This new Toyota Vellfire lands in Malaysia costing RM 100,000 less than its Alphard twin.
Aside from the new Alphard, Toyota has also recently launched its Vellfire twin over here too. Supposedly to be the more hip and youth-oriented of the two, this particular Japanese minivan is also to be the significantly cheaper option as well.
While the new Alphard lands locally with a price tag of RM 538,000, this new Vellfire is instead about a whole high-spec Vios less by retailing for RM 438,000. Though as expected with such a significant delta in the prices, there are some features that are missing in this cheaper Toyota 7-seater over its more luxurious twin.
Vellfire buyers for instance have to unfortunately make do with only standard Power Executive seats (with only the usual reclining, heating and ventilation functionality), instead of the Alphard’s Osim massage chair-style thrones in its second row. What more too is that missing on this more affordable variant is a smartphone-style remote control for various in-vehicle systems on said thrones too, in addition to other small touches like acoustically-insulated glass and a 14-inch roof mounted display screen.
That is not to say that the Vellfire is exactly skint on kit however, as this more affordable minivan still packs a 14-inch central infotainment screen, a 15-speaker JBL sound system and a 64-colour roof illumination system. Twin powered sliding doors and twin-fixed panoramic glass roofs are also standard too on this Toyota people mover, as is a digital rear view mirror and motorised side sunshades.
This being the variant that is targeted towards the younger demographic too, the Vellfire sports a more aggressive look relative to its more restrained Alphard twin. Its front end is dominated by a significantly more in-your-face grille with chromed horizontal slats, while the rear features a narrower light bar design for a slightly sleeker and sportier aesthetic.
And in keeping with its sportier aesthetic as well, the Vellfire is incidentally the only one among the two that has a performance brace up front, to further stiffen up the new TNGA-K platform it rides upon. Though interestingly for this supposedly sporty option, the Alphard will nevertheless likely romp away from it in a head-to-head drag race.
Such is because despite being the sporty option, Toyota has curiously decided to allow the ‘well-proven’ 2.5-litre 2AR-FE naturally-aspirated four-pot and seven-speed CVT combination from the old Vellfire to continue driving the front wheels in this new iteration for Malaysia. And while its 182 PS and 235 Nm of torque will still be perfectly adequate for these people-movers to continue terrorising the fast lane on the highways over here, it really simply is no match against the extra 96 PS and 195 Nm of torque pumped out by 2.4-litre turbocharged unit in the new Alphard.
Funnily enough for this sporty option too, paddle shifts and heads up display that are standard on the Alphard are to be conspicuously absent on the Vellfire. Both luxury people movers nevertheless net 19-inch alloy wheels and tri-LED headlights, in addition to six airbags and a comprehensive suite of active driver aids that comes with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.
The Vellfire is currently only officially available in Malaysia with a black interior, with a similarly monochromatic exterior colour palette that ranges from Platinum White Pearl, Precious Metal and Black. As with all new Toyotas officially sold in Malaysia, this Japanese people mover nets a 5-year unlimited milage (and fully-transferrable) warranty.
