2015 Toyota Sienna: Car Seat Check

Toyota updated its minivan for 2015 and while most of the changes are cosmetic, like tweaked front-end styling outside and a new control layout and nicer materials inside, parents should be happy about a useful addition to the third row. For 2015, the Toyota Sienna now has two sets of Latch anchors in its third row, up from one. More Car Seat Checks The 2015 Sienna performed well in our Car Seat Check thanks to loads of legroom room, but hidden second- and third-row tether anchors kept it from earning more top grades. The Sienna is available with a three-passenger second-row bench seat or a pair of captain's chairs; our model had the captain's chairs. How many car seats fit in the second row? Two How many car seats fit in the third row? Two What We Like Getting into the van and back to the third row was a snap; the step-in height is low and the captain's chairs easily slide forward a considerable amount, so the opening is adult-sized. In both the second and third rows, the booster installed easily and fit well on the seat. We had to remove the second-row head restraint to get a proper fit, but we had no trouble with it. The buckles are on stable bases, making it easier for kids to buckle up independently. Both the rear-facing infant and convertible seats went in easily and had ample room thanks to a ton of sliding seat travel. There was no need to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate either seat. After removing the captain's chair's head restraint, the forward-facing convertible installed easily and fit well on the seat. What We Don't In both rows, the Latch anchors were a bit tough to access. They sit about an inch into the seat bight, and we had to use a good deal of force to push past the seat cushions. Although the second-row tether anchors were easy to use, they're at the base of the seatbacks and not visible; parents might not remember to use them, which is a safety risk. In the third row, we appreciate the extra set of Latch anchors, but because one set of anchors is in the middle of the larger portion of the 60/40 split bench, the bench is only usable for two passengers instead of three because the car seat takes up two positions. The third row's two tether anchors may also be difficult for parents to find because they're at the bottom lip of the seatback. They're also close to the cargo area's luggage hooks, which could be confusing. Grading Scale A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn't impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row. B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available. C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available. D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues. F: Does not fit or is unsafe. About Cars.com's Car Seat Checks Editor Jennifer Newman is a certified child safety seat installation technician. Editor Jennifer Geiger is working on renewing her certification. For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat. We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row's middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself. Cars.com photos by Evan Sears



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