Toyota's 4x4 Sienna Unveiled at SEMA 2015
Remember that Toyota Sienna 4x4 Van we told you about a few months ago? We knew the Sienna’s body had been placed on a Tacoma chassis, but beyond that, the details were scarce. Well, as promised, we hunted it down at the 2015 SEMA Show and got a better look at how it’s all put together.
Since the Sienna is grafted onto a Tacoma chassis, it gets to benefit from the wide array of aftermarket support. To increase the travel and durability of the front suspension, an Engage Off-Road long-travel kit was used to replace the stock control arms. To replace the factory strut, a set of King coilovers with compression adjusters were installed. You’ll also notice that the stock steering rack is still in place, but fit with spherical rod ends at the aftermarket steering knuckles so the components can cycle without binding.
It’s not a minivan without seating for all of your friends! There’s even a giant monitor so they will stay entertained while heading to the trail. One of the more trick features on the van was actually how the rear doors were modified to project outwards from the vehicle. This was necessary to clear the custom fenders that extend from the body a good bit.
Out back, there’s a lot going on. Replacing the standard leaf spring configuration is a four link system from Engage Off-Road. This long-travel setup uses King coilovers, which attach to the trailing arms. The factory Toyota axle has been trussed, but retains the stock drum brakes. To moderate the suspension travel King hydraulic bumpstops were used along with dual limit straps on each side of the axle.
There’s a substantial amount of metal work throughout the Sienna. We’re curious just how much weight all of the plate-steel added to the setup. After watching the van get a workout on the big screen that was playing in the back, it doesn’t appear that it effected the performance in the desert.
The suicide doors open up to expose a custom set of seats and race harness. We were a little surprised that Toyota didn’t opt for a custom internal ‘cage. Overall, it didn’t disappoint and unlike many OE-level concept vehicles, it was clear that this one was actually built to use.
