Traction control for minivans?

WesternRoadtripper1
Wed, 22 Nov 2023 08:14:52 +0000
Buying/Selling

Sad to say, my good running, very high mileage 1999 Toyota Sienna is beginning to feel tired. So the time has come to let it be my in-town “truck” and buy something with more power for road trips and higher elevations.

First choice – by far – is another Sienna. That’s based on my experience with this one, and because I’ve found a “Toyota only” specialty shop that I like and trust. But oh - the prices on used cars!!!

In my search for first or second-generation Siennas, I’ve seen reference to “traction control,” but I would think that only applies to 4 wheel drive vehicles. Is that correct? Maybe I’m mistaken, but I think I’ve seen this in a few ads for 2wd second-gen Siennas. Can anyone clarify this?

If some kind of traction assist is an option for 2wd minivans, what does it do? Is it all hype, or is it actually useful in snow or ice, or that odd spot where you stumbled into mushy ground and can’t pop out without a tow? Or on a very steep slope that’s not paved? (Been there, heard the tires slipping, but dodged the bullet).

BTW: my odometer shows 326,371 – but that’s misleading. The instrument cluster came from a junkyard 6 years ago because the original odo was blank when I took a chance on this car.

But info I acquired recently from the dealership that had serviced this car since new until a year before I bought it, suggested that the car had 10 or 15 thousand more miles on it than the replacement cluster I bought. So it’s probably closer to 335 or 340k. Yet it starts easily, oil consumption is trivial, and gas mileage is 23-24 mpg on highway, even with a kayak on the roof.

Next week I’m going to treat it to having the carpeting professionally cleaned at a local detail shop. Just because…

17 posts - 11 participants