The 2022 Toyota Sienna excels at transferring a ton of people today and/or cargo frequently in convenience and advantage. One expects that from a minivan, but the present, fourth-generation Sienna that was all-new previous yr goes beyond what’s envisioned. First, it presents all-wheel push for additional self-confidence in foul weather, and 2nd, it uniquely will come regular with a hybrid powertrain that returns vastly top-quality gasoline economic system than its V6-run competition. These are key explanations why the Sienna is just one of our top rated minivan options (the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the other).
Now, you can find a third unique aspect: the 2022 Toyota Sienna Woodland Edition. Toyota seems to have been taking notes from Subaru, and from lessons acquired about human behavior all through Covid, and recognizing that escalating figures of families want to get absent from it all, the place the air is fresh new and you’re extra probable to get eaten by a bear than to capture a bug from one more human being. The Woodland Version is a slightly ruggedized version of the very well-rounded Sienna meant to facilitate those restorative adventures off the beaten path. It builds upon the XLE trim stage (2nd rung up the trim ladder) with an enhanced ground clearance, conventional all-wheel push, a tow-hitch rated to trailer 3,500 pounds, 18-inch alloy wheels, and crossbars for the roof rails found on other Sienna.
Searching at it in the driveway, you’d be forgiven for overlooking the Woodland’s specialised functionality. The additional ground clearance isn’t noticeable — in actuality, at 6.96 inches it’s just .59 inches bigger than the normal XLE. It is really barely a TRD Off-Highway. The roof rails with cross bars are existing, but for all you know, people could just be standalone possibilities. The tow hitch is also apparent, inelegantly integrated under the rear bumper, but we had a person on an XLE AWD we tested out in Oregon. To be truthful, potentially the further floor clearance will necessarily mean the hitch is not going to so conveniently drag on the ground when going up driveways.
Most surprisingly, there usually are not even any specific “Woodland” badges as there are on other these types of outdoorsy trim ranges. The major clues hence boil down to colour: the special Cement exterior paint (the other selection is Midnight Black Metallic), darkish chrome accents and blacked-out badging. It essentially appears to be like like a sporty Sienna with a few solutions. Which is not always a terrible factor we assume it really appears very cool.
Within, the Woodland is differentiated with earth-tone stitching in the black Softex vinyl trim and upholstery, which on the seats characteristics the identical diamond-like sample as the Sienna XSE. It has the Sienna’s 7-seat configuration as normal, along with heated front seats, next-row sunshades, a wi-fi cell phone charger, 7 USB ports and a 1200-watt, 12-speaker JBL sound process. Built-in navigation is also regular, which is appreciated in a vehicle supposedly intended to undertaking off the crushed route and for that reason out of cell info selection. There is also a 1,500-watt inverter with a three-prong, 120-volt electrical power outlet in the cargo location, which ought to arrive in handy when powering appliances whilst tenting or tailgating, or functioning air pumps for an innertube vacation down a river.
Overall, it’s a familiar room, with the exact same usefulness you are going to discover in the other seven-seat Siennas that so amazed during our minivan comparison. That includes the really handy Super Lengthy Slide captain’s chairs and split-folding 3rd row that allow you prioritize travellers around cargo — or vice versa — with the pull off a couple levers and straps. Regrettably, as the Woodland is primarily based on the XLE, it also contains a great deal of challenging plastics with questionable textures that never seem to know no matter whether they are seeking to (improperly) mimic wooden or metal. The XSE, Limited and Platinum get increased-excellent components.
Powering the wheel, the Woodland feels common to these who have driven the existing-era Sienna. Its hybrid powertrain is the exact same, with a 2.5-liter inline-four at its coronary heart, supplemented by electric motors and a consistently variable transmission. With all wheel-drive, which is normal in the Woodland, it receives a 3rd electrical motor to ability the rear wheels as vital. The process gives a total of 243 horsepower, which is sufficient to make it sense lively off the line, many thanks to the instantaneous torque from the e-motors, but it loses considerably of that motive urgency when approaching highway speeds.
The tradeoff is the exact same superb fuel overall economy located in each all-wheel-push Sienna: an extraordinary 35 miles for each gallon in city driving, 36 mpg freeway and 35 combined. That is an insignificant deficit from the FWD Sienna’s 36/36/36 mpg rating. It’s a tradeoff we like, as the time we spend on freeway on-ramps is just a little portion of an if not refined and well balanced driving experience. Especially looking at these EPA ratings are quick to accomplish or most effective in true-environment driving, the savings at the pump are significant as opposed to all opponents aside from the plug-in Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival and V6-only FWD Pacifica all get 22 mpg put together, a big difference that equates to paying out $850 extra on gas for every 12 months, in accordance to the EPA’s annual fuel cost estimates. You would invest $1,100 much more for the only other AWD minivan, the 20-mpg Pacifica.
The trip and managing are common, also. Just as you’d be difficult pressed to see the modify in trip top of the Woodland Version, you are unlikely to really feel it from behind the wheel, possibly. The further six tenths of an inch of floor clearance really do not alter the way the Sienna drives — it features the very same straight-line steadiness, negligible body roll and amazingly engaging responses (for a minivan). It felt comfortable on gravel and rutty dirt streets, but not so a lot much more so than the other Siennas that we could discover. Its conventional all-period radials really don’t deliver any added grip, including on snowy roads.
In the stop, the 2022 Sienna Woodland Edition would not incorporate significantly to the practical experience, but it unquestionably will not acquire just about anything absent from the effectiveness and total usability that make each other Sienna these kinds of a good obtain. The genuine cause to stay away from it are the added options and better inside high quality observed in upper trim stages. With those, you can efficiently recreate practically all the Woodland features apart from the additional floor clearance – and in some way we doubt .59 inches is going to make that a lot of a distinction.
Now, you would also miss out on out on the handful of visual updates that give the Woodland its exclusive glimpse, but once again, they’re delicate. There just wants to be much more right here, both of those visually and in full. The Woodland Edition feels more like an options deal than a dedicated trim stage, this kind of as the RAV4 Experience. At a selling price of $46,565 (together with $1,215 in destination costs), we’d almost certainly instead choose and pick options on our have and probably help you save some dollars in the approach.
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