Joining the Toyota Alphard at today’s official launch ceremony, UMW Toyota also took the opportunity to introduce the all-new Vellfire MPV at its Toyota showroom in Subang Jaya. This is the first time that the Vellfire is being officially sold by the official importer and distributor of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia.
Unlike grey import units, purchasing the Toyota Vellfire from an official dealer will come with an extra peace of mind in terms of car maintenance, as UMW Toyota offers 5-years warranty with unlimited mileage, and 10 years Toyota Genuine Parts guaranteed availability. The company also has an extensive aftersales service outlets with well trained technicians to service your MPV.
“Driving conditions in Malaysia can be quite demanding. The weather conditions are usually hot and most vehicles especially MPVs often travel long distances at high speed. These situations may affect the operating temperatures of the engine and programming of the ECU (Engine Control Unit) is usually adjusted to keep the engine cool,” said Mr. Akio Takeyama, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor “Such programming is only done for units that are specifically destined for Malaysia and imported by UMW Toyota Motor,” he added.
“Vehicles intended for other countries are being tuned specially for that country and they may not operate optimally in Malaysian conditions. Therefore, in order for customers to have complete peace of mind and satisfaction when driving their Toyota vehicle, I strongly recommend that they purchase the vehicles from UMWT outlet or any authorized Toyota dealers in Malaysia,” said Mr. Akio Takeyama.
“For every model we sell, we are committed to provide our customers with all the necessary support to ensure that their ownership experience is enjoyable. Therefore, we invested in the necessary equipment to service and repair the models and our technicians received specific training so that they know the vehicles inside out,” explained Datuk Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor at the official launch ceremony.
The Vellfire is powered by a 2.5-litre 2AR-FE 4-cylinder engine featuring Dual VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence). The output from this engine is 180 PS and 235 Nm of torque, delivered to the front wheels via a 7-speed continuously-variable transmission (CVT).
For ease of manoeuvring, the Vellfire comes with power steering using an electric motor (EPS). The high efficiency motor not only reduces steering effort but also draws no power from the engine, improving fuel efficiency. A reduction gear is incorporated to enhance transmission of steering effort to the steering rack.
In terms of its overall looks, although both the Vellfire and Alphard share some similarities in terms of dimension and shape, the design themes for each models are different where the Vellfire carries a ‘Bold and Fearless’ look.
Meanwhile, the interior packaging of the Vellfire has been improved with the increase in the wheelbase by 50 mm and with the door opening enlarged by 70 mm, access to the second and third row seats is also easier. The step-up height is also reduced by 50 mm for easier entry/exit and although the overall height of the vehicle is lower by 20 mm, the floor to ceiling dimension is unchanged from before because the floor height has been lowered.
Comfort and convenience are also apparent in the Vellfire where it feature powered front seats and an Ottoman feature for the front passenger’s seat.
Those in the rear 2nd row also have spacious seating and with the 50:50 split design, there’s flexibility to carry more luggage, if necessary. A lever mechanism makes folding the individual seats easy and for safety, each seat will be secured against the side panel with a sturdy strap.
The Vellfire comes with up to 9 different seating arrangements to suite different requirements. For maximum cargo capacity, the second and third row can be folded flat, providing a long space all the way to the front seats. The folding mechanisms have been designed to be intuitive and easy to use.
Standard features and equipment available include Twin Moonroof, sunshades on the side windows, ceiling illumination (with up to 16 different colours), 3-zone automatic air-conditioning (with nanoe air purification), power back door and power sliding door. As a Toyota first, the Vellfire now comes with an Electric Parking Brake (EPB) that auto engages/disengages when the driver puts the vehicle in “P” or “D”.
In terms of safety, the Vellfire are fully equipped with active and passive safety systems such as 7 SRS airbags, ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), with Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control.
Available in a single variant, the all-new Vellfire 2.5 comes in four colour choices namely, Burning Black CS. GF. (new), White Pearl CS., Silver Metallic and Black.
The all-new Toyota Vellfire will be available at selected Toyota showrooms nationwide from 19 August onwards. It is priced at RM355,000 on-the-road including insurance and GST.
For more info, visit Toyota Malaysia website at toyota.com.my.
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