When our family grew to five and we got this minivan, it was perfect for us. The safety rating mattered a lot, and less road noise is really good. The 8th seat option makes taking friends along a breeze and the trunk space is awesome for our warehouse stock up grocery trips. Even with 2 car seats and a booster, feels like we have enough space and it's not totally occupied. The seats are also easy to move on track; the 8th seat is very easy to put in and take out. And the back seat can be folded down to the floor very easily even by someone who is not a very handy like me. I am on the shorter side, so the automatic trunk close button is a boon instead of making little jumps to pull the trunk door down. The gas mileage that we get is a plus, too.

I love my Toyota Sienna! It is a great family car. I love the sliding doors: I can open the doors for my children, or if they open the doors in a parking lot, I don't have to worry about them dinging another car! I love the interior - it is very appealing and the leather has held up SO well to the wear and tear that comes with shuttling kids (and their friends) to school, practices, etc. Also, after 115,000 miles, it has needed very little maintenance other than your typical oil change, air filter change, etc. It is a very dependable car. It is also a very smooth ride. I was afraid driving a minivan would feel like driving a bus, but the Sienna starts and stops so smoothly. It doesn't feel like I'm driving a van sometimes! As far as power, it's still a minivan. It's not going to "get off the line" like a Corvette, but it comes up to speed on the highway in a pretty decent amount of time. I never have to floor it to get to speed. It also handles going up and down mountains VERY well. It has to work on some of the inclines but not so much that you think you won't make it. The gas mileage is average. You can get around 22mpg on the highway with the cruise control set. In-town driving, and you're looking more at 15mpg.