Recently, I was invited to attend Toyota’s first-ever Sienna Design & Drive event at Calty Design Research, Toyota’s North American design studio in Newport Beach, California. I would get an in-depth look at the all-new 2011 Sienna…at Toyota’s expense. How cool is that? The activities even sounded fun. They were going to provide a look into Toyota’s design studio to show how the Sienna went from concept to reality. I would have been able to model my own clay car with the help of Toyota modelers and designers. Best of all, I would have had the chance to participate in a “Ride and Drive for Charity” where I would drive the Sienna around while picking up items for local charities. I’ve never been to California. I like to see how things come together and I love helping charities. In theory, it was the perfect work trip.
Unfortunately, there’s this thing called reality. Two things prevented me from going. First (and most importantly), I do not like to drive. I learned how to do it, but I definitely would not tempt fate by driving a new car and smashing it…even if it was for charity. Secondly, it just didn’t fit into my family’s calendar. Fortunately, I have a group of amazing mom writers and one of them, Shari, was able to go and represent Mom in the City.
To say that Shari had a wonderful time would not be sufficient. You can view her nature shots and read the funny parts about it over on her new blog Dusty Earth Mother. Let’s just say that she called me when she arrived and left a message saying that she was jealous for me. Thanks Shari. The hotel was beautiful/on the water. That’s alright though. There’s no need to be jealous. There are enough great work trips to go around. In fact (perhaps as a consolation prize), I will be going to California with my husband for a work event next month on our anniversary weekend…but that is another post. In any event, Shari had a great time hanging out with the different bloggers, especially my friend Kim and “Busy Mom” my friend in my head * (I say “friend in my head”, because we have never actually met in real life. I just like what I know of her from twitter, her blog and such.)
Now…below are Shari’s thoughts:
“We began the day with a tour of Calty Research and Design, where all Toyotas are born in the minds of passionate and artistic designers. I must confess, I’m not much of a “car girl”; my motto tends to be “if it starts when I put the key in, I’ll take it.” But learning about the process of creating a Toyota from idea to production was surprisingly fascinating to me. So many factors are taken into account, from current fashion to trends in the arts to safety and practicality. (The “elephant in the room”, Toyota’s recent safety issues and recall, was addressed; if you would like to hear more on this topic, visit Traveling Mom at www.travelingmom.com.) The absolute best part of the day was watching the sculptors sculpt a life-sized version of a Toyota out of clay. Apparently, creating virtual cars in a graphics program lacks one very important element: reality. Because a car is a three-dimensional object, it is necessary to see it in a three-dimensional form. Hence, the life-sized clay model of the car, sculpted by modern-day automotive Michelangelos.
Our test drive was wisely paired with another of Toyota’s passions: charitable giving. We were sent out in our Sienna mini-vans to purchase much-needed items for two local charities, Orangewood Children’s Foundation and Artists for Healing. Tooling around gorgeous Southern California in our “loaded” Sienna was a hoot. “Car girl” or not, I can tell you that the Sienna handles like a dream. The ride was smooth as silk and seriously comfy. Even though the mini-van felt enormous to me (I drive a much smaller car), I was whipping around corners and curves like a champ. Some of the features that I loved were the large, built-in GPS (since I tend to get lost in my own driveway), the dual power sliding side and rear doors, rain-sensing automatic wipers (yeah, I’m sure that I can figure out on my own if it’s raining, but the wipers are still very fun and convenient), the “magic” keyless entry and ignition, the “conversation mirror” (a second rearview mirror that allows you to see the entire inside length of the car, obviously for purposes of saying “Hey! Stop hitting your sister!), and the gorgeous, two-toned dashboard. I’m sure I could say more about the horsepower and the all-wheel drive, but since I know nothing about these things, I will merely say:
Nice ride, Sienna.
Also, if you want an example of Toyota’s good sense of humor, check out their “Mini-van rap” below:
-Shari”
I (Kimberly) just wanted to add that I don’t think that this trip was a public relations cover-up for the challenges that Toyota have been having recently. I was initially asked to go on this trip much earlier in the year, but it was rescheduled. On another note, a friend sent me the same link that Shari referred to in her write-up. I think that it’s pretty funny.
I vote that the Sienna has “swagger” (as much as a minivan can have). What do you think about the Sienna?
