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The Car Guide's Best Buys for 2021: Toyota Sienna

by The Car Guide

Every year, The Car Guide unveils a list of Best Buys covering all the different vehicle categories in the industry.

While minivans are losing tons of customers to SUVs and crossovers, they remain immensely practical vehicles for Canadian families.

For 2021, our Best Buy award goes to the completely redesigned Toyota Sienna, which is powered exclusively by a hybrid system. The latter combines a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with an electric motor for a total of 243 horsepower. Maximum towing capacity (3,500 lbs) is unchanged from the old V6.

Photo: Germain Goyer

Featuring front-wheel drive as standard, the Sienna is also available with all-wheel drive, which is quite compelling, not to mention a unique combination in the segment.

We ranked the Chrysler Grand Caravan and Pacifica in second place. These two minivans offer good handling and a strong powertrain. The Pacifica stands out with a plug-in hybrid variant that can travel about 50 kilometres without burning any fuel. AWD is optional on gas-powered models.

Photo: FCA

The Honda Odyssey appears old and almost outdated in comparison, so we put it in third place. It’s still pleasant to drive, not to mention spacious and comfortable, but there’s no AWD or hybrid option. The V6 engine under the hood does not offer very good fuel economy.

Photo: Honda

Don’t miss our full list of Best Buys for 2021!

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