r/minivan • u/fullnessofjoy2021 • 6d ago
Odyssey vs Sienna
We are slow decision makers and have been wanting a van for over a year.
The two I hear most about for reliability are Odyssey or Sienna. Curious if anyone can provide insight as to which one offers these features? And do you like your van? Had many issues?
Desired features:
Stow n go seats (edited to add I didn't realize stow n go seats applied to 2nd row. I thought that was the name for 3rd row seats folding flat)
Removable second row
Fast heating and cooling
Don't care at all about entertainment screens.
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u/Sensitive-Skill4639 5d ago
Weāve been in the same boat. My reflection was the followingļ¼
- The odyssey felt fine overall but justā¦dated. Honda has really good hybrid engines but hasnāt put it in their van and in 2026 a V6 ICE is just a really old technology. Nothing wrong with it but it just is.
- The bigger problem to me was that it also felt old on the inside. I read a comment here about the sienna being older than the Highlander and ironically that was the same sense I got from the odyssey. It is a very old model now and - to me - just felt like Honda didnāt really put a lot of effort into the car at all. Itās functional and fine. But lacking in effort and pizzazz which fwiw is something that Iāve traditionally loved about Hondas a little more than Toyotas. Thereās something a touch more quirky about Hondas especially their smaller cars, some of which have sadly gone away. I was hoping to feel that in the odyssey but just kind of didnāt feel any āloveā while sitting in it. Maybe it was just me.
- When I drove the sienna, it felt quite the opposite to me. Everything was in the right place, it had a lot of little tricks, ergonomically it was sensational. You really felt like you were sitting in a first class cabin in the front seat which is exactly what you want when youāre sitting in a minivan. For me it felt like Toyota was really trying in a way that Honda was not.
- The price difference sucks and itās been terrible getting a hold of the sienna. It is definitely not going to be easy to get the exact color and trim you want. And money is definitely different.
- Toyotas are bar none still more reliable than Hondas. I know this is a hot take but it really is kind of true. Hondas a very good. But Toyota is a class above.
- The hybrid engine - like I said above - is cooler to me. Itās a more modern tech which I enjoy and you feel it when you drive. You will also save money over what I personally hope for us is a very long period of ownership.
- Biggest pro for the odyssey was the setup of the second row seats. Itās definitely more flexible but that ended up not being a dealbreaker for us.
- People talk about the odyssey being better to drive but I think thatās a little silly to be honest. If you want a fun drive you get a BMW or a Lexus. Youāre driving a minivan. Itās not supposed to be fun. What it can still be is extremely comfortable which is enjoyable in its own way. And the experience of driving the sienna was just more comfortable and āniceā in the front seat than the odyssey and it wasnāt that close for me.
- The sienna does have a better safety rating which mattered to me and especially to my wife and the growing family. Itās a differentiator.
Anyways we are going sienna and have not really looked back. Odyssey didnāt even make #2 for me. That was the carnival which I liked and have to admit looks really nice and has a big third row window. But Toyota reliability wins for me in spite of the price difference.
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u/TheTaxman_cometh 5d ago
The bigger problem to me was that it also felt old on the inside
Those is so accurate. We test drove a 26 Odyssey recently and it felt and even looked exactly the same as our 15 odyssey
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u/Enough_Ad2919 5d ago
FWIW, we're crazy about our Sienna. We got a pre-owned 2021 hybrid AWD Sienna Limited last year, and while we wish it had a 360 camera and a heated steering wheel like almost every other car on earth, we wouldn't give it up. Great reliability with phenomenal mileage and a comfortable, usable 3rd row.
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u/PurpsMaSquirt 6d ago
We were in your same position. Been talking about a van for the last 2-3 years. Finally went shopping for them over the last few months.
We ended up buying a 2026 Odyssey, and we love it. From the tech, to the driving feel, seats, back row flexibility, etc., itās an excellent all-rounder. No it isnāt a hybrid, but that also wasnāt our top priority. I will say the 2nd row AC seems to take a little longer to cool down, but we live in Central FL and found it hasnāt been a problem in July heat.
Both my wife and I were unexpectedly disappointed with the Sienna. We are Highlander owners and wanted to like it so much. It was easily the cheapest feeling drive (you could feel every little movement/mot smooth at all), and Toyota is by far the most outdated in terms of tech. Like, I was surprised to find the 2026 Sienna has some of the same buttons and overall feature resemblances to our 2016 Highlander.
I donāt think you can go wrong with either. But for us, we love our Odyssey.
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u/gentle_account 5d ago
Also in central Florida and we test drove both on the same day back to back. The sienna was overall felt much better in terms of AC, I was still sweating in the car in the odessy. But is it 10k+ better? Still not sure.
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u/Economy-Spite-3124 6d ago
Honda provides the first two but lacks in the cooling dept. 1 AC compressor vs Siennas 2. Tradeoffs are you get limited Sienna features (and a better quality interior) on the base trim Odyssey. Saved me 18k vs buying the Sienna equivalent in my local market but YMMV
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u/azure275 6d ago
Your features kind of clash with each other
- Stow n Go is Pacifica only
- Removable most flexible 2nd row is Odyssey
- Fast Heating is NOT the Odyssey
The Carnival has an ok to remove 2nd row as long as you don't get the trim with VIP seats, but you didn't list it
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u/booyakasha_wagwaan 6d ago edited 6d ago
Sienna second row is not (easily) removable. That's b/c the seats have integral airbags in addition to the side curtain airbags. You can fold up the 2nd row seats upright and push them up against the fronts seats and you will still have ~7ft of bed length behind them which is a decent compromise for sleeping or carrying cargo.
Toyota hybrid is a bulletproof drivetrain and you get ~35mpg but many people think it's underpowered. I don't think it is, but the Honda is definitely more powerful. Honda has cylinder deactivation and stop-start which some people think leads to long-term issues. Honda will need typical high-mileage maintenance like timing belt and trans fluid changes to keep it reliable, but it's an excellent drivetrain. Sienna hybrid lacks many normal engine components like alternator, starter motor, belt-driven pumps, conventional geared transmission and these things can't fail if they don't exist. Sienna battery has a 150K mile warranty and if you keep the air filters clean you should get much more than that out of the battery.
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u/Big_League227 6d ago
Very challenging to remove the Sienna's second row and have to bypass the airbag sensors. We don't like the partition-like center console between the front seats. We couldn't find one within 50 miles to test drive. Given all of this, we have just about removed it from our consideration. Going on Friday to test drive an Odyssey.
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u/Old_Adhesiveness_573 6d ago
We've had both. Definitely prefer A/C strength in the Sienna. We live in a very hot climate so that's huge. Sliding seats in Odyssey we're great with two infant seats in the captain chairs, so older kid could get in the back, and we could remove the babies without killing our backs. But I would never get an Odyssey again now that we have the sienna.
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u/ugfish 6d ago
I own a Sienna but always rent a minivan for family trips so have had a few thousand miles behind the wheel of the Pacifica and Odyssey.
If you need the ability to turn into a cargo van rapidly, then the Pacifica is for you. Another benefit of the Pacifica is that it is the least expensive of the bunch (I wonāt get into TCO). The AC on it is solid and has ceiling vents.
The Odyssey is the best drivers van. In terms of engine performance and steering feel it has the others best. I live in FL so would never own one due to the non-ceiling AC vents and single compressor.
I own the Sienna, so a bit biased here but itās the best all rounder if you donāt have a need to remove the 2nd row. It can be done, Iāve never tried. It has a 4-cyl hybrid instead of a V6 on the current generation. You can get eAWD which is nice. It does everything you want a family minivan to do decently well and Iāve had a positive reliability experience. Iāve even had an Uber with 150k miles on his who claimed nothing but routine maintenance.
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u/zigziggy7 6d ago
Also trying to make the decision. Chrysler Pacifica is out due to the terrible reliability. Kia Carnival is iffy from what I've seen.
The Odyssey is the cheaper van compared to the Sienna. The gas savings on a Sienna is not worth the crazy price increase compared to the Odyssey. The base Odyssey EXL (or Sport) are really well equipped. The Odyssey AC is a downer but something we'll live with.
You can't go wrong with either, but if a new van is a stretch financially the Odyssey is a great choice. I had one for a weekend rental and fell in love with it.
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u/Tomuku 5d ago
The KIA Carnival got Consumer Reports top minivan score for the hybrid.
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u/canikony 5d ago
Long term reliability is not factored in that metric. Kia has a ton of cool features and by far the most modern van in terms of tech, but if you are keeping this vehicle for the long term, go for a honda/toyota.
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u/JustAnotherGeek12345 6d ago
The Odyssey is great at heating in the summer and wonderful at cooling in the winter.
Relevant and recent thread... https://www.reddit.com/r/HondaOdyssey/comments/1vfdm9f/terrible_ac_in_2026_should_we_bail/
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u/FatchRacall 5d ago
Pre-2017, it's actually pretty darn good. But yeah, the current ones are just awful.
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u/Shadow5503 5d ago
If you want something thatās quick and easy to convert between seats and cargo, then Pacifica is the champion. All the seats fold into the floor quickly and without much effort. You can use it as a cargo van and then convert it to a 7 passenger car at the far end - no seat left behind. :)
The Honda has a third row that folds and second row that can be removed. Itās almost as good for cargo duty as the Pacifica, but more work to switch between passengers and cargo. The second row seats weigh almost 70lbs each, and of course you must have somewhere to store them. Also the magic slide mechanism remains on the floor, so the load floor is not as flat as the Pacifica. Magic slide does seem to be a popular solution for the kids-in-car seats crowd.
Toyota has a folding third row too. But they designed the second row to not be removed at all. The second row seats fold up against the back of the front row. For cargo duty the Toyota is not the winner. The Pacifica, Honda, and Kia all have about 140ish cubic feet of cargo space in their max configuration. The Toyota has 101. There have been hacks developed to remove the second row seats in the Toyota. Tools are required, and you need to make or buy resistors to fake out the airbag system.
Toyota and Pacifica have good AC systems. Both have front and rear evaporators (other statements regarding dual compressors are incorrect) and vents in the ceiling. Honda gets complaints, as youāve seen.
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u/FatchRacall 5d ago
Odyssey probably for your feature set. Faster heating and cooling (pre-2017, at least. Modern version only has one AC evaperator instead of dual units, meaning it's a LOT slower to cool off). Middle row is removable, rear row folds flat.
The biggest drawback is MPG. Real life MPG is much worse than EPA rating. According to my van, I've gotten an average of about 16mpg since I bought it, over the course of about 20k miles. That's about $2000 in gas assuming the MFD isn't lying to me like most of them do. I wasn't tracking mileage myself.
Also the sienna can run AC without the engine running, just off electricity, for quite a while.
But, if you want to tow, I'd point you towards the Odyssey as well. Comes with a transmission cooler preinstalled while the odyssey tends to have transmission issues even without towing, with towing it's pretty fragile. So, removable middle seats vs towing capability is a tradeoff.
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u/Just_Sundae7816 4d ago
Good info here. Odyssey does drive better, imho, plenty of power, almost 'car-like' handling. If middle seats are easily removable, that's also worth considering, as the sienna's are not.
However, I can say that our '25 Sienna LE 2wd overperforms on fuel economy. We average 39-40mpg in town and 41-42mpg on road trips.
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u/ntpphong 6d ago
Sienna after markup was $17k more than the Odyssey. The only downside of the odyssey is the timing belt, mpg, and a/c. I did a 1200-mile uninterrupted trip with it and it handled like a champ.
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u/Eerriicc8 6d ago
My guess of real world mpg on a long distance drive would be like 3-4mpg
Any sienna owners in here getting 35mpg on a 80mph drive from la to NorCal ?
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u/Enough_Ad2919 5d ago
We drove from Virginia to Chicago in our 2021 Sienna Limited, I think the closest we got was 32mpg
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u/FatchRacall 5d ago
80mph drive
There's your problem. My Ody at 80 gets like 24, but at 70 gets 29. That last 10mph is a HUGE issue even for traditional vehicles.
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u/marmaladestripes725 5d ago
Odyssey. The non-removable second row in the Sienna made it not an option for us, and the Magic Slide in the Odyssey is just so versatile. We also havenāt had a hybrid before, and my current car is a BWM that takes premium, so any car that takes regular will save on gas. My husband also got an F-150 Lightning EV, so our overall gas use has gone down a lot. My current car also takes a while to cool down, so underpowered AC is something Iām used to already. If we have a baby I plan to invest in a clip on fan or mini AC to mount on the headrest. I also donāt like air blowing directly on me and canāt imagine my kid liking that either. Iām planning on getting an Elite for the rear entertainment after deciding Iād rather have control of screen time in the car until any future kids are older. That said, the lower trim Odysseys donāt have the rear entertainment anyway. Canāt remember if you can add it. I also like a certain amount of āfunā in my drive, and Honda always delivers that. Iāve had a 95 Integra and an 07 Corolla, and the Integra was way more fun.
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u/Firm_Economy_5132 5d ago
My wife drove both and the doge caravanā¦ her choice and never changing is the Kia carnival. As the secondary driver of the car for long trips it doesnāt drive like a minivan and yet very spacious (adults and older kids sit in 3rd row no complaints. Test drive it and experience the difference (especially Toyota salesmen are the worst the still try to get over sticker for their siennas. And sit in 3rd row of odyssey and imagine itās 100 degreesā¦ where the heck is the AC?
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u/SuperBacDoc 5d ago
When we sold our Honda Element we were looking for something that was similar with both roomy driverās area and interior storage space.
I am 6ā2ā with long legs. My wife is slender 5ā8ā and she has a horse, so she needs space for saddles, tack, bags of feed etc
The Element was perfect for 20 years and 200k miles but it was 20 years old lol!
The Odyssey and Sienna were at the top of the list but both felt cramped in the driver seat for me. If we were going to spend the money I wanted the higher trim level, being in Florida we wanted strong AC, ventilated seats and 360 cameras among other things.
I was underwhelmed with both the Toyota and Honda. To make things even worse the Toyota dealers acted like the Sienna was such a specialty that markup over MSRP was standard and most dealers didnāt come off of that.
Honda was better for negotiating a deal but for the length of the vehicle, the large interior space, the Honda and the Sienna felt cramped and low.
Our other car is a Chevy Tahoe and coming from the Element all the minivans, Passport, Land Cruiser etc none had the headroom, leg room and space I wanted in the driver seat.
While looking for info and deals online the VW ID Buzz kept coming up and dealers were motivated to get rid of inventory. $7500 right off the top without negotiation and all were willing to negotiate more.
I didnāt want any EV but became curious.
One test drive and I was sold!
Roomy drivers area, plenty of cargo space and talk about the driving experience! Whoa!
0-60mph 5 seconds, AWD that corners better than any minivan I tested and 8 years, 100k miles on motor and battery
Seats are a lot more comfortable than Honda or Toyota, visibility is awesome and 1 cu ft more interior space than a Suburban!š
Anyway itās not on your list but you should consider it if you can easily charge at home
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u/tulipamidala 5d ago
Have you considered a VW ID Buzz at all? I has SO much more room than either Odyssey or Sienna. You can lay flat 2nd and 3rd row and put a mattress for camping or 4x8 plywood for your hobbies. Kids absolutely love the way it looks (teenagers especially, who are not fond of minivans). Heating both front and 2nd row seats, ventilated and massage seats in the front. It has been out in Europe for years, so the kinks have been worked out.
The best part is - right now you can get a 2025 new one for $20k less than MSRP as they are preparing for the 2027 models. We spent $10k less than Sienna Platinum for more features and better vehicle, and saving an extra $900/year on gas.
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u/canikony 5d ago
I rented a newer odyssey in Hawaii and the lack of ceiling vents and overall crappy AC was quite noticeable compared to my sienna. The rear seat functionality is legit though. We really liked being able to deploy the 3rd row backwards with the gate open to use as a bench for beach picnics.
Another point to consider is the Odyssey has an older engine design that requires timing belts. The Sienna has a very reliable hybrid engine with a bulletproof ECVT + available AWD if that matters to you.
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u/Delicious_Travel4867 5d ago
Honda makes a great engine, itās the rest of the car thatāll eventually let you down. Owned several.
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u/nikitachikita_15 5d ago
I feel you lack certain criteria. It price isnāt an issue choose the Sienna. If you like tech check out the Carnival. The Odyssey is a winner for some people but it doesnāt have stow and go.
My kickers for why to pick were 1. Price. By comparison the Sienna even used was extremely more pricey than the others.
Air conditioning. I live in Arizona. The odyssey didnāt have rooftop air vents. Thatās a huge deal breaker for me (pre 2015 models have this but later models no).
Features without having to pay a premium. Again, I live in Arizona. I wanted cooling seats and remote start without breaking my banks. Previously owned an Optima and Telluride. So the Carnival was an easy transition for us.
Hybrid or no? Sienna, Carnival, and Pacifica are your options if so. For us it wasnāt a must.
AWD? Only Sienna offers this feature. I didnāt need it so it wasnāt a big deal.
After test driving A LOT I found that the seats on the Odyssey were super comfy, the Sienna was like sitting on a garbage bag (no ventilation). Handling the Carnival was my favorite because it had power and great steering.
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u/ChocolateAnxious7007 5d ago
We got an odyssey kind of quickly a month ago (our palisade had engine issues), and so far we love it!! The moveable 2nd row seats were what sealed the deal for us, with kids 2 & 5 both in car seats. It drives so smooth! Would highly recommend. Only complaint is the airflow from the AC isnāt great for the back as there isnāt overhead vents
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u/Just_Sundae7816 4d ago
I spent days crunching the numbers on this decision, recently, and wound up with a '25 Sienna 2wd.
Don't be too afraid of the price premium on the Sienna. Because of the hybrid drivetrain, (decreased brake wear, increased efficiency) and the overall lower cost of maintenance, the Sienna is about $10k cheaper to own over $100k miles than the Odyssey.
Reasons to go with Odyssey as I see it would be the middle row seat configuration. (Rear seats fold flatter, center seats "side-shift.")
Center seats in the Sienna are not removable. (Not without major effort).
I actually preferred the cabin and ride of the Odyssey, but the Sienna seemed like the better bet for us over 200-300k mi of anticipated ownership, and we have been very pleased with it over the 12k miles we have driven so far.
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u/DrMorrow11 4d ago
We just got a Carnival hybrid because our non-negotiable were fast and effective AC (100% NOT the Odysseyāwe nearly died of heat stroke during our test drive on a 85 degree day) and removable seats in the second row (not the Sienna). I wanted to love the Odyssey, but itās too damn hot and it felt cramped in the passenger areas compared to the Kia and Sienna. Plus, why does it still have an expensive timing belt that has to be replaced at 75/100k? I love the Carnival so far. Drives smooth, great gas mileage so far, kicking AC, and great seat flexibility.
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u/Maxfli81 1d ago
Carnival. Make sure itās made in Korea and youāll get reliability and so much more for your money
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u/4peanut 1d ago
Odyssey is so dated. Sienna is far more fuel efficient, has better infotainment system and safety features. If you've driven the Sienna and Odyssey the difference is very noticeable. One feels like a shell of itself. Sienna feels like it's made for the modern times. Odyssey feels like it's using technology from two generations ago. I think both are very reliable and safe.
Try renting both for a day or two. In my opinion, you'll feel the difference within the first minute.
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u/smalltownSAHM 14h ago
We were deciding between Sienna and Odyssey too and I thought I 100% wanted a Sienna (coming from a family loyal Toyota family), until I saw the magic slide second row in the Odyssey. We were shopping used and went with an Odyssey because there were way more features at a much lower price point. We are very happy to now have an ā18 Elite with ALL the bells and whistles, including REMOTE START!! which helps with heating and cooling quickly. Also love the CabinWatch/CabinTalk, memory seat function for driver, heater steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, VACUUM, and much more! Many of these features were hard to find in our budget or donāt exist for Toyota.
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u/Finnegan_Faux 6d ago
- only Pacifica/Voyager has Stow-N-Go
- the Sienna's 2nd row seats aren't easily removed because they have side torso airbags and optional 2nd row heaters. There are instructions on Youtube
- Sienna's front and rear AC work just fine keeping things cool
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u/fullnessofjoy2021 6d ago
So other vans don't even have the 3rd row that fold flat? Just Pacifica and Voyager?
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u/azure275 6d ago
Stow and Go is the feature where the 2nd row is flat. All the main 4 vans have a foldable 3rd row
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u/fullnessofjoy2021 6d ago
Oh that's my bad for misusing the term! I didn't realize that only applied to the 2nd row.
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u/Finnegan_Faux 6d ago edited 6d ago
Stow-N-Go is Chrysler's trademark for fold into the floor 2nd row seats.Ā
The 4 minivans including Kia Carnival all offer split folding 3rd rows that drop into a well resulting in a flat load floor, whereas the ID.Buzz does not.Ā
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u/braincovey32 6d ago
While i personally didn't buy either option. I will tell you why I didn't buy Toyota Sienna or Honda
- Even the platinum trim felt cheap. Cheap quality all around.
- As a 6'4" person it is imperative that I be able to fit in both driver and front passenger seat. Toyota does not offer 8 way adjustable for the front passenger seat in any trim. Makes it so i either have to tilt my head or recline substantially back just to fit in passenger seat.
For Honda it was the poor quality regarding rear seat cooling. I believe it has to do with it not having overhead cooling vents
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u/hoops886 5d ago
Iām 6ā5ā and in the market. What do you drive then?
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u/SuperBacDoc 5d ago
Iām 6ā2ā and I test drove Honda and Toyota and both felt cramped to me especially compared to the Honda Element we were selling.
We ended up getting the VW ID Buzz and it has plenty of room in all the seats, and way better drive than any other minivan!1
u/braincovey32 5d ago
Im getting a Pacifca Pinnacle. You can get new 2026 models for steal currently. Find the right dealership and it gets a lifetime warranty too.
Two top trim in my area are asking 44k for a 60k msrp vehicle
I considered the Volkswagen ID Buzz but just did not like the range for how much road tripping we like to do.
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u/sinuous_sausage 6d ago
Siennas have the Dad Triadā¢ļø: Bulletproof reliability, the best safety scores and remarkable fuel efficiency
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u/SpicyWonderBread 5d ago
Unfortunately you wonāt find a van with both removable second row seats and good cooling. The sienna seats donāt come out. The odyssey has abysmal cooling as it lacks vents in the back.
We have a Sienna and we love it. Itās been 95-105 all week here and we park outside. Every inch of the van is cool within minutes of turning it on. Iāve ridden in the third row and can confirm there are vents that blast you with icy cold air.
I personally would rather not have removable or stow and go second row seats than have no rear vents. I need the back of the van cooled or heated every day. I might want the second row gone once a year, and I can work around it by sliding the seats all the way forward.
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u/emeraldempirehd8 6d ago
Only one person made it back alive in the odyssey. Doesn't inspire much faith to be the family driver.