All-new 2018 Toyota Alphard - Challenging the conventional ways

Heard of the Innova or rather the Innova Crysta? It is quite famous in Indonesia, India, and Malaysia. Its dominance is unfazed over the years. Heard of the Toyota Alphard? Well, even this one has been quite famous albeit a bit less in India as we are given to understand. The vehicle doesn’t sell there yet but Toyota seems to get some kind of sadistic pleasure by teasing them with it. Nevertheless, Toyota refreshed the Alphard for the 2018 model year. What an update it has been. Long gone is the demure van which was used to transport school kids or nosy tourists. This one has become aggression personified now. So, let’s take a look at how this people mover is challenging conventions or rather breaking them.

Looks

Looks don’t actually matter here as most of these vehicles are never used as personal travel aids. Instead, their owners will most likely put them into the aforementioned tourist or school van business. However, didn’t we say about Toyota challenging the convention? Look at the new Toyota Alphard and you will realise what we are trying to say. The front end of the vehicle looks like it will open wide and eat your children alive. The claw-like grille is just outrageous and looks very aggressive. The Alphard logo in the middle sits proudly. There is chrome all around, with a hint of it on the lower lip as well. The fog lamp nacelles too have their own chrome outlines.

We would have preferred that Toyota should have given better or rather bigger fog lights to go with the overall look of the vehicle. The side profile largely remains slab-sided. This ensures that Toyota retains the nostalgia from the older model. The rear also sees a dramatic change like the front. The tail lights are now connected and look much broader than before. The Alphard is the stylish cousin of the Hiace and is more muscular than the former. We like the new design language that Toyota has adopted for the Alphard. The dimensions have been retained at 4,915 mm x 1,850 mm x 1,890 mm for the length, width, and height. The wheelbase of the Toyota Alphard has been retained too at a massive 3,000 mm.

Interior

The cabin has also been revamped. Toyota has retained the captain leather seats for the middle row. However, now the front two seats are powered. There is also the moonroof which has been added on now. In terms of features, the Alphard gets LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual zone climate control, touchscreen infotainment system, 7 seats with captain chairs, leather upholstery and more. There are enough storage spaces to make this your personal caravan too. The seats are all comfortable. Be it in the front, middle or rear. There is enough luggage space too around. The entry and access to the rear seats is neat too via powered sliding doors. The build quality as is typical of Toyotas is very good too.

Engine and performance

Toyota uses a lone V6 engine in the Alphard. This 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine is naturally aspirated and makes 275 PS of power and 340 Nm of torque. This time around, the engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic. It is interesting to note that Toyota doesn’t use this transmission with any other car in its portfolio. It is still a torque converter and uses the engine’s torque effectively. In town, the Alphard is no laggard and moves around quite smartly. Even on the highway, the Alphard cruises without any effort. Due to the brick shape, the vehicle doesn’t do high speeds. The wind drag is way too much at those speeds. The top whack is around 160 kmph.
In terms of efficiency, the vehicle delivers 9 kmpl overall. The mileage is a tad lower in the city - 6 kmpl thereabouts.

Ride and handling

Toyota uses a MacPherson strut with stabilisers in the front and a double wishbone with stabilisers at the rear. Well, you will not want to take a corner at high speeds in this one for sure. The higher centre of gravity will make the vehicle roll at high speeds. This is something which the passengers too will not like. What is appreciable is the ride quality. The 18-inch wheels with fat rubber ensure that the ride stays calm and composed. This stays the same even at higher speeds as well. The NVH levels of this V6 engine too remain controllable. The rack and pinion assisted steering wheel is a tad heavier at city speeds. However, it remains constant at higher speeds as well instilling confidence. The grip from the rubber too is sufficient. What we like is the commanding driving position accorded by the Alphard. The bigger glass area also ensures that one can also see all corners of this leviathan properly.

Toyota has used ventilated discs all around and these provide for good stopping capability as well.

Safety

In terms of safety, the Alphard gets seven airbags, Vehicle Stability Control, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist and ISOFIX child seat mounts.

Competition check

Competitors have now sprung up after seeing the Alphard’s hard hitting success. This includes the JAC Sunray, Nissan NV350 Urvan, JAC M4, Peugeot Traveller and the Hyundai Grand Starex. Some of these competitors offer more features than the Alphard. But few can give the same reliability as the Toyota. The Nissan is as basic as things go in this mix while the Peugeot mixes luxury and utility very nicely. As far as the Hyundai is concerned, it is the closest alternative to the Toyota.

Should you buy one then?

All Toyotas stand for reliability and the Alphard is no stranger to this either. The V6 may be thirsty but given the mass, it has to move, seems a sensible choice. The ride quality is fantastic and so is the build quality. There are many features on offer as well. The list price of Php 3,580,000 might seem a tad high but you end up getting more than you asked for. In a good sense that is.