All I’ll tell you is that it is large on bling and can be a mountain of an MPV; almost 5m long, 1.85m wide and 1.9m tall, it creates an Innova Crysta look positively midsized. Now over to the primary event.
The moment the powered sliding rear doors open to provide me my first good look at the Vellfire’s cottage, I’m a little taken aback. There are corridor levels of space between the front and middle row seats — and that’s with the chairs in their routine settings. In the event the Innova is a living room on wheels, this one’s a mansion! It’s a small step up into the Vellfire, so, conveniently, there’s a sturdy grab handle each on the B-pillar and at the rear of the front seats for added support. The journey is well worthwhile, as I quickly find out. The center row consists of two large chairs that are closer to La-Z-Boy recliners than your normal captain’s seat. Finished in cushy, high-quality leather, the XXL-sized chairs provide excellent shoulder, neck and back support, and even the headrest bolsters can be corrected. The chairs would not feel strange in a Lexus; they’re that great.
You can personalize the experience too. A section of the armrest flips open to reveal a control panel for several manners of seat configurations. You can adjust the backrest angle, in addition to the angle and duration of the powered leg rests. There are seat heating and cooling also. But for the entire effect, you need to be about the boss’ seat. Reach out to maneuver the co-driver chair forward (through buttons on the said seat), or even, have your chauffeur do so to you, then adjust your seat for full extension. The chair motors whirr into action and what you receive a couple of seconds later is a near-flat mattress. This is a business course on four wheels. It’s a great location for captains of business to unwind after a long day at the office.
Toyota Velfire Interior Review
Contents
Plus it is. For one, those seated in the third row won’t feel like guests. The seating position is comfy and given the prosperity of the cabin room, it’s exceptionally easy to reach a joyful knee-room compromise with all the middle-row passengers. There’s no shortage of shoulder and headroom at the back . The rearmost seats are broad enough for three, but the center split can be bothersome to some center occupants. They work well for two. Reclining backrests, fold-down armrests, committed AC vents and even sunblinds for the back windows are part of the package. Yes, to get an MPV of the Vellfire’s dimensions and one with sliding doors and sliding mid-row seats, you’d expect easier access into the last row (the aperture is not all that big ), but even so, the Toyota’s third-row encounter is one of the best in the business.
Toyota Vellfire Interior Review
Those seated up front have it quite good also. The seats are big on comfort, get cooling and heating, and as an added incentive, the front passenger seat includes a powered leg break. Seat memory, an easy-access system (it automatically moves the chair backward for ease of entrance ) and also heated steering are items to produce the driver’s life easier. There’s also plenty of space for smaller things, including a massive center box between the chairs. The dashboard is simple to navigate and there’s generous usage of soft-touch materials on the bigger surfaces, but many of the buttons feel plasticky and some even look dated. The Mercedes V-class that the Vellfire will inevitably be judged against supplies a more premium-looking cottage.
The Vellfire’s size — coupled with a dashboard which extends far out to fulfill the base of the windscreen — would normally make this a slightly intimidating vehicle to drive. The fantastic news is that you do not need much time behind the steering to get comfortable with all the Vellfire. The large seating and large glass area give a great view out, and what also can help to break the ice is that the surprisingly light steering. It’s easy to set the Vellfire as well as U-turns do not need any special work. Our test car only featured a reverse camera, even though variations offered abroad to receive a 360-degree camera that will undoubtedly make life simpler still. On the transfer, the steering offers enough feel to allow you to push the large Toyota with confidence. The seemingly insufficient ground clearance does not pose an issue either.
Toyota Welfire Hybrid Review
The table folds out airplane-style but is too little.
The Vellfire for India comes powered by a hybrid powertrain that comprises a 150hp, 2.5-liter gasoline engine which runs on the Atkinson cycle, and a pair of electric motors, one per axle. The 105kW (143hp) front-engine works along with the engine (combined power is ranked at 197hp) to drive the front wheels via an e-CVT.
Luxury MPV or cargo van, take your choice.
The powertrain provides the Vellfire with more than sufficient go. The large Toyota builds speed with elegance and manages to conceal its two-tonne-plus bulk quite well. It’s rather at ease with a full house also, and there’s not much noise in the engine bay either — at least at average driving speeds. The ready power means that you don’t need to end the motor all that often. It’s also likely to push the Vellfire in pristine EV style for short distances; yet, nevertheless, requires gentle inputs
About the accelerator.
front passenger seat gets a powered leg break.
Driving impressions done, it is back to the middle row. The big windows make my vote, and what’s good is they may be wrapped, and come with full-size sun blinds. Other features of note include a second-row sunroof, 16-colour mood light and dedicated climate control for the rear section of the cabin. But, there are some curious omissions too. Even though a seat massage operates would have been a great feature to have, a rear-seat amusement unit is something you’d just anticipate. Also, our test car didn’t have any charging points at the trunk; this can be frustrating if you have to work on your notebook on the best way to the office. And not to be picky, but the retractable straps for the middle-row chairs are also too little, although the fold-out cupholders will keep your drinks firmly in place.
Sprawled out in the trunk, I can tell the ride is a tad company and there is more road noise than you would get, say a German luxury car. The question is can you think about a Vellfire over a like-priced luxury SUV or sedan? You see, the Vellfire will come to India as a complete import in ancient 2020, which means costs will be in the region of Rs 85-90 lakh (estimated, ex-showroom).
E-Four badging signifies an electrical four-wheel drive.
Image-conscious buyers will scoff at the notion of spending large on an MPV (let alone one from Toyota) and broadly speaking, the Vellfire isn’t the sort of vehicle that fits the typical description of a luxury vehicle. But, those who want space and comfort above all else, and also value the reassurance that comes with buying a Toyota, will find a terrific match from the Vellfire. If anything, it’s at least worth a good look. For all you know, it may just be the luxury car you didn’t know you wanted.
