Moving Your Daughter to College is Hard; the Toyota Sienna Makes It Easy
No one likes watching their baby go off to college. But the the right car helps to take a lot of weight off my shoulders.
College move-in day is emotional. There’s excitement and pride for your kid, mixed with nostalgia and sadness for your little one fleeing the nest. All the emotion can be dulled by hard work: bins, boxes, and necessary extras to pack a student and all her assorted things into a tiny shared space. For the visionary fortunate who didn’t trade the family minivan for a smaller car, the ability to facilitate college move-ins is easy(er). For those of us not enough not as insightful, a minivan such as the 2025 Toyota Sienna is a stroke of luck.
For me, it was all those things this August as I packed up my daughter and dropped her off for her junior year of college at Arizona State University—2,000 miles from our Massachusetts home.
This time around was a lot different. There weren’t tears like when she left the nest as a freshman, but it was still bittersweet to say goodbye. The distance between home and college meant more attention to efficiency; the extra space in the Toyota Sienna gave us room for all the necessities as well as space to let the emotion ebb and flow between us. Now I see why a minivan is something to be held on to until after the kids leave college.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
Like Many, I Didn’t Think a Minivan Was “Me”
I’ll admit that I was one of those parents who didn’t think a minivan was cool. We owned a few SUVs and wagons over the years instead. Still, we rented Toyota Sienna minivans for college drop-offs, vacations, and long road trips. They’ve always delivered on comfort, space, and reliability, but I couldn’t imagine one as a daily driver.
This year, however, was my first time in the 2025 Toyota Sienna Platinum Hybrid, priced from $39,485 to $56,445 for our test model, and it surprised us all, from the premium feel to the vacuum to the cool box that keeps drinks cool.
But more importantly, once we climbed in, we found our comfortable spaces and could relax. The advanced tech, such as “hey Toyota” voice assistance that can change the radio station or set navigation just by asking, to the wireless Apple CarPlay, elevated our journey—my daughter’s and mine. I no longer felt like a subservient, sad mom delivering my daughter to college in a minivan; I felt confident, and so did she.
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Comfort and Space for Move-In Day
We flew from Boston to Phoenix and picked up the Sienna at the airport. The drive to Tucson from Phoenix is just under two hours, and with a car full of luggage and family, I quickly realized how much the Sienna’s interior space mattered. Even with every seat upright, we had more than enough room for our large suitcases, backpacks, and other carry-ons.
The second-row reclining seats were an absolute hit with my daughter and my sister, who joined us for the trip. On move-in day, we were able to rearrange the Sienna’s flexible second and third-row seating to fit bedding, bookshelves, boxes, and bags without feeling cramped. The minivan’s spacious design kept everything organized while still allowing us to ride in comfort. With up to 101 cubic feet of Toyota Sienna cargo space, this hybrid minivan handled everything. And I mean that: it fits literally everything my daughter owns.
Even when packed to capacity, the drive remained smooth, quiet, and relaxing. And now I understand why the Toyota Sienna Minivan is a go-to for so many families. Plus, the hybrid’s mileage was a bonus.
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The Hybrid Powertrain Did a Lot of Heavy Lifting
One of the biggest surprises of our week in Tucson was the Hybrid Sienna’s fuel economy. It was impressively efficient. Despite daily trips to campus, errands around town, and the initial drive from Phoenix, we used only about three-quarters of a tank of gas.
I didn’t have to worry about constant stops for gas or high fuel costs, which was a massive bonus. Even more impressive is that it averages about 36, even with all-wheel drive, a must where we live in Massachusetts. I wish my car were this fuel-efficient.
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The Sienna’s Interior Tech Features Made Long-Distance Travel Easier
One of the standout qualities of the 2025 Sienna Platinum Hybrid is its advanced technology. The multimedia system, equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay, enabled us to stream playlists, make calls, and find our way around Tucson. My daughter happily played DJ while I used the touchscreen to find the fastest routes. It was *fun* to listen to her playlist on the 12-speaker JBL sound system [and I swear, I would do it again].
Safety tech was another huge plus. Features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitor, and a 360-degree camera system made both highway driving and navigating busy campus streets stress-free. Parking in tight university lots was simple thanks to the camera system and front and rear park assist.
Other interior features we loved on our drive:
- 6 USB charging ports, which would be great for charging tablets or phones
- Four-zone auto climate control
- Enormous center console with a mini-fridge—great for keeping snacks and drinks cool and at the ready
- On-board vacuum cleaner for crumby messes made by toddlers, or by clumsy teens.
- Leather-trimmed heated/ventilated seats to keep cool (or warm) all year-round.
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Unsurprisingly, We Were Wooed By the Sienna’s Flexibility
Power sliding doors, flexible seating, and a hands-free liftgate make this Toyota Sienna a top choice among family-friendly cars in 2025. Those features really helped streamline everything on move-in day. A wide entry point through the rear and sides allowed us to easily load and unload her things without having to squeeze in and out of tight spots. This versatility shines through.
We also appreciated how easy it was to move the seats around for loading and unloading. The second row seats can tilt and slide, improve access to items kept in the very rear, and the ability to remove the middle seat/tray was an immense help. We didn’t use them for this trip, but the Sienna comes with roof rails and crossbars, which can accommodate a cargo box or basket.
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I Realized It’s Not Just For the Kids—But For Everything In Between
It’s hard not to look in the rearview mirror at the rear seats and imagine singing Elmo songs with your daughter in her car seat, while in reality, you’re looking at a year’s worth of college apartment essentials. For both stages of my daughter’s life, the Sienna had everything we needed to get the job done safely and comfortably.
The truth is, this Toyota Sienna is all of those things. It’s built for all of life’s big family moments—road trips, holiday visits, cross-country adventures, or even simple weekends spent together. It makes me wistful that I had resisted a minivan when my kids were younger. It certainly would have been easier for soccer weekends with a group of boys and equipment squeezed into our SUV.
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There Was a Lot For Me to Reflect On
I drove back to Phoenix feeling all the bittersweet emotions: Proud for my daughter’s next era, sad for the start of mine. And glad for the confidence the Sienna gave us through this journey. The weekend was a milestone in her life, and in mine as I returned to the airport an empty nester with an even emptier nest—and an empty Sienna.
Though this Toyota Sienna would return to serve another family on another journey, I could imagine how comforting it must be to drive it all the way home and to plan for its next journey: holiday trips home, graduation weekend move-outs, jaunts to the Grand Canyon or California coast.
A minivan isn’t just transportation; it’s part of the story, facilitating all the more important moments in life. And even though you can’t hold on to your kids once they leave the nest, you can hold on to that minivan and be there to help them settle into the next one.
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