After years of waiting, 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.
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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.
*Ex-showroom
