Toyota Alphard - The JDM Minivan That's More Luxurious Than A Bentley

CarVertical: The History Checking Service
Use this link or code "JAYEMM" for a discount!
www.carvertical.com/gb/landin...
Want to buy this car?
www.autotrader.co.uk/car-deta...
In today's video, I drive the Toyota Alphard - a popular Japanese minivan that has its fans, but here is ignored in favour of the obsession with SUVs. Today I talk about the many reasons why this approach to practical and luxury cars is just better.
#JDM #Minivan #Toyota
Want to see your car on the channel? Email me on [e-mail]
Not had enough? Check out JAYEMM & FRIENDS! My new channel
/ jayemmandfriends
**********OUR CHANNEL PARTNERS**********
Dodo Juice - Award Winning Detailing Products
Get 10% off Dodo Juice's British Made Detailing Products with code: JAYEMM10
Shop at www.dodojuice.net
Charles & Dean - The Funding Specialists
www.charlesanddean.com/jayemm...
FIRE SAFETY STICK
The World's Lightest and Most Compact Fire Extinguisher
firesafetystick.com/
***********************************************************************************
Equipment Used:
Panasonic S1H Camera
amzn.to/3WXREcV
Panasonic S5
amzn.to/3R9C2BJ
Sennheiser AVX-ME2 Audio Kit
amzn.to/3kMUVOJ
Insta360 Action Cameras - GET A FREE ACCESSORY
www.insta360.com/sal/one_rs?i...

[@jjll9244]

When I was in the Philippines these and the Lexus derivative are absolutely everywhere. Incredibly comfortable and does make you wonder why we didn’t gravitate towards such vehicles

[@GlaringDiamon]

@@adamw8579 The Lexus LM, it was introduced a couple of years ago

[@jjll9244]

@@GlaringDiamon that’s the one, you can spot them as they have an absolutely obscene amount of chrome 😅

[@TsLeng]

It's the delusion that think one needs handling and power together with luxury.

[@JJVernig]

@@TsLeng And that combined with the high on wheels, and I am totally lost. Buy a small car for tossable fun, and this for luxury transport.

[@aaryeshg.6526]

@TsLeng it's that feeling of _I want ONE car to do literally everything._ And that's why we have these _performance luxury_ SUVs today that try to do everything, even though they're only halfway decent at doing so.

[@AntoniusTyas]

If you manage to find one, try the Lexus LM350, which is Lexus' interpretation of Toyota Alphard. That thing is bat-shit crazy in terms of luxury, especially the 4-seater version. Yes. 4-seater. Made Mercedes V-Class felt like an absolute peasant-mobile.

[@greenestmachine71]

Great vehicle and definitely worth having in Singapore where there is no joy in driving from traffic lights to traffic light. The aircon is brilliant and the kids love the captains chair. The only downside is that everyone things you are the exec cab that they have ordered to take them to Changi

[@Terence_Rajan]

😂😂😂😂

[@krollpeter]

Yo, thousands of them here, this or the Vellfire variant. Most with the same feature: Two people inside.

[@woooozaaa6528]

I had one of these as a rental on my business trip in Japan. It's simply the best long distance travel vehicle ever made!

[@samthoma2719]

I’d add the caveat “at an affordable for everyone price”. I was lucky enough to spend a day being driven around in a maybach, and obviously that’s a whole step up.

[@MonsieurGuy]

It's an alright car, hardly the best for long distance travel. It's not powerful at all, road, tire and wind noise is incredibly annoying above 90km/h and it has zero boot space if you have more passengers. It's not the worst car but this is such an overrated car

[@RioPutra_]

@@MonsieurGuy the new one is a pretty big setup up from the generation in the video , any car has zero boot space with more passenger tbf so the alphard is a pretty good car

[@MonsieurGuy]

@@RioPutra_ I've been in all recent ones. (2014, 2018 and recently a week long road trip in the 2022 Alphard) Yes the new one is a step up from before but still nothing special. The handling was rubbish and the ride was alright, at best. In my experience and opinion , German exec cars are still the best in the business for long distance cruising.

[@tanaka90]

@@MonsieurGuy Nononono Japan best, German fell off

[@fightfirewithmilk]

The Alphard/Vellfire is a staple choice for the rich and powerful to be chauffeured around in, here in my home country Malaysia. Pleasantly surprised to see your review on this 🤣

[@ahwai82]

dont need to be rich to buy one, most bought recond units lol and use it daily to fetch kids to school or go to morning market because fuel is cheap

[@windmill1965]

I don't have an Alphard/Vellfire but noticed that my car insurance company does not want to insure these types. I wonder why that is?

[@SyfiqAzfar14]

hello fellow malaysians

[@loudcatcher13A]

@@ahwai82 bro, you need to be rich to spend rm 100-200k ish eventhough its recond unit lol

[@incisor78]

This model Alphard is like RM65k or 12k pounds, far from rich and powerful. It is overpriced as a new van tho.🤣🤣

[@gogreenmotors]

Imported and sold to Matthew by your's truly. when Matt came to see the Alphard he came in the LS430, I was pleasantly surprised too see young man in LS430.

[@Some.One_Unknown]

Here in Japan, these are a pretty common sight. Not only are they used as limousines to chauffeur business people and tourists alike; They are also often seen being driven around by mums to ferry their children around. All in all, not a bad car to be transported in ~

[@pemainmobile8007]

and the average owner of the alphard is they are middle to upper class people because this alphard can be said to be not cheap even if you take the hybrid version it can be 2 times the price of a Camry (much more expensive than the toyota sienna or even the Voxy), especially if you buy the lexus version of This alphard is the Lexus LM350 with 4 seaters

[@MrNajibrazak]

Alphards are very suitable for those which like to flaunt. To appreciate character it is still Bently.

[@peachandtoffee]

how common are both Noah and voxy?

[@sylent-shooter]

@@pemainmobile8007 Not at all man. The majority of alphard/vellfire owners buy them used here in Japan. Unfortunately, the people that drive these things here in Japan generally suck at driving. OR have a bad attitude.

[@sylent-shooter]

@@peachandtoffee Extremely common.

[@markdemariassy8685]

One of the key things you didn't mention is that part of the phenomenal value proposition is that in Japan they have to offload these after 10 years, but they've essentially done next to no miles, so while they're old in years, they're much younger in miles.

[@omarkharnivall2439]

They dont have to offload, they just think its too old, specially if they have more than 100.000km on it

[@markdemariassy8685]

@@omarkharnivall2439 I think age is the dominant factor here though as all the ones we saw that had come direct from Japan only had ~30k on the clock, including the one we eventually bought...

[@jundaaaaaaaaaa]

I think u got it wrong, 10 years is Singapore for COE, not Japan

[@SkyWKing]

@@omarkharnivall2439 It's because inspection is very expensive in Japan and goes up with the age of the car. After 10 years a car becomes prohibitively expensive to own each year so people just get rid of them. The law doesn't mandate the car to be offloaded but it effectively encourages people to do it.

[@omarkharnivall2439]

@@SkyWKing i live in japan and drove my 2005 alphard until last month, sold it because i never knew transmission fluids had to be changed 😂 Plenty of ppl driving 90s early 00s cars around here, the tax gets more expensive at 13yo i think but the inspection doesnt increase that much, it depends more on engine size, its a lot cheaper with brand new cars but if you put pen on paper i still rather own an old vehicle instead of buying brand new Im driving now a 2015 nbox slash and im planning to keep it for 10 years

[@DMSR-35]

I think the old adage of "everyone wants to look like they're driving a race car but no one wants to drive a race car" permeates too many cars that have no business pretending to be sporty. As you pointed out, a vehicle such as this Alphard, is exceptional because it focuses on what it was designed to be rather than splitting attention and pretending to be something it isn't.

[@1marcelfilms]

Almost every hybrid/electric or econobox car

[@robsmall6466]

These import Japanese minivans are going through a renaissance at the moment in my area. Many years ago there was a local Japanese car importer that sold them. They were very popular. That dealership closed a long time ago but in recent years they have become a common sight on the road again. Guessing the VW Campervan is too expensive or common now and people have returned to these

[@camdened123456]

One of the reasons may be that the newer German mpvs actually lack internal space. In 2004 my dad got an 02 VW Sharan and has spent the past 19 years essential buying derivatives of that car (2x Ford galaxy and and a seat alhambra). As the last of those generations of car die out (my dad is scrapping his next year as the oil leaks are becoming too much to fix) the owners either have to buy a MB Vito, a worse car for more money, accept a smaller cabin or as those around you have down buy a Japanese import. If it weren't for the lack of low mileage alternatives he would've already replaced his!

[@djkasdjkasdjdjdj]

the vw campervan doesnt make sense in pricing, srsly that vw have lower quality but priced higher

[@coppershark1973]

Most affordable’ VW campers are not ULEZ compliant and have over 100,000 miles on the clock for £25-£30K Or you buy an Alphard with 30,000 miles and a custom fitted kitchen and all the trimmings for £20K to £25K. Plus it’s a Japanese market Toyota, they’re bomb proof.

[@BikeFromTheBrink]

As an estima owner I appreciate this lads choices, we went with it as the rear seats fold flat into the floor, we can get 2x PW80 motorbikes in the back and still seat 4. Cracking bus, hybrid, 4WD, 7 seats, van. Love it.

[@punnboat9817]

One advantage of Alphard, at least where I live (Thailand), over other "luxury" offers, is that it shared a lot of parts with other Toyota. Which means it has Toyota repair bill. Which is very cheap. Much cheaper than any Mercs, even when compared to the cheaper model like A class. And when you have someone to chauffeur you around on a daily basis. And all you care is comfort, usability and cost. Not drivablity nor brand, it just an go-to choice.

[@Rawdil]

Toyota should've released the Alphard along with the Lexus LM in the UK. 2024 LM has now been officially announced for the UK. The beginning of the age of minivans??

[@kevinpraditra]

This car’s a smash hit in Southeast Asia, Indonesia specifically. Nearly all middle-upper class families have or dream of having one as chauffeur-driven daily drivers.

[@loadofballx]

I would definitely want to see a video with the owner, telling us about his previous cars and his job restoring triumphs.

[@markdemariassy8685]

Had our Alphard for years and we absolutely love it. Best car we've had, hands down. So easy to drive and as you say, the fact that it was designed as a luxury people car from the ground up, rather than being a van conversion, really shows. As a value proposition for a family car it can't be beat 2nd hand. Ours cost us 13K and what could you get for that that even came close? Nothing. When we got ours, we didn't see any others on the road, but over the years they have become much more common as others have discovered them. Really easy to drive and apart from replacing the battery, it hasn't gone wrong. Ours has been to Scotland, down to Cornwall more times than I can count, and even to Germany and back and it takes it all in it's stride. It's 20 years old this year, but still goes absolutely fine.

[@davidh4632]

You hit the main point, all German mpvs are based on a van and very uncomfortable for passengers. In Singapore these vellfire are everywhere and the new ones come from factory with airline seats, they are so comfortable to ride in.

[@aircommandslipperz]

they come in many flavours, bench seat or captain seat

[@popinjayjunior7698]

It’s crazy how abundant these luxury minivans are here in south east asia. I once saw 7 of these parked outside a park. They are the perfect cars for families and high ranking government or business officials, because that is what they are primarily being used by.

[@muhammadal-qayyum758]

Alphard and vellfire are so popular in malaysia, its a status symbol, every rich guy even if he has a lambo, will own atleast one alphard/vellfire, its a good all rounder car, luxurious, spacious, comfy to drive or chauffered, and most important its very reliable luxury car that does not breakdown whenever u wanna go, drive it with confidence

[@TarrelScot]

A lot of what you say also applies to my 1999 Regius (Although maybe not to the same degree). The quality of finish, light and space and smoothness of ride all definitely contribute to that “luxury” feel. Mine has had a “minimal” camper conversion sensitively done by a local boat builder up here in Scotland. He’s basically taken out the back row of seats to put in a kitchen area, keeping the rest of the vehicle as-is. So it can still be used as a luxurious executive four-seater. The front and middle row seats fold fully flat, producing two remarkably comfy single beds, and electric (!) curtains give us privacy. The small footprint is ideal for the miles of lonely single-track roads we have up here in the far-north. It came into the country in 2012 and I’ve had it five years. Never a breath of a problem and it just sailed through its MOT.

[@Scouter98]

This reminds me of that one time a VW T5 came in for service and i made fun of the fact that there was a "BUSINESS" badge on the rear with big fat letters that i genuinely thought was glued on by a enthusiast but when i researched it that turned out to be a real VW trim level for the multivan

[@user-pg3nz9wh1i]

Totally agree on the points about compromising luxury with performance, the true luxury is having another car for that purpose.

[@NEILB1989]

Bloody love this. Can’t think of anything better for a long road trip with family or friends

[@toplespecah666]

2500 or 3000 , which one better?

[@laurieharper1526]

A chap I know has the Velfire, which he imported (used, but in vvgc) from Japan. Fabulous vehicle. Has the luxury interior with the big armchairs. It goes a bit, too. He surprises some BMW drivers with it. If my Camry ever gives up the ghost, I'll seriously consider one. Parts for Toyotas that are rarer in the UK are actually less of an issue than you might imagine. Toyota, being a sensible manufacturer, uses a lot of common mechanical parts across its vehicle ranges. So far, anything I've need for my Camry (2003 model, so only about 30 on the road in the UK according to the How Many Left site) has been easily available, because they are also used in the Previa, RAV4 or Avensis. Body parts can obviously be harder to source.

[@samoksner]

Just curious, was the camry not really sold at that time in the UK? Here in the US its been the most popular car for so long, I could probably find 30 Camry's between 96-03 in 5-10 minutes and less than 5 miles of driving. Obviously shipping wouldn't be cheap but camry parts (at least not the RHD specific ones) will literally never be in shortage, between OEM and aftermarket, we'll be good forever.

[@laurieharper1526]

@@samoksner Toyota tried, but it didn't sell and they quietly deleted it from their range. Many UK car buyers are very badge conscious (even snobbish). The Camry was equivalent in price to similarly sized BMWs, Mercedes, Volvos, etc, so most bought those. Of course, it's a much better made vehicle (with the possible exception of Volvo). The US is much more pragmatic. You tend to buy cars according to which is best for a given price and aren't so bothered about image (Toyota is perceived as being rather staid and sensible in the UK), which is why the Camry has been the best selling car there for many years. I bought mine from the original owner - an older gentleman, who looked after it - 5 years ago and it's been faultless. It's a great car.

[@tuanbe]

Our office in Indonesia has a few. Makes being stuck in traffic a bit more palatable. Love to be driven in it.

[@geoffrey6557]

Couldn’t agree with you more Jay. Never had the money to afford one of these but had an old 7 seater estima. Went everywhere in that including a road trip to Prague.

[@carldavies4662]

I used to get picked up from BKK airport every other month in one of these or a new Camry. Both cars show where the Euro barges are going so wrong in how the suspension is set up, as you mentioned. I think the Alphard was around 6-7 Million Thb though, which is a lot of cash, over 140k GBP, probably the price of at least two Vito Busses similarly trimmed. Id have the Toyota every day. The V6 is sublime and over there in Thailand, its most likely been converted to run on gas, as many petrol cars are. Their LPG, CNG infrastructure and servicing is so more advanced to that in the UK and EU, which is why these big, silky V6s can prove a sensible choice over noisy diesels. If I had the cash, Id have this in a heartbeat.

[@someblokeidk8565]

You see these quite a bit here in the Philippines. Perfect car especially during our nightmarish traffic jams thanks to how comfortable it is to be in. It's narrow size also means that you won't get scraped by motorcycles trying to squeeze through gaps in traffic

[@simonvancoevorden295]

Don’t know if you are aware in the UK , but here in Australia you can buy a device called a band converter (about $60 aud) which enables you to tune into local fm stations . I’ve fitted hundreds of them , they just plug in series with the antenna lead & require a 12v accessory supply . They don’t however alter the display . You just add 10 megs . IE 89.3 is now 99.3 . Cheers from Perth Western Australia, Simon

[@Davidcfillion]

Thank you for posting this, I have always been very curious about these as on spec sheets they seem perfect.

[@moschops2002]

Totally agree on the Japanese box style for a vehicle. I recently bought a Daihatsu Materia, and the thing is a tardis inside.

[@jorgenunesdasilva4965]

Being a Lexus fan and owner i Just love this rare JDM luxurious toyotas

[@aslkdfjhg]

These are very popular in Asia and Pacific. There is a million different trims and seating plans. The luxury is in the "getting in and out" and quietness going from the the airport to the hotel. Roads in China and Malaysia have no dynamic demands so a van with a slushomatic gearbox is perfect for the job. Because these vans are usually on the road most of their lives the interior does age fast, so beware buying second hand versions.

[@arsyadidris6349]

Just hope that the owners before had theirs fitted with good tints. the high IR/UV types. Those really work in preserving the interior.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Great car definitely better than an SUV. I'd have to get rid of the rear seats or find a 5 seat variant for when I go to the country side or long journeys. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@megimargareth4015]

the rear seat is, hand removed-able, just a bt heave, lol and if i remember correctly the middle ones also can, since this vehicle compensate for disables with wheel chair

[@elevatingroofscampervan3282]

The rear seats fold up out of the way I've had a motorcycle in the back of mine

[@sonalmalhotra07]

Beautiful video! I loved your style od delivery and sense of humor. Great job.

[@timelwell7002]

A very good friend of mine has a Velfire 3.5 litre which he got recently to replace the Alphard he had before. Both are excellent cars - and the Velfire is something special. I was a passenger in his car earlier in the week, for a 200 mile round trip - and it is every bit as luxurious as James says it is. An amazing car. Great review - thanks James.

[@petersimpson5859]

I went on holiday with 6 other members of family and we hired a Toyota Sienna which is of similar size and the same engine. It was brilliant. Really comfy, quiet and fairly rapid. Over 30mpg overall too. A lovely way to waft along.

[@bkwong2535]

Sienna is tiny compared to Alphard

[@peterwhitehead2453]

Weird timing. I took my first ever trip in an Alphard (in Auckland) this week as an airport transfer. Aside from having a name like a leaf bug, it was a ‘choice’ ride. Super luxurious, 5 of us traveled in lovely leather captains’ seats + luggage with ample leg room. It is a sweet ride for a group journey. And in shiny black they actually look quite swish, for a minivan 😅

[@firdaushanapiah7691]

Hey Jay! Great content. I have one here in Malaysia and we're very happy with quality of these behemoths

[@k3ntris]

These are everywhere in Hong Kong. My Uncle has the V6 one and it sounds amazing but it’s so slow due to the size and weight but you cannot help but feel like a VIP sat in the back with the starry light head lining and the automatic opening sliding doors.

[@alierengam1749]

You said so much about modern SUVs, made me realize even further how amazing my 2004 Subaru Forester XT is. Can go anywhere and fast, roomy, comfortable

[@allancarter3930]

I have one of these now. Fantastic car and will get another after this one. So comfortable and reliable

[@ShubhoBose]

The Alphard and Vellfire are very common in other Asian countries too actually. Very popular with rich/business people.

[@yashsutar4936]

Brother your videos have a very nice touch to it almost feels like watching 90's top gear shows love your videos

[@MrMadzilla]

Always loved the looks and functionality of these

[@alphatrion100]

Omg how can you love these looks 😂

[@omarkharnivall2439]

I had the 2005 alphard and my gf a 2012 vellfire, I love to drive her vellfire but my old alphard is much more comfortable and the kids love that the middle seats can be arranged to face the rear ones, making a big bed inside the car. I remember fondly some sunny days where we unshaded the moonroofs, my gf drove us around the mountains while i laid down the bed and the kids jumped around

[@FadzliRealtor]

oh I didn't know Alphard middle row can be turned backwards.. Very rare to have this feature. If I am not mistaken one of the few that do this is the Benz V class

[@omarkharnivall2439]

@@FadzliRealtorsadly only the first generation can do this

[@howardlake6178]

I very regularly see these on trailers, with no number plates. Regularly. I think that proves their popularity. I live about 30 miles from Southampton, which I believe is where they land in the UK

[@dempa3]

We took my side of the family on a car trip across Japan. Great van. My wife's favorite car to drive.

[@ronnachainkongboonma5124]

This is my daily drive van, even 4 inline engine, from new since 2011 til now. I am still really enjoy my ownership almost in everything of this Aphard generation. It is smooth ride, very comfy, good fuel efficient at 10-11 km/liter and Toyota reliability. Always give me smile after driving and curious how it was designed and engineered with such impressive outcome. I believe it's still very robust and beloved minivan for another decade.

[@Chester-UK]

Stag? Yes! Always had a fascination for the Japanese minivan but will never be more than that. Great video as ever!

[@fizmo100]

Perfect timing with this video. I thought I had found the perfect sensible car in a 520d Touring, then found out unexpected baby #4 is incoming. I automatically started looking a Q7s and XC90s, but got sidetracked by the Alphard/Vellfire. I do long motorway trips and was concerned about whether they would ride like a van and be tedious on a long drive. Sounds like I don't need to worry, based on this video. I have other silly/fun cars, and I'm wondering if I am ready to take the plunge and become a minivan Dad. I guess at least it's not a Zafira...

[@SkyWKing]

At one point the Alphard-based Lexus LM became such a status symbol in mainland China and combined with its rarity, made it the most expensive car Lexus ever sold. Yes, that includes the LFA. The first model year LM300h can cost up to RMB 4 million (US$580k) because of the crazy demand. That's over 50% more expensive than the LFA when it was new. Supply catched up but the MSRP is still a crazy RMB 1.5 million (US$175k) so it's still the most expensive car in the entire Lexus lineup, overshadowing the LS, LC, and LX.

[@redemption-leadership]

A definite yes to a video about the Triumph Stags.

[@picotbiru]

My late Grandad used to have one, the 2013 version. But the middle pilot seats are a custom wheelchair version. It can go in and out automatically. And it still looks like a proper pilot seat. Pretty cool actually.

[@anserkhan9430]

Bro a propa honest review,,Stay humble and stay blessed!!!

[@deet4895]

I love these minivans, specifically the Vellfire variant over the Alphard, but overall I have a lot of respect for both vans, simply excellent vehicles.

[@mervo1477]

Great video as always. Please do the Nissan elgrand e52 next think they are highly comparable and would love to see what you would think of it.

[@luisramos123]

You see them everywhere in Taiwan, took it as a taxi a couple of times. Quite comfortable indeed, very spacious as well when compared to a normal car, I can imagine it would be great for road trips.

[@absolute_abundance]

Great video as always

[@benrathbone152]

Great video, really done your homework. 350 G-L package is a good Alphard, better with hybrid after Nov 2011.

[@NeXMaX]

My extended family has like a total of two of these, from different generations. A bit of a nightmare to drive in the city due to its immense size, but out in the open, the absolute comfort is sublime. For what it's worth, the third-generation was recently put out of production, with the fourth-generation version coming out soon.

[@piuthemagicman]

it's only a midsize van-sized 😅✌️

[@charlesc.9012]

The footprint is about the size of a Hiace, so if you drive suv-sized cars, it is not too different. The Hiace has a forward control layout, so it is more agile and has more visibility in tight corners, but if you are in an Alphard, people are more likely to avoid you

[@daviddunmore8415]

I'm very much with you on the whole point of a luxury car - case in point - I used to have a Jag XJ40 with self levellng ear suspension (Citroen style) lovely wafty thing, it could really move, but always with a 'magic carpet' ride.

[@faizjalal2271]

In Malaysia, these cars are everywhere. from business people to executives and you can see them being sold in most car dealers

[@meow7593]

In Malaysia, the 2018(or earlier) vellfire ZG/Alphard SC is a very popular choice. Sat in the front, the middle captain seats and the seats at the very back before, very nice car. The spec goes up till Royal lounge although haven't seen one yet in person

[@ToreHansen]

Cool car, and as always something I will never see in Norway...one of the US channels are often in Japan and are driven around in the top model. Cool video!

[@hopefultraveller1]

👍We have one of these, a 2008 3.5-litre, and it's as good as Jay says! There can be some odd variations in trim and features, though - ours has even bigger 'Captain's Chairs' in the second row, but no parking sensors, no radar cruise, and no additional cameras beyond the reversing one. The fuel economy is astonishing - over 30mpg, which embarrasses my 1999 JDM 3-litre Toyota Harrier 4x4 which barely manages 19mpg. Having both in our household, Jay's right - the Alphard makes infinitely more sense than the 4x4, so much so that I would have bought an Alphard if I hadn't bought the Harrier before the Alphard even existed! Great video - incidentally, the Alphard is more comfortable and more economical than our previous Nissan Elgrand. Now, as I want a Triumph Stag too, please give us the hinted-at feature on the Alphard's owner and his Stag restorations! 😁

[@quietdraft]

I had 3rd gen, 2018 model, its come with complete TSS 2.0, make it so relaxing for short and long trip

[@paulj372]

I have one converted as a campervan. Absolutely love it, so nice to drive I choose to use it as my daily drive and with a regular service will last forever.

[@fransb8543]

Big yes vote on the stag restoration video!!!

[@eze8970]

Thanks J, they do look good value for family duties & pottering about. I'd be worried on Tip runs marking the leather though! 🙏🙏

[@thomasshepard6030]

My mate ran a second hand car business from the 70s until the mid 2005 he bought a new VW caravelle 9 seater with all leather real luxury 1991 as I used to work for him part of my job was going all over Britain picking up cars from the big car markets and company’s the VW bus was perfect for driving all the drivers we needed to pick the cars up the caravelle was super comfortable sometimes there would be up to 9 drivers onboard so sharing the driving was great

[@Edmonaise]

They sell pretty well in Southeast Asia too! They usually import it from Japan for cheap related reasons but most of the time the touchscreen is broken.

[@biladitanya]

This car are now the staple and standard of luxury in Malaysia. The bosses, high level executives, even minister use this car now. This is the car, that if you want to show you have MONEY, this is the one or Toyota Vellfire. Once you step inside and being drive around, you know why the riches love this. High ceiling, comfort beyond any car, sofa position seating style.

[@tiadaid]

Those people have meh tastes. And the Malaysian car market is poorer off because of it. We don't get Alfa Romeo or any other exciting brands, we get overpriced boxes like this.

[@av_oid]

That is a sign that the traffic is terrible and the rich don’t want to drive in it.

[@randot6675]

​@@tiadaidThat's less on the market tastes and more on our taxations m8. And also a matter of proximity. It's a lot easier to import stuff from the east than the west for obvious reasons, even for established brands like Ford or BMW that managed to penetrate the market here.

[@SamFrostDigitalMarketing]

Come to New Zealand there are plenty of these as we've always had ex-JDM imports in bucketloads due to import laws (although these have tightened a bit). I'm off to Japan soon for a holiday and I've got one of these booked for an airport pickup, very excited to go in one.

[@emgee9775]

I’d love one of these😍. Unrivalled reliability too.

[@SilverSurfer5150]

Lol! Funny, isn’t it, those things are 10 a penny over here in Japan. 😂

[@huynhdanny4623]

Driving myself a 3rd gen Alphard "X" 8 seater version. It's still a pain in the ass lugging a 5-meter boat around the narrow streets of Tokyo. It doesn't really help either when people either think you're a Taxi driver or part of the Yakuza

[@abarratt8869]

I've seen these a lot in south east Asia, very cool. Always wanted one, here in the UK!

[@ashleymiles6613]

Great channel x

[@dauf69]

It's pretty much everywhere as a status symbol here in Indonesia. So comfortable and even the 2.4L version isn't half-bad in terms of power.

[@mattpage6089]

My kids fav grab premium (Uber for Asia) choice for trips out in Singapore. Family business class! The velfire is the imported version into Singapore (often with a transformers badge), alphard is the local variant.

[@uqzhan]

people love them, even if we have left hand drive in Kazakhstan, usually it is used as a taxi between cities

[@PenryMMJ]

What a lovely thing. I guess that if you're in the Yakuza it makes a good alternative to the Century, and you can take a few more goons with you.

[@phillipevans9414]

Totally agree about the luxury thing, and the relative stupidity of modern "luxury SUV's" - these JDM imports are a good solution to space & luxury, without breaking the bank...but even better is a top of the range Kia Carnival, which is near as doesn't matter, equivalent to, on the luxury front, and even better value for money, plus, parts/servicing support will be lightyears better too, being not a "relatively rare private import". Keep the great video's coming, and I'll keep watching. Cheers!

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

What a fantastic buy 👍🏻

[@henryhamilton4087]

Here in Indonesia this is considered to be THE 'rich people's' car. If you own an Alphard, you also own a driver to drive and maintain it, a big house (or several), and more. Otherwise, generally the cheaper Fortuner is considered to be the more budget friendly midline family car option.

[@JasonRowPhotography]

Timely review, thinking of getting a camper conversion one of these. A few companies doing really nice conversions and significantly cheaper that the ubiquitous VW equivalent

[@RaspberryCai]

A proper van derived camper makes more sense than an Alphard or elgrand camper. VW campers are the worst of both worlds though

[@plunder1956]

I really agree on the idea of this type of vehicle to transport older people about. Just getting them in & out of many normal cars can be a serious problem. Also some seat fabrics grip far too well, make it easy for them to slide in. No high steps or low roof lines please. One can can even buy special seat swivel cushions & grab handles to assist them.

[@tdp2612]

Just last night getting ubers, 2 Estimas - one 7 seater (2 3 2) and one 6 seater (2 2 2), they're so nice to be shuttled around in with the big independent seats, electric sliding doors etc, and they aren't even the 'posh' models

[@SpiritEngine]

I started out on Morris Minors. Bought a Toyota iQ as a proper modern runaround. After a year of deliveries I bought a Toyota Hiace Super Custom with red velour interior! I got lucky and found a full set of practically unused lace seat covers to put on it.

[@jackdecarofficial]

I saw this car every week because alphard is very popular in cambodia, some taxi driver have a 2020 alpard v6 too

[@pipsqueak2009]

I’ve got a very similar spec 2009 Alphard. It doesn’t look like an executive lounge , it’s a 3.5GL (350L is the Vellfire name I think). I imported mine intonthe UK myself a couple of years ago with the help of an agent. (Paul at at japautoagent) One thing to note when comparing it to 4x4’s it’s worth noting that you can get Alphard S20’s as 4WD. Good ones are rare as the 4WD cars tend to be from parts of Japan with snowy winters, hence are more likely to have a bit of chassis rust. It took me months of searching the Japan auctions to find mine. I’m delighted with it.

[@darrengraham3162]

I also used Paul, he only imports top quality cars and he got me a cracking car!

[@newjerseywales]

Malaysia absolutely adore these!

[@robertsteel3563]

I've seen Alphard's here in Aotearoa/New Zealand with V6 engines! (the V6 badge practically gave it away!)

[@peterbradburn9115]

100% would like to see the video about the chap with the Stag restoration business!

[@robbieparker9959]

James please please please do a video about the car part shortage in the UK. I have been waiting since November for my Golf R back from the dealership after taking it in for a minor service and they decided to perform an update on the DSG. It's nearly the end of MARCH! It would also be useful to get your take on compensation. Great show.

[@hogster1475]

My friend has one and I've driven it before. His came with the electric middle row seats. I'd rather be a passenger when getting into this ride. I'm from Singapore and they are pretty common on the road. Overall a comfortable ride with Toyota reliability.

[@Dj.Ray.Von.]

I restore/build VW campers for a living. Personally I'd love a video on the Triumph Stags!!

[@martynrollinson]

Over here in Thailand they absolutely love those things! And they actually are more expensive over here with 5 years old ones fetching an believable 3.5mill baht or about 80k sterling!! MG tried doing a rival recently that I thought I reorganised??? Then it it clicked... It was an LDV van with seats in!! Failed miserably as you can imagine.. Ha ha..

[@angusnz7910]

As a young fella we called these looser cruiser (you’ve gone and got married) or an egg crate (you’re carting your brood around). Mid 30’s I brought one as a run around to remove seats when needed and was embarrassed to realise how fantastic they were max. Comfy, quiet, versatile, easy to park and enough poke if you got up it. From a pub crawl car, single person weekend away camper, crap off to the dump….it done the lot. Bonus thing…I managed to dump the belief I had to own something to impress the neighbor. Once you dump this shallow habit we tend to have…a van or a station wagon…2 of the most complete vehicles you can buy I reckon