Introduction without unnecessary words
Let’s start with a brief introduction~
I bought the Senna luxury version.
Firstly, let’s talk about the total purchase price of this car: 333.8k RMB.
The total cost of the car (including car price, license plate registration, insurance, and fees) is 373.8k RMB, including 3k RMB for purchase tax.
However, we also need to add about 100k RMB for license plate and handling fee. So, in total, the cost of this car is about 474.1k RMB.
After waiting for about two months, I finally picked it up~
Here are my top three satisfying aspects of the car:
- Spacious and can hold a lot of things
- Fuel consumption is unbeatably fast
- Standard auxiliary driving lane keeping
Now let’s talk about the three unsatisfactory aspects:
- No adjustment memory for the front seats (unresolved issue)
- Plastic feeling is strong (plan to change it)
- The vehicle body feels very thin (considering soundproofing)
Why did I choose Senna?
In recent years, due to the increased number of people in my family and in response to the national three-child policy, I planned to buy a vehicle in advance. At first, I planned to look at some new energy MPV or some high-end SUVs.
However, the stock market and funds plummeted, and the budget for buying a car started to become a concern. At this time, even more shocking news came: the blue license plate, which was always impossible to obtain, was finally acquired at its highest point this year by entrusting the auction to others.
Fortunately, I had supportive parents who contributed 10k RMB, and the rest was covered by myself.
After investigating how to buy a new car, my parents were still quite supportive, so we began to look at some MPVs.
After all, we already had an understanding of new energy vehicles with one in our family.
I still think that a gasoline car is the best option for a family trip at present.
In addition to the worsening situation with the blue license plate, the Senna, with its 92-octane gasoline and 1,000 kilometers of endurance, caught my attention.
Within the budget and with the relative support of my parents, one night during the pandemic lockdown, I made a deposit through my phone and bought a Senna.
The reason I chose the Senna was also due to my previous research on the MPV market.
- High-end vehicles like the Alphard, and the Lexus (too expensive, just looked at them).
- Mid-range vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz V-Class (a bit too expensive, so didn’t consider it), the Senna, and the GL8.
- For low-end vehicles, I didn’t pay attention since I thought the price and space were both suitable.
After buying the Senna, I looked at reviews and information about it, and was relatively satisfied. The primary function of this car is still for long trips, and for short trips, I still use the Model S.
Before buying the Senna, I had been driving the Model S all along, and occasionally drove other vehicle models due to vehicle maintenance and repair issues.Translated Markdown text in English with HTML tags retained for professional use, only correcting and refining the text, excluding explanations.
When I decided to buy the Sienna, I did not think too much about it. The price was acceptable, and most importantly, it had lane-keeping assist, which was the deciding factor for me. This feature is very friendly to me as a driver who drives mostly near my home. I will talk about this driving assistance later when I start using the car.
After buying the car, I regretted it a bit because I thought I did not need it yet. Suddenly a few tens of thousands of dollars were gone. I felt a bit heartbroken.
Although my parents supported me, it was still their money, so I hesitated a bit. But it was too late to back out, and the deposit was non-refundable, so I had to go ahead and buy it.
While waiting for the car, I sometimes watched videos about the Sienna. The reviews were mostly similar, and there were both praises and criticisms. Every car has its shortcomings, and it is impossible to make a perfect car that caters to everyone.
There was a video of a car expert who said that the rain braking of the Sienna’s luxury version was not good, which happened to be the exact model I had bought.
After receiving the car, I asked the senior technician of the tire department at the dealership, who said that braking performance varies from person to person and not to rely too much on reviews. Thus, driving the car yourself is always the best solution. I also tested the Sienna’s rain braking when it rained after receiving the car, and there was no problem. I was just overly worried.
The car was originally scheduled for delivery at the end of August, but due to the slow sales, my car was delivered half a month earlier than planned.
The pick-up process was straightforward, and there was no difference from other dealerships. I went to the dealership, provided my documents and made the remaining payment. After waiting for nearly two hours, they gave me the key, introduced me to the vehicle’s functions briefly, and I left.
Honest Review
Overall, the driving experience was excellent. The vehicle mainly drove by electricity at low speeds, making it smooth and quiet, like an electric car. However, after exceeding 30KM/H, the gasoline engine intervened, making it different from a pure electric car, and the sound was a bit loud and annoying compared to the quiet electric motor.
The Sienna was excellent in terms of steering, and it had a wider steering angle than the Model S, Mercedes, and BMW. It was very friendly when turning corners. However, since the car is almost 5.2 meters long, one still needs to be cautious about whether there are any solid objects on both sides when turning. The steering wheel was also relatively light, which makes it easy for some women to drive.
Exterior
I bought the Sienna in Oyster Silver color, but it still seems to have a brownish tint. The Toyota logo on the front bumper with a blue background indicates that it is a fuel-efficient car.
The overall look is quite average, not as business-like as the GL8 or Mercedes V-Series, but more suitable as a family car. However, the car is nearly 2 meters wide.Parking in Shanghai can be quite painful due to limited space, especially since my luxury car does not have a full-car 360-degree camera. Depending only on the rear-view mirror and not-so-clear reversing image may work, but it requires more attention. That’s why I still prefer to go out with my Model S, although it’s also difficult to park, at least the monitoring is very accurate. I will retrofit the car with a 360-degree camera later, hopefully it will be better.
Interior
The interior of the Cenna is really messy. It gives a complete plastic feeling, with thin iron sheets without noise reduction. Sometimes I am driving and wondering if I am driving a Cenna or a Wuling Hongguang. The sound of rain falling on the roof of the car is like the sound you hear when you park your bicycle in a rain shelter. However, the driver’s seat is quite comfortable, at least better than the Tesla a few years ago. This is quite good.
There are a lot of storage spaces in the car, completely enough, with 4 water bottle holders on the driver’s side. It looks like a car designed for long distances. I will also add a Napa full-car wrap later, and noise insulation should not be a problem. Even if there is a problem, it’s okay. You just have to take it after buying it.
Sound insulation
Although the sound of the iron sheet on rainy days can be heard clearly, the sound insulation effect inside and outside the car is still quite good. There is nothing to complain about for now. Overall, it performs very well. Of course, in order to eliminate the sound of the rain shelter, sound insulation is still needed.
Car Multimedia
Oil cars and Teslas cannot be compared. They are not on the same level. It claims to support Hicar, Carplay, BaiduCar and so on. I will use Carplay now, which is average and can be used normally. The touch screen is not stuck, but Carplay often disconnects. I feel that the car multimedia CPU is not good enough. Anyway, if the screen needs to be replaced, I will not bother with the 4S store. It should be caused by the car multimedia’s processing of Carplay stuff not being good enough, right? Oh, there is remote air conditioning too. Although the vehicle battery is not large, after connecting to Toyota’s “Fengyunxing”, the air conditioning can be turned on remotely. I tried it a few times and it requires that I get into the car within 20 minutes. Moreover, the perception is not very obvious after getting into the car. Unlike Tesla, it cannot adjust temperature remotely. But it’s better than not having it. It can provide a slightly cooler temperature remotely, which I didn’t expect.
Space
It’s really amazing. This is also why I want to buy an MPV, because it’s big and can hold a lot. In addition, the width of the domestically produced Cenna is close to two meters, and the interior space on the left and right is completely sufficient (parking is awkward though). There is also a large storage compartment in the third row of seats, which can basically hold everything for 7 people for normal travel. There is no problem sitting 7 people, and even small children can run around in the back two rows of seats without any problems.
Audio
Since I bought the luxury version, it is not equipped with the top-level JBL audio.In recent years, new energy vehicles have been focusing on comparing and promoting their sound systems. However, my requirements for sound are not very high, as long as the vehicle can make some noise.
The Tesla I had originally also had poor sound quality, so changing to another car didn’t make a big difference.
Watching TV or listening to music should be done at home, in a comfortable environment with your eyes closed or while watching a movie. Good sound quality and the source material are both crucial. Let me take a moment to praise my group of friends who provided me with unbeatable, high-quality and free source material. He does the searching, and I just do the downloading. Anyway, this sound system can only make some noise, and it doesn’t really have any other advantages besides having lower bass tones.
Endurance
This is not a point of concern for traditional cars, but fuel consumption is always a popular topic.
I’ve been driving for about a week now and the basic data from Toyota’s happy table shows that my fuel consumption is around 6.9L/100KM. Theoretically, it could be even lower. Basically, a full tank of gas costs about 600 yuan and can drive about 1000 km. If we convert to a Tesla supercharging station at a rate of 2.6 yuan/kWh, it’s about the same.
Power
Of course, as a traditional car, it is impossible to compare its power with that of new energy vehicles (accelerating to 60 km/h and normal starting speed).
However, because the first 30 km/h is powered by electricity, the driving experience is still somewhat similar to that of a Tesla.
Once the engine kicks in, everything changes. The acceleration suddenly slows down, and it gets noisy. The engine of the Toyota Corolla also feels rather average, and coupled with the 2.5 L displacement, you can feel that it’s just a 33W traditional car from the initial startup.
Vehicle-assisted driving
To test it out, I specifically drove on the highway.
In conclusion, it works.
Now let me explain in detail. When starting the assisted driving function, the operation is the same as with old traditional cars: press the RES button, then set the speed with ACC, and then turn on the lane-keeping function. This is a complete set to activate the assisted driving system.
Compared with Tesla, where you can activate it with just a few clicks and the screen clearly shows that it’s on, it’s completely different. Traditional gasoline cars still have a lot to learn from new energy cars. After activating the lane-keeping function, you can’t completely relax yet. With Tesla, you don’t need to hold onto the steering wheel for at least 5 minutes, just keep an eye on the road conditions.
However, it’s different for the Corolla. You have to keep your hands on the steering wheel all the time, and you only have less than a minute of idle time, roughly estimated. If you don’t hold onto the steering wheel, you’ll be prompted, and if you ignore the prompt, the system will automatically exit the lane-keeping function and switch to ACC, which is very dangerous.
I tested it out, and the vehicle just goes straight and beeps twice to signal a warning. If you’re not paying close attention, you could miss the warning sound. But you can easily reactivate it without turning the car off. Toyota probably did this for safety reasons.We’re talking about lane keeping when we look outside. Currently, Toyota’s overall performance on the highway is still good. The steering wheel’s intervention is not as hard as Tesla’s. You just need to gently turn the steering wheel, and the vehicle will follow your command.
The lane keeping effect is satisfactory. I will try it again during a long-distance test in the future.
The use of assisted driving is only good when there is low traffic flow, otherwise there is still a danger.
The overall performance of the vehicle in keeping the lane is still good. Now let’s talk about the distance between the vehicle and the leading car. Toyota has given too much space on this point. The distance from the preceding vehicle, whether it is 1 or 3 bars (the vehicle can have up to 3 bars), is huge.
It cannot be used at all on congested roads, there is no room for discussion. I have tried the lowest following distance of 20KM/H, because I was stuck too much by other vehicles and ended up choosing to drive by myself. And still need to hold the steering wheel. Tesla’s assisted driving is still better (I haven’t tried other models, so I won’t comment).
Final Words
If you want to buy the Sienna, I suggest you buy a higher configuration. At least the driver’s side can have memory.
If you have a driver, then buy the luxury version. I do not recommend buying the lowest configuration. It is too poorly equipped to be upgraded in the future.
Finally, I am ready to retrofit. I hope the sound insulation and the car audio will become something different in the Sienna. Salut!
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.