The Off-Road Toyota Sienna Minivan Is a Total Beast
What if the Toyota Sienna was made for something more adventurous? Enter the off-road Toyota Sienna. According to MotorTrend, it’s a minivan monster. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Who made the Off-road Sienna?
The Toyota Sienna’s one of the most popular minivans in the U.S. Per Newsweek, more than 50,000 units sold in 2021, outpacing competitors from Honda and Chrysler for the top spot. TrueCar ranks the Sienna as the second-best minivan on the market thanks to its fuel efficiency, cabin features, and optional all-wheel drive.
The off-road Toyota Sienna was made by Toyota itself. The automaker took its seven-seater and upgraded it to the Toyota Ultimate Utility Vehicle (UUV). The UUV takes the chassis from Toyota’s Tacoma pickup truck and places the Sienna body on that frame.
It debuted at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) show in 2015 and took part in Toyota’s Ever-Better Expedition, part of Toyota’s Global Driving Project, in November 2015. The Ever-Better Expedition was a 4,488-mile trip through Alaska and Canada over three months.
Off-road Toyota Sienna specs
The Sienna body is on top of the Tacoma frame for the special off-road model. Toyota then added running boards and fender flares for off-road conditions. There’s more than a foot of wheel travel to handle any terrain. The chassis is lifted to a higher ride height than the stock Sienna and tall off-road tires are also added. The military-grade front bumper includes smoke, auxiliary lights, and a heavy-duty front winch.
Per Toyota, there are lots of tech features inside the Off-road Sienna. A mobile satellite TV receiver, 60-inch Sony LED TV, WiFi, 2,500-watt JBL audio system, 17-inch monitor, and a night vision camera system are all included.
Inside the cabin are laptop tray tables in the back seats and captain’s chairs in the front. The sliding doors were engineered to slide out instead of backward to ensure enough room inside and outside to accommodate the tires. The front doors also open from the front to make it easy to get in and out.
Will there be an Off-road Toyota Sienna available in the U.S.?
As it’s been seven years since the Off-road Toyota Sienna was made for the SEMA auto show and the Ever-Better Expedition. There’s been little word since then of a potential production model coming close to the specifications of the UUV.
The closest Toyota’s gotten to the UUV is the Sienna Woodland trim. That takes the seven-seat Sienna and adds standard all-wheel drive. Per MotorTrend, ground clearance has been increased to 6.9 inches from 6.3. Outdoors-intended features like roof rails, a tow hitch, and a 1,500-watt power inverter are included.
But again, this isn’t close to the incredible specs and features of the UUV. Maybe with the likes of electric vehicle company Rivian creating outdoor camper-style vans, something slightly more similar could come into production in the future.
