2015 Toyota Sienna AWD named best all-weather minivan

It is pretty much a no-brainer that the 2015 Toyota Sienna AWD minivan would win the New England Motor Press Association’s award for best winter vehicle in its class. After all, every other automaker that sells a minivan in the U.S. market only offers two-wheel drive. As every New England family knows, all-wheel drive is always better than 2WD when the snow flies. However, there is much more to this story.

In the snow, an AWD Sienna is more than twice as fast to 50 MPH than a Honda Odyssey. Of course it is, because of its AWD system. But what about compared to other cars with the ability to accelerate with all four wheels? A Toyota Sienna Minivan can beat a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 from 0 to 50 MPH when the conditions are wintery.

So the Sienna is good in the snow. Is that it? No. The Texas Auto Writers Association also named the Sienna the 2015 Sienna the Family Car of Texas, a state not known for snow. Down in Hot-lanta, they also love the Toyota van with Atlanta’s writers calling the 2015 Sienna the Best Three-Row Vehicle for Families.

So it is good in snow, and the auto writers all love the Sienna van. How does it do in comparisons in which opinions are not part of the judging? Well, in IIHS testing the 2015 Sienna was the only van to earn a Top Safety Pick Plus rating. The Toyota Sienna also has the best resale value of any van.

We’re not sure there are any contests left for the 2015 Toyota Sienna minivan to win, but if it does we will be sure to report it.