Wearing a price tag of S$400k with COE, top-spec MPV luxury motoring now has a whole new face

SINGAPORE

The fourth-generation version of Toyota’s luxury MPV, the Vellfire, officially goes on sale today. The seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle, which first appeared in 2008 as a more upscale version of the Toyota Alphard, is now powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine with hybrid electric drive. Total power output is rated at 191 horsepower.  It carries a launch price of S$399,888 with COE.

It’s as big as an MPV can get before it needs to be re-classified as something else entirely. Measuring five metres in length and 1.9 metres across, the seats are configured in a 2+2+3 set up.

Toyota claims that its engineers sought to establish a sense of boldness for the styling with a seamless connection between the headlights and grille patterns to generate a more sharp edged look to the front end. From the B-pillar to back, a single-stroke cabin silhouette line that was originally popularised by the smaller Toyota Wish MPV more than 10 years ago gives the effect of a huge window space. 

The bottom edge of the front and rear bumpers are chrome plated as well, a Vellfire-only trim addition that is not found on its Alphard sibling.

Yet the Vellfire has never been just a simple people mover, and while the exterior gets in-your-face highlights like the chrome intake grille and chrome window surrounds, the interior is all about first-class transport on the other side of a BMW 7 Series.

This luxury MPV is all-electric, and all-posh

A multimedia interface that utilises a 14-inch screen commands the attention of the front seat passenger while the driver gets switchgear that’s similar to the level of that you expect to find in a Lexus, Toyota’s luxury carmaker.

The second row is really where all the fun is at, with individual, motorised reclining seats for two individual passengers. While motorised adjusters are nothing new in that almost all luxury limos now feature them, the Vellfire’s cabin is packed with switchgear that seem like they fell out of the first-class section of a commercial aeroplane.

When you want seven seats but don’t want to drive a giant tissue box

Two detachable remote controllers that look exactly like smartphones allow the passengers to control multiple functions from the seat, both of which have massage functionality. Overhead, the moonroof consists of two separate panels with a control console in between. Soft LED lighting runs the length of the ceiling  along the console, which has air con vents and controls for the moonroof.   

A single 3-pin electrical plug resides in the centre console, along with a full HDMI connector for hooking up high-definition video sources to be played on the main screen on the dashboard.

Normal MPVs tend to have smaller third rows, but the Vellfire leaves legroom on the back, even when the second row is pushed totally rearwards. The trade off is that it’s clear with seven occupants onboard there is totally no room for any luggage because the boot space has been given over to the third row. 

You can still fold the third row seats up. They pack up against the inner side walls of the car and that way you end up with room for four occupants and a pretty good amount of boot space.

Toyota claims that it has a rated fuel economy of 5.8l/100km, which is almost twice as good as what the Hyundai Palisade can do. However this needs to be tempered by the fact that the Palisade has a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and is much faster than the Vellfire Hybrid.

There’s no hiding the boxy shape of large MPVs, but Toyota has shown that it knows how to do luxury within a box. If you want something even more posh but have no interest in driving it like a sports car, then it’s time to look out for the next generation version of the Lexus LM, technically still actually a Toyota, coming to Singapore in October 2023. 

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