Toyota Siena: new compact hybrid MPV

Anyone in the Netherlands on the hunt for a compact space giant and who does not want a passenger car derived from a company car is mainly dependent on the used car market. That used to be different. MPV-types came in all shapes and sizes years ago. Next ludospaces – think of cars like the Berlingo and Kangoo – there were midi MPVs like the Opel Zafira, Renault Scénic and larger models like the Ford S-Max and Galaxy, Renault Espace, Toyota Previa and Volkswagen Sharan. With the C3 Picasso, Citroën even had an MPV-like C3 in the range. Toyota now comes with a new generation of the Sienta, a compact space wonder whose concept reminds us somewhat of the C3 Picasso, but which is a lot more practical with no fewer than seven seats and two sliding doors.

The facelifted previous generation Toyota Siena.

The Siena you say? Yes, of course! It has been secretly for a long time. A quick look back. Toyota grabbed the platform of the first generation Yaris in 2003 and then folded an angular MPV carriage around it. The first Siena was born. A kind of Yaris Verso, but with seven seats just a bit more practical. After no less than twelve years, Toyota brought the second generation of the Sienta on the market. In 2016, Autoland was introduced to a uniquely designed car, especially at the rear, which changed little in the concept of the original. That Sienta – whose design was inspired by a shoe – went under the knife in 2018 and four years later it’s time for the completely new Sienta that plays the leading role in this article.

The new Sienta is also nicely quirky.

The new third-generation Toyota Siena looks like a ludospace like the Toyota ProAce City Verso, but unlike that car, it is not a derivative of a company car. It’s on a long version of the GA-B platform you know from cars like the Yaris and Yaris Cross. The wheelbase of the 4.3 meter long Sienta is, however, at 2.75 meters considerably longer (+19 centimetres) than that of those two models. Just like the previous generation, the new one also looks quite striking. It has a friendly face with headlights with headlights with rounded corners and a convex bumper containing a large grille that is split by a plastic panel. The entire car is laced with rounded corners, which is what Toyota calls Shikakumaru design.

Toyota Sienta

To create as much interior space as possible, the A-pillars are set far forward and are slightly curved. On the flanks we see plastic cross-like decoration, a sliding door and a stubbornly designed piece of sheet metal between the C- and D-pillars. The Sienta also has highly positioned and stubbornly designed rear light units.

No MPV-like without smart storage options and handy clever features. For example, we see various storage compartments in the dashboard itself. There are also storage places in the center tunnel, you can store several bottles in the door panels, the armrests have handy hooks and at the back of the front seats are not only envelope-like compartments, but also USB-C connection points. The canopy has vents from the ventilation system to supply the passengers in each row of seats with fresh and cool or warm air. The windows in the two electrically operated sliding doors have retractable sunshades and, like every modern Toyota, the Sienta is equipped with an extensive package of passive and active safety systems.

Toyota Sienta

In the Netherlands, the Yaris where the Sienta shares its technology with a simple 1.0 three-cylinder, with a 1.5 and with a hybrid powertrain with a 1.5. The 1.0 is found by Toyota too light for the Sienta. The MPV does get the same 1.5 and the hybrid powertrain of the Yaris. Shifting is done with a CVT transmission that simulates the presence of ten gears. Just like many cars delivered in Japan, there will even be a smart version in which you can easily park in the back of your wheelchair. Only in its home country Japan, outside of that it will not be on the market. Its starting price: converted around €14,350. Toyota expects to sell 8,300 units of the Sienta every month.

Would Toyota be smart by bringing the Sienta to the Netherlands as well? We don’t see it happening as 1-2-3, but a compact MPV-like would be an interesting concept precisely because of the lack of such models in Europe. We are curious about your opinions.