MAJESTIC COMFORT
People with chauffeurs who hardly ever drive themselves should easily find the Majesty a fine cut-price alternative to the Alphard
Despite coming from a leading nameplate in Thailand, the Toyota Ventury was never a much talkedabout car. After all, it was merely a more luxurious version of the Hiace/Commuter commercial vehicle.
But the Ventury’s successor, the Majesty as tested here this week, could change that in the perception of Thais needing a decent people-carrier with some genuine levels of opulence.
True, the Majesty is simply a highergrade version of the latest Commuter, just like its Ventury predecessor. But this time, the Majesty plays the game in luxury seriously, enough to match posh vans like the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Volkswagen Caravelle/Multivan and Toyota’s very own Alphard/Vellfire.
With prices ranging from some 1.7 to 2 million baht, you may wonder whether such a challenge is genuine given that those three have starting prices of nearly 4 million baht.
It actually is, mainly due to taxation. While the trio are levied as normal passenger cars with 80% import and 35% excise tax, the Majesty faces just 20% (due to Thai-Japanese FTA benefits) and 0% (11-seat vans aren’t subject to excise tax in the country).
And the good thing about the Majesty is the interior, which still manages to feature large captain-style chairs in the second row to draw attention from those near-4 million baht alternatives.
Mind, the levels of comfort of seats in the Majesty are just as good at half the price. Go further back into the cabin and the perches become smaller and less comfy.
Even so, you can always adjust the seating matrix to your liking which, in this case of the Grande version, is 3+2+2+3 from front to rear. Those intended rivals have 2+2+3 configuration but offer more usable boot area and an easy-to-use tailgate, two things sorely lacking in the Majesty.
Don’t treat the level of quality in the Majesty akin to commercial vehicles. Actually, it’s nearly Lexus-like and, as said earlier, enough to tussle it out with the Vee-dub and Benz. Examples of grandeur include soft-touch materials on the dashboard and adjustable ambience lighting on the door panels. Outside, the Majesty has lots of chrome to the liking of most Thais who find such trim generally classy.
The safety kit is equally commendable with nine airbags made standard across the three-trim range and driving aids appearing in different numbers depending on spec. The Grande packs a full list of driver-assist tech to make it look great value at 2 million baht.
Just because the Majesty is based on a commercial van doesn’t mean that it’s totally shoddy to drive. Due to its size and all the metal it has to carry, the Majesty is properly powered by a diesel engine, that is, the 2.8-litre unit (and sixspeed auto) shared with the Hilux Revo pickup, Innova MPV and Fortuner SUV, but tuned to 163hp.
With lots of torque available low down the engine speed range, the Majesty moves around with ample shove and rarely feels sluggish. Power begins to fade away on the highway, but that really isn’t supposed to be an issue in such people-carriers, you could argue. If there’s one thing terribly lacking in the Majesty to sway users of the Alphard, it’s none other than powertrain refinement; that diesel is clattery at all times.
And when compared to the Caravelle or V-Class, the Majesty can’t beat them for driving dynamics. No, we aren’t talking about just handling finesse in a series of corners but straight-line grip and stability. Which isn’t surprising given that this German duo comes from a country subject to high-speed driving conditions.
While the Majesty feels just as cumbersome to drive as those Teutons, it can naturally never feel as agile as the Alphard on the move because it simply is longer and wider (and taller) as the on-paper stats indicate.
In spite of this, the driving position in the Majesty is commanding and slightly compensates. Thanks to an engine mounted longitudinally up front, the Majesty has quite a tight turning radius making U-turns not difficult.
Although owners may feel fine taking the wheel of the Majesty from time to time, they will always find the Alphard more pleasingly compact and easier to handle. Period.
In terms of ride comfort, the Majesty bags mixed results. The suspension setting can feel a little too soft over surface undulations, but the secondary ride is fairly quiet and taut. It’s kind of the opposite in the Caravelle and V-Class.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to discount the Majesty at such a price level even if those rivals have something to boast about, be it on the product side or image factor. The Majesty potentially thwarts the presence of those pricey players which is probably why focus for the Alphard by the Thai sales office would eventually be put on the pending Lexus LM, which has a more upmarket badge despite being rehashed from the Toyota.
But the real victim of the Majesty’s challenge in the Thai people-carrier market should be the similarly price Hyundai H1/Starex. In virtually all areas, the Toyota beats the Hyundai. The threat can be quite serious to the brand overall in Thailand because the H1 is Hyundai’s breadwinning model.
The Majesty, in the end, is a new people-carrying model worth looking at if you’re not planning to drive it yourself. It’s the pricing that makes it appealing when you look at what the market has to offer.
THE SUSPENSION SETTING CAN FEEL A LITTLE TOO SOFT OVER SURFACE UNDULATIONS, BUT THE SECONDARY RIDE IS FAIRLY QUIET AND TAUT