We very recently saw the US president Donald Trump on our TV screens drive around Ahmedabad and Delhi in a monstrous ‘Beast’ that was a specially built 6 ton Cadillac with 5 inch bullet proof armor plating, five layers of glass and numerous features for his safety and comfort.
It was impressive but certainly was no beauty but then many ugly cars have actually been quite successful perhaps because being ugly also means being noticeable especially as the occupants of the car only see the beautiful interiors.It’s perhaps a bit like that old doggerel… 'in looks I may be no star, there are others more handsome by far, but my face I don’t mind it, because I am behind it, it’s the people in front get the jar.'
Toyota has just launched their huge Vellfire. It is a huge nearly five meter- long vehicle but looks bigger because it is also very tall, wide and dramatically ugly with a high, blunt bonnet with double headlights and acres of flashing chrome. Even the windows are different. The six-seater is definitely not a car or is it a SUV nor is it a MPV but is a totally unique vehicle.
When the huge doors slide back you are treated to as amazing an interior as you would expect to see in a billionaire’s private jet. The middle row consists of two luxurious seats that can not only recline nearly flat but also provides padded leg rests that can be extended and raised at the touch of a cluster of buttons in a control panel of the armrests. As in an aircraft the armrests also hide a small folding table suitable for a meal or for a laptop. A big 13” screen folds down from the roof to provide entertainment or other information access.
The leg room is great in both the seats but the touch of a button can make the left hand front seat slide forward to allow even more legroom at the back. The third row is also surprisingly spacious and luxurious but it can be conveniently folded away to provide bags of baggage space.
The two front seats are more functional and the cockpit also and also has a bit of an aircraft feel. The instrument panel and center mounted screen of the dashboard provide easy access for navigation, information and communications. Unfortunately some of the plastics are a little down market for such an upmarket vehicle.
To propel this two-ton monster is a small 2500 cc 117 hp petrol engine mated to an electric motor equivalent to 143 hp driving the front wheels and another motor equivalent to 68 hp driving the rear wheels. A synchronized total of a gigantic 348 hp through an automatic transmission will be able to provide great acceleration if needed.
As electric traction is about five times more energy efficient than a petrol engine the heavy Vellfire will also be a fuel miser. The Hybrid power train can also go on an all electric mode for short distances.
This luxurious bundle of automotive goodies is not cheap but there will be quite a few among India’s 6000 dollar billionaires who will not hesitate to go in for a monstrous vehicle that will instantly proclaim that they are rich, techy savvy. A Bentley or Rolls are certainly prestigious but are symbols of past glory while being seen in a Vellfire will not only be immediately noticed but be noticed as a stat from a ‘star war’ era on our down to earth roads.
(The writer is a senior automobile analyst)