Absolutely hated this car until I drove it (albeit an Alphard, but it's the same) After driving it, you definitely see the appeal. A reliable, comfortable cruiser Best bang for buck family car, a 7 year old Alphard/Vellfire (ANH30) for around 150k +- is hard to beat as a do it all family car. Quite luxurious, decent ride and the interior is spacious. NVH is average (to me, the wind and tire noise is very apparent at highway speed) I'd recommend soundproofing + autofoam to improve NVH. Cons : - Huge car, you need to get used to it's size, can be a stressful experience for city drives especially with bikes cutting in and out randomly (but you get used to it) - the base 2.5 + CVT is pretty... rubbish. The power is barely adequate with 4 people + luggage / shopping, highly suggest getting the 3.5 V6 instead as it's a much more smoother and powerful engine with a 6/8 speed gearbox (higher roadtax + higher FC tho) - Handling is rubbish, it has the turning circle of Jupiter. It is a fridge. - Safety can be a concern (watch crash videos, structurally not too confidence inspiring) - Braking at high speeds is scary with 4 people (with stock brake setup, need to upgrade to 4/6 pot, stock is a measly 1 pot brake system all round...) Pros : - Maintainence / upkeep is reasonable. But not cheap. A Toyota after all. - Aftermarket support for everything (interior tech, wheels, tires, roofliner etc) is crazy, just join FB groups / marketplace, mudah and carousell for mods. - With some choice mods, it becomes a really excellent family car (Soundproof, autofoam, better brakes + absorbers etc) - Decent ride quality, just don't expect 7 series / S class qualities. - Resale value king, barely depreciates and always someone wanting to buy an Alphfire To sum it up, its a decent family car if you love it for what it is, a premium MPV. Won't cost peanuts to run, but it isn't extremely expensive. Just don't drive it like an asshole (like every other Alphfire on the road) please
Absolutely hated this car until I drove it (albeit an Alphard, but it's the same)
After driving it, you definitely see the appeal. A reliable, comfortable cruiser
Best bang for buck family car, a 7 year old Alphard/Vellfire (ANH30) for around 150k +- is hard to beat as a do it all family car. Quite luxurious, decent ride and the interior is spacious. NVH is average (to me, the wind and tire noise is very apparent at highway speed)
I'd recommend soundproofing + autofoam to improve NVH.
Cons :
- Huge car, you need to get used to it's size, can be a stressful experience for city drives especially with bikes cutting in and out randomly (but you get used to it)
- the base 2.5 + CVT is pretty... rubbish. The power is barely adequate with 4 people + luggage / shopping, highly suggest getting the 3.5 V6 instead as it's a much more smoother and powerful engine with a 6/8 speed gearbox
(higher roadtax + higher FC tho)
- Handling is rubbish, it has the turning circle of Jupiter. It is a fridge.
- Safety can be a concern (watch crash videos, structurally not too confidence inspiring)
- Braking at high speeds is scary with 4 people (with stock brake setup, need to upgrade to 4/6 pot, stock is a measly 1 pot brake system all round...)
Pros :
- Maintainence / upkeep is reasonable. But not cheap. A Toyota after all.
- Aftermarket support for everything (interior tech, wheels, tires, roofliner etc) is crazy, just join FB groups / marketplace, mudah and carousell for mods.
- With some choice mods, it becomes a really excellent family car
(Soundproof, autofoam, better brakes + absorbers etc)
- Decent ride quality, just don't expect 7 series / S class qualities.
- Resale value king, barely depreciates and always someone wanting to buy an Alphfire
To sum it up, its a decent family car if you love it for what it is, a premium MPV. Won't cost peanuts to run, but it isn't extremely expensive. Just don't drive it like an asshole (like every other Alphfire on the road) please