Toyota recently introduced the Vellfire, a full-size luxury MPV in India. Toyota has cemented its dominance when it comes to MPVs with the various iterations of the Innova. Taking a step higher, Toyota launched the Vellfire in India. It’s a properly luxurious car and while it looks like a fair bit of money on paper, it comes packing plenty of kit to make it a worthy challenger to the luxury SUVs that are so popular at this price point. Here are a few of them:
Interiors: Fit for a king
The Vellfire not only looks big but is equally spacious on the inside. Forget captain seats, the second row of the Vellfire comes with seats that are fit to be in a first-class jetliner. They offer massive support, remain comfortable and can even recline to an almost horizontal position. If you’re someone who is going to be spending a lot of time in the second row, the Vellfire’s ‘Executive Lounge’ certainly deserves your attention.
The Vellfire also comes equipped with features like a split sunroof for the first and second-row passengers, an expandable armrest, a soft reading light that Toyota calls the VIP spotlight and a remote control system to adjust the seat positions. To increase the luxury quotient in the Vellfire Toyota has also equipped the Vellfire with features like a screen for the entertainment of rear passengers, a JBL-powered audio system, privacy screens on the rear cabin and buttons to recline the front passenger seat from the rear. Also, just like the Innova, you can move the third-row seat in the Vellfire to get extra space for luggage in the boot. Even with a three-row seating arrangement the Vellfire doesn’t feel cramped in any manner and offers enough legroom, headroom and lumbar support.
Safety: Solid as ever
Toyota with the Vellfire not only prioritised the luxury for passengers but also worked on keeping them safe inside the car. For starters, it gets seven airbags to keep the occupants on the inside safe in case of an accident. There’s a comprehensive electronics system to prevent you from reaching that point in the first place – the ABS and Brake Assist systems help in panic braking situations, while the car also gets traction control and a stability control system. These systems don’t work in isolation though, they all work in sync (called VDIM or Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management System) to ensure the driver has maximum control of the car at all times. It also gets a 360-degree camera along with parking sensors to ensure you can park this large van with ease.
Self-charging hybrids: Efficiency with power
The Vellfire comes with an ingenious self-charging hybrid system that significantly improves emissions and fuel economy while adding to the power that the car makes at the same time. The system is pretty straightforward. A large battery powers two electric motors – one on the front axle and one on the rear axle (giving the Vellfire AWD!) that supplement the internal combustion engine when needed. The battery is charged when the car decelerates, and the motor can charge the battery as well. Interestingly, the Vellfire can run in full EV mode as well at low speeds and for short distances making it a zero-emissions vehicle when it does so! What other SUV gives bragging rights such as these?
Exterior: No-nonsense
On the outside, the Vellfire is huge, with 4935mm of overall length, 1850mm of width and 1895mm of height. Out on the road, it certainly is hard to miss and has tremendous presence. It does get automatic LED headlamps with DRLs but the most interesting feature here as to be the automatic sliding doors. There’s no ungainly heaving the doors shut when you’re getting in and out of it. All it takes is a simple push of the button and the door simply slides open and shut! This form factor also means you can squeeze it into tighter parking spots!
Toyota: Reliability on wheels
Toyota is known for its reliability. There’s a reason why the Innova is such a popular car – because they run 3-4 lakh km without ever throwing up trouble. The same holds true for the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and is one of the key factors in the high resale values of Toyotas. The Vellfire should be no different. Built to Toyota’s stringent standards, you can expect an utterly faultless driving experience with the Vellfire leaving you to do what the Vellfire’s backseat wants you to do – relax.