Toyota adds more versatility and sportiness to its family shuttle.

Toyota actually claims to have beaten Chrysler’s minivans of 1984 to market by a few months with its creatively named Toyota Van. But it would take another 20 years for the Toyota Sienna to launch and directly compete with the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. As of 2004, Toyota’s family hauler had enough room, horsepower, and practical features to finally be considered a serious contender in the minivan ranks.

In our last minivan comparison test, the Sienna, despite being a three-year old design, placed second, beating out the current-generation Dodge Grand Caravan and falling behind the Honda Odyssey. We marveled at the Sienna’s luxurious demeanor, but leveled criticism on its flaccid responses and boring, anonymous character. It seems Toyota may have heard our complaints, because the redesigned 2011 Toyota Sienna has upped the sportiness quotient in both driving dynamics and looks.

A Highly Adaptive Living Room

Built upon the same platform as its predecessor and riding on the same 119.3-inch wheelbase, the new Sienna is marginally wider but nearly an inch shorter overall. Exterior styling is all new and far less anonymous than before; we might even go so far as to call it attractive. The shape is especially slippery, too; Toyota claims a low 0.31coefficient of drag. The newfound style continues inside where sweeping lines look more interesting and modern than the upright and conservative design of the previous Sienna. Interior plastics are pleasing to the eye, but touching them reveals a hard and slightly cheap-feeling texture.

Keep Reading: 2011 Toyota Sienna – First Drive Review

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This endearing vehicle is the Water Cannon 10000, built by Austrian coachbuilder Rosenbauer and based on the Mercedes-Benz Actros 3341 all-wheel-drive truck. Ten thousand is the water capacity in liters (equalling 2642 gallons). Every minute, up to 925 gallons can be dispensed at high pressure to clear the road and put protests to a swift end. Refilling is accomplished at water hydrants, open water, or both simultaneously, all at the same rate.

Reassuringly, the 31-ton Water Cannon 10000 is propelled by “an environmentally friendly Euro 5 version of a V-6 turbo-diesel engine. . . featuring BlueTec SCR diesel technology,” gushes a Mercedes press release. There’s more good news: “The driver benefits from a convenient Mercedes Powershift automated transmission.” And while the auxiliary HVAC system helps “maintain a pleasant interior temperature,” there is also “a refrigerated compartment for storing refreshments.” Nice!

German police seem to expect more than a few riots over the next few years, as 78 of these vehicles will be put into service over the next ten years (at total cost of €75 million or $107.6 million). Open the refreshments!

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+ Six finalists for the 2010 North American Car of the Year and Truck of the Year awards have been announced. The winners will be awarded next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. [Car and Driver]

+ GMC gives the Acadia its Denali treatment for 2011. [Car and Driver]

+ A post-bankruptcy GM looks promising after we get a glimpse of the next-gen Aveo and  Malibu as well as the upcoming Camaro convertible and Orlando. The General’s press event also hosted whispers of a G8-based rear-drive performance sedan making its way to the bow-tie brand.  [Car and Driver]

+ While the domestic manufacturers have each been properly backhanded by the economic crunch, Ford retained its dignity by not accepting a federal bailout or declaring bankruptcy. But what does the automaker really have that will continue the positive wave of press? [Car and Driver]

+ Taking a 19.9-percent stake in Suzuki, Volkswagen announces that joint ventures will begin as early as next month. It has been suggested that the two manufacturers will team up on future small, fuel-efficient cars. [4WheelNews.com]

+ While talk has been circulating that Mercedes GP is hoping to sign Michael Schumacher for a F1 return next season, Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry responds to these rumors by stating “The view from inside F1, not just my team, is they all hope it will happen. I can’t tell you at this stage [if it will happen], unfortunately.” [Autocar]

I’m not quite sure when the media collectively decided that Ford is the only American car company that knows what it’s doing, but it’s certainly the prevailing wisdom right now. A Detroit News editorial by Bryce G. Hoffman summed up the sentiment: “But the Dearborn automaker also scored major points with American consumers by foregoing a federal bailout and avoiding bankruptcy. That good will, together with a strong lineup of new cars and trucks, meant Ford fell neither as far nor as fast as the rest of the industry.”

Those of us who look at the business on a slightly more long-term basis can worry about Ford’s lack of a true global strategy, about all the debt it has to service, and the absence of any real luxury brands, but there’s no denying that Ford has taken market share away from its domestic rivals.

It hasn’t done so on the basis of superior products, though. The Ford Escape may be selling well, but just came in bottom of the heap (as a nearly identical Mercury Mariner) in our latest small SUV comparison test. The Ford Fusion is solid, but it’s not a Honda Accord or a Mazda6. The Ford Flex and the Edge are merely OK. The Taurus and SHO? Ho-hum, and a packaging disaster. The Focus is well past its sell by-date. Only the Fusion hybrid and the Mustang are top of their classes. As for the Lincoln lineup, the MKT is way too expensive, while the MKS is overpriced and underbaked.

We were just looking at the latest issue of Automotive News and its data on vehicle inventories. Although it’s not a totally reliable indicator of how well vehicles are selling—manufacturers can trim production to keep inventories at manageable levels—it gives a decent indication as to the relative “hotness” of brand-new vehicles. And when you start doing some like-for-like comparisons, Ford doesn’t look so cute. The Camaro has 41 days supply: Mustang has 141. The Buick LaCrosse has 54 days supply: the Lincoln MKS has 81 days and the MKZ 74 days. Look at the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia against the MKT and it’s the same picture: 124 days against 57 and 80 respectively.

The only Ford car which spanks a GM competitor in days of supply is the Fusion, when compared with the Chevrolet Malibu. Let’s hope that Ford isn’t  too much of that media Kool-Aid.

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