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When it comes to luxury cars, few cars are known for being the absolute pinnacle of vehicular opulence. While the Germans have their Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Maybachs, and the BMW 7-Series models, the Japanese height of luxury cars has always been the Toyota Century. Introduced in 1967, the Toyota Century became one of the most iconic cars for the Japanese brand. The world might associate Toyota largely with efficient yet unremarkable commuter cars (although that image is rapidly changing), not a lot of people know about the luxurious barge that is the Toyota Century.
Built only in Japan, the Toyota Century never came to American shores for direct sales, but its legend has grown worldwide. Last produced in 2017, the Century was also the most expensive Toyota money could buy, selling for north of a whopping $180,000. That sort of money isn’t usually associated with the brand, but boy did the Century justify it, with its grand, royal interiors, its thumping V12 engine, and pretty much every premium feature you could think of inside its four doors. It’s been 6 years since the last Toyota Century came out, and later this year, Toyota is set to unveil a Century SUV, seeing how popular bigger vehicles are at the moment. However, here are 10 things we would want from a modern-day Toyota Century luxury car.
We have taken a long, hard look at the last 2018 Toyota Century, and opined ways we think a modern-day, 2023 edition of the luxurious barge could up the ante. The pictures attached here are of the older generations Toyota Century.
10 A 2023 Toyota Century Should Be Available For Purchase Globally
Ever since its inception, the ultra-luxurious Toyota Century has always been available for purchase only in Japan. Over time, the second-generation Century, which came out in 1997, just became available for import to the USA in 2022, after completing 25 years.
For a modern-day Toyota Century, we would love to see it be available globally, in European and American markets as well. While it would be tough to compete with cars such as the S-Class Maybach and the Bavarians’ 7-Series, a new Toyota Century would have everything in its arsenal to lock heads with these cars. They could perhaps choose to sell the Century under the Lexus brand for the international market, while retaining the car under the Toyota marque at home in Japan.
9 A Modern Toyota Century Should Also Support Autonomous Driving
A slew of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist Systems) features is quite a common feature found in most luxury cars today. In fact, ADAS is now trickling down to budget cars as well, but a modern-day, 2023 version of the Toyota Century could easily distinguish itself by introducing autonomous driving in its arsenal.
Of course, there’s a case to be made that a Toyota Century is made to be chauffeured around in, but autonomous driving doesn’t just enhance the overall luxury, but also makes parking a big, premium barge like the Century a breeze.
8 If We Could, We’d Definitely Get Rid Of The Toyota Century’s Chrome Bumpers
We know, we know. The chrome bumpers on the Toyota Century, which also includes the side skirts, are there to set the sedan apart from any other car in Japan, signaling royalty and opulence. However, they’re not particularly easy on the eyes, are they?
The Toyota Century screams subtle opulence, but there are plenty of other ways to set the luxury sedan apart that do not include blingy, and dare we say, tacky chrome bumpers that end up taking away from the car’s visual weight. Again, Toyota could stick to the rule book for homegrown models, but global models would certainly fare better without the chrome skirting all around.
7 A New Toyota Century Could Certainly Do With A Hybrid V6 For Efficiency
The Toyota Century became known not just for its opulent interiors and features, but also a beastly 5.0-liter V12 engine under the hood, making about 280 horsepower. In the power department, it was certainly lacking, before Toyota updated the Century with a 5.0-liter hybrid V8 making 425 horsepower.
Seeing how the Century is the car of choice for top government officials in Japan, and even the emperor, a global model would be owned by similarly affluent people, which means their vehicle would have to be easy on the environment as well. While the Toyota Century with the hybrid V8 does deliver great fuel economy, a hybrid V6 system, preferably with a turbocharger, wouldn’t be unwelcome.
6 A 2023 Toyota Century Would Desperately Require A New Dash And Center Console
The words ‘extremely luxurious’ and the Toyota Century have always gone hand-in-hand, but while the rear leaves pretty much no room for complaints, a beautiful new dashboard is most certainly required on a modern Toyota Century luxury car.
The last generation of the Toyota Century, while beautiful to be inside, did feel wanting for a better-looking dashboard and center console. With a global Toyota Century model in mind, it would definitely need a brighter, more polished and aesthetic center console, with a much bigger driver’s infotainment screen than the current 7-inch display up front.
5 Toyota Should Definitely Enhance Connectivity Tech In A Modern Century Luxury Car
Connectivity tech is big in all cars today, and even the most basic vehicles support wireless connectivity features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It is no secret that iPhones are huge in Japan, and clearly the best-selling phones in the country by a significant margin.
For the Toyota Century, be it the home-grown or the global model, wireless tech like Apple CarPlay is non-negotiable, and must be incorporated. Plus, while we’re at it, the central screen could be updated too, but more on that later.
4 An All-Electric Modern Toyota Century Wouldn’t Be All That Bad, Either
An all-electric Toyota Century? The idea isn’t half-bad at all. The entire auto industry is slowly moving towards complete electrification, and luxury vehicle manufacturers are doing the same. For example, Cadillac and Chrysler plan on offering nothing but an EV lineup in the next few years, and a new Toyota Century should follow suit.
Not only would an all-electric Toyota Century be even quieter on the outside as it already is on the inside, the zero carbon footprint would only help its case and image globally. Plus, EVs are loaded with the fanciest gizmos, and we’d like to see nothing more on a 2023 Toyota Century.
3 Global Models Of A Modern-Day Toyota Century Should Come With Ambient Lighting And Other Fancy Tech
Even in the last Toyota Century, where the latest generation model came out in 2018, modern features like ambient lighting, a large infotainment screen, or 360-degree surround cameras weren’t present. Toyota’s officials have their reasons for not offering these, but at the very least, a possible global variant of the Japanese limousine should have these features.
Furthermore, for a limo that prides itself as the ‘Rolls-Royce of Japan’, the Toyota Century is sorely missing a champagne refrigerator and ambient lighting.
2 Rear-Seat Entertainment Should Be Taken Up A Notch In A Modern Toyota Century Luxury Car
There is no denying that the Toyota Century is at its best for the rear seat passengers. A car made to be driven around him, the Toyota centuries backseat premium will flush that money can buy, but that does not mean it can be made better.
Toyota could take a page out of BMW’s book, and offer a grand 4k or 8k overhanging display for the rear seat. The reason for the current rear seat display being in between the two seats up front is to prevent sensitive information catching the eye of passers-by, but that could easily be prevented with a special display panel. Plus, it would also leave room for that aforementioned liqueur refrigerator.
1 More Personalization Options On A 2023 Toyota Century Would Be Welcome
The Toyota Century has always been notorious for its limited personalization options. Offered only in four colors – black, silver, blue, and burgundy, a modern Toyota Century limousine most definitely needs more personalization options for both the exterior and interior.
Again, Toyota has been quite clear on their Japan-only Century’s values, but a global model of the Toyota Century would clearly benefit from more personalization options for customers who would be happy to part with the money.
Sources: Toyota
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