2024 Toyota Sienna vs 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid

The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid marked a bold departure from its predecessors, ushering in a new era of assertiveness. Its styling broke away from the mild-mannered looks of earlier versions, adopting a tougher, more truck-like exterior. The vehicle increased in size, stretching about 2.5 inches longer and half an inch wider than before. This newfound girth, alongside a longer wheelbase and wider front and rear tracks, gave the CR-V Hybrid a muscular and assertive stance that was visually striking.

One of the most notable changes in the design was the retention and enhancement of the classic D-pillar taillights. These now featured three L shapes each, providing a modern and aggressive look. The rear end adopted a blockier appearance, mirroring the bold front fascia. LED technology was used extensively in both the headlights and taillights, enhancing visibility and aesthetics.

For this review, the Sport Touring trim was driven in a striking Canyon River Blue, highlighting the Sport-specific styling elements like black roof rails, black mirrors, dual chrome exhaust finishers, and black wheels. Standard wheels across the CR-V lineup were 18 inches, yet the Sport Touring trim gained an upgrade to 19-inch wheels.

Inside, the CR-V Hybrid took inspiration from the design seen in the 2022 Civic and 2023 HR-V. The signature honeycomb grille surrounding the climate control vents spanned the width of the dashboard, contributing to a consistent look across Honda’s lineup while integrating seamlessly into the CR-V's design. The cabin materials exuded quality, with contrast stitching on the seats and steering wheel adding a touch of elegance. Overall, it succeeded in providing a more premium feel than previous generations.

In contrast, the 2024 Toyota Sienna maintained its distinctive look, spanning several trim levels: LE, XLE, XSE, Woodland Edition, Limited, and Platinum. Although the Sienna no longer aired its iconic “swagger wagon” commercials, that spirit lived on in its design. Competing with models like the Kia Carnival for style points, the Sienna sported sleek front and rear fascias, available in eye-catching colors like deep blue, red, and green.

LED lighting was standard across all trims, with upper-level models benefiting from Bi-LED projector headlamps. The XSE trim, deemed the “sporty” variant, featured a black metallic mesh front grille, black heated side mirrors, and 20-inch dark wheels, maintaining its swagger.

A noteworthy mention went to the Woodland Edition, designed to be more off-road capable with exclusive Cement or Midnight Black Metallic colors, roof rails with crossbars, a tow hitch, and an extra half inch of ground clearance.

The Sienna’s interior was geared towards families, offering standard cloth seats, three-zone climate control, and room for eight. However, the XSE trim with the optional Premium package transformed the experience by replacing the second-row bench with two captain’s chairs, adding heated and cooled leather-trimmed front seats and a leather-trimmed power steering wheel with Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) controls. Horizontal design lines lent a sense of spaciousness, and satin-accented fixed center consoles provided practicality. The inclusion of a built-in vacuum cleaner in upper trims showcased its family-friendly ingenuity.

Overall, the Sienna balanced stylish design with practicality, accommodating the demands of a family vehicle while still offering a distinctive, fun aesthetic.

The simplified powertrain choices for the 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid brought a turbocharged engine or a hybrid system. This might have seemed counterintuitive as turbo generally aligns with sportier models, but Honda’s hybrid setup managed to deliver more power without sacrificing efficiency. This configuration paired with a sporty look and extra features expected from a “sport” model resulted in a compact SUV that could reach speeds up to 115 mph.

The 2023 CR-V Hybrid combined a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a two-motor hybrid-electric system, yielding 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful CR-V to date. This increased responsiveness was especially beneficial for highway merging. The model was also rated for towing up to 1,000 lbs.

For enhanced driving experience, the 2023 CR-V Hybrid offered four drive modes: Snow, Sport, Normal, and Econ. The Snow mode was particularly assisted by an improved Real Time AWD system, now capable of sending up to 50% of its engine torque to the rear wheels. New hill-descent control added to the model’s versatility.

The CR-V Hybrid also featured a "B" shifter position to boost regenerative braking for a semi one-pedal driving experience. The addition of a front-wheel-drive option for the Sport trim highlighted impressive fuel efficiency figures with 43 mpg city, 36 highway, and 40 combined.

On the other hand, the 2024 Toyota Sienna featured a hybrid setup across all its trims. The combination of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors produced a total of 245 horsepower. AWD models had an extra electric motor dedicated to the rear wheels.

Despite the sporty elements in the XSE trim, the Sienna didn’t offer thrilling performance. The ride felt sluggish, particularly during acceleration, and while smooth, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) was noisy and didn’t complement high-speed endeavors well. The sport mode aimed to improve this but couldn’t achieve remarkable changes.

Town driving was a different story, presenting a mostly pleasant experience in Normal or Eco mode. An EV mode helped in low-speed areas like parking lots. Light and accurate steering, combined with excellent visibility, made city navigation easier. However, the brakes were sometimes grabby, causing minor inconveniences.

In comparison to other minivans like the Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival, or Chrysler Pacifica, which offered robust V6 engines, the Sienna was less compelling in the performance department.

The larger exterior of the 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid translated into significant interior expansion. The hybrid model saw an increase of 3 cubic feet in cargo space over the 2022 version, offering 36.3 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 76.5 cubic feet with them folded. These measurements were competitive with most rivals, providing more space than the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and slightly besting the Kia Sportage Hybrid's 74.1 cubic feet. The Sports Touring model featured a hands-free power tailgate, and wide-opening rear doors facilitated easier access. The improved LATCH system made child car seat installations simpler.

Rear passengers gained more legroom, now at 41 inches, making the CR-V Hybrid family-friendly and comfortable for tall passengers. The eight-position reclining rear seats maximized headroom and storage flexibility. Although headroom was slightly less than the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage, the inclusion of a standard power moonroof added an element of spacious openness to the cabin.

Smart interior storage solutions included a cubby designed to fit two smartphones side by side, eight cupholders distributed through the cabin, and a best-in-class storage console, enhancing the everyday utility of the CR-V Hybrid.

Conversely, the 2024 Toyota Sienna excelled in seating configuration and storage ingenuity, despite a few tricky operations. Up front, the lower storage pass-through accommodated bulkier items like a handbag or small backpack. Front storage was well-designed with four cupholders and additional ones in the doors, and a shelf above the glovebox held smaller items and housed the wireless charging pad.

The powered side doors in the second row were convenient, operable via handle activation or a button on the B-pillar. The second-row captain’s chairs slid 25 inches fore and aft, offering up to 40 inches of legroom, comparable to the front seats. However, the motors for these seats were complicated to operate, and the inability to remove the seats affected maximum cargo space.

Despite this limitation, the Sienna prioritized comfort for rear passengers, presenting cupholders and net pockets in the second row. Adults found it easy to access the third row, and its 39 inches of legroom when second-row seats were pushed forward was the best in class. Third-row seats reclined for added comfort, and like the second row, offered window shades and cupholders.

Standard tri-zone climate control included an extra zone for the front passenger in the XSE trim. The rear liftgate, operable with a foot motion, opened to reveal 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 75 cubic feet with the third row stowed, and up to 101 cubic feet with the second row folded.

Overall, the Sienna presented a highly practical and comfortable interior, ideal for family use, despite some compromises in absolute cargo space compared to other minivans.

Honda ensured that the 2023 CR-V Hybrid was well-equipped with consumer-preferred features, avoiding over-reliance on touchscreens. The base 7-inch touchscreen had physical volume and tuning knobs, while the 9-inch unit on the Sport Touring trim retained only a volume knob but added Home and Back buttons.

Features across the hybrid models included two USB-A and two USB-C ports, Bluetooth connectivity, dual-zone climate control, heated mirrors, and heated front seats, with a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. The Sport Touring trim boasted more luxury with driver’s seat memory, a four-way power-adjustable front passenger’s seat, heated steering wheel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Sirius XM, HD radio, Wi-Fi capability, a wireless charging pad, and a 12-speaker Bose Premium audio system. Its smart navigation system optimized fuel efficiency based on the chosen route.

By contrast, the 2024 Toyota Sienna lagged with its older infotainment technology. It featured a nine-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, physical buttons for common functions, and a lackluster backup camera. Analog gauges surrounded a 7-inch digital display showing speed, fuel economy, and audio details.

Despite these shortcomings, the Sienna included a standard Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an optional 12-speaker JBL stereo system. Rear camera mirrors streamed wide-angle video feeds, and in-dash navigation was available, though many preferred using smartphone maps. Ample USB ports were scattered throughout, and a 1500-watt inverter with 120-volt outlets was available in the second row and rear cargo area.

Optional features included an 11.6-inch rear-seat entertainment system and a 10-inch color head-up display. However, the older infotainment system and poor backup camera resolution were notable drawbacks in an otherwise tech-capable minivan.

The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid was packed with extensive safety features, making it a formidable choice for safety-conscious buyers. The Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver-assistance features was standard across all trims and included collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, and lane-keeping assist, all updated for smoother operation. Adaptive cruise control was notably present, a feature often missing in luxury segments.

New for 2023 were traffic jam assist and traffic sign recognition, along with low-speed braking control for the top trims. A blind-spot information system and cross-traffic monitor were standard, and parking sensors were added for the higher trims. Rear-seat and rear seatbelt reminders enhanced safety for all passengers.

Structural enhancements, including new airbags and dashboard patches, improved crash protection. The CR-V Hybrid had already earned top safety ratings, with a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS and five stars from the NHTSA, solidified further by its new features.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna also came equipped with the comprehensive Toyota Safety Sense suite. Standard features included lane departure alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, road sign recognition, full-speed adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and multiple airbags—including side curtain airbags for all three rows—further bolstered its safety credentials.

Adaptive cruise control was effective in reducing the stress of stop-and-go traffic. However, the lane-keeping assist showed inconsistency, causing side-to-side movement during use, though it was easily turned on and off via a steering wheel button.

Rear passengers benefited from seat belt reminders and prompts to check for occupants or items before exiting the vehicle. The Sienna’s safety ratings included four out of five stars for frontal crash and rollover protection and five stars for side crash protection from the NHTSA. The IIHS awarded it top scores in crashworthiness and a child restraint system but rated it as “Average” for front crash prevention.