--- description: New audio feature in Sienna minivan Driver Easy Speak amplifies voice in the backseat via the vehicle's audio system. title: New Toyota Feature Makes It Easier to Yell at Your Kids image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Toyota Adds Minivan Feature Designed to Keep Kids Quiet in the Backseat by [Bijan Stephen](/author/bijan-stephen/) ## Bijan Stephen Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 21, 2014 1:18 PM CUT by [Bijan Stephen](/author/bijan-stephen/) ## Bijan Stephen Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 21, 2014 1:18 PM CUT The dawn of the minivan began in those halcyon days when vans were just that: large, unwieldy, and neither fashionable nor practical. They didn’t have the restrained elegance, beauty, or allure of, say, station wagons. Now over the last few decades, minivans have arguably become symbols of stability and family values – plus, the kids love the space for activities! So if you’re in the market for a new minivan—and if the people you tote around in your backseat are usually unruly—Toyota has [just announced](http://www.wral.com/new-toyota-minivan-makes-it-easier-to-yell-at-kids/13823631/ "undefined") a compelling feature for their newest iteration of the venerable Sienna. They call it Driver Easy Speak, and it’s a system intended to amplify the driver’s voice in the backseat via the vehicle’s own audio system “so parents don’t have to shout to passengers in the back,” according to Toyota, the Associated Press [reports](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/new-toyota-minivan-makes-it-easier-yell-kids "undefined"). The feature will only appear in vans with Toyota’s premium audio option at the moment. For some parents, however, that might be a small price to pay to get their kids to buckle up and get to soccer practice on time. Plus, think of how much fun those kids will have with the system when they’re teens who let their friends bum rides! That in itself may be priceless. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3009792/toyota-adds-minivan-feature-designed-to-keep-kids-quiet-in-the-backseat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3009792/toyota-adds-minivan-feature-designed-to-keep-kids-quiet-in-the-backseat/"},"headline":"Toyota Adds Minivan Feature Designed to Keep Kids Quiet in the Backseat","datePublished":"2014-07-21T13:18:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:11:48.155Z","description":"Just in time for summer road trips","url":"https://time.com/3009792/toyota-adds-minivan-feature-designed-to-keep-kids-quiet-in-the-backseat/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Parenting","Toyota"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Bijan Stephen","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/bijan-stephen/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3009792/toyota-adds-minivan-feature-designed-to-keep-kids-quiet-in-the-backseat/","name":"Toyota Adds Minivan Feature Designed to Keep Kids Quiet in the Backseat"}}]}] ```