India has finally
received the flagship Toyota MPV - the Toyota Vellfire. Basically a more
stylish version of the Toyota Alphard, the Toyota Vellfire has been priced at
INR 79.50 lakh (ex-showroom India).
The Toyota Vellfire and Toyota Alphard
cost the same in Japan, but the reason why TKM went for the former instead of
the latter is obvious. The former offers more value for money with its
relatively more stylish exterior that also gives it a better road presence.
Both are manufactured by Toyota Auto Body at its Inabe plant in Japan.
The Toyota Vellfire is made in standard
body and aero body versions, but only the former has been brought to India. A
7-seat seating layout with captain seats in the second row is standard in our
market. Internationally, an 8-seat seating layout is also offered. The Japanese
minivan measures 4,935 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width and 1,950 mm in height.
It has a 3,000 mm wheelbase.
While conventional petrol engine options
are available internationally, in India, the Toyota Vellfire is a hybrid-only
offering. There's a 197 PS parallel hybrid system comprising the 2AR-FXE
2.5-litre petrol engine, the 2JM and 2FM electric motors and a 6.5 Ah
Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack. The rear-mounted 2FM electric motor results
in electric four-wheel drive. Toyota calls this setup E-Four. The company
claims that E-Four increases total torque to the rear wheels by 30%. This
system distributes torque to the rear wheels based on the driving conditions.
The fuel economy rating of this people mover is 16.35 km/l.
The Toyota Vellfire is available in India
in only the Executive Lounge trim. It features split LED headlamp with
cornering function, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED rear combination lamps, oodles of
chrome all around on the outside, twin moonroof, power rear and back doors,
ventilated and heated front seats with memory function, power reclining and
adjustable ottoman second-row seats, individual seat tables and much more as
standard.
The Toyota Vellfire rivals the Mercedes
V-Class. The German luxury MPV is sold in both the old, pre-facelift version
and the new, facelifted version. The former costs INR 68.40 lakh* in the
Expression trim and INR 81.90 lakh* in the Exclusive trim, while the latter is
sold in the Elite trim for a price of INR 1.10 crore*. Moreover, there’s also
the Marco Polo camper variant of the latter, available in Marco Polo Horizon
and Marco Polo trims for a price of INR 1.38 crore* and INR 1.46 crore*
respectively.