The wife and I have decided to trade-in our 2012 Highlander and go the minivan route. With two small kids it's next to impossible to use the 3rd row seat in the Highlander without taking out the seats or climbing through the back. It's also become increasingly annoying being stuck in tight parking spots trying to squeeze in to get kids in/out of their seats because we can't open their doors all the way.
We've ruled out the Odyssey because I wasn't a fan of the way it drove and there were a few quality issues I noticed that were clear cost-cutting measures that annoyed me.
We have a quote for a 2016 Toyota Sienna Limited Premium FWD that's about $7k off sticker with a pretty good trade-in value for the Highlander. We both like most of the things about the Sienna but we've checked out the new Pacifica a couple of times as well and there are some things about it that really make me want to choose it over the Sienna.
We've looked at the Pacific Limited and we really like the Stow N' Go seats for the 2nd row. I like how the 2nd row seats in the Sienna can move forward and back but I've read they are a pain to remove. The seats in the 2nd row are a little more comfortable in the Sienna for adults but our kids would likely be sitting there most of the time anyway. I think the 3rd row in the Pacifica is a little more comfortable.
The Sienna has the same JBL sound system that our Highlander has and I haven't really been impressed with it. You have to turn up the volume too high to really hear the radio and then it's hard to have conversations over it. There's also Toyota's Entune system which hasn't scored very well with users but Chrysler's UConnect is rated very highly. The rear seat entertainment in the Sienna would be better suited for young kids with the single widescreen that folds down from the ceiling vs. the dual 10" seatback touchscreens in the Pacifica. I can see those being more useful once the kids get a little older but a problem for now (kids are 1 and 3).
My main concerns with the Pacifica are with the transmission and overall potential quality. I've read that most of the issues with this transmission have been worked out so it might not really be a problem now. With a completely redesigned vehicle in its first year there's the potential for all kinds of issues but it's too early to tell. Early reviews have been positive but it's kind of an unknown.
I'm also not sure yet what kind of deal I would be able to get on a Pacifica. We found one about an hour away that has everything we want but it just arrived at the dealership a couple of days ago so we haven't seen it. We haven't tried pricing out any others we've checked out because they were all missing something we wanted. I know being a new model there won't be much of a discount available but I still think I can get $1-2k off.
I think I like the Pacifica better overall, but I don't know if I like it enough to offset the difference in cost between the two. It will probably depend on what kind of price I can get on a Pacifica.
Anyone else compared these two or have opinions about either one?
We've ruled out the Odyssey because I wasn't a fan of the way it drove and there were a few quality issues I noticed that were clear cost-cutting measures that annoyed me.
We have a quote for a 2016 Toyota Sienna Limited Premium FWD that's about $7k off sticker with a pretty good trade-in value for the Highlander. We both like most of the things about the Sienna but we've checked out the new Pacifica a couple of times as well and there are some things about it that really make me want to choose it over the Sienna.
We've looked at the Pacific Limited and we really like the Stow N' Go seats for the 2nd row. I like how the 2nd row seats in the Sienna can move forward and back but I've read they are a pain to remove. The seats in the 2nd row are a little more comfortable in the Sienna for adults but our kids would likely be sitting there most of the time anyway. I think the 3rd row in the Pacifica is a little more comfortable.
The Sienna has the same JBL sound system that our Highlander has and I haven't really been impressed with it. You have to turn up the volume too high to really hear the radio and then it's hard to have conversations over it. There's also Toyota's Entune system which hasn't scored very well with users but Chrysler's UConnect is rated very highly. The rear seat entertainment in the Sienna would be better suited for young kids with the single widescreen that folds down from the ceiling vs. the dual 10" seatback touchscreens in the Pacifica. I can see those being more useful once the kids get a little older but a problem for now (kids are 1 and 3).
My main concerns with the Pacifica are with the transmission and overall potential quality. I've read that most of the issues with this transmission have been worked out so it might not really be a problem now. With a completely redesigned vehicle in its first year there's the potential for all kinds of issues but it's too early to tell. Early reviews have been positive but it's kind of an unknown.
I'm also not sure yet what kind of deal I would be able to get on a Pacifica. We found one about an hour away that has everything we want but it just arrived at the dealership a couple of days ago so we haven't seen it. We haven't tried pricing out any others we've checked out because they were all missing something we wanted. I know being a new model there won't be much of a discount available but I still think I can get $1-2k off.
I think I like the Pacifica better overall, but I don't know if I like it enough to offset the difference in cost between the two. It will probably depend on what kind of price I can get on a Pacifica.
Anyone else compared these two or have opinions about either one?