SHAH ALAM: UMW Toyota Motor, the sole distributor of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia, have officially announced that the company will be importing the Alphard and Vellfire directly from Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan.
Pricing for the vehicles have yet to be announced, but the company is inviting budding owners to register their interests for the luxury multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) at any UMW TOyota Motor branch or authorised Toyota dealer within the nation for the Alphard 3.5 Executive Lounge, Alphard 3.5 and Vellfire.
Both the Alphard and Vellfire will be accompanied by a five-year full factory warranty with unlimited mileage and the company is assuring that there will be complete and qualified aftersales support including parts from any authorised Toyota service centre in Malaysia.
The Alphard variants will be powered by a 3.5-litre (3,456cc) 2GR-FE V6 engine, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox with sequential shifter, producing 266bhp at 6,200rpm and 340Nm of torque at 4,700rpm.
As for the Vellfire, it gets a 2.5-litre (2,494cc) 2AR-FE four-cylinder engine, mated to a continuously variable transmission that manages its 175bhp at 6,000rpm and 235Nm of torque at 4,100rpm.
In terms of dimensions, the Alphard comes measuring in at 4,915mm-long (Vellfire 4,930mm), 1,850-wide and 1,895mm-tall,
Standard fitment for both models include 18-inch wheels with 235/45 series tyres, LED auto-levelling headlights and daytime running lights, front and rear fog lamps, LED-integrated rear spoiler with high mounted stop lamp, power-foldable integrated signal lamp wing mirrors with memory and twin moon roof.
The list of standard equipment continues with a 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display, cruise control, keyless entry and start, front and rear automatic climate controls ceiling illumination and powered front seats with Ottoman for passenger.
Getting into specifics, the Vellfire 2.5 gets a four-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and the cabin adds ceiling illumination, black leather seats, captain power seat with Ottoman for the first row, front and rear climate controls and an eight-speaker seven-inch DVD-AVN sound system with navigation.
The middle-child Alphard 3.5 upgrades the steering wheel by adding telephone and voice recognition controls while coming with Brown Wood Grain and inherits the same first row seats and audio system found in the Vellfire – only now, the leather seats are in beige.
The range-topping Alphard 3.5 Executive Lounge gets VIP Wood Grain for the steering wheel, uses an Electro Multi Vision instrument cluster, gets a metallic ornament for the ceiling illumination and the choice of black or white leather seats get upgraded to VIP Power Seats with Ottoman and seat air conditioner for the first row.
Also, entertainment gets heightened by the 17-speaker JBL sound system with an eight-inch DVD-AVN entertainment unit that adds navigation to the mix.
Colour choices will be confirmed later date, but in terms of safety, all vehicles get seven aibags, anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, vehicle stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, front and rear parking sensors and Toyota Premium Security and Solar Film tint.
According to UMW Toyota Motor deputy chairman Akio Takeyama, the differences between the vehicles imported and sold by UMW Toyota Motor and those imported by other parties from dealers in Japan is that the egine control unit programming is different to help keep the engine cooler in Malaysia’s demanding heat.
Other differences include different navigation system meant for Japan and the use of Japanese radio frequencies, which operates on a lower band-width than Malaysia’s.
“We realise that many Malaysians like these models as they are ideal for corporate companies to ferry their important guests and those with large families who like going around together. As such, we have decided that we should also include these models in our range,” said Takeyama.
Keyword: UMW Toyota confirms Alphard and Vellfire arrival