‘Century for new century’
We have known the Toyota Century as a stately sedan for many years, but now there is a new Century (so far only in Japan) that takes a completely different approach. Toyota is now printing the well-known name on an SUV and is thus focusing on an ever-growing market.
The Toyota Century has been a household name for almost sixty years and is generally not a car that you associate with major changes. After all, the first Century appeared in 1967 and only handed over the baton to the second in 1997, after which the current and third Century succeeded it in 2018. So these are top limousines with a long lifespan and logically the current Toyota Century, which is only five years old, can still last quite a while. Yet there is already a brand new one with the same name, although it will undoubtedly be known as the ‘Century SUV’. Toyota talks about a ‘Century for the new century’.
Toyota Century
You don’t have to look twice to spot the difference between this Century and the regular one. This is not only due to its much higher body, because the new Century (SUV) is also a lot less classically decorated than its sedan brother. While the sedan is covered in a strong retro sauce, the SUV is really one of our times. The grille, for example, is not an elaborate chrome showpiece and the lighting also looks modern. In that respect, a slight similarity with the Genesis models cannot be denied. More similarities with other brands? Yes, the window line and thick C-pillar give the Century some Rolls-Royce Cullinan features.
Function over form
The interior of the new Toyota Century looks slightly more unique and again significantly more modern than in the Century sedan. Compared to possible competitors such as the BMW X7 and certainly the Mercedes-Benz (and Mercedes-Maybach) GLS, the Century keeps it quite modest in terms of design. It looks chic, but above all functional. For a car that will be presented in 2023, the number of physical buttons is striking. The Century is clearly an SUV for those who want to get from A to B without too much fuss and frills. This should be possible, especially at the back. There you will find two spacious and extensively electrically adjustable seats, with plenty of storage space in between and a touchscreen to operate the climate control. There is no shortage of legroom at all and the doors open at an angle of no more than 75 degrees to make boarding easier.
Toyota Century
Just like its more traditional namesake, the Toyota Century is a big boy. At 5.2 m in length, it is slightly shorter (13 cm), although with its 1.99 m width it is 6 cm wider than the sedan. The biggest difference is of course in the height (30 cm); the Century SUV is 6 feet tall. In terms of weight, it also far exceeds the sedan, at 2,570 kilos it is 200 kilos heavier.
Plug-in hybrid with 3.5 V6
Toyota has not yet revealed very extensive technical information, but it is already known that the powerful Toyota Century will be available with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain with a new 3.5-liter V6 coupled to a CVT as the beating heart. According to Toyota, this should make ‘fully electric driving in daily traffic’ possible, while on longer journeys the car drives hybrid. The four-wheel drive Century has four-wheel steering so that it can still navigate tighter streets despite its considerable length, and ‘Rear Comfort mode’ should dampen steering movements and braking actions as much as possible for the rear passengers, although it is not entirely clear how this works.
Toyota Century
The new Toyota Century has only been presented for the Japanese market for the time being and Toyota is aiming for a production of only thirty units per month. In its home country, the Toyota Century will cost the equivalent of €158,000.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl