I have witnessed the luxury van in person as I was invited for its private viewing where I experienced the 4 and 6-seater models.
BHPian Scream recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I think the Lexus LM would be a massive success as an even more premium offering to the Vellfire.
As a Lexus customer and Vellfire owner, I was invited for the private viewing of the LM in Cochin. The 4 and 6 seat configurations were displayed, the 6-seater is basically a 2024 Vellfire with higher-quality leather and wood thrown on every inch of the cabin. Has a few additional features like the active damping on the suspension which reduces pitch and keeps the ride flatter and more comfortable.
The Mark Levinson audio should be much better than the JBL system in the Vellfire. The 4 seater is very different and the partition gives it a truly unique experience. But buying a car of that size just for 2 seats as the front 2 are for your chauffeur and staff with the partition in between, hence can never be used as a family or road trip car with friends etc. Even then the qualities outweigh the cons and there isn’t a single car that can compete with the Vellfire or LM ensuring it dominates this niche market like Innova did back when it launched.
Underpowered engine?
The LM and new Vellfire have the same engine as the 2020 Vellfire and I can say the engine is built for a totally different purpose which I failed to understand during the first few months of ownership. Engine and hybrid system combined produce very little torque which means on highways, the car takes its own sweet time to pick up pace and overtaking isn’t exactly the easiest like it’s with the German and British competition.
But drive the Vellfire at a much more relaxed pace with less braking and using the momentum to maintain speed and overtake and things become a lot more easier as that’s what the car and engine are built to do. Just to put some context on how much lower average speed we do in a Vellfire vs an Audi Q7 or E class, I travel from Cochin to Trivandrum by road once in a while and returning late at night it takes me 3 hours or under max to cover the 220km in the Audi or Merc whereas in the Vellfire it’s 3:40 min at least.
Now for the unfamiliar, this route is almost completely 2 lane but wide and post 9 it’s fairly empty. As the Vellfire struggles to keep up average speed, taking time to pick up speed once you brake. The average speed and distance covered is far less compared to the Audi or any other luxury car for that matter. But if you’re willing to sacrifice that time and pleasure of overtaking cars with ease for rear seat comfort, trust me nothing comes close to the comfort of thrones in the middle row of the Vellfire. These seats can be put down flat like a bed and in the hand of a good chauffeur, you can sleep with ease and on roads that aren’t the smoothest you don’t need to worry or slow down a lot as Toyota’s reliability and low maintenance will keep your mind at ease.
Here in Kerala, these cars have a celebrity or boss image which very few cars can compete with. Hence ensuring its success here.
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