How's the Toyota Sienna for #vanlife and rough roads?

Some rough numbers from the back of our 2020-

Height= 47 "

Width- 53"

Length behind Second row- 60"

Length behind First row- 94"

The back is full right now with the third row down, so I can't measure distance behind  3rd.

Doesn't sound like it'd be relevant anyway.

The Sienna AWD Facebook page is a resource for buildout ideas, etc.

The stock Sienna tires have a diameter of 29 inches. Looking through the posts on sites discussing lifting Siennas, the maximum tire diameter for a Sienna with a 3" lift kit is 29.5 inches (and depending on the offset, even those might rub under certain conditions). That seems like a lot of work--with a risk of potential problems down the road--to increase ground clearance from 6.4 to 6.9 inches. [EDIT--ONLY 0.25 INCHES IS GAINED].

The 2022 Sienna will have a "Woodland" package that increases ground clearance to 7.0 inches. From pictures, it looks like there is more room in the wheel arches, so maybe that can be combined with a 29.5 inch tire to break the 7.0 inch barrier.

Are there skidplates available for a Sienna? It would be a much more viable vehicle If you can up armor the undercarriage and don't have to worry about its horrendous approach and departure angle (and can find a place to carry a real spare).

Also you only get 1/2 of the larger tire diameter as a "lift" - 30" vs 29" tires gains 1/2" lift.

The "Woodland" edition is what notified us that a AWD Sienna Hybrid is even a thing. I'm sure it will be $45k and not a good value, though, for what it is. Better off getting a base AWD model and lifting it, if needed - or use the $10k saved for repair work after bottoming out.

Our soft-roading needs aren't much - The Needles road (which is almost always fine), Black Velvet canyon, some Indian Creek approaches. Outback would be plenty and allow further exploring, but a hybrid Sienna that gets 35 mpg and with all the seats out has twice as much cargo space as the OB - that's pretty cool. Max space for the mpg and cost (for new vehicles). 

Nolan Yahok wrote:

Wouldnt a 3" lift get us to 9.9" not 6.9"

Hell a stock FJ has 9.6" of clearance.

Something goes up 3 inches, but the height of the center of the wheel doesn't change. It is still 14.5" off the ground (assuming a 29 inch wheel and ignoring that the tire is compressed). Actually, if the tire is only 0.5" bigger diameter, there only an increase of 0.25" at the wheel.

Take a look at a lifted truck that has stock wheels. There is more distance between the top of the tire and the wheel arch, but there are bits that don't get raised at all--it's particularly noticeable that the diff will still be in the same place, but there are also front suspension parts that aren't raised. To get more clearance under the diff, you have to fit larger diameter tires. If the vehicle doesn't have a solid axle, the diff will be lifted, but then the stub axles connect to to the wheel center that is the same height (unless larger diameter tires are fitted).  

It's not bad to get some more lift out of the unsprung parts--you get better approach and departure angles by lifting the front and back, and you can clear bigger stuff that you can center the vehicle over, but a 3" lift does not necessarily translate to a 3" increase in ground clearance.

It's a matter of design and tire size. The FJ cruiser had stock 32 inch tires, which is of course beneficial. But even Subarus have a minimum of 8.7 inches on smallish tires because they are designed not to have low-hanging bits.

Matt N wrote:

Also you only get 1/2 of the larger tire diameter as a "lift" - 30" vs 29" tires gains 1/2" lift.

The "Woodland" edition is what notified us that a AWD Sienna Hybrid is even a thing. I'm sure it will be $45k and not a good value, though, for what it is. Better off getting a base AWD model and lifting it, if needed - or use the $10k saved for repair work after bottoming out.

You're right of course --I noticed that mistake as soon as I posted it and have corrected.

I've done the approaches you want to do (Needles, Black Velvet, Indian Creek) in a VW Scirocco with less than 5" of ground clearance, so clearance isn't everything. Sure would have appreciated AWD and skid plates, though.

stop fretting the clearance stuff. your driving a feckin mini van fer christs sake... learn how to off road with your brain. go slow and stack rocks if need be. Mosh it when you have to.  my astro has 6.9n in of clearance and there was never a place I could not get in and out of. same thing with my  AWD grand caravans and town and countrys.  if your  really serious about   wheeling versus just getting to climbing then go with a small pickup like an older Ranger or a tacoma with a cap . Sucks for living compared to a van.  4x4 sprinter would be the ticket.  Vanagon  Syncro was super capable and the  Delicia looks radicicolous though a bit tight for two people.  https://www.delicausa.com/

FWIW, I just measured the lowest points on our lifted Sienna-

7 inches to the bottom of the rear differential, 6 inches to the bottom of the springs adjacent to the wheels.

I think the main benefit is the improvement in the approach/departure angles. Which rival the Outback.

The breakover angle doesn't change too much I think- it's a long vehicle.

I think Nick nails it- thoughtful piloting will get you most anywhere reasonable.

Subaru also has a bigger SUV that you might want to look at.

If I was living out of it, I'd get a van, but since we are still in a tent, the minivan platform is super convenient.

Also, there are supposed to be skid plates available, I just haven't looked into it.

I can post a url if there's interest.

About to get put in time out for this thread, will check back tomorrow 

SICgrips wrote:

Need to look at the dimensions of a Sienna with the back seats out but I’ve been thinking of getting one and putting in a combo fold down bed platform (folds to around half size to a couch) with a pull-out galley, and hopefully room to carry two gravel bikes when the bed platform is in the folded down position. Have to figure out if it’ll all fit. Any body know?

What year sienna? That idea should totally work. I have the dimensions for the 05 era if you need em

A delayed update- had no trouble getting to Enchanted Tower with the (lifted) minivan although it did take some time and concentration

I don't have a Sienna, but ill put in a word for the Odyssey as the ultimate adventure machine. I bought a 2010 Odyssey for $8K a couple years ago and it was the best purchase I ever made.

Not that i drive it on rough roads. I'm a hiker and climber, not a driver, and with a 2wd vehicle you get the moral superiority of hoofing down the 4wd road.

I've heard that dealers are asking $10,000 over list for a new Sienna.

No idea what your build plans are but this dude makes really great videos on his Sienna build and I think he did an incredible job using the space

youtube.com/c/BruceParks

PSA - Lifted Sienna AWD for sale:
https://www.siennachat.com/threads/fs-2011-toytota-sienna-awd-limited-jor-lift-7900.73839/ 

Has anyone run into excessive CV axle wear due to the lift kit in the Sienna?

While I'm impressed by all the practical information in the replies, I think someone should address the elephant in the room. As we all know, primary motivations behind #vanlife can be divided into two basic categories which deserve consideration here.

1) Status. Lifted or not, the humble Sienna will not earn you that coveted deferential nod as you step down onto the tarmac in front of Whole Foods. Nor will it gain you anything more than a cold shoulder at the exclusive Sprinter Parking Area at the end of the road at Indian Creek. Finally, nothing signals importance like occupying an entire pullout beside a gravel road. While this could be accomplished by towing large bling behind the Sienna, a single 30' vehicle is a much more elegant means of making this point.

2) Catalyst for a dramatic breakup. In this case, the type of van is less material than your count of Instagram followers. But if you're into the whole murder-suicide thing, I'm told that a smaller van is preferred.

lift kit should automatically reduce the resale price of any rig. it screams armature  mechanic has been messing with this vehicle. Buy at your own risk. i never had a sienna but I never had any problems getting to any back country camping or climbing spots with my stock grand caravans and Town and country's. I did tons of 4th class roads in those rigs photographing endurance rides. 

James C wrote:

Has anyone run into excessive CV axle wear due to the lift kit in the Sienna?

Dunno, but it would make sense- changing the angle on the CV joint might be hard on the joint itself, but the creasing of the boot would prolly make it blow out quicker…then the lube is lost, and the joint heats up and fails.

After replacing a shit ton of CV axle kits on my Subaru, I figured out the (cheaper) aftermarket axle kits had acceptable mechanics in the joint itself, but the boots were crap. Stripping off the aftermarket boots and replacing them with OEM boots definitely made the CV axle kits last longer.

James C wrote:

Has anyone run into excessive CV axle wear due to the lift kit in the Sienna?

This question comes up fairly often on the Toyota Sienna AWD Club Facebook page, and in my unscientific and haphazard observations, it seems to be worried about a lot more than it is experienced.

We did have a bad CV boot shortly after the lift was done, but no problems in the 80,000 miles since.

We had our Sienna lifted at 5,000 miles, about 4 years ago (Journey's 3.5 inch lift.)

It's still a Sienna, not a Tacoma or a 4Runner, but it has allowed us to get to the Enchanted Tower, among other trailheads, without too much anxiety. 

It has a huge capacity, holds all our tent camping gear, as well as an excessive number of bouldering pads.

For us it's been a decent compromise, since we aren't yet ready to go the RV/Sprinter route.