Fast Facts

Verdict:
Business class on the road

Ottoman seats are super cool, tonnes of space, lots of equipment, not a bad drive either

Cabin is a bit dull

Toyota’s latest multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) is a business-class seven-seater

By Derryn Wong

THIS IS A new car, but of course we’ve already seen some on the roads thanks to parallel importers, either by the same name or under the equally confusing ‘Vellfire’ moniker. That hasn’t deterred official Toyota dealer Borneo Motors, not after making a huge success of its own Toyota Wish ‘Aero Tourer’ variant, despite the parallel universe.

The Alphard makes a total of four MPVs available from the line-up here – if that’s not family planning I don’t know what is. But what makes the Alphard different, from say, the Previa, with whom it shares a 2,950mm wheelbase?

Toyota’s Picnic now becomes the entry level MPV, the Wish (upsized to 2.0-litres) is one step up and then the Previa and Alphard on almost equal cost/space standing.

While the Previa has an eight-seat version, the Alphard, which is slightly taller and longer, concentrates on getting seven human beings around with extra space and comfort.