2017 Toyota Sienna

2017 is a change year: the new 2GR-FKS direct-injected 3.5L V6 adds 30 hp over 2016. It is the only engine, so every trim makes 296 hp. Note that 2017 offered no hybrid, which arrived with the 2021 generation.

Torque rose 18 lb-ft over 2016. It is a competitive figure for a V6 minivan of this era.

Instrumented tests of the 2017 8-speed V6 cluster around 6.8–7.5 s. 7.0 s represents a front-wheel-drive volume trim, which is quick for a minivan.

The 2GR V6 is smooth and quiet, and it pulls eagerly to its 6,600 rpm peak. Low-end response is tamer than the peak figures suggest, because torque peaks high at 4,700 rpm.

The new Direct Shift 8-speed shifts smoothly. Reviewers noted busy upshifting toward the tallest gears and hesitant kickdowns in pursuit of economy, so it hunts occasionally.

A 3,500 lb rating is the minivan norm, and the tow prep is standard.

AWD is available on the LE, XLE and Limited trims but not on the L or SE. That was rare and a real differentiator among 2017 minivans, but the system is a basic on-demand setup with no terrain modes.

It is a pavement-oriented minivan with ordinary ground clearance and no off-road hardware. Available AWD helps on snow and gravel roads only.

There is a single engine and transmission, with only an FWD/AWD choice and no hybrid or other alternative for 2017.

The 2017 Sienna is a gas-only V6 with no hybrid, which arrived for 2021. Its EPA combined figure of 22 MPG is up from 2016 thanks to the new direct-injected V6 and 8-speed.

EPA city rating for the front-wheel-drive volume configuration.

The 8-speed's tall top gear brings the highway rating to 27 MPG, up from 25 in 2016.

Range is derived from the roughly 20-gallon tank at the EPA combined rating. EPA does not publish a range figure for gas vehicles.

EPA estimate at current standard assumptions for regular gasoline, at 15k miles per year.

It runs on regular unleaded, with no premium requirement on any trim.

The 2017 Sienna (third-generation XL30, final pre-TSS year) carries a 5-star NHTSA overall rating, with 4-star frontal and rollover sub-ratings.

Good in moderate overlap, side, roof strength and head restraints, but the aging XL30 structure rates only Acceptable in the driver-side small overlap and Marginal on the passenger side, so the 2017 Sienna earned no IIHS award.

2017 is the last Sienna before Toyota Safety Sense became standard (2018). On the volume LE only a rearview camera is standard; Blind Spot Monitor/RCTA come on SE, XLE and Limited, while pre-collision braking, radar cruise and lane departure alert are locked to the top Limited Premium's Advanced Technology Package.

The optional Pre-Collision System earned an IIHS Advanced vehicle-to-vehicle rating, but it is unavailable on the volume trims and has no pedestrian detection, so most 2017 Siennas have no AEB at all.

Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert is fitted on SE, XLE and Limited but missing from the base L and volume LE; it is alert-only with no braking intervention or safe-exit warning.

Only a warning-only Lane Departure Alert is offered, and only on Limited Premium; there is no steering-assist lane keeping or lane centering on any 2017 Sienna.

Volume trims have conventional cruise control; Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is available only on Limited Premium and does not operate down to a stop, with no highway-assist pairing.

No hands-free or even hands-on lane-centering highway assist is available on any 2017 Sienna.

IIHS rates both available headlight systems Acceptable — halogen projectors on L through Limited and HID projectors on Limited Premium — with no automatic high beams on volume trims.

Classic minivan sightlines — tall greenhouse, upright seating and large side glass — give a good view out, but thick D-pillars leave rear-quarter blind zones and camera aid is limited to a basic standard rearview camera (bird's-eye view only on Limited Premium).

Dual sliding doors and a roomy cabin make car-seat installation easy in practice, and the 8-passenger configuration allows multiple seats, but IIHS rates the LATCH hardware only Acceptable due to anchor access.

The volume LE is sold as an 8-passenger van with a stowable second-row center seat. The L, XLE and Limited are mostly 7-passenger with captain's chairs.

There is generous front headroom, typical of the tall XL30 body.

Front legroom trails rivals: the 2017 Pacifica has 41.1 in and the Odyssey 40.9 in. It is still adequate for most adults.

There is ample second-row headroom under the tall roofline.

The second row offers long fore-aft slide; the 7-passenger captain's chairs add Lounge Seating with an ottoman on Limited. The rated figure is mid-pack for the class.

The third row has 36.3 in of legroom and 38.3 in of headroom, so adults fit for real trips. Long-sliding second-row seats ease access, and the 60/40 split folds into the floor (power-fold on Limited).

The volume behind the second row (third row folded) is competitive with the Pacifica's 87.5 cu ft and the Odyssey's 93.1 cu ft.

The maximum figure needs the heavy second-row seats removed, since they do not fold flat or stow. That is less convenient than the Pacifica's Stow 'n Go.

There are a deep third-row well, multiple cupholders and door bins, and a 120V outlet on upper trims. There is no in-floor stowage for the second row, unlike the Pacifica's Stow 'n Go.

The front seats are comfortable for long drives, and the reclining, long-slide second row is roomy; Limited adds lounge ottomans. Some reviewers found the 8-passenger middle seat small and flat.

The non-SE trims ride softly and absorb bumps well, though body motions are floaty over undulations. The SE's sport-tuned suspension is firmer.

The new V6 is quiet at cruise, but reviewers noted more road and wind noise than the Odyssey and Pacifica on the aging platform.

Tri-zone automatic climate is standard from the LE up. Heated front seats arrive only on XLE and Limited, and there are no ventilated seats, heated wheel or heated second row on any trim.

The 2017 Sienna L seven-passenger FWD opens the range at $29,750 before destination, one of the lowest entry points in the minivan class that year. The 2017 model year brought the new 296-hp direct-injection V6 and 8-speed automatic across the range.

The LE eight-passenger FWD is the volume Sienna, adding power sliding doors and tri-zone climate over the L for $32,540 before destination. Its price sits in line with the Odyssey EX and Grand Caravan SXT of the time.

The conventional V6/8-speed Sienna is inexpensive to service by minivan standards, with ToyotaCare absorbing the first two years of scheduled maintenance, but it lacks the hybrid's reduced brake and accessory wear, so it costs more than the current hybrid van.

The Sienna was the minivan resale-value benchmark for 2017, winning KBB's Best Resale Value Award for the class, which is based on projected 60-month residuals. Realized used values ran higher still because of the 2021–22 used-car price spike, so ~50% is a conservative projection.

Standard Toyota new-vehicle limited warranty, matching Honda and FCA but well short of Kia's 5-year coverage on the Sedona.

The industry-floor powertrain term; the gas-only 2017 Sienna has none of the extended hybrid-component coverage later Siennas carry, and it trails the Sedona's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

ToyotaCare covers factory-scheduled maintenance for 2 years / 25,000 miles with 2 years of unlimited-mileage roadside assistance — a genuine included-maintenance plan that Honda and FCA did not offer — but connected-service perks were thin in 2017, with Safety Connect limited to upper trims.

$33,480 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (50% retained, or about $16,740) leaves about $16,740 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,000 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $21,740 in total.

The 2017 Sienna won the minivan award in J.D. Power's 2020 Vehicle Dependability Study, the study built on three-year ownership of 2017 model-year vehicles, and J.D. Power ranked it the top minivan of its year. Held to the low 80s because Consumer Reports rates the 2017 model-year specifically only about average — the year introduced a new direct-injection V6 and 8-speed automatic — against a strong long-run Sienna history.

Through the 2017–2020 window Toyota sat at or near the top of Consumer Reports' brand reliability rankings and in the upper tier of J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study, consistently well better than the industry average — top-5 dependability territory.

The NHTSA feed shows a modest, non-systemic set of Toyota campaigns touching the 2017 Sienna — mostly multi-model items — plus several upfitter (mobility-van conversion and port-installed accessory) recalls that are not Toyota build defects. Nothing touches the V6 or transmission internals; the XL30 generation's sliding-door issues are the known pattern but sit mainly on earlier years.

2017 is a change year: the Sienna moved to the 3.5L 2GR-FKS V6 (port + direct injection, 296 hp) and an Aisin 8-speed automatic. The 2GR family is among Toyota's most proven high-mileage engines and D-4S port injection avoids DI carbon buildup, but the first-year 8-speed drew shift-quality complaints, so it lands just inside the top band rather than at the 2011–2016 6-speed's level.

The XL30 cabin is functional and durable but plasticky on the volume LE trim, and by 2017 it looked dated beside the new Chrysler Pacifica and the refreshed Honda Odyssey; reviewers consistently ranked it behind both on perceived quality.

A long-running, mature XL30 line at Toyota's Princeton, Indiana plant produced consistent assembly, and the three-year VDS award reflects low problem counts. Scattered owner complaints about sliding-door noise and interior rattles keep it out of the top band.

Toyota's roughly 1,200-plus US dealer network is one of the two densest mainstream service networks, so service on a nine-year-old van is reachable almost anywhere; service satisfaction is solid rather than class-leading.

The 2GR V6 and much of the chassis are shared with high-volume Camry/Highlander/Avalon models and the XL30 sold in huge numbers for a decade, so OEM and aftermarket parts are cheap and plentiful. Sliding-door motors/cables and some 8AT-specific parts are the costlier, more dealer-centric items.

The volume LE gets the 6.1-in Entune Audio Plus screen; only the Limited's Premium Audio with Navigation steps up to 7 in. That is small even by 2017 standards.

First-generation Entune is slow and dated, with a small screen and clunky menus. App features required a paired smartphone, though physical knobs for volume and tuning help.

Neither Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto was offered, wired or wireless, on any 2017 Sienna. Smartphone projection arrived only with the 2020 model year.

Native navigation is limited to the Limited, or to app-based Scout GPS Link on Entune Audio Plus, and the voice recognition is command-based. With no phone projection, owners are stuck with these.

The volume LE's six-speaker system is merely adequate. A 10-speaker JBL Synthesis system on the Limited is a decent upgrade.

There are analog gauges with a small TFT multi-information display between them; no full-digital cluster is offered.

There is no over-the-air capability; software and map updates require a dealer visit or USB.

The Entune App Suite only feeds apps to the head unit. There is no factory telematics app for remote start, lock or locate on the 2017 Sienna.

There is a single USB-A media port up front plus several 12V outlets, with a 120V household outlet on XLE and Limited. There is no USB-C, no second-row USB and no wireless charging.

The volume LE uses a remote keyless fob with a conventional ignition key. Smart Key proximity entry, push-button start and power liftgate are on SE, XLE and Limited. There is no factory remote start or phone-as-key.

A low-resolution backup camera is standard. Front and rear parking sonar is on Limited only, and the Bird's Eye View camera only on Limited Premium.

No head-up display was offered on any 2017 Sienna.

There are dual power sliding doors on LE and up, a low floor, long-sliding second-row seats, eight-passenger capacity and a deep cargo well. IIHS rates the LATCH hardware only Acceptable, and the second-row seats must be removed rather than stowed.

The NHTSA rating is 5 stars overall, but IIHS rates small overlap only Acceptable/Marginal. Automatic emergency braking and lane departure alert are confined to Limited Premium, and blind-spot monitoring is absent on the volume LE, so the trims families buy lack key active safety.

Three adult-usable rows, tri-zone climate and 39.1 cu ft behind the third row make for long trips, with an available 16.4-in dual-view Blu-ray rear entertainment system. Rear USB ports and charging are scarce.

The strong, smooth 296-hp V6 and soft ride make it easy around town, though the 8-speed hunts a little and the van feels large. The volume LE lacks keyless start.

At 22 MPG combined on regular fuel it matched rivals. It is not cheap to run per mile, but it is average for a V6 minivan.

It is 200 in long with a 37.5-ft turning circle, but good outward visibility and a standard backup camera help. Sonar and surround view are limited to the Limited.

It can tow 3,500 lb and holds 150 cu ft with the seats removed, enough for light trades or delivery use. It is not a real work vehicle.

The proven Toyota V6 and a strong reliability reputation suit livery and shuttle use, though the interior is family-oriented rather than wear-resistant.

There are cargo tie-downs, a 120V outlet on upper trims and factory Auto Access Seat/Mobility conversions. There is no cargo-van variant or upfit ecosystem.

A comfortable ride, a 27-MPG highway rating and roughly 440 miles of range suit long drives. Road noise and the absence of adaptive cruise on volume trims add fatigue.

It was the only AWD minivan in the US for 2017, and with 3,500-lb towing and roof rails it handles snowy and gravel roads, campsites and small trailers. Ground clearance is car-like.

A deep well behind the third row, a fold-into-floor third row and 150 cu ft maximum swallow bulky gear. The heavy, removable second row is a chore compared with Stow 'n Go.

It is secure and predictable, but non-SE trims lean and float. The sport-tuned SE is tidier, yet the Odyssey remained the sharper handler.

The electric steering is light and numb, which is easy in parking lots but vague at speed. The SE's quicker tuning helps slightly.

Stopping power is adequate for the class, though reviewers found the pedal somewhat soft. Instrumented 70–0 stops are around 180 ft, average for a minivan.

The new 296-hp direct-injected V6 is smooth and strong, the best in class for output. The 8-speed shifts smoothly but hunts and hesitates on kickdown.

The V6 is refined and quiet at cruise, with a pleasant snarl when pushed and no vibration through the controls.

The turning circle is typical for a 119-in-wheelbase minivan.

The commanding upright seat and big glass give good sightlines and easy entry. The center-stack controls are cluttered and the gear lever sits low on the dash; the volume LE has only a manual-height passenger seat.

The strong V6 adds some punch, and the SE has mild sportiness, but it is an appliance at heart.

Every 2017 Sienna got the new 296-hp V6 and 8-speed automatic, and the volume LE adds power sliding doors and tri-zone climate, but Toyota Safety Sense (AEB, lane departure, adaptive cruise) did not become standard until 2018 and was limited to upper trims for 2017. Equipment is competitive for the price rather than generous.

At $33,480 delivered for the LE, the Sienna paired the most powerful engine in the class with the segment's only all-wheel-drive option and Toyota's resale strength — fair-to-good value, though the Grand Caravan undercut it heavily and rivals offered more active-safety tech per dollar.

Five trims (L, LE, SE, XLE, Limited) with Premium packages, 7- or 8-passenger seating, FWD or AWD, plus factory Auto Access and Mobility variants — fifteen priced configurations from $29,750 to $47,310 and the only AWD minivan in the US market that year.

The Sienna sold roughly 110,000 units in the US in 2017, a solid top-four player in a shrinking minivan segment alongside the Grand Caravan, Pacifica and Odyssey, though not the outright leader.

Toyota's reputation for durability and resale underpins the Sienna's appeal; Toyota also won KBB's 2017 Best Resale Value brand award, a halo that directly supports the van's value proposition.

As a seventh-year design facing a new Pacifica and a redesigned 2018 Odyssey, the 2017 Sienna saw periodic cash and APR offers, but Toyota's strong demand kept discounting modest compared with FCA's heavy Grand Caravan incentives.

The XL30 generation dated from the 2011 model year (refreshed for 2015), so by 2017 it was seven years old; the new V6/8-speed powertrain freshened the drive, but the platform and cabin aged against the all-new 2017 Pacifica and 2018 Odyssey.

Reviewers praised the stronger new V6, AWD availability and reliability, and KBB named it a best family car, but comparison tests and the major awards of 2017 went to the Chrysler Pacifica (Car and Driver 10Best) and the Honda Odyssey, leaving the Sienna well-regarded but rarely the pick.