Test Drive Toyota Alphard since 2008 Minivan

Toyota Alphard Car Overview

Overall impression
The top-class minivans manufactured by Toyota - Granvia and Grand Hiace - passed a comprehensive improvement that coincided with the release of a fully updated competitor model, namely Nissan Elgrand. The enhanced version of the machine was called Toyota Alphard. Moreover, if ElGrand is a really updated version of the old model, then Alphard, which before it was intended for Europe in the cargo version and therefore had a rear-wheel drive, resolutely broke with his past and turned into a passenger front-wheel-drive minivan of a completely new development.
So, now it is a minivan with anterior wheel drive equipped with a 3-liter 6-cylinder V-shaped either 2.4-liter 4-cylinder row engine. As you can guess through the history of the creation of this machine, and the main components, and the wheelbase, everything coincides with such a car as Estima. Now about the style of Alphard. Imagine the Silhouette of Voxy or Noah, but only a slightly enlarged, add the front facing from the Toyota Crown car to it. This will be the Toyota Alphard car. On it, however, the fairings of the wings of a very successful design (in fact they are not so far advanced, as it seems at first glance). But it adds the appearance of the machine of stability and dynamicity. He pays for a certain attractive force other than the one that carries the design of Nissan Elgrand.
 
External and internal design - all in the traditional Toyota key
In contrast to the new model of Nissan Elgrand, where there is an obvious desire to master fashionable, before that, not known forms, the front panel in the Alphard salon is further, I would say, grinding the ideas already tested by Toyota. The central place again occupies the monitor of the navigation system. The location of the air conditioner's ventilation windows, the order of placement of the control handles, the zigzag panel of the transmission control handle is all, including the dashboard under the tree and ending with color solutions, is made in one for modern Toyota models. Such a sequence is characterized except for Mercedes models. Unlike the development of Nissan or BMW, there is nothing remarkable here. But, falling into such a salon, you can proceed to the use of the navigation equipment installed there without any preliminary preparation.
The seats of the second and third rows stand on elongated guide rails, and the third row in addition can also be removed upward up. This design of the chairs applied for the first time by Nissan in the ELGRAND model, for modern minivans has become the norm. The seats of the second row can be deployed 180 degrees, and then the car has 7 seats, if they deploy them back, the number of seats will increase to 8. Another option is added - when the Ottoman is substituted in the second series of seats, also installed on the sled. With this option, the possibility of turning the seats of the second row is excluded. There are no such new ideas such as, for example, a multi-purpose medium-sized chair, which is available in the Nissan Elgrand salon, but in terms of volume and comfort of the chair and Nissan, and Toyota is equivalent. But the automatically closing rear door is available only at Alphard. Imagine how it is convenient, for example, for a weak woman with small growth. I believe that there is every reason to expect the introduction of this novelty in the companies of competitors.
 
Elgrand high-class riding, but ease, of course, for Alphard
In the latest Toyota models, much attention is paid to a reduction in the weight of the car. For example, if you take an ELGRAND with a rear-wheel drive and a 6-cylinder V-engine, then its weight is approximately 2 tons. And the same type with him Alphard weighs only 1850 kg. That is, Toyota is easier than Nissan by 150 kg. Let's look at the power characteristics of the engines of both cars. Of course, the Nissan ELGRAND motor has a larger working area of \u200b\u200bcylinders. Therefore, it with its capacity (240 hp) and the torque (36.0 kg / m) must win from the alphard (220 l. C and 31.0 kg / m, respectively) from the number and location of cylinders (V6). But if you take such situations as the maximum acceleration, acceleration when overtaking, lifting, etc., then not a tangible difference between two machines is not observed. In other words, at least the Alphard engine has a working volume of 2.4 liters, its traction characteristics do not cause complaints. And if you take other parties, for example, the noise level, then the 6-cylinder V-shaped motor facing the top minivan of Toyota, it seems preferable to me.
Recently, the controllability of tall cars Toyota causes only positive evaluations. So the model in question now is not an exception. With such a slight turnover speed around the longitudinal axis (roll) and the attenuation rate of oscillations, with such an accurate steering reaction to the curvature of the Alphard road retains stability and provides a pleasant ride even on steep turns. Driving seat height in the car is slightly higher than in Elgrand. But what is strange: when controlling the machine it seems that, on the contrary, landing in Alphard below. It just shows how much more stable this car on the go. As for noise levels when driving in the range of high speeds and ease of the steering wheel, in which the rear-wheel drive machines are naturally won, then here is an advantage on the ELGRAND side.
Thus, two new items are on the market of minivans of the highest category, with which I decided: if someone wants to drive along winding roads and receive pleasure from this, then you should stop your choice on Toyota Alphard. And if I went to the long road in the speed highway, then I would be calmer on Nissan Elgrand. And one more interesting observation: the pleasure of driving on these two cars is almost similar to what you experience when managing Celsior or CIMA cars.
 

 

A source: Carview.co.jp.