2022 Toyota Vellfire

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Review

If you don’t know what a Toyota Vellfire is, either you’ve been living under a rock for the last two decades or you really don’t pay attention to the cars you see. You see, in most parts of the world it is the European marques that are associated with luxury people moving – usually in the form of large, stretched out sedans and limousines that are designed to pretty much look and feel like business class in an aeroplane.

But here in Asia – more specifically, Malaysia – there are a couple of other indicators of luxury and status beyond the usual suspects. Over here, you have vehicles like the Toyota Land Cruiser (especially for the multi-generational plantation owner), or the Toyota Harrier (for your regular family with 1.98 children according to census data). And perhaps most notable of all is the Toyota Vellfire - and its sister car the Toyota Alphard – a luxury MPV that transcends race, religion, and age.

This bread box of a car often finds a home in many an affluent household, and for a variety of good reasons – none of which having to do with the way it drives. In fact, there have been many variants and offshoots of this particular model, with Lexus even having an ultra-luxury version that is a far better approximation of that “business class” environment many European marques aim for, albeit for an eye-watering amount of money.

Generationally three have been three Vellfires since 2002, with a variety of facelifts introduced along the way as well. The latest generation was locally introduced in 2016, with an update coming in 2020 and another upgraded variant due soon seeing as we get our models fully imported from Japan. The Vellfire as it is positioned is the lower-spec version of the Alphard, hence being the cheaper price – and it is only offered in a singular variant locally.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Specifications

Powering the singular variant of the Toyota Vellfire available in Malaysia is the 2AR-FE, an engine many may be familiar with given that it also powers cars such as the Toyota Camry. This stout 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 180 PS and 235 Nm of torque – certainly not firebreathing by any measure, but strong enough to bring this people hauler up to legal speed limits.

This is paired with a CVT-type automatic transmission that delivers drive exclusively to the front wheels – a bit of a strange choice for an MPV given Toyota’s beliefs and reputation for rear-driven MPVs, but an absolute necessity and requirement in the pursuit of superior packaging and interior space. Rear-wheel drive is the historical design framework for your average vehicle, but the advent of front-driven vehicles proved far superior for packaging reasons.

Looking like a slightly more aerodynamic toaster, the dimensions of the Vellfire are pretty simple to grasp as it sits within a cuboid. The overall length is 4,935 mm, with a width of 1,850 mm and a height of 1,895 mm. As you can see the height and width are quite nearly identical – a real mark of an MPV. The wheelbase is a staunch 3,000 mm to really extend that interior space, with a surprisingly heavy kerb weight of 2,065 mm.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Exterior

There isn’t much to see with the exterior of the Toyota Vellfire, being pretty much a box in shape. It does get LED headlamps with cornering lamps and daytime running lights as standard, as well as LED front and rear fog lamps. There’s a small roof-mounted rear spoiler with an integrated LED third brake light, as well as a twin moonroof for an especially airy cabin feel. The wheels are 18-inches in size, being a simple alloy design.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Interior

On the inside of the Toyota Vellfire is an interesting six seater layout, with two seats per row and walk-through functionality to allow for easy access to the third row. This has been one of the core features and functions of the Vellfire and Alphard range, giving them that luxury feel and cabin space that elevates the passenger experience. The seat material is black leather, with LED ceiling illumination as well for an additional level of class.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Safety Features

Despite this generation of the Toyota Vellfire being introduced in the mid 2010s, it doesn’t suffer from the same curse that many of the other models do with the inability to accept advanced safety systems. The Vellfire comes complete with a pre-collision system, lane departure alert with steering assist and lane tracing, dynamic radar cruise control with stop and go functionality, and automatic high beam.

This is on top of the regular alphabet soup of safety systems like ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability and traction control, and hill-start assist control. There’s also a blind spot monitor to help you keep track with the Vellfire’s relatively long body and larger blind spot areas.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Strengths & Weakness

To understand the strengths of the Toyota Vellfire, you need to be in need of something like the Vellfire. For example, if you are the kind to drive yourself around on a day to day basis, you won’t really enjoy your time with the Vellfire. Similarly if 99% of your needs can be met with your average compact hatchback or sedan, both in terms of passenger and cargo space, then once again you won’t see the point of the Vellfire.

If you don’t see the value in being able to stretch out your legs on longer journeys and have easy access with step-on-and-step-off entry and egress, the Vellfire isn’t going to appeal to you. But if you are the kind of person who is driven more than drives, who has to carry an extended family of three generations or so, and you need something comfortable and spacious, the Vellfire is for you.

The Vellfire’s strengths are in its build quality and reliability as a Toyota model, being able to fulfil the needs of a luxury people mover without messing a step. However the one reason the Vellfire faces a continuous disadvantage here, and the reason its local introduction through official import channels, has long been the booming parallel import market.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Price

The singular variant of the Toyota Vellfire goes for RM 367,881.00 – inclusive of all taxes, fees, and exemptions, but exclusive of insurance. Prices are applicable to Peninsular Malaysia, for private registration only, and inclusive of a five year, unlimited mileage warranty. On top of this, UMW Toyota guarantees 10 years of genuine parts available and supply for maintenance and repairs – one of the key reasons you go for an officially imported model.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Features

The main feature list of the Toyota Vellfire doesn’t read very long, because its intrinsic value is in the construction, design, and comfort of the vehicle. That being said, it does come with a 4.2-inch TFT screen for the instrument cluster multi-information display, as well as items like keyless entry and start, air conditioning for the front and rear, an eight-speaker audio setup, a roof-mounted 10.2-inch display screen for the rear passengers, and a nine-inch touch screen display for infotainment that has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Toyota Vellfire 2021-2022 Fuel Consumption

The manufacturer quoted fuel consumption figure is claimed to be between 10.4 and 10.6 kilometres per litre, however in our own testing we found that this luxury MPV consumes closer to 8.2 kilometres per litre in real world urban driving. With a tank that’s a whopping 75 litres on size, that would let you travel close to 615 kilometres between trips to the petrol station.