Here is a quick look at the refreshed 2015 Toyota Sienna. The big news for some families is that Toyota has added a fourth LATCH position. You can now install a child safety seat with LATCH in either second row captain’s chair, the third row “center” position and now the third row passenger-side seat as well. Another new available feature that some parents may appreciate is the Driver Easy Speak system. It’s essentially a microphone that can be enabled so the driver’s voice is amplified for those in the second and third row seats. Now the kids will hear you when you say, “If you don’t cut that out right now I’m going to turn this Swagger Wagon around!”
Toyota now makes a backup camera standard on all Sienna models, which is essential for safety. Bluetooth hands-free is also standard. They also added a front passenger seat-cushion mounted airbag to reduce leg injury risk. The driver’s seat retains a knee cushion airbag. In addition, the side curtain airbag coverage has been increased around 30%. There is also a handy new multi- information display right in front of the driver, between the main gauges, to help you keep your eyes off the road as briefly as possible. This standard 3.5 inch screen can be configured to show the information you want without having to turn to the main dash screen and searching for it.
Updated crash tests results are not yet available from the IIHS or NHTSA, but Toyota expects it to do as well as the 2014 model. Perhaps the one drawback of this refresh? A full complement of advanced safety features (including pre-collision frontal crash prevention) is only available on the Limited Advanced Technology Package in the new Limited Premium trim. This package also includes Dynamic radar cruise control, vehicle dynamics integrated management and hill start assist control. Features like Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard or available in packages on various trim levels.
Stay tuned for our full review coming later this fall!
Thank you to Toyota USA for the preview of the Sienna, Camry and Yaris.
I’m a CPST that has an install with 5 children in this car later today. I was wondering if you knew whether the 3rd row center was compatible with 3 across including either 3 boosters or maybe 1 Defender center and 1 HBB passenger and 1 Harmony driver side? Trying to figure out the puzzling and found your link.
1 RF, 1 FF harness, 2 HBB and 1 NBB. 🙂
Thanks if you have any insight.
So they’ve gone back to how it used to be… now if they would just step up to what Honda did. 🙂
I would hope the front passenger seat safety would/will be improved. Not impressed with the NHTSA crash test results for that location.
Hi Mark, I’m guessing that is why they added a seat cushion mounted airbag for the front passenger, but of course we won’t know for certain until the NHTSA crash test results are completed. I also wonder if the side curtain airbags were made larger to improve coverage in the IIHS small offset crash test that hadn’t been conducted on the Sienna previously.
When I look at the data (though this is only a quick glance, and I’m not sure how they calculate their star ratings), I get the impression that the reason they didn’t give the passenger seat great ratings is because of the HIC results, and some other head, neck measurements (like Nij). The femur loading wasn’t that much greater than the driver (though the passenger’s knees did contact the glove box). Having a knee airbag might help the upper body from sliding down and be in better position for the airbag, but I will not be surprised if this seating position still doesn’t get 5 stars (hope it does though). And since a 5th percentile female is pretty much an average 12 year old child, this is relevant for when kiddo wants to sit in the front seat with Mom or Dad.
I’m sure you are correct that the change in the curtain airbag is to help with the small offset IIHS test.
The Sienna did turn in an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award with the Advanced Technology package. It turned in an “Acceptable” small overlap crash test result. The NHTSA ratings remained at 5-stars overall for 2015, but the frontal crash result for the passenger (female) improved somewhat from 3-stars to 4-stars.