Favored by Japan’s emperor, as well as high-ranking
government officials, wealthy businessmen, and even Yakuza bosses, the Toyota
Century is Japan’s most exclusive luxury model. You can think of it as the
Rolls Royce or Bentley of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Now, Toyota’s flagship has been fully redesigned
after over two decades in production, or 21 years, to be precise. That’s a long
time for a model to remain virtually unchanged whichever way you see it, but
that’s how Toyota rolls with the Century as the model has only
seen three generations in the 50 years since its birth.
Revealed to the world for the first time last fall,
the completely redesigned 2018 Century has been released as a Japan-only model
with prices starting from 19,600,000 yen (US$ 177,716), without tax, recycling
fees and, of course, optional extras.
Retaining a classic shape, the third generation
Toyota Century has a slightly larger footprint than the car it replaces. It now
measures 5,335 mm long, 1,930 mm wide, and 1,505 mm tall,
with a 3,090 mm wheelbase.
Opening the door reveals a
luxurious cabin, with individual rear seats and plenty of room for the
occupants, who will keep themselves busy with a lot of functions. What you
might not expect if you’re not accustomed to Japanese tradition and preferences
when it comes to luxury, are the wool velour covered seats. Still, you can get it with leather, if that’s your thing.
The equipment list includes a 16-inch rear seat
entertainment system, high-end audio, and 7-inch touch panel in the rear center
armrest that allows passengers to control the massage function of the seats,
curtains, air conditioning and sound system.
Toyota has also fitted the car with an
electronically controlled air suspension and claims that body rigidity was
improved through the use of structural adhesives. Moreover, there are newly
developed suspension arms, bus, mount and tires, along with other rubber parts,
which reduce road vibration and increase ride comfort. The active noise control
system could have been left out from the new Century, either.
The Toyota Safety Sense driving assistance features
are also part of the package. These include Blind Spot Monitor, Parking Support
Alert, Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert, Radar Cruise Control,
Adaptive High Beam and HelpNet. The latter activates automatically if the
airbags deploy, and an operator will contact the local authorities, informing
them of the incident.
Powering the 2018 Toyota Century is a 5.0-liter V8
hybrid-gasoline engine, rated at 381 PS and 510 Nm of
torque, aided by a 224 PS and 300 Nm of torque
electric motor. The latter is fed by a nickel-metal battery and the automaker
claims a total output of 431 PS. Making sure that exclusivity is
maintained, Toyota targets monthly sales of only 50 units. All cars are
produced at the Higashi-Fuji plant, in the Land of the Rising Sun.
