EXCLUSIVE EXPERT REVIEW : Toyota Vellfire India

Introduction 

Toyota is most famous in India for being the maker of the Innova Crysta. The Innova is arguably a greater brand than Toyota itself as for years it is known as the car which offers reliability, comfort and a toughness which no one else can match.

However, while many buy the Innova Crysta month on month, where do people go when they want to upgrade? Well Toyota finally has the answer in the form of the Vellfire that you see here. It is the most expensive and most luxurious Toyota and can be called the 'King of MPVs'.  Read our article to know why.

 

Looks

 

You simply cannot ignore this massive beast when you see it on the road. Measuring at a colossal 4935 mm in length the Vellfire is much more premium and more van like from the Innova.

In-fact there is so much chrome at the front that you need to wear sunglasses to have a look and just look at razor sharp headlamps! The side is massive while the design is boxy considering the car is built for space only. Also the Vellfire looks much better in darker colors with the superb paint finish being shown off better. We will add the build quality is excellent too as it feels tough. 

 

Interiors and features

You do no need to open the rear doors as they are electrically operated sliding ones plus you can open them with the key!  It is a three row MPV where the majority of the owners would be driven around so let us talk about the middle row seat first.

 

 

 

You do need to put some effort to climb in at first but once in, you would not want to get out! The two captain seats are huge and very comfortable. The legroom is enormous and you can cross your legs crossed! Further you can have the passenger seat moved to liberate more space! 

That is not all as there is a leg rest which is electronic and you have a lot of seat controls on the armrest on the side. You can heat/cool/recline. We would have loved massage seats though. Each seat also has a table which comes out while a big central screen has all the internet/movie/connectivity options and you can use a remote to access it.

At the front there is a large dashboard while you will find that Toyota has covered the whole interior in high grade leather and there is a wood finish too. There is a massive screen here also while you can use the buttons below to control it. The screen and display is much better from an Innova and has the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay etc.

In terms of features, it has the usual which a luxury car should have but the ones we would talk about would be a 17 speaker JBL music system, all rows climate control, sun blinds for second/third row,  electronic sliding doors, rear screen, leg rest, 

In terms of storage, like the Innova there are plenty of places to store small things while the centre space is big. Also the third row is brilliant and has a lot of space too though boot space is reduced if the third row is up.

 

Engine and Performance

The Toyota Vellfire is a hybrid and by that we mean it is a combination of petrol and two electric motors.  The petrol engine makes 117 bhp while the front motor makes 143 bhp along with the rear making 68 bhp. There is also an option to drive in electric mode. Their gearbox is automatic and is a CVT. 

 

Despite its size, visibility is good when driving it and the steering is very light which helps driving it in traffic. At low speeds the ride quality is excellent and it floats along. The engine is refined and fairly powerful too. 

The Vellfire is a very heavy car but the engine does a good job of taking this car to more than decent speeds in pretty quick time. The car also feels stable with occupants not tossed around. In terms of mileage expect 10 in the city and around 12-14 on the highway, which is brilliant. 

 

Verdict 

There is only one model of Vellfire available and that is fully loaded too!  Prices start at Rs 79.5 lakh and while that makes it very expensive; in reality it offers more luxury and comfort over cars costing double or triple its price. If you want to be chauffeured around, this is the one car you need to get. Thus it is of little surprise that the car is sold out for the next few months as there is nothing else in the market like this!