Toyota just unveiled the all-new 2021 Toyota Sienna minivan in a live media event. What Car and Driver calls “the wildest looking minivan since the 2004 Nissan Quest,” the 2021 Sienna is coming for the competition and it’s out for blood. The Toyota Sienna will be offered with an exclusive hybrid powertrain. The Chrysler Pacifica now has a worthy opponent, and we can’t wait to see them duel.

The all-new 2021 Toyota Sienna minivan

With an estimated price point of around $32,000 – $45,000, the fresh-faced fully-redesigned 2021 Sienna minivan hasn’t just dipped its toe into the new “cool minivan” market. It’s diving in head first. The 2021 Pacifica, said to start around $35,000, really set the stage for this emerging modern class of minivans.

It’s packed full of amazing details like an interior camera that gives drivers a complete view of its rear passengers. A hybrid option has been offered for a few years, but AWD is new for the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. All of these features must have seriously inspired Toyota to up the ante with its minivan offering –– thus, the completely redesigned and feature-full 2021 Toyota Sienna.

The new Sienna, offered with the all-new hybrid 4-cylinder powertrain in place of the old V6, will offer best in class fuel economy. Though it’s losing over 50 horsepower, Toyota claims that it will maintain the 3,500 pound towing capacity from its previous generation. The EPA hasn’t released any data for the new minivans efficiency, but Toyota executives say that it will get 33 miles per gallon overall. That’s 12 mpg better than previous Sienna models and about 3 mpg better than the hybrid Chrysler Pacifica. Non hybrid gasoline models like the Honda Odyssey, which is rated for 22 mpg overall, can’t even compete.

The Toyota Sienna was the only minivan with the option for AWD for a time. Then, with the unveiling of the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, we saw some AWD minivan competition. The AWD feature, however, is not offered as an option for the Chrysler minivan’s hybrid version. Toyota now boasts the only AWD hybrid minivan, with an available third electric motor which can be added to provide power to the rear wheels.

The new Toyota Sienna is excessive –– in a good way

The fresh release of the 2021 Toyota Sienna minivan showed us some amazing (and pretty excessive) features. Gone are the days when this minivan was called overly functional or too utilitarian. Luxury amenities like a vacuum and a refrigerated middle console compartment set the bar high for family friendly amenities. 18 cupholders and USB ports at every turn mean this minivan is ready for basically anything a rambunctious and messy family can throw at it.

The interior of the Sienna will feature two tone and leather wrapped details on the upscale platinum and limited trims. Parents everywhere will appreciate the obvious need for a voice amplifier that enables parents to talk to kids in the back without having to yell (is there anything they didn’t think of?) in addition to zoned climate control and WiFi (duh). The generous middle console between the front seats will stow snacks galore, and a rear entertainment system will help drivers get a few minutes of peace behind the wheel of what might be the coolest modern minivan ever to hit production.

2021 Sienna Safety

The 2021 Toyota Siennas will come standard with an improved Toyota safety suite. This includes emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and lane keep assist. There is a trade off for one safety feature that some families may not be crazy about –– the side airbags in the middle row seats prevent the back seats from being removed for cargo maximization.

Although Toyota hasn’t told us the dimensions, it does look bigger than the last generation. So, the cargo sacrifice due to the new airbags may not be as bad as we think. We will just have to wait and see.

Sometime in 2020

Toyota said we’ll see a 2020 release of this new age minivan. There is no telling how things will play out at this point, though, so everyone is going to have to wait on the edge of their seats a while. All I know is that I can’t wait to test drive one.