By Greg Rubenstein
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• New athletic styling, sedan-like handling, sporty performance and luxury, in a minivan.



• This third-generation Sienna is larger than ever, but drives smaller.



• For luxury, look to the Limited; for the enthusiast check out the SE (a minivan for enthusiasts, really?).

No luxury manufacturer offers a minivan, which is too bad. Generally better handling, arguably safer and undeniably better at hauling people and stuff inside than any SUV, the minivan continues to suffer the label of "not cool."

With Toyota's new-for 2011 third-generation Sienna, the world's largest automaker hopes to gain some traction for the minivan in the cool department. In all-wheel-drive Limited trim, the Sienna offers unprecedented minivan luxury. It's as appropriately appointed as any vehicle from Lexus (Toyota's up-scale luxury line) and offers second-row seating second-to-none-full-recline first-class air-style lounge seating complete with footrests.

Other luxury features include two-tone leather upholstery and wood trim, power adjustable front captain's chairs with memory, rain-sensing wipers, voice-activated DVD navigation system with touch-screen and the first 16.4-inch widescreen entertainment center for the rear passengers-capable of showing two different movies (or movie and video game system) side-by-side, all controlled by wireless remote and including wireless headsets.

Lack of visual appeal has always been part of the problem for minivans, but the Sienna's new skin goes a long way toward shedding the ugly-ducking stereotype. A responsive, powerful drive train and sedan-like handling create a complete package, making this new minivan not just the class of its field but a worthy competitor to "crossover" (car-platform) SUVs and large sedans.

The Sienna's new profile is much sportier. From the side, its design looks modern and sleek, with door sliders noticeably missing as they're cleverly hidden into the window recesses. From the rear or rear three-quarter view, the Sienna's design really begins to shine thanks to strongly sculpted rear corners and distinct fender flares. Up front, the façade shares a strong Toyota-family resemblance; it's aerodynamically distinguishing, with sharply angled headlamps poised higher than the grille.

Inside, there are soft-touch plastics wherever the hand falls. The switchgear feels substantial and interior panels are evenly and snugly fit together, as if straight from a Lexus assembly line.

There are features to please driver and passengers alike, including radar-assisted cruise control, a multi-function information display with trip computer and backup camera (independent of the nav system screen), three-zone climate control, power third-row split seating, front and rear parking sonar, dual moonroofs and sunshades for all passenger windows.

The Sienna AWD Limited is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine matched with an electronically controlled six-speed automatic transmission. Performance from the 266-horsepower engine is spirited and the full-time all-wheel-drive system makes sure that power is smoothly applied to the standard 18-inch alloy wheels and 235/55 all-season tires. Towing capacity is rated at 3,500-pounds, and fuel economy is EPA estimated at 16 city and 22 highway.

As a vehicle primarily intended to carry people, the Sienna is naturally loaded with safety features one might expect, including stability and traction control. Beyond the safety basics there are a pre-collision system and an integrated electronic dynamics management system that seamlessly and pro-actively works to keep the vehicle under proper control at all times.

Seven airbags help make sure everyone is kept as safe as possible in a collision, with dual-stage front and seat-mounted side airbags for the driver (who also gets a side knee airbag) and front passenger. From the front seats to the third row, side curtain airbags protect the length of the cabin, and should any of those air bags deploy an automatic notification system will call for help.

The Sienna AWD Limited has a base price of $39,770. Optioned with the Convenience and Premium packages brought the total, including delivery, to $45,890.

Were this a luxury sedan or SUV the price could easily go up by a third, but since it's "only" a versatile minivan it remains a terrific value-and something of an insider's secret-but perhaps not for long.

As Larry points out in his Countersteer below, while the Limited is luxurious, enthusiasts will likely prefer the SE trim, which lacks the bells and whistles but delivers a more connected, sportier driving experience. Without the extra AWD weight the SE's also rated 18/24 mpg for city/highway, though we observed nearly identical 19.1 mpg combined for the SE and 19.2 mpg combined for the Limited. We'll chalk up the "better" economy in the Limited to a lighter foot; it's more suited to boulevard cruising than mountain road carving.

Countersteer, by Larry Edsall

Yes, if you want Lexus-like luxury but need to drive a minivan, the 2011 Sienna Limited is the vehicle for you.

But what's a driving enthusiast who needs a minivan to do?

Well, for us, there's the 2011 Sienna SE.

Visually, the SE looks more dynamic, thanks to a mesh-style grille insert, smoke-glassed and projector-beam headlamps with integrated wide-angle fog lights, front and rear spoilers, rocker panel side skirts, 19-inch wheels and smoked LED tail lamps. That's on the outside. On the inside, you get a special "sport meter" instrument cluster, leather-trimmed tilt and telescoping steering column, and leatherette-trimmed front seats.

But what allows the Sienna SE to pull away from the minivan crowd is an adjustment to the suspension that lowers the vehicle's ride height and enhances steering response and dynamic dexterity, all of which allow the driver to make even better use of the 3.5-liter V6 engine's 265 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque and the grip of the 235/50-aspect Michelin Primacy tires' grip.

We drove the sportvan up a narrow, twisting mountain road and even the passengers were impressed with the SE's handling, though at one point the person in the back seat became very quiet and we realized he might be getting car sick and so we backed off a little - and powered down the window in the right-side sliding door to give him some air.

Another nice feature in the new Sienna are windows in the sliding doors that go up and down.

The second-row passenger also appreciated the fact that the Sienna SE we were driving was equipped with the $1,545 Preferred option package that included tri-zone climate controls so he could adjust the airflow coming out of the rear air conditioning vents. He also liked the rear-window sun shades that are part of the package; he could have shade when he wanted - and an open window when he wanted to take photos of the mountain scenery.

That SE Preferred package also includes exterior roof rails, a center console storage box, six-speaker audio system with XM satellite radio and iPod connectivity, Bluetooth wireless technology, a vacuum florescent instrument panel display and audio controls mounted on the steering wheel.

With optional floor mats and security system, the as-tested price on the Sienna SE we drove was $33,518.

2011 Toyota Sienna Limited bonus photos...