When auto manufacturers stopped using the standardized DIN head units, the aftermarket audio scene pretty much died. It’s no longer so easy to mix and match off-the-shelf components if the stereo is integrated into a larger infotainment system. However, Toyota has created a concept van that hearkens back to the glory days of audio competitions where cars were built more for blasting music than for driving.
If you’re going to pack a vehicle with the most wattage possible, it helps to start with one that’s got a lot of space. The Sienna:Remix rips out seats usually reserved for the extended family and fills it with 14 tweeters, four 12-inch subwoofers, 36 midrange speakers, and six percussion horns. That’s 60 speakers fed by 16 amps to deafen ears with 25,000 watts of power. The system also uses a 12-channel digital sound processor to improve the “accuracy” of digital tunes, as well as an eight-channel mixer so multiple audio inputs can be blared.
Other callbacks to the 90s heyday of car audio include under-glow provided by LEDs that can be programmed to an array of colors. A similar LED setup inside can be synced to “bounce” with the beat of the music. No monument to AV excess would be complete without an on-board television, and the Sienna:Remix does not disappoint with a 43-inch flatscreen.
The pièce de résistance is a retractable roof out of which a DJ booth with digital turntables emerges. Though Toyota doesn’t claim it, this party trick sounds like a callback to the multiple Scion xB DJ booths that Toyota once built when Scion was still a thing. As to not interfere with whoever’s on the 1s and 2s, the liftgate has been replaced by swing-out barn doors that should be a production option on Toyotas (ahem, Land Crusier).
In order to support the weight of all this equipment, Toyota has modified the suspension with heavier springs and a 2-inch lift. And, as if you had any doubts, Toyota says there’s been “extensive use of noise dampening materials.” The Sienna:Remix will probably appear at Toyota-sponsored music festivals around the country. Sadly, they chose not to go with Turnt Sienna.
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