Last month, UMW Toyota Motor introduced the Vellfire Hybrid, a continuation of its hybridisation strategy seemingly permeating every part of its lineup (you may remember that it also launched the Harrier Hybrid last week). The company is now showcasing the petrol-electric luxury MPV at its Shah Alam headquarters, giving us a better look at this behemoth of a flagship.
As previously reported, the Vellfire Hybrid is actually the most expensive of the Alphard/Vellfire twins, priced at RM549,900 on-the-road without insurance. That’s over RM100,000 more than the petrol model and nearly RM2,000 more than even the supposedly more upmarket Alphard 2.4 litre turbo. Included in the figure is a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and an eight-year (also with unlimited mileage) battery warranty.
The biggest change, of course, is under the short bonnet, where you’ll find a 2.5 litre A25A-FXS Atkinson-cycle Dynamic Force naturally-aspirated four-cylinder, producing 187 PS at 6,000 rpm and 233 Nm of torque from 4,300 to 4,500 rpm.
This is paired with a 182 PS/270 Nm electric motor and an E-CVT setup for a total system output of 250 PS – 70 PS (37%) up on the petrol model. The big benefit, however, is fuel consumption, quoted at 5.7 litres per 100 km (17.5 km per litre) versus 9.1 litres per 100 km (11 km per litre) for the petrol.
Not that you’d be able to tell from the outside, as the Hybrid looks practically identical to the standard Vellfire. It still comes with unique split LED headlights, massive slatted grille, vertical (fake) corner air inlets and full-width LED taillights with U-shaped graphics, with the only difference being the HEV badges on the flanks and tailgate. The wheels are also the same 19-inch ten-spoke units with a two-tone finish.
To justify the sharp price hike, the Hybrid gains several kit upgrades to bring it on par with the Alphard, such as Nappa leather (in a bespoke Sunset Brown, replacing the petrol car’s black faux leather) and a head-up display. But it’s in the second row where the car has stepped up significantly in terms of appointments.
Here, towkays benefit from the Alphard’s plusher Executive Lounge seats, which include built-in ottomans, separate fold-out tables with vanity mirrors and a smartphone-style control touchscreen, plus an additional massage function to join the standard seat heating and ventilation. Also lifted from the Alphard is a 14-inch ceiling-mounted rear monitor, set in between the two rear skylights with powered sunshades.
As per its other siblings, the Hybrid’s front cabin gets a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14-inch infotainment/navigation touchscreen with Lexus-style physical air-con control knobs and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 15-speaker JBL sound system and a Qi wireless charger continue to be standard equipment.
Other bits of standard kit include app-based remote engine start, four-zone auto air con with Panasonic Nanoe X air ionising, eight-way driver (with memory) and four-way passenger power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, a power-adjustable steering column, paddle shifters, a digital rear-view mirror, a 360-degree camera system, a powered tailgate, a dash cam, and solar and security window tint.
As for safety, the Vellfire Hybrid continues to come as standard with the full suite of Toyota Safety Sense driver assists, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, parking AEB, traffic sign recognition and adaptive high beam. Six airbags and stability control are, of course, fitted.
