2020 Toyota Sienna vs 2020 Land Rover Defender

Since the second half of the 20th century, each decade has had a hot-topic family car, and, as we’ve noted in a number of reviews this year, the crossover is our current darling vehicle. Before the crossover, there were big, truck-based SUVs. Before that, there were station wagons.

And for the past 35 years, there's always been the minivan.

The Dodge Caravan has been widely considered the Patient Zero of the minivan segment. From there, seemingly everyone joined the party, including Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, GMC, Volkswagen, Oldsmobile, and more. Heck, even Mercury had a “Nautica Edition” version of the Villager.

The minivan was king once, the crossover is king now, and some other type of vehicle will likely dominate in the near future. But in all this, the 7- and 8-passenger minivans will always represent the ultimate in versatility. The crossover is an image-forward fad with a dash of usability, but the minivan continues to prove itself as the pinnacle of practicality.

The 2020 Toyota Sienna is neither the newest nor flashiest minivan out there, but when you absolutely need space for people and gear, there’s nothing better. Additionally, as of 2020 the Sienna is the only minivan to offer all-wheel drive (AWD), which is something specifically desired by many car buyers.

The Land Rover Defender didn’t have to leave, but as the saying goes, it couldn't stay here. In 1996, after only two model years, the United States banned the Defender 90 because it didn't have airbags, a proud feature this crusty old truck boasted from 1990 until its final breath in 2016. Around the world, the Defender—and the Series I, II, and III models that were nearly the same since 1948—has been Britain's answer to the American Jeep, the German Gelandewagen, and the Japanese FJ. It was a farming vehicle built on warrior bones that served millions, including armies, without a whiff of prestige or wealth.

Today, Land Rover is a luxury manufacturer of extreme off-road vehicles that can and do go everywhere on Earth. The new Defender isn't anything like the old Defender, and thank God. But don't think the Defender nameplate has gone too soft, because at its core, it's just a cushier, way pricier Wrangler.