Toyota Sienta - Is it a good buy?

The Malaysian car market has been witness to the introduction of several minivans or MPVs (Multi-Purpose Vehicles) in the past decade or so. As of now, buyers in this segment have at their disposal a plethora of choices, from the well-touted local automakers and even from most of the major brands from abroad. Standing tall in the latter group is the Japanese auto giant Toyota. Back in the early 2000s, Toyota launched the Sienta mini MPV in its home market of Japan. This first-generation of the Sienta was initially only available in Japan, though it wasn’t long before imports began to other neighbouring Asian countries in the region.

Meanwhile, Malaysia received its first batch of the second-generation Toyota Sienta in August 2016, though the new model had its official debut a year earlier in 2015. Built upon the newer Toyota B platform, the new Sienta features marked improvements over its dated predecessor. This meant better exterior styling, revamped interior, modern equipment and gadgets, plus updated NVH insulation among a few others.

Funky styling

While the exterior design of most MPVs won’t persuade many people to glance at them a second time, the same cannot be said about the Toyota Sienta. The Sienta’s styling is vastly different to what’s usually expected of a vehicle in its class - it dares to be funky and youthful. However, this extrovert styling comes with a caveat; its uber enthusiastic personality may not be to everyone’s liking, and it’ll surely divide opinions. The front fascia sports a tapering bonnet with prominent contours, contemporary-looking headlamps with distinctive LED DRLs, inverted grille design with chrome detailing, and interesting black trim along the sides of the bumper. The side profile of the Sienta has more than enough design quirks -- from its highly-stylised greenhouse area, sliding rear doors, C-pillar, roofline, body graphics etc.

The rear of the Sienta is stylish, too, but its proportions are like that of a van. However, Toyota has applied a lot of “make-up” in the form of swooping lines along the tall tailgate and around the rakish LED tail lamps. The carved rear end gets some more black trim, thick chrome bar above the license plate holder and a bumper-integrated fog lamp. In terms of its dimensions, the Toyota Sienta measures 4,235mm in length, 1,695mm in width and 1,695mm in height. Meanwhile, its wheelbase of 2,750mm is similar to some of its closest rivals.

Intriguing interior

If the exterior of the Toyota Sienta seemed interesting enough, its interior is only going to fuel your appetite for intrigue. Starting with the dashboard upfront, its stepped layout mixed with numerous contours, shapes and a plethora of shiny silver bits is sure to catch your eye. The high-set instrument cluster lives in a “cave”, with the chunky flat-bottom steering wheel, placed significantly below it.

The dashboard also houses two built-in cup holders, while there are smart storage solutions dotted all throughout this cabin. The Sienta’s cabin build quality is as expected of an affordable Toyota (with plenty of hard plastics), and this being a 7-seater, there’s sufficient amount of space in every row, except for the third-row which is quite tight. And while ingress & egress with the sliding doors is easy enough, with all seats in place, boot space is, however, limited. Thanks to the extra insulation that Toyota has added, the new Sienta’s cabin remains fairly quiet even at highway speeds.

Modern equipment list

The new Toyota Sienta specs sheet features - 16-inch alloy wheels, Automatic Bi-LED headlamps, acoustic windshield, power-adjustable & retractable wing mirrors, power sliding rear doors, smarty entry with push-button ignition, split-folding second & third-row seats, USB charging port for the second-row, automatic climate control with rear vents, leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, 6-speaker sound system, rear parking sensors with surround-view cameras, and a 7.0-inch touch-infotainment head unit with built-in navigation, Wi-Fi, internet browsing, voice recognition, HDMI, USB, Bluetooth and smartphone connectivity.

Apart from that, the Sienta is also packed with some of the most essential safety tech, including three airbags (driver, front passenger and driver’s knee), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Digital Video Recorder (DVR), and second-row ISOFIX anchorage.

Powertrain and performance

There haven’t been any significant alterations made under the hood of the new Toyota Sienta, with the mini MPV soldering on with the 2NR-FE petrol motor just as before. This naturally-aspirated four-cylinder unit pushes out a modest 106hp at 6,000 rpm and up to 140Nm of peak torque that comes in at 4,200 rpm. It’s paired with a whiney continuously variable transmission (CVT) that gets seven pseudo gear ratios, while the driven wheels remain at the front. And while it may look quite hip and jazzy, the Sienta’s performance doesn’t reflect that -- taking over 12 seconds to touch 100 kmph, with a top speed somewhere in the neighbourhood of 170 kmph. However, the frugal nature of this four-popper engine means that the Sienta can reclaim some of its lost glory with a fuel economy figure of over 18 kmpl.

Verdict

In Malaysia, the Toyota Sienta is only available in one trim level (1.5 V), and it costs RM 101,900. The Sienta isn’t an MPV for everyone - its styling is definitely polarising, and its cabin plastics aren’t the best around, plus it’s lacking on the performance front. However, given its relatively low price tag, head-turning design (inside & out), decent equipment catalogue, efficient powertrain and the legendary Toyota reliability, the new Sienta should undoubtedly be on your list if you’re looking for a good family MPV at this price point.