Toyota has revealed a new flagship SUV in Japan to sit alongside its current Century sedan – which will live on for now.
The new Toyota Century is being pitched as an SUV rival to the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga, with a ¥25 million (~A$265,000) price.
At this stage it’s expected the Century SUV will be for the Japanese market only, meaning it won’t be coming to Australia – the sedan has always been exclusive to its home country.
Toyota has revealed the SUV in a number of guises, including a GR Sport with rear doors that slide like a people mover; it’s even teased a convertible. For now just the regular version has been detailed.
The Century SUV is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain with a total system output of 303kW of power. This is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with an eFour all-wheel drive system.
It’s the same powertrain setup as the recently revealed Lexus TX550h+, which is a luxurious version of the left-hand drive only Toyota Grand Highlander.
Toyota claims the Century SUV has an electric range of up to 69km on the Japanese WLTC test cycle. When the battery is depleted it has an average hybrid fuel consumption of 7.0L/100km.
Fully charging the high-voltage battery takes a claimed three hours and 30 minutes when plugged into a 200V/30A wall socket.
The Century SUV comes with a range of drive modes – including the typical Normal, Eco, and Sport – but the headline is a Rear Comfort mode that distributes the driving and braking force in a way designed not to disturb rear passengers.
There’s a four-wheel steering system that’s claimed to provide “easy handling” at low speeds, and “seamless, natural handling” and medium-to-higher speeds.
The four-seat Century SUV measures in at 5205mm long, 1990mm wide, and 1805mm tall, with a 2950mm wheelbase. This is 130mm shorter, 60mm wider, and 300mm taller than the five-seat Century sedan.
At the front of the Century SUV are a set of LED headlights with four distinct elements, as well as the iconic phoenix emblem dating back to the first Century from 1967.
20-inch aluminium wheels are standard, though larger 22-inch aluminium wheels can be optioned. There’s also a character line running the entire length of the side profile.
At the back the LED tail lights have a similar lighting signature to the headlights, although they have a three-dimensional element. Century lettering is also written on the tailgate.
The Century SUV retains the iconic two-tone paint job from the sedan. It’s available in a total of seven different exterior paint colour combinations.
The interior has been designed around the two second-row passengers. There’s an electrically retracting aluminium side step, a rear door that opens to 75 degrees, and a large grab handle to make it easier for passengers to get in and out.
The rear seats are electrically adjustable and fold fully flat, which Toyota claims is a world first. In order to make this happen the front passenger seat moves all the way forward to meet the dashboard.
Other second-row amenities include rotating retractable tables, two 11.6-inch headrest-mounted displays, two removable 5.5-inch touchscreen control panels, analogue clock, LED reading lighting, a shoehorn holder, as well as a refrigerator.
Up front there’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
There’s also an 18-speaker sound system, wireless phone charger, digital rear-view mirror, heated steering wheel, as well as a module of buttons to adjust the car’s features from the driver’s seat.
The Century SUV has a boot capacity of 340 litres. The Japanese carmaker claims a 9.5-inch gold bag can be mounted under the tonneau board.
The Toyota Century SUV will be sold exclusively in Japan at select dealers. A “Meister” will be in charge of sales at the dealer and will communicate with each customer and design a car that “meets their standards”.
What do you think of the Toyota Century SUV? Let us know in the comments below.
