The Toyota Century has only been updated once since its debut in 1967, a car designed, seemingly, to be ageless. And why not? The Century is great! Now, Toyota has revealed what the third-generation will look like. The new Century is scheduled to make its full debut at the 2018 Tokyo Motor Show later this month. It looks very roomy. It’s also got a V8.
The engine is a departure from the second-generation Century, which housed a 280-horsepower V12. The new Century is a hybrid, saving (some) on gas, while the engine itself, despite dropping four cylinders, remains 5.0 liters. The engine is a version of Toyota’s UR engine, a direct injection four-stroke motor that has a “two-stage motor speed reduction device” for smoother driving. This car is like your favorite sofa on wheels.
The car has also gotten bigger—a full 17.5 feet long, over six feet wide, and around five feet tall. There’s also less room between the scuff plate and the floor, which Toyota says will make the door opening bigger. In other words, there’s a lot of room inside to spread out:
And here’s a look at the front seats:
Toyota says the seats upholstery is made of 100% wool, which sounds very warm. The exterior, also, has some cool luxury features, including rear lighting that, well, I’ll just quote Toyota:
Glamor is evoked from the three-dimensional lens of the rear combination lamps that emit a light of harmony.
What else does it have going for it? Three projector head lamps, and a design that Toyota says is meant to heighten “the importance of the rear in appearance.” Check out that rear. There’s also power leg rests and, “multi-operational LCD panel located in the central armrest enables passenger control of all seats, air conditioning, and audio controls.” Which is a lot of control!
Of course, a car this fine won’t be available in the U.S. Why would it be? That would mean that life is fair. Which it is not. It is set to go on sale in Japan in mid-2018, which can’t come soon enough.