We’re looking to buy a car in Taipei area. We have three kids, and may occasionally need to drive my wife’s parents around also, so a small 7 seater seems ideal, preferably not a van. Budget is around 400,000.
I’ve already read through most of the 7 seater car discussions on this forum, and it seems the Mazda 5 seems highly recommended. Other than that, I’ve been seeing a lot of Toyota Sientas on the roads lately, but haven’t been able to find any discussion on that particular model. Does anybody have experience with or thoughts about the Sienta, and how it compares to the Mazda 5?
i rented it 3 or 4 times for family trips.
pros: very spacious and versatile
cons:
i didnt like the dashboard design, it wasnt easy for me to get used to it.
the seating isnt comfortable (for me at least, the chairs were not so comfortable to sit for long drives )
3 adults and 2 kids.
didnt use the back row.
i also rented it once for moving purposes, and folded both rows, the space was very good, it fit an 8 people dining table without any troubles.
We rented a Sienta via iRent to give it a try, you may want to give that a whirl. Personally I felt it was a great 5 seater but a terrible 7 seater, the back seats are cheap/small and you end up with very little cargo space folding up the back row. So it will probably be fine for getting around town but painful if you want to take a trip anywhere with the parents.
If your budget can go higher and you need 7 real seats+cargo capacity I’d recommend looking at a used Previa or Odyssey.
Thanks for the feedback. I’m hoping to avoid getting an actual van, which I feel is more space that we need and is inconvenient in Taiwan’s cramped roads.
Actually I’m mostly interested in a Mazda 5 at this point, but I just wanted to learn more about the Sienta, to explore the possibility that it may be a better choice than the Mazda 5 for whatever reason…
perhaps renting them for a test drive is the best idea, I hadn’t considered that.
We have 3 kids and this was one of the few where you can fit three child seats without losing a finger when trying to click their seatbelts.
The design of the car is quite smart. The way the third roll seats are stored under the second row creates a better trunk space and enough leg room for an adult to sit comfortably.
I’m 1.83cm and I had no issues getting in/out and I found it much more comfortable than most 3 row seats in other MPVs, where your knees would be at the same level as your chest.
The trunk is quite spacious when using as 5-seater. We used to go camping all the time, so much that we just kept everything in the trunk. And we still could fit our Costco bi-weekly purchases!
The sliding doors are very helpful, especially if you get the electronic version. Park, unbuckle, open the door and let the kid get out without leaving your seat.
And on top of all that, the car is small. It fits in any parking place, even those mechanical ones, where most of 7-seaters won’t fit.
