Toyota Sienta

The cabin of the Toyota Sienta looks modern. It has got brown upholstery and that somehow looks good with the orange exterior color option. Keyless entry, a video recorder,  single zone auto climate control, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that also plays DVDs and house a radio, MP3, AUX, USB, Bluetooth, voice recognition, color TFT screen houses in between the Optitron meters, reverse camera and a steering wheel with multifunction buttons on it are some of the features being offered in the Toyota Sienta. The slight update earlier this year removed the lower specced G trim and now there is only the V variant available.

The rear seat passengers have roof mounted blowers, typical to what the other MPVs too offer. The sliding doors are powered, something which is a new sight this side of RM 1,000,00. The buttons to open and close the doors though lies next to the driver. This is not all, the second row of seats of this seven-seater can slide as well electrically making it a very convenient cabin. The last row may not be the best in terms of space but they nonetheless can be filled with kids. With all the seats up, the boot space is 234 litres while folding the seats flat (again electrically) will ensure that there is lots of luggage space.

We weren’t really appreciative of all the hard plastics in the cabin while the build quality too appears strictly okay. The music system too isn’t really an audiophile’s delight.

The Toyota Sienta has a very unconventional looking face. It looks more like a goldfish which died en route a sacred pilgrimage. No, we aren’t joking here. That inverted grille, connected to the headlamps via a black line isn’t really pleasing to the eyes. The headlamps, in isolation, look really good and they have projector lights in them, flanked by LED DRLs. The bonnet is a pinched unit and makes the design a bit palatable. The alloy wheels, 16-inches and machine finished, look very good, The rear door handle is unconventionally placed in the front. This is because the doors slide and don’t open sideways. At the rear, things are livelier than the front with those crystal glass tail lamps and the same black moulding from the front.

There are six colors on offer - Attitude Black Mica, Orange metallic, Super White II, Grey Metallic, Quartz Brown Metallic, and Silver Metallic. The car measures 4,235 mm in length, 1,695 mm in width and height. The wheelbase is 2,750 mm.

Like at the other vehicles in its class, Toyota has given the Sienta MacPherson struts and a torsion beam with a stabilizer for the front and rear respectively. Over bumps, the Sienta is quite the performer with little or no ruts being transferred to the occupants. However, drive her enthusiastically around a corner and you are quickly jolted back to reality. This is a tall riding car and hence needs to be dealt accordingly

Getting in and out of the car isn’t a problem. Even for the senior folks. You walk into the car. The seats also offer good seating comfort except for the last ones which for some reason were a bit bumpier than the rest. Toyota has added a light electric steering wheel to the equation making for an easy to drive car.

Toyota offers the 1.5-litre 2NR-FE petrol engine with the Sienta. This is the same engine that is used in the Toyota Vios. The engine boasts 16 valves and is a four-cylinder unit equipped with dual VVT-i. Toyota has paired this motor with a CVT that has seven ratios. We weren’t impressed with the CVT’s refinement and whiny nature. The tight turning radius and the abundance of torque at city speeds ensured that the Siena never ran out of breath. Even with seven people and a couple of bags on board. At highway speeds, maintaining the national speed limit was quite easy for this Toyota but up the speed and you notice the car struggling to gain momentum. The NVH levels too were on the higher side and any kind of spirited driving was sort of discouraging.

We achieved an overall efficiency of 12.3 kmpl which is decent considering the size of this vehicle and its purpose. The top speed lay somewhere close to 155 kmph.

All wheel disc brakes, 3 airbags, VSA, safety sensors for the power doors, Hill Start Assist control, Anti-lock Braking system, as well as Brake Assist, are part of the standard fare. A reverse camera with panoramic view is optional. In the ASEAN NCAP rating, the Toyota Sienta secured a five star rating. We quite like the progressive feel of the brakes too.

The Toyota Sienta is priced at RM 92, 312. It is a practical and sensible buy for anyone looking at an MPV and is on a tight budget. It was the MPV of the year in 2016 and for a good reason.