Extended Mileage With Vellfire Hybrid Motoring

By Lee Pang Seng

THE strong Toyota Vellfire/Alphard demand in Malaysia doesn’t look like it would waver any time soon, not that UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has much to rejoice about. Some 90 per cent, if not more, of the sales (almost 13,000 vehicles up to September going by the Road Transport Department vehicle registrations) are for the reconditioned models.

These recon models aren’t exactly cheap, going for around RM160,000 to more than RM300,000, depending on model year, despite the iffy warranty and service back-up nowhere near the standard set by UMW Toyota Motor for the Vellfire/Alphard range that it sells. You pay a higher premium price for the latter to enjoy that peace of mind in ownership but it seems most are willing to pay a lot less for the used alternatives.

Seeing so many of them on the road for years now, we often wondered how the Vellfire or Alphard could command such consistently strong demand. Toyota’s reliability is legendary the world over and that might have been one of the reasons why the purchase of recon versions is made with such confidence.

Our drive impression in a Toyota Alphard was a brief one many years ago when such premium luxury MPVs (multipurpose vehicles) were just making their way into the market. Sad to say, it was the recon versions that got the ball rolling with its cheaper tag.

Today, the advent of attractively priced luxury rivals from China in the Denza, Xpeng and Zeekr with full vehicle warranty and service maintenance is making good inroads. We were impressed with the Zeekr 009 (a battery electric vehicle or BEV) during the drive late last year to Penang and back for its high level of premium features and smooth and strong EV performance. More than 450 Zeekr 009s were sold to-date this year.

The latest Toyota Vellfire HEV, or Hybrid Electric Vehicle, was launched at the beginning of this year and we thought it would be a good idea to see how it stacked up against the rivals. For those who are wondering, the Vellfire and Alphard are pretty much the same in dimensions and powertrains. The difference is that the Alphard has premium fittings and styled to look more business-like while the Vellfire offers a more youthful and outgoing ambience for more vibrant look.

However, the Vellfire 2.5 HEV Executive Lounge introduced early this year is now positioned as the flagship variant. The other variants currently in the stable are the Alphard 2.4T Executive Lounge (2.4-litre turbocharged) and Vellfire 2.5 (2494cc normally aspirated).

The 2.5-litre HEV engine is similar to that in Toyota Harrier we had a drive impression with recently, this being the Dynamic Force A25A-FXS although hybrid engine-electric motor output is higher in the Vellfire; 250PS (184hp) against the Harrier’s 217PS (160hp). We believe the higher combined output is intended to power the heavier Vellfire.

A breakdown of the engine output puts that in clear perspective. The Vellfire’s 2487cc engine delivers 138kW (187PS) at 6000rpm and 233Nm from 4300 to 4500rpm, while the Harrier’s power unit puts out 131kW (178PS) at 5700rpm and 221Nm torque over a broader rev range of 3600 to 5200rpm.

The Vellfire comes with a Nickel-Metal Hydride battery with a higher output of 134kW and 270Nm against the Harrier’s lithium-ion unit (88kW and 201Nm). This explains the higher hybrid output for the Vellfire. There is no mention of top speed for the Vellfire while that for the Harrier is put as 180km/h but the combined fuel consumption of 5.7 L/100km (17.5km/l) is understandably higher than the Harrier’s 4.7 L/100km (21.3km/l).

And if you compare against the Vellfire 2.5 normally aspirated variant’s 9.1 L/100km (11km/l), the Vellfire 25 HEV would definitely take you further. That’s why the Vellfire 2.5 HEV comes with a smaller 60-litre tank against the Vellfire 2.5’s 75-litre unit. By the way, the Vellfire 2.5 normally aspirated engine delivers 134kW (182PS) at 6000rpm and 235Nm at 4100rpm.

We put that to the test during a drive to Melaka and back. The information given in the driver’s instrument panel showed the total average fuel consumption as 11.9km/l. That’s based on the mileage covered and we believe the distance could be set accordingly. We didn’t reset it and wanted to see how much we could achieve. When we returned the Vellfire 2.5 HEV after four days, that figure was 12.3km/l. It was higher but we did a spot of robust run when returning the vehicle to gauge its dynamic character.

During the highway drive, we resisted the urge to keep up with the many recon Vellfire and Alphard MPVs driving at robust speeds. We found that the Vellfire 2.5 HEV could easily pick up the pace when we eased on the pedal to pass slower vehicles. Our aim was to gauge its mileage under legal highway speeds and we were happy to return the luxury MPV with half a tankful of fuel and almost 300km range still available (the range with the full tank when we picked up the vehicle was 536km).

The reasonably high use of electric power in driving the vehicle led to the good mileage. The Nickel-Metal Hydride battery was efficiently recharged in many ways; when braking, on slowing down and by the engine. We could maintain the battery level at the halfway point and above quite easily with prudent driving, and from the power flow visual, that was handy as electric assistance was available to ensure better acceleration when needed.

During the short robust drive, we noted the familiar engine growl at low revs to pick up speed that was typical to CVTs (continuously variable transmissions), even if it was electrically assisted as in the Vellfire HEV and Harrier HEV. The good firewall insulation suppressed a good bit of the volume unlike in some lower range vehicles.

Similarly, the good body insulation also led to a quiet drive on the highway. The few times that we took the Vellfire 2.5 HEV to robust speeds on the highway, we heard little of the air turbulence or the varying road noise. This suggests that the efficient body aerodynamics has given the MPV a slippery profile to drive along without incurring too much air turbulence or noise.

The Vellfire comes with a MacPherson strut front and double wishbone rear, which is ideal for a comfortable ride. The tyres fitted on this flagship MPV are Michelins Primacy of the size 225/55 R19 that complemented the suspension system in ride comfort. It ran over our daily road trial of uneven surfaces, dips, bumps, speedbumps, rumble strips by absorbing the impacts well.

And for a vehicle of its large dimensions – 5005mm in overall length, 1850mm width and 1850mm height with a 3000mm wheelbase and a kerb weight of 2105kg – the Vellfire takes to sweepers well and at good speeds. Body roll was well checked and there was no uncomfortable body roll that could make passengers nauseous.

If the road tightened up and the corner was more acute, then the understeer crept in and the tyres began to squeal. We found it best to take tight winding routes at less robust speeds unlike our experience with the more compact and agile Harrier. Generally, the Vellfire is best driven sensibly being a luxury people mover.

For its dimensional expanse, we didn’t find it a handful manoeuvring this MPV through tight spots, such as the tight ramps in our condo. With a turning circle of 11.8 metres, the Vellfire 2.5 HEV could negotiate tight areas quite well. And the 360-degree panoramic view and rear view guidance, reversing the Vellfire into parking areas was quite easily done.

As the flagship variant, the seven-seater Vellfire 2.5 HEV boasts of nappa leather holstery in an orange hue with stitching. The second row with the Executive Lounge VIP seats is the reason that towkays buy the Vellfire or Alphard for. To enjoy the chauffeured journey in the most pleasant way with options of Power Recline, Relax Mode and an Ottoman function selected via a dedicated Multi-Operation Panel. The seats have massage function and seat ventilation as well.

Entry into the vehicle for rear passengers is via two power sliding doors with clear signs on opening and closing them. We could use the key fob to open the sliding doors as well as the rear tailgate. Getting to the 50:50 split third-row rear seats is easy with the tumble function of the VIP seats. Depending on how far rearward the VIP seats are adjusted, the third row is best for kids or small-sized people.

With the third-row seatrests up, luggage space is perhaps two or three medium bags at best. If you fold away one of the third-row seats, which is quite easily done and with a latch to hold it in place, you could free up space to accommodate luggage for five people on holiday. Or if you have fewer people on board but more luggage, both of the third-row seats could be folded away to meet the need.

The panoramic sunroof with adjustable sunshades is standard and there are seven Type-C USB ports to keep everyone happy. In equipment and fittings, the Vellfire is as good as it gets against the rivals in the market. It’s mostly a matter of brand loyalty and confidence against the cheaper alternatives from China.

From the driver’s perspective, we enjoyed the automatic seat rearward adjustment as you turned off the engine. It was restored to the last adjusted position when we started the engine. The head-up display, our favourite item, gave us the information we needed, including the speed limit of the respective area and how it turned fully red if the limit was overly exceeded.

The 12.3-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) instrument panel has much information to offer and we could quickly glean the ones we wanted easily. The 14-inch central display with leather wrapped sides was quite user friendly in accessing the respective functions. However, we have still not quite figured out how to turn off the route guidance once the destination was reached. What we did was to set a new destination each time we start a new drive so that the voice advisory won’t guide back to the earlier one.

At RM548,670.40 on the road without insurance, the imported Vellfire 2.5 HEV costs more than RM100,000 over the Vellfire 2.5 (RM448,000). Against the Alphard 2.4T, the price difference is almost negligible (RM548,000) Executive Lounge for Executive Lounge. The winning factor is the better fuel mileage or range for the Vellfire 2.5 HEV.