.  The gas mileage will suffer.  If you want higher mileage, you can go with the FWD option, or get a smaller vehicle.  The vehicles drives beautifully, it has a tighter turning radius than most mid-size sedans, it is relatively quiet on the road, and handles well for a minivan.